The answer is no, the majority of dogs will in fact never get tired of barking. They can continue to do so for excessive periods of time until their attention is drawn upon something else. There are many reasons why a dog may bark. This includes out of boredom, fear, or to alert their owner.
However, the thing that makes dogs not tire of barking is the fact that the act of barking is a behavior that is self-reinforcing as nature. This means that once a dog starts barking, he will most likely just want to keep on doing it more and more.
Barking is a thing all dogs do. While there are a few breeds that are mostly quiet and seldom bark unless there they have sensed danger or threat. The majority of breeds can bark very frequently throughout the day. There are even dogs that will bark for long hours without showing any signs of stopping.
Often, this is a frustrating problem for dog owners. Not only is excessive barking annoying, but it can also cause trouble with neighbors. But have you ever wondered do dogs get tired of barking? This article will not only answer that question, but also discuss some reasons why some dogs bark so much, and what can be done about it.
Why Do Dogs Bark?
Let’s first look at why do dogs even bark in the first place:
Communication
Of course, dogs can’t talk like us humans, so barking is a natural way of communication for them. They will bark at other dogs to display their emotions, to signal them to back out of their territory, or to call out to them.
Expert Tip: Sometimes dogs even bark as a way to communicate to you that something is wrong or that they are in pain, (which can often be more of a yelp than a bark).
Excitement Or Greeting
Dogs will bark when you come home because they are happy and very excited to see you. They will also bark because they want to greet you, which is also a form of communication dogs use to signal to you that they are glad that you have come back. As well as barking, dogs may also jump on you and run around in a frenzy of excitement.
To Get Your Attention
Dogs will often bark to get your attention. They may want you to pet them, look at what they are doing, bring them for a walk, or to play with them. They will also bark if they are hungry or if their water bowl is empty, which will arrest your attention toward catering to their needs.
Out Of Fear
Dogs will bark if they are scared and fearful of something. Barking is a natural response that dogs have toward a stressful situation, and they use it in order to express their emotions. Dogs will often bark out of fear in high-pitched barks, and you may hear those in scenarios where you may be hoovering the house or even at the vet.
Boredom
If a dog is bored, they will do anything to somehow entertain themselves. This may be through barking, which is one of the most common ways dogs choose to spend their time if they have nothing else fun to do.
This is the reason why you may hear your neighbor’s dog barking whenever they leave to go to work, or if you see a dog on its own in a pen. In such a case, they are probably just barking out of plain boredom.
To Alert You Of Danger
If your dog becomes alarmed, they will most likely let you know instantly through barking. Most dogs will bark when there is someone in their territory, such as another dog or human usually a postman, delivery man, or courier. They could also bark at a friend or visitor.
Expert Tip: Dogs will also bark if they sense a threat, or note that something is wrong or out of the ordinary around your home.
Because They Are Stressed And Anxious
Just as a dog will bark because they are in fear, they will also bark when they are stressed and anxious. They may become stressed and anxious because of the fact that they are scared because there is something strange, bad, or out of the norm going on, or due to being uncomfortable.
Dogs can also bark excessively if they suffer from separation anxiety. They are stressed because they find it hard to be away from you and cannot manage on their own. This is also the case with young dogs under the age of 1. It is for that reason that dogs should become accustomed from an early age to being left alone.
However, dogs must never be left alone for very long hours on a daily basis, as they are pack animals and need adequate human socialization to stay happy.
Do Dogs Get Tired Of Barking?
Sometimes hearing your dog or someone else’s dog bark for hours and hours on end can make you curious. Do dogs get tired of barking? Well, no, in most cases dogs will not get tired of barking. How can that possibly be? It is because of the fact that barking is a self-reinforcing behavior.
What this basically means is that once your dog starts barking, the act of barking itself will motivate him to want to do it more and more. This can lead to your dog barking for long hours without any end in sight. It seems dogs just never get enough of it, and your efforts of trying to stop it can sometimes prove futile.
However, a tired dog will bark less, so if your dog has been barking for an extended period of time there will eventually come a moment when he will begin to become fatigued of it and will decrease his barking.
How To Stop Excessive Barking?
First, let’s discuss what NOT to do if you want your dog to stop barking. The most important thing is to avoid shouting or raising your voice at your dog. Why? It is because shouting can have quite the opposite effect of what you are trying to accomplish, and a dog can be motivated to bark even more than before.
Simply, for him, your shouting may be likened to barking, and now he just thinks you are both barking.
Instead, there are many other tried and tested ways you can use to curb your dog’s excessive barking when it seems to be getting out of hand:
Keep Him Occupied
One of the easiest ways to stop excessive barking in your dog is to keep him occupied at all times. Provide plenty of toys, especially ones that can keep him occupied for many hours. One example of this is a Kong toy, which has a hollow cavity that can be filled with dog food or treats which your dog will have to try to get out.
This provides fun, entertainment, and plenty of mental stimulation as well. As well as that, provide a sufficient amount of physical activity for your dog according to their breed.
While some dogs may be fine with 30 to 40 minutes of exercise a day, such as in the form of walks and some playtime, other breeds may need an hour to 2 hours of exercise on a daily basis to keep fit and happy.
Expert Tip: Physical activity will not just provide your dog with entertainment, but will also tire him out. In turn, he will be satisfied to rest afterward and will not be inclined to bark as a result of boredom.
Draw His Attention To Something Else
If your dog is barking, try to draw his attention to something which would be of interest to him. For instance, you could give a command such as ‘Quiet’ or, ‘No ‘, and quickly present him with a toy.
As soon as he stops barking and draws his attention to the toy, immediately reward him. This will signal to your dog that focusing his attention on his toy appeals to you. Now, do this every time your dog begins to bark excessively. Whenever he begins to bark, say ‘Quiet’, and draw his attention away to something else, then reward him.
This form of positive reinforcement will most likely teach your dog that barking is something you don’t want him to do and that instead, you prefer if he remains silent and focuses his attention on something else.
Stamp Your Shoe Whenever Your Dog Barks
This method is very similar to the method mentioned before. Just as soon as you hear your dog begin to bark, immediately draw his attention away from what he is doing by stamping your shoe loudly and saying ‘Quiet’ firmly. Or else you use an object to hit the ground. This will most likely confuse your dog or arrest his attention.
Now focused on you and wondering why you decided to make that noise, your dog will have stopped barking for the time being. This is the time to reward your dog for the brief silence.
Just as with the toy method, by saying ‘Quiet’, making a noise, and rewarding your dog once he stops barking, this will likely teach him the command which you can use from now on.
Use A Spray Bottle With Water
This is yet another method to curb your dog’s love of barking excessively. For this method, you will need to fill an empty spray bottle up with water. Each time your dog goes into a frenzy of barking, simply spray your dog once with the water from the spray bottle and say ‘Quiet’ or ‘No’.
The sudden sensation of the water will most likely startle your dog and bring his focus to you. Whenever he stops barking, ensure that you use this moment to reward him for the silence. Repeat the action with the spray bottle each time your dog begins to bark along with a firm command, and then the reward as soon as he takes his focus off barking.
Usually, a sudden spray of water will not be something the majority of dogs will enjoy. Therefore, they will form an unpleasant link of being sprayed with barking, and be more likely to bark less, especially when they know that keeping quiet may lead to a treat.
Don’t Leave Your Dog On His Own For Long Periods
Try to not leave your dog on his own for more than 4 to 6 hours on a daily basis. Even if you must leave your dog on his own for a long time, always make sure to leave him with plenty of toys or something fun to do.
As well as that, try to bring your dog for a long walk beforehand so that while you are away, he will be tired and happy to rest without noticing that you are gone too much.
You could also get your dog a companion if he doesn’t have one already, as long as your income and circumstances permit. This will give him someone to play with and spend time with so that he doesn’t miss you overly much when you are not present.
Expert Tip: Leaving your dog all alone for extended periods of time day after day can lead to great loneliness, boredom, and even separation anxiety. This will cause your dog to want to bark for entertainment, and because of other factors, like stress and anxiety.
Loneliness and separation anxiety could even lead to your dog becoming destructive, and doing things like digging in the yard, or chewing on shoes or furniture in the home. This is especially true of high-energy dogs, or dogs that require a lot of mental stimulation.
Is It Best To Ignore A Barking Dog?
It is best to ignore a barking dog only in certain circumstances. For instance, when your dog is barking to communicate with another dog or to alarm you, this sort of barking will likely end soon.
However, if you live in a town and your dog barks at every dog or passerby, then you should not ignore this sort of barking, as it can continue for hours on end and annoy the neighbors.
Another situation in which it is, in fact, best to ignore a barking dog is when your dog is barking solely to gain your attention. Some dogs simply want your attention all day every day, which leaves you unable to do anything else.
Your dog may even bark when he wants your attention while you are working from home, which can form a considerable problem, as you are trying to concentrate. Or, if you have other pets, spending time with them may motivate your dog to bark so that he focuses all your attention solely on him.
In this case, ignoring your dog altogether when he begins to bark for attention will teach him that barking will simply not get him the reaction that he wants. As a result, he will be less inclined to do it, as he will realize that it simply does not produce the desired effect.
Can A Dog Bark Forever?
While a dog may bark for hours on end or even a full day, it is rather impossible for a dog to keep barking forever. Eventually, a dog’s voice will become hoarse and there will come a time when he will simply lose his voice and not be able to keep barking for any longer. This will signal him that something is wrong and that he needs to take a break.
Expert Tip: dogs get tired and need to sleep a lot throughout the day, much more than us humans. A dog will become more and more tired while barking, and will eventually get to a point where he will have to withdraw to rest or sleep.
In addition, dogs will sooner or later remember about food and will come inside for dinner. If something captures their attention, or if they find something else to do which is more interesting than barking, this will also move them to finally stop.
Conclusion
To conclude, dogs bark a lot, and they do this for a multitude of different reasons. They bark to communicate, to express their emotions such as fear, anxiety, or excitement, to signal danger and alarm their owner, or just simply out of boredom. They can also bark to get your attention.
If you have any other questions concerning your dog’s barking habits, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below.
As for “do dogs ever get tired of barking?” they simply don’t, because the more they bark, the more inclined they are to continue. Nonetheless, there are many ways to combat your dog’s barking problem, like keeping him occupied, and with positive reinforcement methods.
The latter is one of the simplest methods of helping your dog differentiate between desirable and undesirable behaviors.
