Why do dogs bark at strangers?
Before breaking any habit, you must first understand the cause. Knowing the reason why your dog is barking helps to inform the best training technique to stop dog barking.
There are three major reasons why dogs tend to bark at strangers, including:
Over-excitement is one of the major reasons why dogs bark at strangers. This is common among puppies and it’s usually not threatening. Rather, they are simply an expression of their friskiness through loud noises.
Although this form of barking shows your pop loves people, it can often catch strangers off guard and make them more fearful because they don’t know your dog.
Your dog might be barking just to protect their territory when a stranger approaches. This is often accompanied by raised hackles and a stiff body.
When a stranger comes close to the front of your door or merely walk by, your dog sees them as a potential threat and continue barking. This poses a threat to the stranger and causes noise disturbance to people living in the home or neighbors around.
Some dogs bark uncontrollably at other people when they do not have a lot of human interaction and attention from the puppy stage.
Lack of familiarization with how to act around strangers can cause your dog to bark when they come close. Besides, they don’t an established background of trust.
Rescue dogs also bark this way when human interaction is not frequent. Besides, dogs tend to bark when they have a traumatic experience with their past owners, and this damages their ability to trust strangers as well. This type of barking is linked to overwhelming anxiety.
Reducing Your Dog’s Exposure to Strangers
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1 Obscure your dog’s view of strangers at the door. It’s important that you manage your dog’s barking by creating an environment that will limit his sight of others. Keep your curtains or blinds closed during the day when your dog is home. You can also set up a baby gate so your dog cannot get into rooms that have large bay windows where he can see outside.[5]
- For a more permanent option
How to Train Your Dog to STOP BARKING at EVERYTHING That Moves!!
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Barking is a normal part of how dogs communicate. The bark can mean many different things but when it is excessive or at times you find it inappropriate then it can be a very annoying canine behavior.
There are a lot of negative consequences to barking that includes angry neighbors, decreased sleep, eviction, frustration, getting kicked out of rental units, anger or even legal action.
Barking at strangers is one of the poor dog behaviors that lead to dogs being given up for adoption, abandoned, rehomed or even euthanized. Barking dogs can also suffer from abuse.