There will be barely a person in this world who doesn’t like dogs.Dogs are the best companion a human can ever have. They are very cute pets and have adorable traits which make them so loveable.But still, some traits can be very disturbing and annoying at times. Imagine you are very tired and resting and suddenly your best friend suddenly barks at nothing around the house without any rhyme or reason. This will be very annoying if it continues for a long time. Barking in dogs is a normal thing or perhaps termed as a beneficial thing, but when it continues for a long period of time, it becomes very painful to the ears. In this article, we shall discuss the possible reasons behind this annoying behavior in dogs.And if you like reading fun facts on animals, then do read our facts on why do dogs get eye boogers and why do dogs cough.What You Need to Know About Your Dog’s BehaviorThis is one serious problem that every dog owner faces, why does their dog bark at nothing? To start with, there can be various reasons as to why a dog barks. The answer will never be that they are barking at ’nothing’. There will be something that is annoying them or that they want to grab your attention for. It could be that they are having a physical issue, are in pain, have sensed something, or giving a warning call. They will be barking for some reason.Before finding out why they are unnecessarily barking or how to stop barking, what you need to know first is your dog and its behaviors and traits. As an owner, it’s your first and most important duty to understand your dog and its traits. Like humans, dogs also have their own personalities and uniqueness. The journey to understand your dog’s behavior starts from the first day of bringing it into your life as a pup. Dogs cannot communicate through vocalization, instead, they give hints through their body language that makes it easier to understand their mood. You have to focus to understand what dogs are trying to tell you. Some common body language of dogs include moving and swinging their tail, licking your hand or feet, barking, being playful, and being a bit clumsy. By swinging their tail, they convey their thought of excitement or happiness, or maybe they want to play with you. If they start licking your body, then it’s just they are trying to tell you ‘I love you’ in their language. Being playful or clumsy also resonates with their happy mood.However, the matter of barking is a bit confusing. A dog barking can have various reasons. It can happen because they are bored, it can be an alarm, separation anxiety, or maybe it is just an attention-seeking technique. However, there are some behavior or traits in dogs that should not be praised and can be rectified through training. Some of these bad habits include scratching, chewing on stuff, digging here and there, and becoming aggressive. These signs should be fixed. Some common ways of correcting these behaviors is to give treats to them when they listen to your calls or instructions. Dog owners should have a good, qualified behaviorist that provide them with proper training. Dogs are good learners, so making sure that they are learning good behavior examples is very important.Is barking at nothing breed specific?Dogs are often seen standing in a certain position and looking towards something and constantly barking, but you can’t really see what they are looking at! Don’t be scared, it’s not a ghost! Let’s leave it to your imagination. But the statement that a ‘dog barks at nothing’ is not correct.Dogs bark, and that is very normal. All dogs in this world bark because it is their way of vocalization. Also, the trait of barking at nothing is never seen in some particular breeds. They must be barking at something. Now before going deeper into the matter, it is very important to understand that dog’s anatomy and human’s anatomy are totally different. Dogs do not look at the world the way you do. If your dog is barking, there must be something that is disturbing or annoying them, or maybe they are bored and want to play with you. If your dog has started barking without any rhyme or reason, then they must have sensed something. It is not just some selected dog species, but all dog species have advanced sense organs when compared to humans. If you think there is nothing, your dog may say there is in fact something by barking.We all know that dogs have a great sense of smell, and they can smell objects from far away. If your dog is barking, maybe it has smelt something burning in your area, or maybe it has sensed something burning in your own house! A dog has better eyesight than humans. Not only can they see objects from a long distance, but they can also see well in low light or at least better than humans. During night time when you can’t see a thing around your house without switching on the light, your dog can clearly see what is happening, Taking advantage of night time, if someone or even an animal is hiding in your house, dogs can easily see it. Dogs have specially built retinas in their eyes. Their retina is built in such a way with other supporting organs that light passes two times through it. This passage of light passing through two times increases the amount giving a dog good night vision. A dog also has a good hearing capacity. A dog can hear sounds at a higher frequency than humans. The audible range of humans to capture noise is somewhere between 360-1,380,000 RPM (64-23000 Hz), where the audible range of dogs to capture noise lies between 4,020-2,700,000 RPM (67-45000 Hz). Dogs can hear sounds in their ears which humans cannot. They hear the quiet sounds made by mice and other insects and can start barking because of these noises. It can be said that barking is not confined to only some breeds and there are many things that make sure your dog barks.Ways To Calm Excessive BarkingIt can be very annoying for dog owners to face this problem of excessive barking. There are moments when your dog just won’t stop barking because of their senses. It’s just they are warning you of any danger that they have felt, or maybe someone has dared to step into their territory, which is your house!The only answer to this behavior characteristic is through training. For expert-level training, you can always find a good behaviorist, but there are some easy training processes that you can use to teach your dog when to stop their excessive barking concert. Barking dogs can be taught some words like ‘quiet’ or ‘stop’, and when hearing these words, they will stop barking. When you feel your dog is not going to stop barking, say the word ‘quiet’ or ‘stop’ and if they really stop barking, reward them with a treat. In this way, you can teach them that if they stop barking when they hear these words, they will get rewarded. It is very important to understand what kind of barks they are doing. For example, it could be a territorial bark, an alarm bark, separation-anxiety bark, a sign of frustration, or your dog could be barking due to pain. They can also make a sound if they are having a physical problem. Excessive dog barking could be used as a way of making you alert, so always pay attention and try to understand why and what your dog is barking at because they must be barking at something!Other Ways To Train Your DogsA dog is a fast learner and responds well to good teaching. You have to be a good, patient trainer or if you are struggling with how to train a dog, you can hire a professional trainer. There are several dog breeds that are more sharp-minded than others.Well-trained dogs are a treat to live with. They are more mannered and have a perfect appearance. There are lots of ways in which you can train your dog, however all of this should commence from the very childhood when they are a puppy. A dog can be taught manners through training. Start with small tricks like sitting or shaking hands and gradually make these more tricky. Seek the attention of your dog by giving him a treat as a reward. Doing this makes your dog take more interest in the activities. Reinforcement of positive behavior is very important. A dog doesn’t really understand our language, however they do understand the rewards that are given to them. Make sure to reward your dog immediately after it does something good. This will make it understand that the work that it has done right now is good work, and doing that will earn it rewards. In this way, you train your dog to have good, peaceful qualities.To remove bad qualities or bad traits, simply do the exact opposite. If your dog does something unlikely or something which can cause trouble like scratching or unnecessary biting, you should take something away from them. Again, this will make them realize that whatever they have done is not good and won’t get them a reward. These are some simple ways in which you can train your dog at home.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do dogs bark at nothing? Curious facts on Fido’s behavior revealed, then why not take a look at can dogs to get chiggers? Interesting must-know details on scrub mites! or can dogs eat turnips? Healthy turnips can be your dog’s next good food?
There will be barely a person in this world who doesn’t like dogs.
