Every dog owner will most likely experience a situation where their dog starts barking more than once. It can be quite a piercing sound and some dogs have huge vocals. You left asking the question dog dogs get tired of barking and what can you do about it.
Dogs won’t get tired of barking if they feel that the reason for barking is justified. Most repetitive barking stems from fear, anxiety, or frustration and can be more common amongst smaller dogs.
Because your dogs think in a singular fashion, repetitive barking is not something they are concerned about. Making noise will be in response to something and as an owner, it’s your job to find out. Let’s explore more deeply the topic of do dogs get tired of barking and find some ways to manage this behavior.
Contents
Why Don’t Dogs Get Tired Of Barking
The reasons why dogs bark can be summarised in one statement – “dogs bark because they are expressing emotion, a reaction to something”. This may seem a strange way of putting it but it’s such an important thing to remember. As an owner figuring out why your dog is behaving in a certain way is all about understanding that behavior. Making noise is both something humans do as well as dogs, and humans make noise for the same reasons dogs do. I mean you would not normally see someone walking down the street suddenly shouting for no reason…ok maybe on some occasions.
Although dogs may bark for many reasons the feeling of barking is somewhat hard to stop. An outlet of emotion is the reason for barking and therefore the first bark tends to reinforce the second barking, like uncontrollable sobbing.
There tend to be several common reasons why dogs bark, stemming from a different emotion.
- Fear – Dogs will often bark if they feel scared, making loud noises is their initial defense mechanism. I tend to find my dog will bark if he sees something he can’t identify in the darkness. Of course, dogs will be more on edge in the dark as it’s harder to make sense of their surroundings. If you think of the emotion humans feel when walking alone in the dark it is probably not far from the same feeling for dogs. Barking randomly can warn the danger to stay away.
- Excitement – Throwing a ball or playing with another dog, excitement can be a dog’s biggest emotion. Barking is a common reaction to an exciting atmosphere, they are expressing this vocally. On some occasions, you will see barking accompanied by what is called the zoomies. These are random energy bursts usually brought about by excitement or frustration. Check out our article on dog zoomies – “Why Does My Dog Go Crazy After A Walk”.
- Frustration – This emotion is something that most owners will experience and there are so many ways to combat it. Barking is your dog’s way of telling you that they are annoyed or frustrated. Consider yourself lucky if your dog’s only outlet to frustration is barking as this emotion can cause very destructive behaviors. Take a look at this article for some tip’s on managing your dog’s energy “Managing Your Dogs Energy Levels”.
- Aggression – Aggression is a dangerous emotion for a dog to have. As most dogs are domesticated it’s not something that is often seen and a poor upbringing is the most common cause of aggression. Fear can also be linked to aggression and may not manifest into anything dangerous, but it’s always best to be cautious.
Do Dogs Stop Barking As They Get Older
A dog won’t stop barking as they get older if they are not trained to do so. Puppies naturally bark as they learn how to react to new experiences. Training your puppy not to bark early on will help with barking when they are older.
Most owners will find that when they first bring their puppy home barking is something they will hear. The problem with puppies is that when they bark it often sounds cute and adorable to their owners. This means that owners will not discourage barking when their dog is a puppy and on many occasions, they will reinforce it because they find it cute.
It’s true a puppy’s bark is cute but if you want a quieter adult dog around in the future, then discouragement is the key. Remember dogs won’t get tired of barking so try your best not to encourage this behavior, otherwise, they will be almost unstoppable when they are older.
I can hear some owners disagreeing, saying that puppies should be able to express themselves and this is completely true. However your not suppressing your dog’s emotions, you’re trying to get them to understand when barking is appropriate and when it isn’t.
The first step is actually not non-encouraging behavior on the owner’s part. This involves ignoring them and staying calm. This can be hard, especially if your puppy wants to play. The next part is to try and discourage any bad barking so think about why your puppy is barking and use a sharp “shh” noise to make them stop. This technique works really well as it startles your pup just enough to stop them barking.
I suggest that if you are out playing with your pup and they start barking continue playing until it becomes apparent they are barking constantly. Stop and “shh” them, if they become quiet then continue playing if not then stop the play at this point. This will take time and as your puppy grows they will learn when to bark and when not to.
How To Stop A Dog Barking All The Time
The constant sound of a dog barking is enough to drive anyone insane, here are some tips for when your dog is not getting tired of barking.
Physical Exercise – Walking your dog is super important and something that all owners should take note of. Some breeds take more exercise than others and you will often find that working breeds take the most. If you have an active dog and don’t have the time to take them out for hours and hours, then off-lead walking is the best solution. Try finding somewhere where your dog can run free off lead, as your dog will get lots more physical exercise this way. Check out our article on “Walking A Dog Off-Leash”.
Mental Stimulation – This is something that many owners forget, taking their dog out for a daily walk only to get home and find them with more energy than when they left. This is down to mental stimulation, which a lack of can cause frustration and destructive behaviors in dogs. As highlighted in our article “Understanding Your Dogs Nose”, a dog’s brain is heavily biased towards scent and the processing of smells takes lots of brainpower. Try not to take your dog on the same boring walk every day, change it up with some new routes, this will give your dog plenty more to investigate with their nose. Playing games and interacting with your pooch can also help mentally stimulate them as well as physically.
Training – If you are lucky enough to have started some sort of training routine with your puppy they will already be listening to your commands. Teaching them from an early age is the most important factor when trying to train your dog not to bark. Bad habits can be easily carried into adulthood and puppies will always be prone to some adorable barking…beware of the cute puppy.
Can Dogs Hurt Themselves Barking
If your dog is barking constantly for a prolonged period of time, its throat can become sore and it may need to take a rest from barking.
Reducing the amount your dog barks is not just for the owner’s benefit but also for your dogs. Dogs tend to not realize when something is doing them harm and barking is one of those things. If your dog is barking out of fear it will be hard for them to stop unless they feel safe again. The barking is a fight or flight moment and they will continue barking until their throats get sore. Try calming your dog down or showing them that they have nothing to fear.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that dogs will not get tired of barking, it is such a reinforced feeling for dogs and they can sometimes just keep going. Training your dog early and ensuring they are well-exercised both physically and mentally is important. Follow these essential rules and you will hopefully have a quiet dog….most of the time. If you’ve enjoyed this article check out our homepage for more great content all about dogs and the wonderful lives we share with them.
