Dinner events, frequent Halloween visits, or delivering shipments can be downright terrifying for dogs. Visualize it from their point of view – the doorbell rings and a complete stranger is likely about to walk into your territory.
Read on to understand why dogs bark at the doorbell and how you can help stop the behavior. And in case your pet is really going through a difficult time, such as Halloween or a mass event you are hosting, you can always give him some time off with accommodation at a neighborhood family pet sitter.
Reasons why your dog is afraid of the front door
Why don’t we start by examining the cause behind your pet’s front door challenge? Several dogs are simply alarmed by loud noises. The doorbells are designed to be loud enough for humans to hear over the commotion of the house, and their abrupt ringing can surprise pets with fragile hearing.
An excessive amount of barking can be a manifestation of anxiety and stress, in addition to these other common indicators of fear in dogs:
In case your dog shows any of these behaviors when the bell rings, your pet is most likely afraid of the sound.
Why do domestic dogs bark at the door?
Not all “bell barkers” are scared! Some dogs understand that the doorbell equals the arrival of a person, and they take pleasure in knocking on whoever is at the door.
In the event that your dog barks when the door knocker sounds but doesn’t appear to be afraid, your pet may simply be barking with excitement. You can tell your dog that you are excited when:
Knowing effective ways to read your pet’s body language will help you manage his reaction to the knock on the door.
What to do to stop your dog from barking at the door?
Lulling your dogs to the doorbell or knocking on the door takes time. When your dogs bark at the doorbell:
– Do not scream. Yelling at your pet’s barking simply adds to the ruckus and may encourage it to bark more.
– Stay calm, positive and optimistic! Just like you read your dog’s body language, she will react to yours; The more relaxed and happy you appear to be, the easier it will be to handle your dog out the door.
– Use consistent training procedures (and make sure all family members use the same every time your dog barks). Simply put, don’t let your pet “get away with it” by barking at the door knocker sometimes and not at others.
When your dog barks at the door, one option is to simply ignore it. Sometimes dogs will bark for attention, and you can encourage them to relax by not giving them to them.
How can you stop your dog from barking at the door?
Training your dog to be calm and collected when someone knocks on the door or rings the doorbell is really possible, but it can take weeks of persistent training sessions.
On an important visitation night, regardless of how much training you’ve done, it’s all about monitoring your dog’s behavior. You don’t need to have a perfectly well trained dog, you just need to have good handling strategies in effect!
– Establish a “safe room” for your dog, at the opposite end of the house from the door, with a comfortable place to sleep, something to chew on, and a radio or television to distract your pet from the commotion at the door. .
– Have a family member hang out with your dog in his “safe room” and ignore the knock on the door all night long. Or hire a dog sitter to take the pet and take it away.
Knocking on the front door or hearing the doorbell doesn’t have to be scary. Through a combination of training and behavior management, you can help your pet overcome the fear of eventually ignoring “the door” and … finally, stop your dog from barking at the door.