Your dog barking at night.

A

Andrewh

New member
I know from previous posts I have read that many of you are dog owners. I too have a dog now, by way of marrage. I like having her around,(both the dog and my wife,) but she is really annoying,(the dog, and sometimes my wife,)because she will start barking at nothing,(at least there is nothing there when I get to the window.) I was just wondering what you others do about it. I don't want to discourage the barking, because I would like a warning and deterent for people or things skulking around the house, yet so far there has never been anything around when I get there, you know the boy who cried wolf syndrome. I am afraid if I stop her from barking, I will regret it the day someone does decide to brake a window to get in.
I was just hoping for some sugguestions or ideas, or just live with it.
Oh and I guess the reason I ask now is that last night the dog started growling instead of barking. Which scared me because I had never heard her do that before. Just this low growl with an occasional bark. I guess for about 5 min before I realized it was her, and got up to check. And sure enough there was nothing at the door or up the street.
 
Stick with it. As a life-long dog owner I can almost guarantee that you will eventually learn the different barks your dog has. You will be able to tell if it's just something the dog hears, or hears and sees, or perceives to be an immediate threat. You will learn the difference in the dog's "people" bark and it's "another dog" bark. I can even tell about how far away the thing is by the bark the dog uses.

You will probably learn the dogs body language as well. My dog is generally friendly toward everyone during daylight hours when I'm home. But some folks he just doesn't like the very first time he sees them and I can tell before they ever approach the dog just by the way Buster watches them. When I hear a bark that warrants investigation, the first thing I do is go to the dog. I can immediately tell if the threat is ongoing or already over (or frivilous) and which direction and distance to begin looking.

I can't imagine being without a dog. I consider them more beneficial than a home security system. They are like having a night vision weapon with a seek mode. And when you hear folks talk about how dangerous it is to clear your house or property alone - they didn't have a dog!

Mikey
 
My neighbor had the same problem with his dog, and he was about to try and get rid of it. By chance, he bought night-vision goggles and started checking out the surrounding properties when the dog would bark at night.

He went from thinking that the dog was barking at nothing, to finding out that when the dog barked, there was ALWAYS something there. Usually a skunk, raccoon, possum or some such nocturnal beast.

Just because you can't see it or hear it, doesn't mean that there isn't something there. Your dog is probably wondering why you don't do something when she rouses you. ;)

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RKBA!
"The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security"
Ohio Constitution, Article I, Section 4 Concealed Carry is illegal in Ohio.
Ohioans for Concealed Carry Website
 
yep...dogs are man's best buddies! They percieve things you could never get with your eyes and ears...they can smell something like 1millionth of a particle [fur, dust, body odor, etc.... Learn the dog and pet her and watch and see what she is sounding on. After a bit-you can be at her side and encourage her to bark at things you want to know about. A gentle scrub on the back and holding her head at unnecesary alerts will show her she don't need to bark at small animals....a pat and some munchies and cheers when she barks at strabgers helps her learn when she should alert. works for me! Just don't hit her or yell at her.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TheBluesMan:
Just because you can't see it or hear it, doesn't mean that there isn't something there. Your dog is probably wondering why you don't do something when she rouses you. ;)
[/quote]

Hey Cindy... remind me to pick up some night-vision gear when you regain custody of Jake. :D
 
EricM- She is inside. She still sees things out the window to bark at.
Satanta- I would never hit my/her dog. But I think she is a bit old to learn which to bark at. She tears off at roller bladers and joggers in the morning. I have no idea what it is at night.
TheBluesMan- I have always wanted a set of night vision goggles for night games in paint ball, now they are cheaper, maybe it will give me an excuse that the wife will understand.
 
Opps forgot. Thanks for the reponses guys. Guess I will have to take my cues from the wife on when to react. She is like Mikey said, and seems to know when to ignore the dog, but I have been afraid too much telling the dog to be quiet will prevent her from telling me when something is really wrong.
 
Last fall, I was awakened by my Rottweilers roaring (not their normal bark, but a bone jarring roar). At the same time I heard a couple men yelling, and a door slam. When I went downstairs to investigate, I found the dogs starring at the back door, lowly growling, with their back hairs standing on end. The back door was unlocked (I can only assume that I had forgotten to lock it). When I opened the back door, both dogs ran to the side screen porch door, and stood guarding with a low growl.

I can only assume that a couple intruders had tried to enter my house, but ran for their lives when surprised by my 290 lbs. worth of puppies. I am very grateful that I had dogs to warn of, and in this case, scare away, intruders.

I know their barks, and I know that when they roar, it means "grab the .45, extra mags, and hand the wife her .40". I don't worry about "clearing the house", as that's the dogs job. I'm just there to back THEM up.

Several of my neighbors have been broken into over the past few years, and all the victims lacked the protection of dogs. None of my neighbors who own dogs have ever been successfully burglarized.

In the long run, I'm sure that you will be grateful for your dog.
 
Like Mikey said, you'll learn her "language" by the way she barks, growls, the tail, the fur, the way her head is cocked. I have access to two dogs (my roommates) and trust them with my life in what they try to tell me. One is old while the other is still a "pup" at heart. If the older dog barks, the younger will join in, not even knowing why she is barking. But, when people come to the door, and they are with me, I watch their body language. And if the younger one goes off and tries to take a chunk out of the person, I know something is wrong, she's never been wrong before on judging people. Heck, before I make a new friend, I bring them home to the dogs. If they try to tear off his/her head, then I know they are bad news... so far, they've been 100%. Both dogs bark at the moon, the birds, the stray cat we feed, the joggers, other dogs, etc. I know that bark... it's a happy, HI, PET ME / BE MY FRIEND (or dinner depending) type of bark. Then there's the, "You come near me, you're dead meat" bark and growl. Get to know your pup like you would your best friend, and she will prove to you that she is just that, your best friend and protector.

USP45usp
 
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