Why Dogs Bark at The Door?
Even the calmest, most placid dog breeds will bark when someone’s at the door. Why do they do this?
They are alerting you
Dogs learn quickly to associate noise at the door with a person appearing on the other side. Once your dog knows someone is coming, they want you to know it too. So, they let you know by barking.
Dogs can often hear someone coming way before they get to the door and knock or ring the doorbell. They can certainly hear it before you do.
Your dog barking at you is a call to action. It’s a quick and effective way to gain your attention and get you to open the door.
Since dogs are good at associating certain sounds with an event occurring, they know what comes next. They follow the typical pattern of events: the dog barks, you open the door, and there is someone on the other side.
From your dog’s perspective, you wouldn’t know to open the door unless they barked at you.
Protection
No matter how tame they are, dogs instinctively see themselves as guardians to you, your family, and your home. The doorbell ringing indicates a possible intrusion. Dogs bark to assert their authority over the situation and alert the “intruder” that there is a guard on duty (your dog).
There is either something good or bad on the opposite side of the door, and your dog wants them to know there’s a dog present. Depending on the circumstances, when the door opens, the bark is a mixture of excitement and warning.
Most often, your dog will get emotional cues from you that determine whether to be happy about the intruder or not. If you’re worried about someone’s impending arrival, your dog will surely pick up on your emotional state and react in a similar fashion.
Your dog’s body language can tell you what emotions are behind the barking at the door. If their ears are back and their tail is tucked between their back legs, this is a sign they are scared. Threatening postures involve a high tail and ears that are pointed forward and up. A threatening stance indicates your dog is behaving territorially.
Figuring out your dog’s motivation when barking at the door can help you determine the best way to train them out of the habit.
How to Stop Your Dog from Barking at the Door
No matter how long your dog has been barking at the door, it is possible to stop the behaviour if you put in the time and effort. The key is to retrain the association of the sound of someone approaching the door with a calm reaction.
To retrain your dog’s barking, you’ll need some training treats and someone to help you practice that can come to your door. Make sure to stay calm when interacting with your dog. Shouting and loud voices only serve to make them anxious and increase their barking.
When the doorbell rings, call your dog to you and ask them to sit. When they comply, reward them with a treat. You’ll want to repeat this multiple times, calling your dog into different areas of your home each time the doorbell rings.
If your dog is used to clicker training, you can also use a clicker to reinforce good behaviour once your dog understands what you want.
Most importantly, you reward your dog each and every time they don’t bark at the door. If your dog isn’t particularly food motivated, you can do this by giving them affection or a favourite toy.
Over time, your dog will associate the sound of someone coming to the door with a treat instead of with barking. At a certain point, you don’t have to give them treats every single time but do reinforce the behaviour with a “Good boy” or a pet.
Why Doesn’t My Dog Bark at the Door?
If you have recently adopted a new dog or puppy and they haven’t yet learned to bark at the door, be thankful. Barking at noises is a behaviour learned over time. You are lucky enough to have a dog who hasn’t developed this habit.
Especially with a puppy, get ahead of things by rewarding their calm behaviour and teaching your dog that being quiet when the doorbell rings is the way you want them to behave. Your pup will begin to associate silence with a reward and will be prevented from ever barking at the door in the first place.
Reinforcing calm at a young age will also make it less likely for your dog to develop irrational fears of strangers and noises. They will be more inclined to greet guests in a friendly manner rather than being territorial.
Final Thoughts
Many dogs bark at the door and do so for one of two reasons: they are trying to alert you that someone’s at the door or tell the person on the other side that they are present and guarding the house. You can retrain this behaviour with time and patience.
