Why does my dog bark when I leave the room?

If your dog has been barking, when you leave the room, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do to get it to stop.

So, why does my dog bark when I leave the room? Possible reasons why your dog barks, when you leave the room, are that it has separation anxiety, it wants something from you, fearfulness, or that it has learned that the behavior gets rewarded.

Since there are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the main cause, it should become a lot easier to get it to stop.

Reasons why your dog barks when you leave the room

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog barks, when you leave the room, and what would make each of them more likely.

Separation anxiety

The reason why it does it could be that it has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it tends to become anxious when you are leaving, if it also does it when you are leaving home and if it does it more at times when you tend to leave it for longer periods.

It wants something from you

The cause could also be that it wants something from you such as food or exercise. This would be more likely if it does not always bark and it tends to bark more at around the same time that you would normally give it food or exercise. In this case, it is likely trying to remind you to give it those things.

Fearfulness

It could be the case that it has been doing it because something has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when there are noises outside such as fireworks or construction works or if it does it when something else could be causing it to be fearful.

Boredom

The reason why it does it could also be that it is bored or under-stimulated. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when it has not been able to get exercise and if it tends to do it less after getting exercise. It would help to ensure that your dog is able to get the daily amount of recommended exercise for its age and breed.

Encouraging the behavior

The cause could also be that it has learned that the behavior gets rewarded. If you tend to go back and give it extra attention, when it barks, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.

What else happened when it first started doing it

If your dog did not always do it, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it might be due to things such as learning that the behavior gets rewarded or you stopped giving it things such as food, water, exercise or the chance to pee before leaving it for a long time.

What is different when your dog does not bark when you leave the room

If it does not always bark, when you leave the room, it would also help to consider what is different when it does not bark. For example, if it does not do it when it has already been fed, it could be the case that it barks because it wants to be fed.

The body language it shows

It would also help to consider the body language it shows when your dog barks.

If it shows signs of being anxious by doing things such as crying, pacing or following you, it would be more likely that it does it due to something such as separation anxiety.

Whereas, if it shows excited signs it could be the case that it is trying to tell you that it wants something such as a walk.

What to do about your dog barking when you leave the room

Below are some options you have when getting it to stop doing it.

Avoid rewarding the behavior

As mentioned above, it might be the case that it learned that it gets rewards for barking when you are leaving the room. Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not bark and to wait for it to stop barking before rewarding it.

Limit reasons why it might become anxious

It would also help to try to limit possible reasons why it might become anxious. Ways to do so would be to give it food, exercise and to let it pee before leaving it for long time periods.

Give it distractions

In addition to the above, you could also give it things to be distracted with, when you are leaving it, so that it is less focused on what you are doing it.