A dog that barks all night can not only be annoying to you, but also to those around you, such as family, friends or neighbors. In addition, this behavior reveals important details about the dog's personality and emotional well-being, as it could reveal the appearance of behavioral problems
Barking is one of the many forms of communication dogs use, so if they spend their sleeping hours barking, it means something is up. Do you want to know why your dog barks all night? It doesn't matter if your dog is a puppy, young adult or old, if you want to know the possible reasons that keep it up all night, then you can't miss this article.
Why do the dogs bark?
Probably the first thing you're wondering is why dogs bark. You should know that barking is one of the most efficient ways dogs have to communicate. A curious fact about this form of expression, as with cats, is that they generally use it to share information with humans and, on a smaller number of occasions, to interact with other dogs.
Now then, what are you trying to communicate? This may be the hardest thing to figure out. The dog barks when he is very excited, when he feels threatened or when he perceives an intruder. In any case, the barking tries to get our attention, either because it wants to play, because it feels hungry and/or thirsty, because of anxiety, stress, pain or boredom.
As you can see, there are many reasons. Now, when your dog decides to bark at night and does not let you sleep, it is time to carefully analyze what is happening. Adapted to life with their human families, dogs take advantage of the night to rest, spending around nine hours to do so. When instead of doing this the dog does not stop barking for no reason, you should pay attention to find out what happens.
A dog that does not sleep at night will show some signs of tiredness the next day, such as:
- Apathy
- Irritability
- Disinterest in the game
Here are the main reasons why your dog is nervous at night:
Why does my puppy bark at night?
If you just adopted a puppy and it barks all night without letting anyone sleep, you should know that this behavior is relatively normal, but it needs to be channeled so as not to become a future problem.
In principle, the puppy will bark at night because he misses his mother and siblings He thinks that not only has he been separated from her, but also finds himself in a new house, full of smells and sounds he doesn't know, with people he has never seen before. From his perspective, the least he can feel is fear and anguishduring the nights, since until then he had been used to the presence of the mother of him and the company of his littermates. In this circumstance, the puppy not only because he misses his canine family, but also because he feels insecure, so he tries to get your attentionto that you accompany himBarking is often interspersed with crying-like whimpers.
In this scenario, it is common for many owners to feel the desire to pay attention to them and take them to their bed. But is that adequate? During the first week it is advisable to pay attention to the newly adopted puppy, to promote proper adaptation. However, after this period, we must teach our puppy to sleep in his bed, to prevent him from barking to demand attention or that he always wants to sleep with us.
In this sense, the first week in the new house is crucial so that the puppy feels comfortable and stops barking. That is why we urge you to follow the following recommendations so that your puppy does not bark at night and everyone can sleep peacefully:
- Play with your dog: a dog that has been physically active during the day will be tired at night and will sleep peacefully. Take him out for a walk, make him chase or look for something, play ball with him or whatever comes to mind, especially when bedtime approaches. Also, remember that smell games for dogs also tire him and, at the same time, stimulate his mind.
- It covers your needs: having fresh and clean water available, offering quality food or spending time with your human family are routines that the dog requires for its emotional well-being. But also, when it comes to dinner, don't forget to serve it about three hours before bedtime, so that later you don't need to go out to urinate or feel upset by digestion.
- Set up a space: the puppy must have its own bed, soft blankets, a defined space to rest and feel safe. When it comes to puppies, you can opt for fabric houses or improvise a kind of roof with blankets, in this way he will feel well protected. Make sure there are no drafts or disturbing noises.
- Imitate the mother's heartbeat: during the first weeks, you can place a clock that makes the characteristic "tick tock" sound near the place where the dog will sleep, as this sound resembles that of the mother's heartbeat. It generally relaxes them.
- Ignore the crying: Although the first few days we can pay attention to it, once the first week at home is over we should completely ignore the crying. barking and crying. We should not go to calm the puppy, since he will instead learn that after barking or crying, we go looking for him, which can intensify this behavior. Once the dog understands that, after crying no one comes, he will stop doing so.
It is important to note that behavioral problems tend to be more successful when detected and treated early. Especially if we observe undesirable behaviors before 3 months of life, it is highly advisable to go to a specialist so that they can guide us and work with the dog, in order to prevent them from becoming chronic and continuing to carry them out even in their adult stage. The classes for puppies are usually one of the best options, since we can consult a professional while the little one interacts with other dogs of the same age, carrying out thus the socialization of the puppy dog.
Why does my adult dog bark all night?
After the puppy stage, an adult dog should rest normally at night, unless there is some element of the environment or behavioral problem that disturbs her rest. Some of them are as follows:
- Pain and illness: if your dog is injured, injured or sick, he may bark and whimper to let you know that he is suffering this discomfort. Do not forget that some diseases are not obvious to the naked eye, as is the case with some hormonal or neurological problems.
- Company: It is common for a dog to bark looking for company if we have suddenly decided to move his bed outside. It can also happen if we deprive you of access to our bedroom.
- Boredom: A bored dog is capable of many things. If you don't provide him with the necessary stimuli during the day to exercise and distract himself, it is very possible that by nightfall your dog will be bored. Having energy, he will bark as another way to entertain himself. This behavior is reinforced if every time the dog barks you run to try to find out what is happening to him or satisfy his needs, because he quickly notices that the barking implies that you pay attention to him. In more severe cases, bored dogs develop compulsive disorders due to a lack of stimuli.
- Alert: Dogs are protective animals, territorial by nature, so it is very likely that they will bark as a warning if they feel that there is some danger or that someone is approaching the home. These can be real (such as the presence of an intruder in the vicinity of the home) or not (that the dog interprets unknown noises as a reason to be alert).
- Basic Needs: a dog that is hungry, thirsty, cold or hot will draw your attention by barking so that you cover its basic needs Immediately. Before going to sleep, don't forget to make sure that your furry friend has everything he needs to be comfortable and spend a peaceful night
- Anxiety and stress: A dog showing signs of stress is susceptible to behavioral problems, such as barking incessantly during the night.
- Sexual Behavior: If there is a female dog in heat nearby, your male dog may stay up all night, barking and disturbed by the smell, trying to go outside.
Why doesn't my old dog sleep at night?
If you have a elderly dog and recently started barking at night, you're probably wondering why this is. In general, dogs do not tend to suffer from insomnia like humans, although there are several reasons why they may not be falling asleep as easily as before.
Some diseases rob your dog of sleep because of the discomfort they cause, such as otitis, arthritis, spinal and heart problems, among others. The main reason is pain or discomfort that these ailments cause, so he may not only bark but also whimper.
There are other diseases that instead of pain will cause your dog to become overexcited, preventing him from sleeping peacefully, such as thyroid-related ailments. Likewise, it is common for elderly dogs to experience cognitive dysfunction syndrome, a he alth problem similar to Alzheimer's in humans that causes the manifestation of abnormal behaviors.
Also, the nuisance sounds that are unusual in the home, such as fireworks during celebrations or music blaring from parties can make your dog nervous, making him unable to sleep and barking to try to release his stress.
What to do so that your dog doesn't bark at night?
In order for your dog to stop barking at night and everyone can rest, you need to know the cause of the problem, as well asthe trigger that causes this behavior to start. Here's what to do if a dog barks at night:
- Go to your vet: before starting to "work" on this problem we must be sure that the barking is not due to a problem of he alth. Go to your trusted veterinarian to carry out a complete check-up to ensure that your dog is he althy.
- Ensure emotional well-being: Another essential aspect is to ensure the emotional well-being of our dog. How? Reviewing the 5 freedoms of animal welfare. Make sure you offer good food, a soft bed, attention or fresh water throughout the day. In addition, you should completely avoid punishment, as well as allow him to express himself naturally.
- Avoid going when he barks: If your dog is one of those who barks to get attention, you should learn to ignore him. These behaviors are usually more complicated to work with when they have been occurring for a long time, but if we are constant it is possible to achieve it.
- Work on the dog's education: to ensure that his mind is active and assimilates everything you want to teach him, you must carry out mental stimulation exercises or practice basic commands with him.
- Give him physical activity: we must stimulate the dog's mind, but also his muscles. Offer him varied walks, take him to the mountains or practice some canine sport with him, always adapted to his age.
- Avoid noises at night: Noises are probably the most common trigger for this type of behavior problem. It is advisable to place the dog's bed in a quiet place in the home, away from doors and windows that lead to the outside, so that nothing can disturb it.
- Go to a specialist: when the situation is out of control and the dog barks every night, causing no one to sleep, it's time to call a specialist, such as a canine educator, a trainer or an ethologist. Do not carry out behavior modification techniques if you are not trained to do so, as you could make the situation worse.
What to do if I have received a complaint because my dog barks at night?
In these cases it is essential to go to a qualified professional, such as a trainer approved by the ANACP (National Association of Canine Trainers Professionals from Spain) or to a veterinarian specialized in ethology. Both figures can make a legal report that guarantees that this dog is undergoing treatment and that, therefore, it cannot be expelled from the building.
In addition, these professionals can prescribe medication (in the case of a trainer, always by a veterinarian) that canencourage progress of progress so that the dog stops barking at night.
Inadvisable methods to stop a dog from barking
Many people value the use of aversives to prevent the dog from barking at night, such as the use of a muzzle to prevent barking or the use of electric collars. Both methods are totally discouraged, since punishment only manages to mask the problem momentarily, also causing the appearance of secondary behavioral problems, caused by high levels of stress and anxiety. Likewise, this type of tool favors aggressiveness and fears
There is no solution to prevent night barking, since each case is unique, so if the advice we have proposed above has not worked for you, the best thing to do would be to consult a professional in behavior modification.
