Barking dogs can certainly be a complete nuisance, and it can take a lot of your energy, time, and patience to ensure they kerb this annoying habit. Something most people assume is that dogs only bark when their owners aren’t home, but as many people are finding during the pandemic, dogs are just as likely to bark while you’re working from home. In this article, we take a look at why a dog might still bark while you’re at home, and offer a few simple ways to help prevent them from doing so.
Managing your four-legged friend’s boredom
Due to the pandemic, many people are finding that their dogs are barking much more than they did previously. Before you start scouring the internet for the best pet insurance due to the excessive barking of your dog, maybe first consider that you being around all of the time might have some psychological impact on them as well – particularly if you were away at a corporate job for most of the week previously. If you find your dog is barking more than it used to, it might be because your change in routine has caused them a lot of stress. An excessive amount of barking can make working from home incredibly frustrating, but it’s also a very clear indication that some need of your animal is not being met. Perhaps the most obvious thing you should consider is boredom – with you refusing to play all day, although your dog will inevitably prefer your attention, it may just need some other entertainment. Consider things like toys, objects they can chew on, and a variety of chew puzzles. Although some of these may only offer temporary entertainment, they can be effectively introduced while you have important meetings to provide some much-needed quiet.
Other reasons your dog might be barking
Dogs bark for many reasons other than boredom, with one of the most common causes being separation anxiety. Although this happens to many dogs when their owners leave home, it can still happen if you’re locked away in a nearby room. Although it might make sense to improve this by hanging around your dog all of the time as you’re working from home, make sure to keep in mind that when you inevitably return to work, the problem will be made even worse. Separation anxiety is often a difficult problem to manage simply, and it will require you to take your animal to the vet for proper treatment much of the time. Separation anxiety can be made simpler in the meantime by providing your dog a nice, simple space that they can enjoy while you’re working at home, as they can continue to enjoy this space and feel less anxiety when you’re back at work.
Never treat your dog meanly if they’re being loud
Although it may be occasionally tempting, it’s important to remember that you should never shout at your dog. Harshly scolding them can actually make their behaviour worse and is in most cases very counter-intuitive. Rather than giving them negative attention, the best thing you can do – apart from the productive tips we have already mentioned – is to simply ignore them. Then, when they calm down, reward them to positively reinforce their good behaviour.
