Excessive barking in dogs is typically caused by lack of stimulation, anxiety, or physical discomfort of some kind. CBD may be able to help reduce your dog's barking if the behavior is caused by an underlying discomfort or anxiety.
This article discusses how CBD could help your dog reduce barking, giving you some additional peace and allowing your pooch to feel comfortable again. Let's take a look.
Can CBD Help to Reduce Barking in Dogs?
If your dog's barking is caused by something other than lack of stimulation, there's a chance that CBD could help a great deal. That said, there are different types of CBD products aimed at addressing different issues.
Look at the following sections to find the right solution for your dog's particular situation.
1. If Your Dog Barks Due to Stress:
CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system to help dogs relieve emotional distress and maintain a calmer mood in the face of triggers. Research shows that even a single dose of CBD can reduce measures of stress in dogs.
If your dog's barking is stress related, CBD could help to reduce it even after the first dosage. The best results take a few weeks to culminate, however, as CBD builds in the body over a period of up to 9 months.
CBD is not guaranteed to benefit stress-related barking, although it has worked for many other dogs experiencing this issue.
2. If Your Dog Barks Due to Physical Discomfort:
Studies have shown CBD to decrease pain and increase mobility in dogs with an affirmative diagnosis of OA. It can support dogs with discomfort from various issues as well.
If your dog's discomfort is causing them to bark throughout the day, using CBD regularly to relieve some of that discomfort could help. It's important to note that pain is caused by a great number of issues, so it's important to address the underlying issue to eliminate your dog's pain and reduce barking for good.
Still, CBD has helped countless dogs feel better and relieve discomfort, which may be the solution to your pooch's excessive barking. Results may start to show quickly, or they could take a few weeks to start showing.
Understanding 5 Types of Barking in Dogs
It’s key to identify why your dog is barking in the first place. Once you have correctly figured out what’s causing the behavior, the training options become more clear.
Although this guide addresses some of the more common kinds of barking in dogs, it is not a comprehensive list. If you’re unsure what might be at the root of your dog’s annoying barking, consider hiring a professional dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement-based training methods to help.
Here are some possible causes:
1. Lack of Exercise
Problem: The most common reason that dogs become problem barkers is simply the fact that they are not getting enough exercise.
Young dogs (ages 0-3 years) and certain breeds (such as herding and working breeds) have much higher exercise needs than most people and other pets. When these exercise needs are not met, problems such as barking, excessive chewing, and neurotic behaviors can result.
Solutions: Ultimately, your pet relies on you to make sure their needs for exercise are being met. For many of our canine companions, a few daily walks around the block just won’t cut it. Instead, find ways to add rigorous off-leash play and running to their daily routine.
Examples include:
- Training games such as fetch and tug to give your dog a daily way to get their ya-ya's out
- Consider athletic competitive dog sports such as flyball, agility, dock diving, or lure coursing
- Visit a dog park or other area where dogs are encouraged to play off-leash where they can run and play to burn off excess energy
- Train your dog to use the treadmill
- Pick up a hobby such as hiking or jogging to turn your dog’s exercise needs into an excuse to work on your own fitness program
2. Lack of Mental Stimulation
Problem: Dogs are intelligent, social beings who cannot thrive when their needs to use their noodle are not met. Boredom, just like lack of exercise, can result in problem behaviors. If you want to stop your dog from barking all the time, be sure that you are doing your part to ensure your pup is getting a chance to be challenged on a mental level each and every day.
Solutions: The main way most owners address their dog’s boredom is through training. If you don’t have a lot of knowledge about positive reinforcement training, then maybe it is time to pick up those skills.
Start with simple “tricks” such as sit, stay, and down. These behaviors become a foundation for rewarding your dog for quiet and calm behaviors, another big bonus for owners of problem barkers.
Helping a dog to stop barking when the cause is a lack of mental stimulation can be addressed in many ways, including:
- Take a training class to learn the basics of positive reinforcement training techniques (such as clicker training)
- Teach your dogs fun tricks and chain them together for both physical and mental stimulation daily
- Invest in doggy Einstein toys developed to get your dog thinking while earning fun rewards
- Teach what dog trainers call “impulse control” behaviors such as “stay” and “wait” and practice them in a variety of environments
3. Separation Anxiety
Problem: Some dogs bark excessively when left alone for long or even short periods of time. At the root of this issue is often the condition widely known in dog circles as separation anxiety. This complex behavioral issue sometimes requires a professional dog trainer to help owners address the underlying problem.
Solutions: Work on separation training, gradually extending periods of time that your dog is comfortable being away from you. One study found CBD to be effective at reducing measures of stress during periods of separation, making it something to consider as you train your dog to be more comfortable alone.
4. Demand Barking
Problem: Some dogs develop the habit of what dog trainers call “demand barking.” This is especially common in some toy breeds but can occur in any breed of dog. Often the owner has unwittingly encouraged this kind of barking by rewarding it with attention, treats, or giving the dog exactly what they seek when barking.
Solutions: The key to addressing demand barking in dogs is for the owner to realize that they are probably encouraging behavior through their reaction to it. The very first step is to become more aware of what you are doing when your dog barks, and make sure you are not rewarding this annoying behavior.
Other tips for addressing demand barking include:
- Ignoring your dog when they bark by turning and walking away
- “Time out” in a crate or room by themselves when they demand bark, until they quiet down
- Training quiet behaviors such as down, stay, and wait and rewarding them often
- Randomly rewarding calm and quiet behaviors when your dog least expects it
- Learning how to redirect your dog when he starts barking so that you can reward them for quiet behavior
5. Anxiety Around Specific Triggers
Problem: Some dogs seem to bark in response to specific triggers. For example, when the mail comes, when someone walks down the street in front of the window, when you show a specific body language, or during car rides. In these cases, the issue often revolves around anxiety that has formed from that specific trigger. This is a form of reactive behavior in dogs.
When barking is your dog’s way of expressing their anxiety, punishing the bark can be particularly ineffective, in many cases, making the problem that much worse. One way to understand this is that by punishing the dog in proximity to their anxiety trigger, you are only adding to their belief that the trigger precipitates danger and something to be worried about.
Solutions: Professional dog trainers use two primary techniques to help dogs deal with anxieties of any kind: Desensitization and Emotional Reconditioning.
These techniques are supported by a mountain of evidence in research on animal behavior and are also used to treat human phobias and anxiety disorders.
Properly using these techniques is often beyond the skill level of pet owners. If your dog is experiencing anxiety-based barking in response to specific triggers, you may want to consider getting some guidance from a pro-dog trainer who can help you develop an effective training program.
As you go through the process, consider using a full-spectrum CBD oil to help calm your dog and focus their attention during your training. You can also continue using when your dog goes through situations that typically causes them to bark.
Conclusion
If your dog's discomfort or anxiety is causing them to bark excessively, a pet-safe CBD option could help to address those issues and reduce barking. It's important to discuss your pet's pain, anxiety, and unusual behavior with your veterinarian to address the root issues.
If you're curious to learn more about CBD oil for dogs, you can find resources and products on our website. Contact us if you'd like to learn something that we haven't addressed this article.
