Does your dog bark every time the doorbell rings? You should know that this is normal and typical behavior in dogs, not However, it can also generate conflictive situations with some neighbors, so in many cases it may be necessary and advisable to work on it. In addition, we will not use any type of punishment, but we will base this entire process using only positive reinforcement. You do not believe it?
In this article on our site we will teach you how to prevent my dog from barking when there is a knock at the door, explaining why it happens, what type of learning is involved in this behavior and most importantly: a complete step by step for you to learn to handle the situation. Find out how to teach a dog not to bark when the doorbell rings the easy way below!
Why does my dog bark when someone comes home?
Dogs are naturally territorial animals, so it's not surprising that some dogs bark when someone comes home. They carry out this behavior in order to alert us and, at the same time, to alert the possible intruder or visitor that their presence has not gone unnoticed. It is important to emphasize that this is a species-specific behavior and that it really should not be interpreted as a behavior problem.
However, if the dog barks when someone comes home or when he hears the neighbors excessively and compulsively, we risk to generate a problem of coexistence with other residents. In addition, this behavior also causes the dog to experience high peaks of stress and anxiety.
Would you like to know how to teach your dog not to bark when the doorbell rings? You should know that it is an easy and simple process, but it requires perseverance, dedication and good timing. Find out below how to prevent your dog from barking at the door for long minutes… Keep reading!
Why does my dog bark when the doorbell rings?
Before I explain how to stop your dog from barking when there's a knock on the door, you'll need to understand classical conditioning, a type of associative learning. Understanding it correctly will help you effectively solve this barking problem:
- The bell is initially a neutral stimulus (EN) that does not provoke any reaction in the dog.
- When the doorbell rings, people appear (EI) and the dog barks (RI) to alert us.
- In the end, the ring becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS), and the dog gives a conditioned response (CR), as a result of conditioning, since the dog associates the ring with the arrival of people.
How to teach your dog not to bark when the doorbell rings?
To get your dog to stop barking every time the doorbell rings, you'll need to work by precisely using the doorbellHow? You'll need to ask a family member or friend to help you go through a "counterconditioning" process. Here we explain in more detail how to prevent your dog from barking when the doorbell rings:
- Ask a friend or family member to stand under your house and ring the doorbell when you ask them to. You can use the phone to coordinate ringing. You should not open the door or let him in, the goal is for the doorbell to once again become a neutral stimulus for your dog. For this reason, the sound of the doorbell should not be a precedent of the arrival of any person, but a mere sound of the environment.
- When the dog barks you should ignore it completely, even if it is somewhat annoying to you.
- Repeat this process as many times as necessary until, on some occasion, the dog does not bark, then you must congratulate him with a click and a prize (if you have worked the clicker for dogs) or with a " very okay" and a prize if you don't like working with this tool. It is important that you are very quick so that the dog does not get distracted and understands that the click or the "very good" (and its corresponding reinforcement) appear when he does not bark after the bell has rung.
- It may happen that the dog needs between 10 and 30 repetitions before correctly understanding and associating what is happening. You must be patient and hit the exact moment of the reinforcement.
We will repeat this process daily, writing down the progress in a notebook, to see how many times the dog does not bark all the times we've rung the bell. Once the dog stops barking 100% of the time, we will work with visitors, so that people can come home without the dog barking. Then we will have to alternate real visits and doorbell calls that do not imply the arrival of people at our home.
This is a simple process, all we have to do is reinforce the dog when it ignores the bell, however, it will take days or weeks to work on it if it is a behavior that has been ignited for a long time.
Related problems and doubts
Below we show you the problems that may arise during the process and how to act:
- My dog never stops barking: You may need more repetitions for the dog to begin to associate that the sound of the doorbell does not always imply for a person to appear. You should also start with short ringing sounds and work your way up to volume or ringing.
- My dog barks at people when they come home: Dogs usually perform this behavior in order to receive attention, so you should ask those who visit your home to ignore your dog and pet him only when he stops barking. If your dog also barks a lot when you get home, you should also follow the same procedure.
- My dog had stopped barking but now he's back to it: If we stop practicing "false visits" it is likely that the dog recovers the old habit of him. He goes back to making false doorbell sounds that do not imply people coming home
- Can I use an electric shock collar? The European Society for Veterinary Clinical Ethology points out that the use of this type of tool does not Not only is it not more effective than other types of training, but it can also cause stress, discomfort, pain and anxiety in dogs. [1] There is also no adequate learning, therefore, the use of this type of tool is totally discouraged.
Finally, point out that, if after following this procedure for several days without obtaining any results, you should consider go to a dog trainer or educator professional so that they can correctly evaluate the case and guide you in a personalized way.
