My dog barks when i leave the house

Why is my dog barking?

Let’s get the first step underway and assess the nature of the barking your dog is exhibiting.

As a general guide to ‘what’s acceptable barking, in most areas your local authority or Council will specify the limits to how much barking your dog is allowed to do.

In Queensland (Australia) that limit is set by state legislation and Councils can choose to adopt the guidelines set by that state legislation.

So, that means you need to know how much barking your dog is doing when you are away.

How do you do that?  You may have friends or neighbours who can tell you but it’s a lot better to spy on your dog when you are away to assess that accurately.

You will find all of that information on this sheet – free software to measure your dog’s barking and that also has more details on Council barking limits.

A proper assessment is much more likely to lead you to the targeted solutions your dog needs.  However, the likely reasons for your dogs barking when you are away are:-

1.  Boredom-related issues

If your dog is a youngster and in particular if it’s a working breed or a Terrier, boredom is quite likely. There are many solutions to boredom and they are all summarised in the extensive information on our No Bored Dogs Pet Pick.

2.  Anxieties and related conditions

Amongst the most common causes of ‘home alone’ barking are those related to anxiety-based behaviours.

Many dogs bark at stimuli that ‘worry them’ when you are not home to give the guidance and comfort. While you can often train a dog not to bark at such stimuli, that’s difficult to do when you are not home. (More details on training dogs not to bark in this Web Guide)

Even territorial barking is a form of anxiety because affected dogs predict that a noise or ‘thing’ seen is a threat to their territory and that causes a ‘puff of anxiety’

You will find more information on anxieties and related ’emotions’ of pets on this link but such reactions include:

• Territorial threats where pedestrians, other dogs and unidentified noises occur beyond your property boundary
• Self-protective aggression where your dog feels threatened by nearby activities
• An anxiety disorder such as a Generalised Anxiety Disorder where your dog startles easily and is over-reacting to stimuli to which most dogs do not react.

2.  Separation-related problems

In our world as pet behaviour consultants, every day we deal with barking behaviour that is caused by separation anxiety or one of its ugly relatives.

If your dog has a separation anxiety he or she will show distress when you are leaving, distress while you are gone and distress when you arrive.  The distress when you are gone can include barking, howling and screaming as well as many other behaviours.

The remedies for separation anxiety are many and varied but techniques such as Trial Separations and Staged Leavings and calming strategies are three of many solutions.

Click here for extensive information on cures for separation-related problems with dogs.

3.  Compulsive barking

Compulsions are one of the rarer causes of barking. A compulsion is a purposeless behaviour which is often repetitive, and can occur for long periods. For dogs, compulsive barking often fits into a rhythm and is usually not caused by an identifiable stimulus.  Dogs with compulsive disorders need professional attention and the best first step is to contact us for assistance.

4.  Old dogs and barking behaviour

Some old dogs bark when they have a senile behaviour disorder similar to Alzheimer’s Disease. This usually occurs with dogs in their ‘teens’. For dogs this is called Canine Cognitive Disorder. There are many methods to reduce the effect of this condition (follow the previous link) but it’s one where your veterinarian will need to be involved.

• February 17, 2019

Most dogs live happily in our lifestyles but sometimes they will bark when left alone, either if we go out or we leave them in another room, for example. A more severe version of this is they can get destructive, chewing up furnishings. Another unpleasant problem can be urinating or defaecating in the house or compulsive licking or chewing at themselves. These are all examples of separation anxiety.

What is separation anxiety?

This disorder is caused by distress at being parted from their owner. It seems to be more common in some breeds than others and may partly be the result of poor socialisation in puppyhood. Dogs are naturally pack animals and don’t like being separated from their ‘pack’ (that’s you!).

The condition is more common in dogs that have been repeatedly re-homed or moved to new owners when they were less than 1 year old, probably because these animals feel very insecure. The problem becomes worse because when someone re-homes a dog from a kennel and finds out it is destructive, the poor dog is often returned to the kennel for re-homing again which makes the problem worse.

What triggers separation anxiety?

The problem can start after a period of separation e.g where the dog has been in kennels and then returns to the house. Dogs are also more likely to show separation anxiety when their owner returns to work after a long period at home, e.g. after maternity leave or the school summer holidays. The poor dog has been used to plenty of attention and company and all of a sudden he is alone in a quiet empty house. It is a more common problem in young dogs who can start to get anxious when they sense their owner is about to leave.

When their owner returns many dogs are submissive and cringe amid the debris because they have previously been punished by an angry owner coming home to the mess.

Is there treatment to help my dog?

There is help at hand but you must be prepared to put a lot of time and effort into helping your dog overcome his or her fears. Never punish your dog if you come home to a mess – this will only make the problem worse. Your dog is destructive because he is anxious about being left alone. If you punish him he learns to associate the combination of you and the mess with punishment. When you are gone he is left in the house alone and becomes destructive. Now he is alone with the mess and becomes more anxious because when you appear and there is mess he is punished. Basically, treatment is aimed at gradually getting your dog used to longer and longer periods alone. Your vet will be able to give you advice about managing the problem and, in particularly tricky cases, may recommend that you and your dog talk to a qualified dog behaviourist. With personal advice and some effort most dogs improve over time.

There are drugs that your vet can prescribe to help your dog overcome his anxiety. These drugs can make treatment with behavioural management work more quickly.

The idea is to reduce your stress levels as well as your dog’s!

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