How To Deal With Noisy Dogs

You are probably the last person to know that your dog is barking excessively when you leave it alone. If your dog is barking, whining or howling for long periods it may cause a problem for your neighbours or show that he is in distress.

How can I know what my dog is doing whilst I am out?

Often you will know what the problem is like when you are home but not what is happening when you go out and leave your dog. You can find out what is happening by:

• leaving in the normal way and sneaking back to have a listen outside
• setting up a web, video or security camera where the dog cannot damage it
• recording any noise on a tape recorder; or asking a neighbour to keep a diary

Why do dogs bark?

A dog makes noise to communicate with its family. Listening to dogs can help us understand their emotions and why they are making noise. There can be many reasons why a dog barks:

• it doesn't like being separated from its owner;
• there has been a change such as moving house or someone returning to work
• it is scared of something
• to warn intruders or passers-by to stay away
• it wants attention or is lonely
• it has got older and its hearing or eyesight is failing
• it is playing

What do I do if I find my dog is causing a problem?

If a neighbour has complained to you keep them informed about what you will be doing about it.  Let them know what you are doing to try to resolve the problem and see if you can adapt to their routines to minimise noise problems.

First, try short-term measures to reduce the problem while you decide what to do more permanently. Consider managing your dog, for example

• by avoiding letting it outside unsupervised
• keeping it away from the windows where it can see people passing (keeping the curtains closed may help)
• and keeping your dog in areas of the house that will reduce the noise for neighbours (for example, away from the party wall, if necessary using a training cage)
• using friends, neighbours, relatives or professional pet sitters to look after your dog while you are out at work
• taking the dog with you if you go out, if this is possible
• using a citronella anti-bark collar

To decide on a long-term method to resolve the problem, you may need to first look to why the dog is barking.

Consider:

• if your dog is seeking attention from you, do not respond to this behaviour.
• when it is noisy, look at the dog and then look or walk away from it. Give your dog attention when it is settled or if it has fetched a toy TO LIFE OR PROPERTY
• give your dog enough exercise and leave chew toys or a few pieces of food scattered for it to find. You may also need to check with your vet that there are no medical causes
• if it is bothered by having been left behind, try wearing different clothing for walking your dog
• if there has been a big change for the dog, and it likes to hide, make a den for it to hide in
• a plug-in ‘pheromone’ diffuser which gives the scent of female dogs can have a calming effect on your dog and help him settle
• if it is barking at passers-by, supervise your dog when it can see out or do not let it into certain areas of the house
• keep windows and curtains closed, where possible
• consider having a post box away from your house where your mail can be posted
• you could try keeping the radio on, as long as it is not too loud to disturb your neighbours
• reward your dog when it doesn't bark at things outside
• you may need to look at training for you and the dog, if this advice doesn't work, your vet or dog warden may be able to help. You may be referred to a behavioural specialist to help find the cause of the problem and how to resolve it.  Our dog warden may be able to give you more advice on dog-training classes, kennels, and rescue services.