I am pulling my hair out, how do I stop my dog from barking.
This was me some time ago, I was going crazy as posted in previous articles. My lovely dogs have been in the family what feels like a life time. They are both 15 years old and have been the best friends. I have had them since puppies and have been very healthy up until recently, plenty of good times and memories.
It was not long ago, we did a double house move, what I mean is, moved into a house for about 12 months, and then into an apartment. This is where the fun started and my commitment to help others stop their dogs barking began and the background for the all important topic: How to stop dog from barking in an apartment.
My Experience and knowledge handed to you.
Just to be clear, these are my own real world tried and tested ideas, I have implemented them with my dogs over an period of time to navigate a path to bark free (well nearly) life.
Lets start with a video of my dog barking in our apartment.
The video demonstrates the persistent barking that occurred in our apartment before I spent many months working through different strategies and techniques to minimise the behaviour. Hopefully the video provides hope that nuisance barking can be manage through developing a plan and slowly executing it.
Rated Strategies to stop your dog from barking in an apartment
Below are all the strategies I currently use along with a score to understand the effectiveness. Please click the links to see the full blog post or use the search to narrow down specifically.
The score has been designed to help you see how effective the strategy was at stopping my dog from barking, but please remember every dog is different and what worked for me, may not work with the same outcome for you. But that is ok, as there are so many factors that come in to play such as the order, duration, length of trying, etc. Hold told, try the below, read the detail behind them and I have plenty other ideas throughout the site too.
Top 10 Strategies to Stop your dog barking in an Apartment:
Barking Prevention Strategy 1 – Morning Walk
I will start in reverse order from the first strategy was to tired the dogs out, we do this by taking them for a morning walk. We are not as consistent as we should be with this strategy but I do think it helps tired them out before we depart. I would say 5 to 15 minutes is sufficient.
Effective score 6/10
Barking Prevention Strategy 2 – Background Radio with Continuous News
Playing a radio in the background, its an old approach that is often recommended by vet’s and other pet experts. I leave our radio on continuous news, as we play other music I like to have the talking in the background. I expect it might help the dogs feel there are people talking in the house. While its not our voice its something that removes the quite empty noise. If you are looking for a radio, this one is reliable and will probably last a lifetime: Panasonic Portable AM / FM Radio, Battery Operated Analog Radio, AC Powered, Silver (RF-2400D)
Effective score 7/10
Barking Prevention Strategy 3 – Calm dogs before leaving house
I found if we leave the house while the dogs are wondering, it makes it very hard for them to settle. So by spending a few minutes getting them into their bed, and a few pats, it helps them stay calm as we depart. As we live in a small apartment, they can hear the garage and car leave, a few pats doesnt take long and can set them on the right trajectory before we depart.
Effective score 7/10
Barking Prevention Strategy 4 – Play Calming Music
Another hot tip and highly recommended, is to play calming music, it appears some tones sooth dogs. I found this site and use the music available. Its $30 or so and I use an old Iphone to keep it playing. Calming Dog Music . I have seen mixed results with the music, but I feel it helps with the combined effort building from all the other strategies. On its own, maybe it might not be highly effective, but built with everything else and I think it adds value.
Effective score 7/10
Barking Prevention Strategy 5 – Adaptil Calm Collar
A new additional into my strategy plan, but I think its played a decent part in changing the atmosphere when we are away from home is the Adaptil Calm Collar. The collar releases a pheromone similar to a mother dog. The cocker spaniel is able to pick up on the sent which provides her comfort when we are not home. It took a few days to see results, but since we placed it on here, she has stopped her afternoon barking. Again, I think combining all the different strategies begins to offer a consistent result.
Effective score 8/10
Barking Prevention Strategy 6 – Dogs sleep separate to owner
The final strategy and only just mentioned is sleeping in a different room to the dogs. More specifically letting the dogs sleep where they reside during the day and no in our bedroom. Fortunately for us, the dogs made this move organically and we didnt need to force them out. I understand for some, this will be a tough ask. I feel this enables the dog to rely less on our scent when sleeping. If they continue to sleep in the same room, I expect they will look for us when trying to sleep during the day. Similar to getting your kids sleeping all night and not looking or calling for you.
Effective score 8/10
Remedy Item Number 7 – Afternoon Walk
Afternoon walk. I have not mentioned this before, but everyday we walk the dogs for at least 45 minutes. Even if they are not moving (beagle is slow) they get outside and enjoy the fresh air. This one is also good for their health (and mine) so gets a high score.
Effective score 9/10
Remedy Item Number 8 – Fully Belly
Make sure the dogs have a full belly, give them a bigger dinner at night, or even a small meal before you depart. Something we have also started to introduce. One theory, I think the beagle might have been wondering around looking for food (as they do). Giving her a little more might reduce her hunting instincts. Not sure if this will work with all dogs as its probably more a beagle thing. Maybe other dogs they are heavily food driven.
Effective score 6/10
Remedy Item Number 9 – Managing Food
Control Food in your environment, specifically while away can play a big part in reducing barking. Review our short guide on different strategies you can consider to ensure your dog is not looking for food and barking at the same time.
Effective score 7/10 (need more time to properly score)
Remedy Item Number 10 – Rescue Remedy Drops for Dogs
While I have not been able to take the drops for a full test drive, hence they are low on the list. I will call them out for anyone who is running low on strategies. They were recommended by the vet for our dogs, so could also be worth trying depending on how much success you have been having.
Effective score 6/10 (need more time to properly score)
I will continue to add to the list each week if anything changes, along with daily (nearly) blog posts.
After all this work, she is finally sleeping.
There is more to it than this.
I will tell you now, its a journey, and things are not going to change overnight, you need to keep learning, keep trying and keep working with your pet. Things will start to turn, but maybe at a slower pace to start with. Don’t give up hope, but more importantly don’t try one thing, try many.
I have plenty of great advice on this site, so please take your time and read through my articles.
Learning How to stop dog from barking in an apartment can be tough but you can do it. You just need to be committed and remember that its a behavior change which can be resolved. If not 100%, you will see improvements and begin to reduce your stress.
Email any questions or advice you need, I am always ready to assist and provide my first hand knowledge.
