Stop Dog Barking From Inside
Some dogs just love barking at people and other dogs from inside their home. Dogs will peep through windows, doors and even holes in fences just to get a glimpse of someone walking by. Barking is not only annoying, but it’s also not fair to the passerby. Stop dog barking from inside with these management tips.
Windows
By far, dogs enjoy barking at passersby from windows. For windows facing any type of foot traffic, try these tips. Applying these tips will prevent your dog from seeing passersby, which manages his behavior:
- Keep curtains or mini blinds completely closed.
- Choose window blinds that open from the top. This allows sunlight through while also preventing dogs from barking through the lower window portion.
- Add white opaque window film to the bottom portion of windows. This allows sunlight to shine through and prevents dogs from seeing passersby.
- Set up sturdy barriers to prevent dogs from entering a window-filled room.
Doors
Most doors are made of solid, wood or metal, but many contain glass accent panels to provide more light into a room. Apply decorative opaque window film to window panels. Most films can be easily removed, if needed. Also, try frosting windows with DIY products from craft stores. A simple solution is to install curtains, but most dogs learn to push the fabric aside when they hear the UPS at the door.
Changing Your Dog’s Behavior
Once your dog’s environment has been managed, meaning she’s no longer able to practice barking at passersby, it’s time to train her to do something else instead of bark.
- Throw out your dog’s food bowl and feed her daily meals out of rubber toys, such as Kongs or a Kong Wobbler.
- Hire a dog walker to bring your dog out for daily 30-minute walks.
- If your dog is reactive during walks, ask your dog walker to play “fetch” or Nose Work games with your dog.
- When you’re home, teach your dog to walk over and sit by you when she hears something outside. This is easily taught by calling your dog to you when she hears something outside. Make smoochie noises to encourage her to walk over to you instead of bark. When she gets to you, reward her with several pieces of hot dogs, cheese or deli meat.
Continue to practice every time your dog hears something. Ideally, call her to you before she starts barking and reward generously when she returns to you.
