When it’s time to go to bed at night, a considerable percentage of canine owners find that their barking friend can’t get to sleep and starts barking whenever they give orders to their tyke to enter the crate or go to its bed. On top of that, there is none who has not witnessed unwanted barking all of a sudden at night.
Figuring out why dogs bark and how to stop dogs from barking at night require blood, sweat, and tears. If you’re at sea when it comes to why dogs bark at night, and how to stop dogs barking at night, then you are in the right place. Here we will find out why dogs bark at night and how do you stop dogs from barking at night that will save your nights.
7 Reasons Why do Dogs Bark at Night?
Does your bowwow enter to his crate that is placed in your bedroom without a complaint, but it wakes up suddenly in the night and starts barking in a loud voice? If it sounds familiar to you then let me tell you that you’re not all alone. By pinpointing and addressing the inherent cause behind the barking, you can fix that disruptive behavior with the aim that you, your dog, and the rest of the family get a good night’s sleep which is crucial for overall well-being.
Here are the 7 reasons why your tyke barks at night without warning.
Reason #1. Alerting you or has a fear of intruders
It’s a well-known fact that multiple dog breeds come from true-blue, shielding wolf ancestors that have keen senses and whenever they sense a stranger or intruder nearby or approaching your territory. They start barking in a heartbeat with the intention that the pet parents and their family members stay alert of potential threats be it a human or an animal.
A significant number of canine parents find that their dog starts barking even in the early morning i.e. 4 AM and when they awake and look through the window they notice that a raccoon is wandering by that their dog assumes as a potential threat. However, it’s a distant dream for a pet parent to explain to their barking friend that, be it your neighbor, or their feline/canine friend, or any passerby walking outside the premises, it’s not your watchdog’s matter of concern.
Reason #2. Boredom
Do you belong to those canine parent population who spend time with their dog or take a long walk, or play interactive games in the yard or in the local park or garden either in the morning or in the evening?
If not, then your dog lacks the physical and mental exercise that it looks for throughout the day which in turn results in numerous bad behavior where it not only paws at you or your family members but also chews something that your barking friend isn’t supposed to do in order to attract your or your family member’s attention.
If your tail-wagger does not get the much-needed mental and physical exercise during the day, it’s no secret that it will feel bored as it will not put into words that it is unhappy and feels bored. To convey the message, they bark at night as they do not find a viable way other than barking to show that they are full of bottled-up energy.
Reason #3. Stress or Anxiety
When you change the diet of your four-legged friend upside down or shift from Los Angeles to Connecticut with your dog, it’s highly likely that your dog may become stressed or anxious. Hence, as a caring canine parent, it’s your task to find what the source of the stress is and fix it ASAP unless your dog will barks in a loud voice no matter whether it’s a day or midnight.
Reason #4. They are experiencing pain
When your dog is suffering from joint problems or muscle contraction, then it experiences pain that leads to excessive barking or whining. Other than that, there are significant canine parents suffering from canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome where your four-legged companion not only refuses to eat or drink but also fails to recognize you and your other family members. If you have an old senior dog that starts barking during the night that continues for a prolonged duration, then you should visit a vet and consult with the vet.
Reason #5. Maybe your fido is hungry
Are you offering meals to your dog twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening? In case you have witnessed when you insist your dog to go to the crate and he barks for a prolonged duration then you should offer a meal. If your dog consumes the meal without any complaint and leaves the food bowl empty, give your kitty the mouth-watering meal 3 times a day, once in the morning, once in the early evening, and once in the night before your dog goes to sleep in the crate.
Reason #6. Loneliness
If you are an office goer or a business professional who is on the move throughout the day and is not able to spend quality time with the hound because you are away from the home all day long then there’s a fair chance that your dog remains all alone day in day out. As your dog is a social animal, he craves the presence of your family members with the intention that he can play with them and live in packs. If it does not get the much-needed attention and care, it can result in an unwanted way of life where it starts whining, crying, or barking at late night.
Reason #7. Discomfort
Are you feeding your 1-year pup thrice a day, once in the morning, in the evening, and one meal before your puppy goes to bed? If that sounds familiar then there’s a strong possibility that your kitty’s bladder is packed like sardines. In that scenario, you should take a walk with your pup to speed up digestion and keep the digestive issues or stomach upset at bay.
No matter where your barking friend sleeps, be in the crate or in a dog bed, if you fail to make the crate/bed a comfortable one then it may bark at night. On top of that, if your dog feels cold or is not able to turn around in the crate due to lack of space, you will live through unwanted barking at night.
How to Stop Dogs from Barking at Night
It’s no fun when you have a dog that barks at midnight when you and your family members fall asleep. Figuring out what are the reasons behind the late-night barking and how to stop a dog from barking at night is a back-breaking job. Once you have identified the inherent cause behind the barking through the night, now it’s time to apply the right strategy with the intention to stop the barking.
Tactics #1. Increase your barking friend’s exercise and Training
When you are facing barking at night, do not think about the age or the breed of your canine companion. Just increase its exercise time. It is a viable solution to tire your dog out. After it gobbles the meal just before going to bed, you should take your dog for a long walk with the purpose to get your dog tired and go to the crate to sleep without trouble.
Many canine parents seek advice on what playing time is sufficient for a good night’s sleep for them and their dogs both. Well, there is no exact time frame to pinpoint. For instance, if your Labrador gets 1 hour of strenuous exercise a day and barks at night, then as a good rule of thumb, in addition to that 1 hour, when your dog is getting 15 minutes of exercise before it goes to bed, will meet your expectation.
Tactics #2. Investigate the reason behind the barking
It’s as clear as the sky is blue that your barking friend perceives a potential threat to itself or its parents. There are multiple dog breeds that bark when they sense that someone is walking past their owner’s house, or two cats are fighting in the pedestrian lane that is next to the boundary, or a neighbor is leaving his house in the early morning for instance 4 A.M. to attend his shifting duty. Once the problem is resolved, bring the ‘Quite’ command into the equation to tell your tyke that there is no problem in a calm and low voice and instruct it to get back to sleep.
Tactics #3. Ignore the barking and don’t reward them
Many canine parents wake up and pay a lot of attention to their four-legged companion without investigating what is the prime reason behind the barking. Alike humans and other living beings, your dog is quick-witted and when it finds that the parent is very kind, sits next to him and tosses mouth-watering treats or offers interactive toys until he goes to the crate to sleep, the dog concludes that barking at night is very rewarding.
Once they find that such acts bring favorable outcomes, it’s highly likely that the barking in the late night will be repeated sooner or later. To put a stop to late-night bark, one of the tried and tested methods is you should ignore the barking and don’t pay attention to it until it stops barking. Once it stops barking, then you can pay close attention and sometimes a treat. Repeat the process for a month which will eventually result that it will learn that keeping its mouth shut is rewarding and it won’t bark each night without a miss.
Tactics #4. Focus on Socialization
Are you going to the local park with your tyke for a walk once a week? If not, then you should start going to the nearby park once a day where the dog can interact with social animals including humans, other dogs, cats, and counting. When you socialize with your neighbors, and other living beings, then your fido will find that other animals or humans are part of its life and won’t assume them as a threat. As a result, when it notices any passerby be it your neighbors or their pets on the road it won’t bark thanks to the strong bonding, as it does not count them as a potential threat.
Tactics #5. Place your Fido’s crate in your bedroom
Have you placed your doggy’s crate in your or your family member’s bedroom? If not, then it’s highly likely that your fido being a social animal feels lonely as it wants to be close to you or your family members. In that scenario, your canine friend will bark when none of your family members is present at night with your dog no matter how comfortable the crate is. To put a stop to barking at night, there’s no need to allow your canine friend in your bed, just place his crate or a dog bed in your bedroom.
Tactics #6. Distract your Fido’s attention
It’s as clear as the sky is blue that your high-alert dog is able to hear whether there’s a clamor, or cats are fighting in the street, or someone is entering your premises clandestinely as your four-legged friend has a more sensitive hearing when compared to humans.
When they are afraid of hearing some noise, then rather than yelling or scolding them, you should distract their attention either by tossing a treat or giving them the love and affection that they will love.
When you notice that whenever your neighbor’s dogs bark, then for many canine parents installing a white noise machine that will block the sound which is coming from outside is a sweet spot. Other than that if your dog is vigilant enough and able to watch outside through a window and starts barking when it watches a passing car or a raccoon, or a cat, it’s a good idea to block its view by bringing a heavy curtain into the equation.
Tactics #7. Make the crate comfortable
Is it your pressing priority to make the crate comfortable where your dog will fall asleep? If yes, then you should put a warm dog bed with a blanket into service with the aim that it will not feel cold when there’s frigid cold outside.
It’s a good idea to put a large crate into service where your dog will turn around without trouble with the intention that it will happily enter once it has completed its dinner. If you fail to bring a crate that is in line with your rover’s size, you will witness your dog’s unwillingness to enter. If you discover that your dog barks even if you have brought a large crate, and placed warm blankets in it, it’s an alarming signal that you should visit a veterinarian.
Final Thoughts
Having a barking friend is a pleasure where you and your family members can play interactive games on the lawn or in the yard, go for a morning walk, take cute pictures and enjoy the latest web series with your canine companion.
But on the flip side, a few challenges are there when it comes to how to stop dogs barking at night. When it comes to putting a stop to excessive barking at night, you should subscribe to the dog training program that will transform your dog from a brainless to a brilliant one inside and outside.
- Read also: How to Stop Dogs from Barking at Neighbors
- Read also: How To Get Your Dog To Stop Barking At Cats
Hope this article has helped you to find how to stop your dog from barking at night and what strategies you should apply that will pave the way to spend a trouble-free night for you and your best friend both.
If I have missed any excellent tactics that can lend a helping hand to keep your pup quiet at night, let me know by making your precious opinion in the comment section where you break the news on how to stop a dog from barking at night outside.
In case you feel that the above-mentioned strategies a canine parent should know, then feel free to share this post which informs a canine owner about how to calm a barking dog at night.