If your dog talks to you when you get home, you’re probably wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you seven common reasons why dogs do it and what your options are.
So, why does my dog talk to me when I get home? Possible reasons why your dog talks to you when you arrive home are hunger, separation anxiety, needing to pee, excitement to see you, boredom, or an issue with the room it stays in.
There are actually multiple possible causes, and it might be due to a combination of causes. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main causes, and there are many things you can do about them.
Reasons why your dog talks to you when you come home
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.
Excitement
The cause could be that your dog is excited. This would be more likely if it shows other signs of excitement when it talks such as wagging its tail, jumping up at you, licking you or wide-open eyes. The reason why it might be excited is that it does not like being left alone and it is excited about the rewards you might have for it.
Hunger or thirst
The cause might also be that it is hungry or thirsty. This would be more likely if it does it more when it has not already been fed and if you tend to feed it after you come home.
Anxiety
Another possible reason why it talks when you get home is that it has separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely to be the cause if it tends to show signs of being anxious when you are leaving.
It would help to try to reduce how anxious it becomes by letting it pee, giving it exercise and feeding it before leaving. It would also help to try to come back periodically so that it does not have to be alone for too long.
Boredom
Another possible reason why your dog has been doing it is that it is bored. This would be more likely if it does it more when it has not already gotten exercise. In this case, it might help to exercise it before leaving it instead of after. This might also help to get it to sleep while you are away.
An issue with the room it stays in
Talking when you arrive home could also be a sign that there is an issue with the room it stays in. This would be more likely if it has started talking since making it stay in a different room. The problem could be that it is too loud, hot or there might not be space for it to lay down.
Rewards
It might also be the case that it has learned that it gets things that it wants when it starts talking. If you tend to give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it talks when you get home, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.
Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not talk and to wait for it to stop talking before giving it things that it might want.
It needs to pee
The cause might also be that it needs to pee. This would be more likely if it wants to go outside as soon as you get home.
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 it did not always talk when you arrived home, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. This is because there might have been an event that caused it to start.
Things that might have changed could include:
- Leaving it for longer periods
- Giving it exercise after arriving home instead of before leaving
- Feeding it when arriving home instead of before leaving
- Not letting it out to pee before leaving
The body language it shows
It would also help to consider what body language it shows. If it shows signs of being excited, it would be more likely that it is doing it because it is excited to see you and it thinks it will get fed now. Whereas, if it shows signs of being anxious, it would be more likely that it is doing it due to something causing it to be anxious.
If your dog always talks to you when you arrive home
If it does not always talk, when you arrive home, it would also help to consider if anything else is different when it does not talk.
For example, if it does not talk when it has already been given food, it might be talking because of hunger.
What to do about your dog talking to you when you arrive home
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Help it to rest while you are away
It would help to do things that will help it to rest when you are not around. Things to do would be to feed it, let it pee and exercise it before leaving it instead of after. It could also help to ensure that the room it sleeps in is ideal such as by making sure it is not too hot, bright or noisy.
Avoid encouraging it
As mentioned above, it might be the case that it has learned that it gets rewards for doing it. It would help to avoid giving it things that it might want when it is talking. Instead, it would help to wait for it to stop talking and to stop rewarding it when it starts talking.