If your dog keeps barking in the morning you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you seven common reasons why they do it and what you can do to get it to stop.
So, why does my dog bark in the morning? Possible reasons why your dog barks in the morning are that it is hungry, it needs to pee, it is expecting to get up at a certain time, it has separation anxiety, or that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded.
It could be the case that there is a combination of causes at play. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main causes and there are many things you can do about them.
Why does my dog bark in the morning?
Below are seven common reasons why dogs do it and what would make them more likely to be the reason why yours has been doing it.
Hunger
It could be the case that it has learned that it gets food at a certain time in the morning.
This means that if you regularly give your dog breakfast at 6 am then it’s going to cause your dog to expect to get food at 6 am. This will cause it to wake up at this time and to get excited at this time.
This would be more likely to be the issue if your dog wakes up when you want it to during the week but it wakes up too early and barks on the weekend. It could also be the case that it barks due to being hungry on normal days as well if it has to wait a long time to get food and if it stops barking after getting food.
Wanting exercise
Another possible cause would be that it is excited about getting exercise. This would be more likely to be the cause if you normally give it exercise straight away. In this case, it would help to wait for it to stop barking before rewarding it with exercise. It would also help to make sure that it is getting the daily amount of recommended exercise for its age and breed.
It is used to getting up at a certain time
If you normally wake up at a certain time, but you have started waking up at different times, the cause could be that it is used to waking up at a certain time. Dogs generally like having a routine and it can cause them to behave abnormally when their routine is disrupted.
In this case, it would be likely that it is used to getting to pee and eat at a certain time in the morning and it is barking because it hasn’t been getting to do those things at the time it is used to. One option here would be to gradually wake up at a certain time or to continue waking up at the new time and to wait for it to get used to waking up at the new time.
Encouraging the behavior
It could also be the case that you have been encouraging the behavior by giving it things it wants when it starts barking. If you tend to give it things such as food, treats or attention, when it starts barking in the morning, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.
Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not bark in the morning, to wait for it to stop barking before rewarding it and to avoid rewarding it when it does bark unless it is because it needs to pee.
Boredom
It might also be the case that it does it because it is bored. This would be more likely if it tends to bark more after you have already fed it and let it pee in the morning. In this case, it might help to try and give it exercise in the morning instead of in the afternoon.
Needing to pee
The cause might also be that it is letting you know that it needs to pee. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when it did not get to pee before going to bed and if it wants to go outside to pee straight away in the morning.
Separation anxiety
The cause could also be that it has some separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and the prospect of being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely if it starts showing signs of becoming anxious when you are about to leave it at night.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider when figuring out why your dog has been doing it.
What else happened when your dog first started barking in the morning
If your dog did not always bark in the morning, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it since it might be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.
If it did start doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to things such as not letting it out to pee before bed, if you started feeding it at different times or if you started waking up at different times.
What is different when your dog does not bark in the morning
If it does not always bark in the morning it would also help to consider what is different when it does not bark.
For example, if it does it more on the weekend, it would be more likely that it does it because it is used to getting up at a certain time during the week.
The age of your dog
It would also help to consider the age of your dog. If your dog is still a puppy, it would be more likely that your dog does it due to separation anxiety, being easily excited or not having learned yet that barking is not ok.
If your dog is an adult, it would be more likely that your dog has been doing it due to a change in its routine or due to things such as needing to pee or poop earlier in the morning due to old age.
How to get my dog to stop barking in the morning?
Below are some options you have when getting your dog to stop doing it.
Avoid encouraging the behavior
As mentioned above, it might be the case that you have been encouraging the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. Instead, it would help to wait for it to stop barking before rewarding it.
Let it pee
It would also help to let it out to pee when going to bed so that it does not have to wait for a long time to be able to pee until the morning.
Positive reinforcement training
Positive reinforcement training is where you encourage your dog to behave in a certain way by rewarding it when it shows signs of behaving that way. To use it to get your dog to stop barking in the morning, you could wait for it to stop barking before giving it what it wants. Things that it might want could include food, exercise or attention.
Feed it right
It would also help to make sure that it is getting the right amount of calories for its breed, age and activity levels. It could also help to feed it later in the evenings or earlier in the mornings so that it does not have to wait a long time to be fed.
Ensure the room it sleeps in is comfortable
It would also help to ensure that the room it sleeps in is comfortable so that it can fall asleep more easily and be more likely to sleep for longer in the mornings. The room should be cool, quiet, not too bright and there should be a space for it to lay down comfortably.
Get help
If you cannot get it to stop another option would be to get help from a dog behaviorist or trainer. By doing so, you should be able to see why it has been behaving that way and how to get it to stop.
Why does my dog always bark in the morning?
Likely reasons why your dog always barks in the morning are that it is hungry, it has separation anxiety, or that there is a problem with the room it sleeps in.
Why does my dog bark in the morning at nothing?
Your dog might bark at nothing in the morning because it can hear something, it has an injury, or because it has learned that the behavior is rewarded.
Why does my dog only bark in the morning?
If your dog only seems to bark in the morning, it would be likely that there is something that happens in the morning causing your dog to bark.
If your dog does it before you have seen it, the cause would be more likely to be due to separation anxiety. It could also be due to things such as your dog telling you that it needs to pee or poop or that it is hungry. If your dog barks after having been fed and given the chance to pee or poop, it could be due to encouraging the behavior in some way or being excited to see you which would be more likely if your dog shows signs of excitement when doing it.
Why does my dog bark at 3 am in the morning?
If your dog barks in the early morning, it would be more likely to be due to needing to pee or poop, separation anxiety or a problem with the room that it sleeps in such as being too loud or bright.
Why does my dog wake me up at the same time every morning?
If your dog wakes you up at the same time every morning, it would be likely to be because your dog is used to waking up at that time and that is the time when your dog expects to pee, poop and get fed. If this behavior only seems to happen on the weekends, it would be more likely to be because your dog is expecting you to wake up at the same time that you do during the week.