You expect your dog to bark when someone knocks on the front door. You expect your dog to bark at the mail carrier. You even expect your dog to bark at other dogs on occasion.
But many owners are understandably confused when their dogs bark at nothing at all!
Why do dogs do this? And what can owners do to convince their dog to stop barking?
Don’t worry – this is a common issue many owners face. I’ll explain some of the key reasons dogs bark at nothing and outline the best way to address the problem below.
Six Reasons Dogs Bark at Nothing
There are countless reasons why your dog is barking at seemingly nothing, but the following six reasons are some of the most common.
1. Medical Issues
Explanation: A variety of medical issues can cause dogs to bark without a clear reason for doing so. Pain or discomfort are perhaps the most common triggers of unexplained barking, but canine cognitive dysfunction and hearing issues may also be to blame.
How to Correct the Problem: It’s always a good idea to rule out medical causes whenever faced with a perplexing behavioral issue. Identifying and treating the underlying issue may be all that’s necessary to stop your dog’s excessive barking. It may also give you the chance to address a potentially serious problem early.
So, head over to the vet for a check up if your pooch starts barking at nothing – particularly if they’ve never done so in the past.
2. Anxiety
Explanation: Dogs don’t have many great ways to cope with anxiety. Some may engage in destructive chewing behaviors or relieve themselves on the living room carpet, but others may vocalize in an effort to soothe themselves. This often manifests as whining or crying, but some dogs do bark when anxious.
How to Correct the Problem: Because there are a variety of things that can trigger canine anxiety, you’ll want to start by identifying the cause. If your dog is barking while you’re away from the house, it could be separation anxiety. But if you are present when your dog starts barking at seemingly nothing, you may be dealing with a general anxiety issue.
In either case, you’ll want to speak with a certified professional dog trainer, who can assess your dog and provide a good plan for addressing the issue.
3. Boredom
Explanation: Boredom is a very common problem in dogs — especially those who’re left alone for long periods of time or are not provided with sufficient stimulation and exercise for their breed. In these cases, dogs may begin barking solely as a form of entertainment. It’s simply something to do.
How to Correct the Problem: Fortunately, boredom is very easy to address. You simply need to give your dog more interesting and constructive things to do.
So, go for more walks, play fetch in the backyard, engage in training sessions or nose work, or provide your dog with interactive toys. As the old tired-but-accurate saying goes, “a tired dog is a happy dog.” If you have trouble finding time in your schedule to provide more stimulation, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a dog walker.
4. Territorial Instincts
Explanation: Some dogs bark as a way of announcing their presence to other dogs, animals, or people. This is often most common in breeds that were developed to fulfil guardian roles, but virtually any dog can exhibit territorial barking.
How to Correct the Problem: Unfortunately, this is not always an easy problem to correct. The instinct to bark as a manner of proclaiming territory is quite strong in some individuals and breeds. So, management options are generally your best bet. You may, for example, try to identify the time of day in which your dog is most interested in barking like this, and then keep them inside during these times.
Alternatively, you may try to distract your dog during times when they’re likely to bark, by playing games or offering food puzzles.
5. Attention-Seeking Behavior
Explanation: Some dogs will appear to be barking at nothing when they’re actually barking at you. This often occurs because your dog is seeking attention from you. It’s your dog’s way of saying, “Hey, mom/dad! Play with me! Give me scritches! Let’s go to the park!”
How to Correct the Problem: While you don’t want to reward problematic behaviors, the best way to address attention-seeking behaviors is by giving your dog more attention. Just do so at other times. In other words, you don’t want to start playing with your dog every time they bark for attention. Instead, interact with your doggo more throughout the day to help satisfy their need for attention and hopefully prevent the nuisance barking in the first place.
Keep in mind that it is also important for dogs to learn how to entertain themselves and understand that there are times for attention and times for simply relaxing. These are important foundational concepts you’ll want to teach your pup from a young age.
6. Your Dog May Not Be Barking at “Nothing”
Explanation: Often, dogs seem to be barking at absolutely nothing in particular are actually barking at something very real – it’s just something you can’t perceive. For example, dogs have much better hearing than humans, which means that they may be hearing dogs, vehicles, or other sounds that are simply too soft for you to hear them. It’s also possible that your dog smells things that seem bark-worthy, but you simply haven’t noticed them.
How to Correct the Problem: The very nature of this problem – your dog is perceiving something you can’t — makes this a relatively tricky problem to address. So, the best thing to do is to put on your detective hat and try to figure out what is bothering your dog.
You may notice, for example, that your dog always faces in a particular direction while barking for unexplained reasons. So, you may want to consider what kinds of stimuli may be triggering your dog from that direction, such as dogs or other animals in the distance.
Get Help with Nuisance Barking Now!
While I can’t help you address all of these issues, I can certainly help with nuisance barking that’s related to boredom, a need for attention, or anxiety. And I can offer some management solutions for dealing with some of the other causes of excessive barking, such as territorial instincts.
Just understand that there are rarely quick fixes for these kinds of issues. But with a little hard work and patience, you can likely enjoy having a quiet dog once again.
Just head on over to our contact page and drop me a line. I’d love to help!
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