Does your dog bark every time he hears the neighbors coming in or out? Does he get upset when they cross your garden, pass by the landing or use the elevator of the building? This is a fairly common behavior in dogs, especially in those that live in urban areas or in blocks with many neighbors and, therefore, with a lot of traffic at any time of the day or night. Unfortunately, your dog's barking, if it is constant or intense, can generate complaints or conflicts with the neighbors and, of course, can also be a nuisance for you and the rest of the people who live with the animal.
Fortunately, this behavioral problem can be worked on and improved through a series of guidelines and always using a methodology that respects the animal, based on the study of the possible causes of the behavior and empathizing with the dog needs. In this article on our site we explain some of the main reasons why a dog barks when he hears the neighbors and we tell you what you can do to prevent it from happening.
Why does my dog bark when he hears the neighbors?
Many dogs bark when they hear the neighbors and there is no universal explanation for this behavior, since each dog has its own character and has lived through different experiences, which makes its emotions and way of express them are unique. Bearing this in mind, here are the most common reasons why a dog barks when he hears the neighbors:
- Alarm: Many dogs alert their social group by barking when they hear a strange noise that can be threatening. In this case, the bark is usually deep and short and often stops when the guardians come to investigate the origin of the sound or let the animal know that there is no danger.
- Guarda: when the animal feels that strangers are approaching its home, it can become alert and bark with the objective to keep out intruders. This behavior is often observed in dogs that are on terraces or gardens and bark or growl when they see or hear people walking past the property. Territoriality is a behavioral trait that is usually related to the animal's genetics, its early experiences and the education it receives, so not all dogs exhibit this defensive behavior.
- Lack of habituation: when a dog goes from living in a calm and quiet environment, such as the town or the mountain, to living In a highly populated area, such as a city, you are often startled by any noise that is unfamiliar to you, such as the passage of other people near your home. This is simply due to a lack of habituation, which can make the dog fearful or curious about these novel stimuli.
- Fear or traumas: the experiences lived by a dog determine, to a large extent, its behavior in the face of certain stimuli. If, for example, the noise made by a neighbor or your own presence has ever frightened the animal or the animal has experienced a traumatic episode while neighbors were passing by, it is possible that it becomes afraid or stressed every time it hears them and responds through barking, among other behaviors.
- Expectations created by learning: Dogs learn largely through association, which means that a specific stimulus it can trigger a specific emotion and behavior in the dog because the dog has associated it with an event, either positive or negative. For example, the dog may have associated the sound of the elevator or the sound of keys on the landing with the arrival of his guardians or a visitor at home and, as a consequence, he barks with excitement every time he hears this sound, even if they are the neighbors who are passing.
As we always recommend from our site, if your furry's behavior has changed suddenly or is becoming more intense and/or lasting, it is important that you go to your veterinary center to rule out that the animal suffers from any problem at an organic level. Vision or hearing loss, acute pain and other pathologies can make a dog more susceptible to some stimuli and react disproportionately to them.
How do I stop my dog from barking when he hears the neighbors?
To prevent your dog from barking every time he hears the neighbors or any other noise, the best thing you can do is start his training when he is a puppy During their first months of life, dogs have an enormous capacity to learn, adapt to their environment and create neural connections, as their brains are still very plastic, especially during the sensitive period of socialization, which includes the stage from three weeks to three months of age. Take advantage of this phase of his life to gradually get the puppy used to all kinds of stimuli (such as the noise of the neighbors passing by, the doorbell or children yelling) always through play and positive reinforcement will, to a great extent, prevent the dog from acquiring fears and phobias as it grows or from responding reactively to these stimuli.
Of course, dogs have a remarkable capacity to learn throughout their lives and not just as puppies, so it is also possible to get an adult dog used to it to this type of noise and work on the emotion it provokes so that their behavior also changes. However, adult dogs have a more stable behavior pattern, so the behavioral modification process can be somewhat more complex and lasting, especially in the case of adopted animals whose past experiences are unknown. But if this is your case, don't worry! You can always count on the help of a canine ethologist or educator to help you work hand in hand with your furry friend and follow up on your particular case.
How to stop my dog from barking at the neighbors?
The first step to teach your furry not to bark every time he hears the neighbors pass by is identify, in the most accurate as possible, the reason why he does it To do this, you have to observe him very carefully every time this situation occurs, because his body language and the type of The bark it emits can give you a lot of information when it comes to determining if your dog is afraid, curious, happy or warning you of possible danger, among other causes. If your dog only barks when you're not home, it could be that he's bored, frustrated, or has separation anxiety. In this case, it is advisable to leave a camera recording the animal when it is left alone at home and then analyze its behavior by viewing the video.
Also remember that a dog's genetics influence its behavior and that some breeds tend to bark more often than others when they sense potential danger or hear an "intruder" near their home. This is the case, for example, of some dogs that have been traditionally bred for defending land or for hunting.
Each dog's case is unique, so it must be treated individually and, for this, we recommend that you seek professional help. However, here are some tips that you may find useful to stop your dog from barking when he hears the neighbors:
- Use recordings that simulate the real situation: you can begin to get your dog used to the noise of the neighbors without having to wait for the actual situation occurs. Use videos or recordings where you can hear the sound of the elevator, footsteps, laughter or screams of children, bells ringing, etc., in this way you are exposing the dog to the problematic stimuli, reproducing the audios at different times and volumes, to convert them little by little into neutral sounds and that does not anticipate the arrival of anything.
- Associate the sound with positive commands and stimuli: As you simulate the sounds, or when they actually appear, try to pick up quickly your dog's attention and reinforce him through play, petting or food if he approaches you or stops barking the moment you call him. It is important to stimulate him when he stops barking, since if we stimulate him while he barks we will obtain the opposite result.
- Discuss the problem with your neighbors: if you notice that your dog becomes nervous, scared or reacts disproportionately by barking intensely When you hear or see a particular neighbor, you may have had a negative experience with this person or are afraid of them for some reason. If you have a good relationship with your neighbor, you can tell him about the situation and start introducing them very little by little so that your dog learns that there is no danger. Of course, if the dog is aggressive towards your neighbor you should never force an encounter and it is essential that you have professional help.
- Offer an enriched environment: Make sure you correctly cover the physical, social and psychological needs of your furry on a daily basis and offer him an environment stimulated that allows him to perform behaviors typical of his species. For example, scent and foraging games can be effective in reducing your furry's stress levels and you can offer them while you practice noise habituation exercises so that they associate it with a positive activity, or when they stay home alone.
- Bond with your dog: Mutual trust is essential in a relationship between a dog and her guardian. If the animal trusts you, it will feel safe by your side and will be calmer in the face of strange noises, so in many cases it will not feel the need to bark to warn of danger or scare away a possible intruder.
Finally, if your dog barks when the doorbell rings, we recommend you consult this other article: "How to stop my dog from barking when there is a knock on the door?"
