It’s a calm, peaceful night and you are just drifting off to sleep, all of a sudden, the silence is destroyed by loud barking and howling. It can be such a nuisance!! We have all been there and it is quite unnerving and tiresome to have a dog barking its head off when you are trying to get some shut-eye.
Nighttime barking is the most common complaint to local authorities and in some countries, there are even laws against. Of course, the dog is not arrested ….but the owners are made responsible for the public nuisance.
For instance, in 2017, Novosibirsk in the Siberian region of Russia passed legislation against barking meowing and quacking in the nights. So that indicates how much of a problem it is perceived to be.
While we can do nothing about the neighborhood dog we certainly can manage our own dogs if we understand the causes of night barking and follow a few simple steps.
Why dogs do barks at night?
First, we need to understand why a dog may bark in the night. The most common reasons could be separation anxiety, an alarm or perceived threat, some illness or pain or even the need to pee or poo. There might be other reasons which may be making them sleepless and restless.
Our first task is to find out the cause.
Let’s discuss a few here.
Night barking by a New Puppy
The most common barking and yowling come from new puppies that have not acclimatised themselves to their new surroundings. Mostly it is due to homesickness and separation from their known surroundings or it could be because of bladder control issues where they need to pee often. They may start with low whines and then it can change into continuous barking.
What can be done?
Once you have identified the cause you can manage that. The homesickness can be handled by not letting the puppy be alone initially and then slowly increasing the alone time till it can stay by itself in the night.
Some owners also let the puppy whine a few days and usually, it subsides and calms down in 2 or 3 days and is ok being alone.
If the issue is due to the need to empty the bladder, you need to take it out when it starts whining and looking uncomfortable. Having regular timings of taking the puppy out to pee can reduce the barking tendencies.
Night barking due to Alarm or Threat
Any dog will bark if it senses a threat. In the night when you have sneaky humans and animals roaming around you may want the dog to bark so that you are alerted to the threat. In fact, human beings may have domesticated the dog initially to alert them of the threats to their lives in the wilderness. o it is a good thing.
What to do about it?
You do want your dog to bark when the thief attempts to enter the house. So this should not be a problem if it is not very frequent.
But if it is happening every night you may need to identify the cause of the alarm or there.
It could be small animals or rats or other dogs that may be the cause or it could be suspicious characters who may want to intend you harm.
A sleepless night spent by the owner can help reveal the reason for the barking. It may be well worth it!
Night barking due to loneliness
It is not just the puppy that may feel lonely, the older dogs may also bark in the nights out of loneliness. Although the older dogs do not have the same levels of separation anxiety as puppies they may still occasionally feel lonely.
What to do about it?
In a young puppy, the separation anxiety may stop in the course of time. A good way is to get the dog a companion.
This might solve the problem. In some dogs this may be a ploy to get attention from its owner and spending quality time with the dog may be necessary especially if the owner is away for long periods and frequently.
In older dogs, if it is not ceasing in spite of all your efforts, you could think of having the dog spend the night with you in your room.
Night barking due to pain/illness
Some dogs may whine and bark due to pain or illness. Neglect and ignorance by the owner may lead to the cause of the pain r illness going unchecked. It is important to monitor the dog in such cases.
What to do about it?
If the whining and barking are consistent then track and see the behavior of the dog during the day as well.
- Is the dog eating well and on time?
- What about the bowel and bladder movements?
- Is the dog lethargic during the day?
Any sign of a problem should immediately be handled by taking to the vet and conducting a complete check-up.
In very old dogs the barking can also be due to cognitive decline and your vet can suggest possible treatments to resolve that.
Night barking due to boredom or habit
Sometimes dogs may bark due to boredom. In other cases, if it gets attention when barking at nights it may continue the behavior.
It is difficult to really understand these 2 causes. But if the dog has been found healthy and you have ruled out separation anxiety, old age, and the other reasons then this could be a cause.
What to do about it?
In the case of boredom, it would be good to regularly give a good exercise to the dog so that the dog is tired enough to sleep. Lack of movement and exercise can lead to boredom. In case of it being a habit, you may need to resist the temptation to check on the dog each time it barks.
First, we need to understand why a dog may bark in the night.
The most common reasons could be separation anxiety, an alarm or perceived threat, some illness or pain or even the need to pee or poo. There might be other reasons which may be making them sleepless and restless.
Our first task is to find out the cause.
Let’s discuss a few here.
Night barking by a New Puppy
The most common barking and yowling come from new puppies that have not acclimatized themselves to their new surroundings. Mostly it is due to homesickness and separation from their known surroundings or it could be because of bladder control issues where they need to pee often. They may start with low whines and then it can change into continuous barking.
What can be done?
Once you have identified the cause you can manage that. The homesickness can be handled by not letting the puppy be alone initially and then slowly increasing the alone time till it can stay by itself in the night.
Some owners also let the puppy whine a few days and usually, it subsides and calms down in 2 or 3 days and is ok being alone.
If the issue is due to the need to empty the bladder, you need to take it out when it starts whining and looking uncomfortable. Having regular timings of taking the puppy out to pee can reduce the barking tendencies.
Night barking due to alarm or threat
Any dog will bark if it senses a threat. In the night when you have sneaky humans and animals roaming around you may want the dog to bark so that you are alerted to the threat.
In fact, human beings may have domesticated the dog initially to alert them of the threats to their lives in the wilderness. So it is a good thing.
What to do about it?
You do want your dog to bark when the thief attempts to enter the house. So this should not be a problem if it is not very frequent. But if it is happening every night you may need to identify the cause of the alarm or there.
It could be small animals or rats or other dogs that may be the cause or it could be suspicious characters who may want to intend you harm. A sleepless night spends by the owner can help reveal the reason for the barking. It may be well worth it!
Night barking due to loneliness
It is not just the puppy that may feel lonely, the older dogs may also bark in the nights out of loneliness. Although the older dogs do not have the same levels of separation anxiety as puppies they may still occasionally feel lonely.
What to do about it?
In a young puppy, the separation anxiety may stop in the course of time. A good way is to get the dog a companion. This might solve the problem.
In some dogs this may be a ploy to get attention from its owner and spending quality time with the dog may be necessary especially if the owner is away for long periods and frequently.
In older dogs, if it is not ceasing in spite of all your efforts, you could think of having the dog spend the night with you in your room.
Night barking due to pain/illness
Some dogs may whine and bark due to pain or illness. Neglect and ignorance by the owner may lead to the cause of the pain or illness going unchecked. It is important to monitor the dog in such cases.
What to do about it?
If the whining and barking are consistent then track and see the behavior of the dog during the day as well.
- Is the dog eating well and on time?
- What about the bowel and bladder movements?
- Is the dog lethargic during the day?
Any sign of a problem should immediately be handled by taking to the vet and conducting a complete check-up.
In very old dogs the barking can also be due to cognitive decline and your vet can suggest possible treatments to resolve that.
Night barking due to boredom or habit
Sometimes dogs may bark due to boredom. In other cases, if it gets attention when barking at nights it may continue the behavior. It is difficult to really understand these 2 causes.
But if the dog had been found healthy and you have ruled out separation anxiety, old age, and the other reasons then this could be a cause.
What to do about it?
In the case of boredom, it would be good to regularly give a good exercise to the dog so that the dog is tired enough to sleep. Lack of movement and exercise can lead to boredom. In case it being a habit you may need to resist the temptation to check on the dog each time it barks.
Steps you can take to reduce night barking
While the above causes and possible suggestions could help you reduce night barking. All owners could follow a few tips to ensure that night barking is only when you need to be alerted to a genuine threat.
- Ensure that the dog has regular check-ups and is healthy. Any sign of illness or discomfort needs to be attended to and monitored. More than pets they are our loyal companions and they deserved to be treated with love and respect.
- Spend time with your dog every day. No matter how busy your day may seem to take an hour out to spend solely with your dog. This will help you senses any trouble early on. It is also helpful for you as studies have shown that spending quality time with pets can reduce your stress levels considerably.
- Make daily exercise and training mandatory- Dogs need to have movement and vigorous activity. In cases where this is denied you will see behavioral and health problems arise. So make daily exercise and workout a must. It can be something fun and entertaining rather than a drab routine. Catching and retrieving a ball, chasing something, stalking and hiding …all these are activities dogs will find very entertaining. Engaging in this daily can prevent most of the physical and behavioral issues in dogs
- Regularly groom and clean the dogs. Are you grooming the dogs and ensuring that they are free of fleas and infections? If not, this can cause discomfort and restlessness in the dog and lead to night barking too. The coat needs to be combed and hair should not be allowed to become matted as it can carry dirt and fleas. Matted hair makes the combing sessions painful the dog may start detesting those. Nails and teeth also need to be checked for dirt and be cleaned.
- Give attention. Above and beyond all these ensure that you give attention and show the dog that you care. Undoubtedly you had adopted your dog because you care about it. But the wear and tear of daily life can make it difficult to remember their needs. So remind yourself that you need to give the dog attention otherwise you are not being a responsible owner. Keeping pets is very mc like having babies. It takes a lot of work and care. But the fulfillment and joy you get is definitely worth the sacrifice.
While we do want dogs to alert us and warn us of threats, night barking can be a nuisance for you and your neighbors if the reason for the barking is not to warn us of threats. It cannot be deemed to be the dog’s fault.
It is the owner who has to take responsibility. The responsibility of its life and behavior comes automatically with the decision to adopt a dog. It takes work, love, and understanding to keep your pet healthy, both mentally and physically. Caring for your dog and making the effort to fulfill their needs goes a long way in curbing night barking.
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