Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Dogs

How to get your dog to stop barking at the door

Mary Johnson
By

Training your dog to stop barking can take time, so you shouldn’t expect a ferocious yapper to stop barking overnight. If you adopted an older dog with a long history of barking, retraining will take longer than you’ll have to spend teaching a puppy not to bark. That being said, encouraging good behavior can go a long way in teaching your dog not to bark at the door.

Remember not to shout at your dog when they’re barking. To your dog, it sounds like you’ve joined in. Make sure you’re consistent while you’re training your dog, which means getting everyone in your household on board with training. You can’t expect your dog to learn what’s appropriate if someone else lets them get away with barking. Be gentle but firm, and you can correct your dog’s behavior.

Here’s how you can do it.

Black and white French bulldog puppy playing with a stick.
Jens Mahnke/Pexels

Remove any rewards

According to the Humane Society, dogs get some form of a reward when they bark, or else they would stop doing it. If your dog barks at the door because they hear children outside playing, take your dog to another room and keep them there until they stop barking. Make sure you’re consistent with your training. If they immediately start barking once they’re allowed back in the room, remove them from the room again.

Recommended Videos

Get them used to the stimulus

Some dogs bark because they’re excited, so one way to teach them to stop is to help them adjust to the stimulus. If your dog barks every time a mail carrier leaves a package on your doorstep, train them out of it by giving them a treat when they stop barking. By rewarding silence, you’ll teach your dog that barking results in not getting a treat, while being quiet means they’ll get one.

Ignore bad behavior

If your dog barks outside your bedroom door at night, they’re most likely doing it because they want attention. Rather than shouting at them to be quiet, which is still a form of acknowledgement, don’t address them at all. Don’t speak to them or open the door while they’re making noise, as they’ll interpret it as a reward. Once they finally settle down, then you can give them a treat to encourage good behavior.

Waiting it out can be tough if you have a particularly willful dog capable of barking for several hours straight, but ignoring your dog teaches them that barking won’t get them anywhere. If you lose your patience after 30 minutes, you’ll teach them that stubbornness — and lots of barking — will always get them the attention they want.

Ask your dog to do something

The Humane Society also advises asking your dog to do something incompatible with barking. When your dog starts to bark, tell them to lie down instead. If your dog does what you’ve told them to do and stops barking, reward them with a treat and lots of praise. You can also combine methods for more effective training. For example, if your dog gets back up and continues to bark, ignore them. Don’t even look in their direction until they stop barking.

Once your dog quiets down again, tell them to sit or lie down, and give them a treat. This teaches your dog that they should lie down and be quiet when they have the urge to bark. It won’t happen overnight, but with patience and perseverance, you can retrain your dog and enjoy a nice, quiet home.

Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise

Depending on your dog’s breed, they may need long walks or lots of playtime before they tire out, so ensuring your dog gets plenty of physical activity during the day will reduce the risk of boredom-induced yapping. Take your dog for a walk — or let them outside if you have a fenced yard — several times so they can burn off excess energy. If your dog has enough excitement during the day, they may be too tired to bark.

Why does my dog bark for no reason?

Well, there’s always a reason why your dog is barking. It just might not make any sense to you. Dogs bark because they’re bored, anxious, excited, or frustrated. Once you narrow down the cause of your dog’s barking, you can take the appropriate steps to retrain them.

How long can a dog bark nonstop?

The average dog can bark for roughly 60-90 minutes without stopping. Make sure your dog feels safe and secure, as this lowers the chances they’ll bark from anxiety, and ensure they get plenty of exercise during the day so they won’t have the energy to bark simply because they’re bored.

Tan and white dog sleeping on a bed.
Christian Domingues/Pexels

Barking can be a nuisance, but it’s a behavior that can be corrected through training. You can teach your dog not to bark by rewarding them when they’re quiet. Removing them from the situation if they always bark at a certain time of day is a good way to cut down on the noise, but you can also desensitize them to the stimulus causing them to bark. Ensuring your dog gets plenty of exercise will keep them tired and happy, so they won’t have the energy to bark.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mary Johnson
Mary Johnson
Contributor
Mary Johnson is a writer and photographer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work has been published in PawTracks and…
Why do dogs eat cat poop? And how you can get them to stop
These tips will stop your pup from eating cat doo-doo
Dog wears a yellow sweater and looks at the camera

Sometimes you might think you hear your cat using their potty, but when you go into check, it's actually the dog eating cat poop. Gross! While it seems pretty revolting to us, dogs sometimes eat poop, the feline variety included. Coprophagia, which means eating poop, shows up reasonably frequently in pups, and certain diets, environments, and even breeds can make this act more likely (research says hounds and terriers are the groups most likely to chomp poop, in general).

So why do dogs eat cat poop, and what should you do about this behavior? Read on for a few things to check and a couple of tips to prevent this extra meal.
Why do dogs eat cat poop?
Theories abound, but it turns out lots of different mammals eat poop, their own and others'. One possibility is that not all nutrients fully digest when they go through our systems, which means there are plenty of vitamins to have by consuming feces. Sometimes, these cravings result from a nutrient-deficient diet that is easy to fix by changing up your dog's food.

Read more
The smartest dog breeds: Yours might not be as intelligent as you think
These smart dog breeds are at the top of the canine class
german shepherd in grass

Your dog is like a furry child, and no one wants to believe their kid isn't one of the brightest pupils in the classroom. But, just like with human children, not all dogs excel in academic pursuits. Every dog has its own unique personality, but there are several defining characteristics commonly found in certain breeds.

Some breeds, like French bulldogs, are natural entertainers known for their playfulness. Others, like Great Danes, are sturdy and dignified. Yet other breeds are known for their intelligence. Have you ever wondered, "Which breeds are the smartest dog breeds in the world?" Is your dog on the list? The results might surprise you. 

Read more
Best guard dogs: These 7 breeds will protect you with their life
These dog breeds are some of the best personal guards you'll find
An Akita sitting on the bed

Most dogs are loyal and loving animals. That’s why we know them as humans’ best friends. They’d do anything for us. For some dogs, “anything” means protecting us with their lives. And these breeds make the best guard dogs. For many of them, it’s instinctual. They’ve evolved to protect the family they love. You’ll notice these pups keeping a watchful eye on your property. They may bark to alert you when your company arrives or the mail gets delivered.
Remember, guard animals mean well. They aren’t trying to be vicious, but instead, they want to keep you and your home safe and sound. Some prospective pet parents want this quality in a dog. If that’s you, consider these breeds that make the best guard dogs.

What is the easiest guard dog to train?
There's a whole group of beasties that are often referred to as the guardian breeds — many of them make this list. Those animals with a predisposition toward defending and alerting will likely also learn their duties quickly. However, you'll also need a pup who has been properly socialized. Remember, you only want your guard to go into protection mode when there's a serious threat, not every time the mailman stops by.

Read more