If your dog has been barking when you go upstairs you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you common reasons why they do it and what you can do to get it to stop.
So, why does my dog bark when I go upstairs? Possible reasons why your dog barks when you go upstairs are that it has separation anxiety, it wants exercise, to eat or to pee, something might be causing it to be fearful or you might have encouraged the behavior by rewarding it.
There are many reasons why your dog might be doing it and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are multiple things you can do about it and consider when figuring out the main cause.
Why your dog barks when you go upstairs
Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.
Separation anxiety
The cause might be that it has separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and it gets anxious when it is left alone. This would be more likely if it has started doing it since you have been leaving it for longer and if it does it more at times when you normally leave for longer such as at night when you’re going to bed.
It might be worth following the tips given in this book on Amazon about dealing with dog separation anxiety. There are also more tips below.
Boredom
The cause might be that it is bored and it wants exercise. This would be more likely if it does it more when it has not gotten exercise already. It would help to make sure that it has been getting the daily amount of recommended exercise for its age and breed.
Hunger
The cause might also be that it is hungry. This would be more likely if it does it more when it has not been able to eat in a while or if it does it more at around the same time that you would normally feed it. In this case, it would help to make sure that you have been feeding it the right diet, that it has been eating the right amount of calories and that it is not having to wait too long to get fed.
Needing to pee
The cause might also be that it needs to pee. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when it has not been able to pee for a while or if it does it more at times when you tend to leave it for a long time. Before going upstairs, it would help to make sure that it has been able to pee.
Encouraging the behavior
It might also be the case that you have trained it to bark when you go upstairs by giving it rewards when it does it. If you tend to come back down and give it extra attention, toys or treats when it barks, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.
Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not bark when you are going up the stairs, to avoid rewarding it when it does bark and to ensure that it is not barking due to things such as needing to pee.
Fear
It might be the case that something has been causing it to become fearful. This would be more likely if it tends to bark more when there is something that might cause it to be fearful such as a loud noise or other pets being around that it does not like.
In this case, it would help to remove the thing that is making it become fearful if possible or to try desensitization training.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider when figuring out what has been causing your dog to do it.
What else happened when your dog first started barking when you go upstairs
If your dog did not always bark when you go upstairs, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it since an event might have caused it to start.
Things that might have happened could include:
- You started leaving it for longer time periods
- You stopped feeding it at a certain time
- You stopped exercising it at a certain time
- You rewarded the behavior when it first started doing it
The timing of when your dog barks when you go upstairs
It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that it tends to do it since the timing could also have something to do with it.
For example, if it does it more at night, it could be due to things such as needing to pee, hunger, separation anxiety or a problem with the room it stays in. I have written more about why your dog might bark at night in this post.
Whereas, if it does it more during the day, it would be more likely to be due to things such as wanting exercise or to be fed.
If it does it all the time, it would be more likely that it has learned that it gets rewards when it does it.
What to do about your dog barking when you go upstairs
Below are some options you have when getting your dog to stop barking when you go upstairs.
Positive reinforcement training
Positive reinforcement training is where you encourage your dog to behave in a certain way by rewarding it for behaving that way when it shows signs of doing it.
To use positive reinforcement training to get your dog to stop barking when you go upstairs you could do as follows:
- Make it seem like you are going upstairs and reward it for not barking.
- Then build up to going upstairs for a short time period and reward it for not barking.
- Then go upstairs for longer and longer each time coming back down and rewarding it for not barking.
Ensure the room it stays in is comfortable
It would also help to ensure that the room it stays in is comfortable. It should be not too hot, there should be space for it to lay down, access to water and not too noisy.
Ensure it is getting the right diet
It would also help to make sure that it has been eating the right amount of calories for its age and breed, that it is getting the right diet and that it has not been eating things that it should not be.
Avoid encouraging the behavior
As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have encouraged the behavior by rewarding it. Instead, it would help to avoid rewarding it unless necessary and to use positive reinforcement training.
Ensure it is getting the right amount of exercise
It would also help to make sure that it is getting the right amount of exercise for its breed and age. It might also help to wear it out more by getting it to play fetch.
Let it out to pee
It would also help to make sure that it is able to pee whenever it needs to and to let it out to pee before leaving it for long periods.
Give it distractions
In addition to the above, you could also give it things to be distracted with. Things you could give it would include bones, chews and toys.