My dog barks when left alone. What should I do?
It’s common to hear dogs barking a lot in flats. Learn how to react and adjust your behaviour to avoid this situation.
There are various reasons why our dogs bark at home.
We should always start by identifying the problem so that we can correct it properly
A dog that spends more time in the garden, for example, tends to be more territorial and bark whenever someone comes near ‘his territory’.
Other animals that may cross their space, cats, birds or others, can be seen as prey and trigger the barking behaviour.
Inside the house, a dog can behave in the same way for the same reason whenever someone enters the building or there is an unusual noise.
Insecure and fearful animals also tend to bark whenever there are loud or unusual noises.
One of the main reasons for a dog’s barking is separation anxiety.
Mistakenly, there is a general tendency for owners to make a big fuss when they arrive home and prepare to leave so that the animal is warned of their departure in advance and thus becomes anxious even before the event. This behaviour promotes anxiety and barking is a way for dogs to express their nervousness.
One way to control this behaviour is to provide your pet with food dispensing toys to keep him entertained for a while while he tries to eat what you put inside the toy.
There are various brands and models, so you should choose the right one for your dog.
Maintaining an active lifestyle, going for regular walks and playing helps to keep your pet’s mind healthy and allows them to be more focussed and calm.
Basic obedience exercises and socialisation with other animals are also important factors in having a balanced animal.
Another important point is for the animal to be used to its owners being away.
The dog must be familiarised with the routine of picking up keys and putting on coats so that it doesn’t get nervous. Doing the exercise of picking up the keys and sitting on the sofa, or leaving the house and coming back in, putting on the coat and staying in the house, putting on the collar and not going outside will mean that the dog won’t be able to anticipate the owner’s absence and even if the owner is gone he won’t know when he’ll be back, which gives the animal some self-control.
To minimise these kinds of problems when adopting an animal, it’s important to be aware of the breed’s characteristics.
There are dog breeds that tend to bark more than others, although with education and training it is possible to have appropriate behaviour even in these breeds.
In this article, we’ve dealt in general terms with a problem that is very common and that’s why it’s important for each owner to seek advice from their vet and often turn to a trainer or training school.
See you soon!
Vet.Point – Oeiras Veterinary Clinic
Emergency 24h | 927896112 • 211918923 | geral@vetpoint-ivl.com
