Why is My Dog Barking at Anyone Who Comes Near Me?
Several reasons can make a pup overly possessive of his/her owner, and the most common among them are as follows:
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Why Is My Dog Barking at Family and Friends?
Did you recently add a new dog to your home? Has it been barking at your husband, daughter, or son? Did a new boyfriend or girlfriend move in and now your dog is barking at them the moment they enter the house or the room your dog is in? If so, rest assured that you are not alone. Countless dogs are uncomfortable when new people enter their homes!
Even though dogs do not go through divorces or need to balance their checkbooks at the end of the month, changes can still stress them out. Many people assume that dogs that are barking at people who are walking into a room or through a door are doing so because they want to be “in control” of who comes into their perceived “territory.” However, behind what looks like a bold dog engaging in territorial aggression is often a fearful dog who simply feels unsafe.
Unfortunately, this misinterpretation often makes matters worse. Some people may feel like they “must challenge the dog” by moving into its space and waiting for it to back down. This approach only increases the dogs fear and may make it feel even more motivated to bark/lunge/growl more in the future because this person has now proven to them that they are truly scary and untrustworthy. Not to mention that cornering a fearful dog can result in defensive biting!
The truth is that dogs seek security and peace in the home just as humans do, and there is nothing worse than not being able to relax because a particular person makes dogs uncomfortable and nervous. These dogs may not get the restful sleep they need and they may never really fully relax.
It doesnt take long for dogs to learn to use their barking behaviors to let a particular person know they are getting too close for comfort. Fearful dogs will therefore often lunge, bark, growl, and show their teeth to signal that they do not appreciate having their personal spaces invaded by a particular person/persons.
For sake of comparison, lets imagine for a moment that you are scared of mice. Just the mere thought of seeing a mouse is terrifying to you, and if you happen to see a mouse, you stomp your feet and make a hissing sound to send the mouse away.
If this helps in sending the mouse away, most likely youll keep on doing the stomping and hissing behavior because you dont want mice near you! Soon, this becomes your default behavior when you see a mouse approach. Did hissing and stomping your feet though teach you to like mice more? Most likely not—you probably still think mice are scary creatures, and youll probably keep doing these behaviors to maintain distance from these critters.
Dogs who are fearful will often revert to their barking/lunging/growling because it is highly reinforcing.
In the same way, dogs who are fearful often revert to their barking/lunging/growling because it is highly reinforcing. For the science junkies out there looking for an explanation, its a matter of negative reinforcement. The behavior of barking/lunging/snarling is reinforced because it makes the “bad person” that makes them feel uncomfortable or “unpleasant situation” go away.
Now, of course, no bad feelings should be taken if your dog categorizes someone as “bad.” Its not that your dog really thinks this person is really bad as we perceive it, its just that, likely, this person may have inadvertently startled the dog at some time. This can happen in a number of ways, from carrying large tools in the house to coughing loudly or sneezing to simply having an appearance the dog feels intimidating (high stature, facial hair, wearing hats or sunglasses, moving fast, loud footsteps, etc.).
Back to being terrified of mice, how would you feel if one day, upon seeing a mouse, a 20-dollar bill magically fell from the sky? At first, you probably would be surprised and may think its just a mere coincidence, but what if this reliably happens every single time? Every time a mouse appears, a 20-dollar bill falls down. At this point, most likely mice are starting to become appealing!
At closer scrutiny, what has likely happened in this scenario? In this case, mice, which had a history of eliciting a negative emotion, now have come to elicit a positive emotion, for the simple fact that mice have started to predict the money. In behavior terminology, we call this “classical conditioning,” which along with desensitization, can be a very powerful behavior modification tool.
Desensitization means in layman terms “to make less sensitive”. Back to the fear of mice, would you feel better if you were immersed in a room full of mice or if you were given time to get used to being around mice in a step-by-step gradual approach? Most likely, the latter. Overcoming fear takes time and requires baby steps meaning that we are exposed to less intense versions of what we fear. If you are exposed to a too intense version of a fear-evoking stimulus, there are high chances your fear will increase rather than diminish.
So with this in mind, with the help of a professional, you should work on presenting less intense versions of your dogs fear and create positive associations with it. Next, lets see an example of some work I did with a clients dog who barked every time her new boyfriend walked into the house.
Molly had a fear problem . . .
How to Stop Dog Barking! (Cesar911 Shorts)
Sometimes having a dog that barks when a stranger approach our home is exactly what we want. But what if we actually don’t need a guard dog? Or our dog won’t stop barking at people we invited inside?
When we invite people to visit our home, we them to feel welcome. It can be off putting for them and embarrassing for us if we have a dog that won’t quit barking when we have guests!
In today’s Ask a Behavior Consultant, we have a dog that doesn’t take kindly to strangers in or near his home.
If you have a dog that won’t stop barking, check out these other training articles from Journey Dog Training:
We are always available to help you with 1-on-1 training over video chat or phone anywhere in the world. We have a team of several trainers and behavior consultants ready to help.