My dog is a silent sleeper, but I noticed that he was barking a lot at night nowadays. This mystifying behavior was very new to me. This led me to wonder: Why Do Dogs Bark At Night?
It is difficult to ascertain the reason for my dog’s barking. I reached out to my neighbor who provided significant insights into this question.
Read this post to understand why your dog is barking at night and what you can do to manage your dog’s barking behavior.
Why Do Dogs Bark At Night? Top 10 Reasons
1. Your Dog Is Hungry
If your dog is barking too much at night, it is possibly because he is hungry. It might be because your dog didn’t eat enough or because he had to wait long between two meals.
Make sure that you are giving proper food at the proper time to your dog so that it does not get hungry at night.
2. Your Dog Is Bored
Sometimes dogs do not meet their daily quota of exercise which means that your dog has pent-up energy. If your dog didn’t exercise or get its playtime, it will stay bored and bored dogs tend to stay vocal at night.
Make sure that your dog gets enough mental and physical exercise so that it is tired out at night and sleeps peacefully. It is good to take your dog for an evening walk so that it can release its pent-up energy before the day ends.
3. Separation Anxiety
Another reason for barking at night could be separation anxiety. If you left your dog alone at night or you were gone for a long time, your dog might miss you and feel lonely.
This behavior would be more probable if your dog sleeps away from you in a different room. It is also more evident when you leave home or when you go to bed.
4. You Encouraged The Behavior
If you give your dog whatever it wants whenever it wants, it will start to bark just to get your attention indicating that it wants something. If you don’t pay attention to your dog it will start to bark even louder.
Do not encourage the barking by giving your dog what it wants. Instead, give your dog attention when it is not barking, so that it understands that barking is not an option.
5. Your Dog Has Some Pain
Pain might be a reason for barking in elderly dogs because of weak muscles. An older dog suffers from muscle pain which keeps it up at night barking.
It might also be likely in adult dogs who have been showing signs of pain like limping suddenly. If this is the case, then take your dog to the vet for a check-up.
6. Problem With Your Dog’s Diet
If you changed your dog’s diet, then it is possible that your dog’s stomach is not agreeing with the new food. It might also be that your dog is not getting enough food and nutrition that it normally should.
You need to create a perfectly balanced diet for your dog so that it can get all the nutrients that it needs in a day. Do not feed these food items to your dog, as they can be harmful to his health.
Your dog should have at least 22% protein, 8% fats, 7% minerals, and 15% vitamins in your dog’s food per kg.
7. Sleeping Environment Problems
Your dog might not like the room that it sleeps in because of the temperature or the noise in the room. If your dog’s sleeping space is not comfortable for it, then change the location of your dog’s bed to a more cool and quiet place.
The blankets that you provide to your dog should be chew proof and comfortable.
8. Need To Relieve Itself
Another reason for excessive barking at night might be because your dog needs to pee. This is more evident in puppies who bark whenever they need to relieve themselves. Make sure that you take your dog to relieve itself before going to bed.
9. Old Age
If your dog has started to bark suddenly at night, it might be because your dog developed dementia due to old age. This condition is prominent in old dogs who portray signs like excessive barking, disorientation, restlessness, and changes in your dog’s sleep cycle.
If you suspect any signs of canine dementia, then take your dog to the vet for some medication that can make dementia’s progression slow.
10. Change In Routine
If you made some changes in your dog’s night routine, then your dog will start barking due to confusion. Dogs take time to adapt to new things and adapt to the new routine.
In such a case, you should wait for your dog to get adapted to the new routine. The unwanted barking will stop as soon as your dog gets used to the change.
5 Ways to Stop Your Dog From Barking at Night
1. Crate Training
If your dog suffers from separation anxiety, then it wouldn’t want to sleep alone in its bed. You might not want your dog to sleep in your bed either. So, you can use the positive reinforcement technique to make your dog sleep in its bed.
Follow these steps to stop to crate train your dog:
Step 1:
Make your dog’s crate comfortable enough for your dog to stay in it. Place the crate in a corner with three of the crate’s sides covered so that your dog feels like it has its own den.
Step 2:
You can hide a few treats in your dog’s crate. The temptation of getting a treat will entice your dog to sleep quietly in its crate willingly.
Step 3:
Maintain the positive association of your dog with its crate. After your dog finds all its treats, give comforting meals to it in its crate. You can close the door of its crate for 10 minutes after feeding to let it enjoy the meal.
Step 4:
Don’t confine your dog to the crate for hours because a dog is a social animal who needs to and move around freely around its friends. Let your dog feel that the crate is its home and not a place you use to lock it up
Step 5:
Keep your dog’s crate near to yours so that it does not feel alone at night and bark. As your dog learns not to bark, move its crate out of your room gradually. Don’t make any sudden changes.
2. Don’t Encourage The Behavior
The key to stopping your dog from incessant barking at night is to convince your pet that barking won’t get it anywhere. You have to ignore your dog unless it wants to pee.
If you respond to your dog even once by calling out soothing words, then you will make it believe that barking can get it what it wants. As long as your dog keeps getting what it wants, it won’t stop the barking. Don’t encourage your dog’s behavior in any way.
If your dog does not stop barking after several tries then you can try the No products found. to stop your dog from barking.
3. Exercise
Another way to stop your dog from barking at night is to give exercise to your dog before going to sleep. You can play small games like fetch at home if you do not want to go out for a walk with your dog.
Give your dog enough exercise to tire him out so that he does not have the energy to bark at night.
4. Healthy Diet
Improper nutrition can also cause nighttime barking in your dog. If you provide a healthy balanced diet to your dog, then it will sleep peacefully at night. A full stomach is enough to keep your dog quiet before going to bed.
5. Make Your Dog’s Sleeping Spot Comfortable
Sometimes when a dog’s bed is not comfortable, it will start to bark in order to get your attention that it is not able to sleep in its bed.
You need to make sure that your dog’s sleeping spot is comfortable. Add a few layers of blankets so that your dog has a smooth surface to sleep on.
You can check out this bed that will help sleep your dog comfortably here.
Why Does My Dog Bark at Nothing at Night?
It isn’t definitely nothing when your dog is barking at night. Your dog is probably responding to a sound that wasn’t audible to your ears. Dogs have sensitive ears that pick up sounds in your neighborhood that you can’t hear.
Another reason might be that your dog does not want to sleep in its crate and instead, sleep with you. It is okay to let your dog sleep with you once in a while because even your dog feels lonely sometimes and wants your attention.
Why Does My Dog Keep Barking In Its Crate?
If your dog suddenly started to bark in its crate with a full stomach and an empty bladder, then the only reason left is because it wants your attention. The constant barking of your dog is because it wants you to come and check up on it.
Your dog might not find it comfortable to sleep away from you. You need to give crate training to your dog as mentioned above so that it does not keep barking to seek your attention.
Why Does My Puppy Bark at Night?
Puppies are no different than human babies. They need constant care and attention, especially if you brought home a newborn puppy who has weak bladder control.
If you left your puppy to sleep in its crate, then it will end up feeling scared and lonely. You need to train your pup to stay in its crate by associating positive events to its crate, like hiding treats in its crate and giving some meals to it in its crate.
Sometimes the barking may also be because your puppy needs to pee or poop. Just check once if your puppy needs to relieve itself when it is barking too much.
Watch this video to give you a better idea of how to give crate training to your puppy.
Why Does My Dog Start Barking All of a Sudden?
It is common for dogs who are under a year old to wake up at night and bark due to noise disturbance or the need to pee. Puppies have weak bladder control and they look up to you to take it to relieve themselves. You need to take extra care of your puppy’s defecating needs.
If your adult dog is suddenly barking at night then it is because of one of the following reasons:
- Pain
- Disturbing Noise
- Separation Anxiety
- Boredom
- Dementia
FAQs on Why Do Dogs Bark At Night
1. How Do I Teach My Dog To Stay Quiet At Night?
Most dog owners sleep in a separate room from their dogs. This might make their dogs feel lonely and to get their owner’s attention they start to bark. To teach your dog to stay quiet at night, you need to make your dog’s sleeping spot comfortable with clean bedding and soft blankets.
You can try crate training your dog by giving it treats every time it sleeps quietly in its crate. Your dog needs to understand that barking or howling won’t help them get anything. So, don’t encourage your dog’s behavior in any way.
2. What Should I Do If My Neighbor’s Dog Keeps Barking At Night?
If your neighbor’s dog is barking too much at night, then you should talk to your neighbor face-to-face about it first. You can offer solutions for managing the dog’s barking behavior to your neighbor.
If you have tried everything possible and there is still no improvement, then you can file a noise complaint to your landlord.
3. Should I Ignore My Dog’s Barking?
You should try to ignore your dog’s barking unless it needs to pee or poop. If you keep encouraging your dog’s barking behavior by giving it attention, then it will never learn to stay quiet.
You need to make your dog believe that barking isn’t going to get what it wants. Ignoring the barking is the best option to let your dog learn that.
Conclusion: Why Do Dogs Bark At Night?
To answer your question Why Do Dogs Bark At Night, it is mostly either to pee or to get your attention. It is best to ignore your dog’s barking if it is becoming a habit as a way to get your attention.
If there is any other underlying problem, then you should consult your vet for medication. If there is no health problem, then you can give proper food and exercise to your dog and the barking will dial down.
