The dog whines at home alone when you leave

We express our thoughts and feelings using our voice, and dogs express their emotions using barking. Experienced owners who know their pets well can determine in what mood their pet friend is in just by the volume and frequency of barking. It would seem that there is nothing surprising or reprehensible in the barking of an animal. But when a dog makes noise almost incessantly, it can irritate even the most patient person. Let's consider just a few situations when a dog's "woof-woof" can drive you crazy:

The owner tries unsuccessfully to watch a movie or talk on the phone, but the dog won’t stop talking;
There is a small child in the house who cannot sleep for an hour due to loud barking;
The walls in the apartment building are thin, so all the neighbors listen to the dog “concert” day and night;
The person is feeling unwell (migraine, high blood pressure, etc.), and the animal only worsens the owner’s condition with noise.

Actually, there are a great many situations when a dog’s barking can infuriate you. In this article we will try to find out why the animal barks, how to wean a dog from barking, and whether it is always worth prohibiting your pet from making a voice.

Collars with citronella

Citronella collars spray a stream of citronella when your dog barks. Citronella is made from the oils of lemongrass and is often used in perfumes, candles and incense.

This collar is seen as a humane alternative to shock collars. A problem can arise if multiple dogs are barking, and the collar can sometimes be difficult to fit on very small dogs.

Internet observers also write that some dogs learn to bark in tones and frequencies that the collar does not recognize.

Causes

But before that, you need to know why the dog barks. There are many reasons for a dog to bark. Here are some reasons.

Genetics

Think about it, you have inherited some characteristics from your father or mother. It could be your father's sense of style or your mother's public speaking skills. The same thing happens with dogs. They also inherit some characteristics.

Some dogs naturally bark. They often bark when they are excited, or when they sense something unusual, hear a noise, or when they are happy. But the problem is that they might bark when you're not home, because that's what they do.

Your dog's boredom and loneliness

Do you feel better when you're home alone? Of course not. It's the same with dogs. However, you can try something new or something interesting when you are alone. But the dogs have nothing to do. They can chew your furniture, walk, howl and, of course, bark. This means that they will continue to bark until they are happy.

Psychology

Does your dog start barking shortly before you leave the house? Then it's probably due to pack psychology. Maybe you know that dogs are pack animals and they believe in leader, leadership and followers. This is why when you and your family leave the house and leave your dog alone, he becomes stressed. You'll feel the same way if you lose your backpack.

That's why they bark when you want to go outside the house and leave it to itself. They are just trying to keep you and your family in the house, and when you leave, they are trying to call you to come back.

Territorial/Alpha feel

Some breeds are guardian or protector types. They feel like guardians or protectors of a home or territory. The territory can be an entire house, a yard, or even airspace. So whenever an intruder comes into the territory, they start barking to defend the territory. The attacker could be a postman, an insect, or even a bird.

Fear and anxiety

Every dog is scared of something. It could be a thunderstorm or even a veterinarian. But in most cases, some dogs become anxious because they have a bad fearful past. Maybe they've fallen on hard times, or maybe they've been rescued, or maybe they're moved frequently. In addition, small dogs can also suffer from fear.

When they are alarmed or scared, they begin to bark. Most often this happens when they are alone. This means that when you are not home, they become anxious or fearful and bark as a result.

Now let's see what needs to be done to stop the dog barking when we leave the house.

Is loneliness dangerous for dogs?

Unlike cats, which are housebound, dogs have a much harder time with the absence of humans. Too frequent and prolonged loneliness affects not only their mental but also their physiological health, leading to the following problems:

loss of appetite and activity;
increased salivation and sweating;
increased breathing and increased temperature;
indigestion (vomiting, stool disturbance);
increase in sleep duration after walking.

Even after habituation, it is recommended not to exceed certain intervals. During a vacation or business trip, it is better to leave the dog with relatives or friends.

Howling symptoms

If a dog howls when left alone, not all pet owners who are faced with this problem know what to do. A dog's howling is a sign of anxiety and excessive excitability of the animal. With an owner, the dog's behavior can be stable. He is affectionate, calm or, conversely, playful and cheerful.

An alarming howl of a dog in the absence of the owner

To check what your pet is doing alone at home, you need to install a microphone or video camera while you are away. Another option is to leave the apartment and wait at the entrance for the dog’s reaction.

This method will help determine whether your neighbors are telling the truth. Sometimes they can't figure out exactly where the sounds are coming from. It is possible that the animal is howling in another apartment, and you should complain about other residents.

In addition to howling and barking, the dog, due to severe anxiety and excitement, begins to run from room to room and look out the windows, trying to see its owner. Excited, the pet scratches the door to open it, get out and join the owner. The animal chews furniture and things, trying to attract attention and showing indignation to the owner.

Attention! In some cases, due to strong excitement, the dog may leave marks in the corners of the apartment.

How to wean it off?

Once you know why your dog barks when you leave the house, it will be easier for you to solve the problem.

Give your dog something to do . When leaving home, leave your dog toys and puzzles. Leave a treat for your dog that has an appealing food to your dog and requires licking or training to get the treat. This will keep your dog busy when you are not home, and when he gets food, he will be so tired that he will stop barking.
Exercise . Tire your dog out with exercise, jumping, playing and running in the morning. This will help your puppy be strong and healthy. Plus, it will help burn off your dog's energy. And of course, do this in the morning so that by the time you leave the house, your puppy will be asleep, and when he wakes up, it will be less upsetting to him.
Hire a professional pet sitter . It may also help to hire a professional pet sitter to come to your home and walk your dog while you are away. The pet sitter can run or play with your dog to help burn off excess energy.
Train your dog with a citronella bark collar . If your dog barks excessively, you can try a citronella bark collar. This is the human way to train a dog not to bark. All you have to do is put the collar on your dog. When your dog barks, the collar will spray natural citronella, which smells so intense that your dog will simply hate the smell. After a few times, your dog will automatically understand that this is a result of his barking and will stop barking.
Make some noise for your dog . When leaving the house, leave the radio or TV on so it makes noise and your puppy doesn't feel lonely. This will work for a puppy, but probably not for dogs who bark due to a sense of territory. They say that Reggae music is best for dogs.
Try to leave quietly . When leaving, try to leave as quietly as possible. The reason is that when you show affection during separation, your puppy becomes more excited and emotional. So if you leave the house quietly, it's less likely to upset your puppy.
Take the dog to the park . This will help your dog socialize. And it will also help you deal with barking. Therefore, if possible, take your dog to the park, walk with it, play ball or frisbee. A socialized dog barks less often.
Feed the dog . Leave enough water and food for your dog so that when you are not home, he gets enough food and water. Sometimes they bark from hunger.
Distract your dog with a bone . Take a hard, hollow dog bone and stuff it with peanut butter. You can even freeze it and give it to your dog to make it last longer. This can give your puppy many hours of healthy chewing.

I hope this guide helps you deal with your dog barking when you leave the house. The most important thing you need to do is find out why your dog is barking. Once you know this, it will be easy for you to solve the problem.

Article Author: Maureen McCarthy Maureen is a member of Pet Sitters International and holds a Feline Certificate from the University of Edinburgh. She runs one of the most successful pet care businesses in North Carolina.

Tips from a dog trainer

It is better to start training a dog with the socialization of the puppy. But if the dog is already an adult, you need to be patient and follow some rules:

All commands must be spoken calmly and only once. You cannot repeat the command several times, otherwise the dog will remember that it can be done the third time and will ignore the owner’s demands.
A correctly and quickly executed command or termination of an action should be rewarded instantly. Each owner must choose a reward independently, based on the characteristics of their pet - it does not have to be food or a toy; for some dogs, stroking and affection is enough. After the pet has learned the command and follows it unquestioningly, the reward can be gradually removed.
Training should be daily, albeit short. Only systematic training will bring results. Not only the frequency of classes is important, but also constant repeated actions, without variations - there should be no deviations from the execution of commands.
You cannot break down and yell at your pet. Any excitement or excitement of the dog owner is transmitted to the pet and can greatly increase its excitement.

Ligament cutting

Uncontrollable barking can be eliminated surgically . It is important to understand that although barking will disappear 100%, this method is still quite dangerous for the pet.

Some owners resort to cutting the ligaments. This method is effective, but it should be remembered that surgery carries great risks.

Before agreeing to surgery to trim your vocal cords, you should carefully consider the following:

anesthesia has a negative effect on the animal’s heart;
deep anesthesia is accompanied by a small chance of patient death or serious complications;
dogs of small breeds, such as the West Highland White Terrier (they often complain about the barking of such animals) tolerate surgery and anesthesia less well; Ligament cutting is a complex and dangerous procedure, during which irreversible complications can occur.
the operation is quite complex from the technical and physical aspects, even a small mistake can lead to damage to the larynx and significant blood loss;
a frequently occurring postoperative complication is laryngeal edema: in a mild stage the dog will breathe, but will not be able to swallow; with more severe edema, the airways will be blocked and the animal will die;
the occurrence of mental disorders is likely: the dog, having lost the opportunity to “tell” the world what he thinks about him, suffers, it is difficult to imagine how intervention in the body of such an animal could end, sometimes everything goes smoothly, but the development of aggression, fear, and complexes is possible;
if the ligaments are cut and not removed, the voice may recover, becoming lower; however, this problem is more likely to occur in cases where the operation is performed by an insufficiently qualified surgeon;
long recovery period, acute pain.

If a dog, left alone, barks from fear of being left alone forever or lack of attention, it is necessary to spend more time with the animal, instilling in it self-confidence.

A simple exercise for teaching a dog to be alone: you need to get dressed and pretend to leave, return after 2 minutes and praise for waiting. The time interval is gradually increased.

We invite you to watch a video that will help you stop your pet from barking at home. We wish you pleasant viewing!

What not to do

When weaning off barking, you should not punish or hurt your dog.

Nowadays, various devices to prevent dog barking have become widespread. These are collars with electronic filling that respond to loud sounds. There are collars that shock the dog in response to barking. Others throw away a substance that smells bad to the dog.

But this is cruel and can harm your pet's health. There have been cases when, after using such methods, dogs became uncontrollable and rushed at their owners. Some had to be euthanized.