Skip to Content

4 Month Old Puppy Barking – How to Stop? (Complete Guide)

You can consider your 4-month-old puppy as a semi-mature pet. It will make enough sense to understand your words and body language. So, you must act accordingly and never show any negativity to your pet.

Since your puppy is growing and becoming an adult pet, it might have different behavior. You must take it positively and try to understand your pet’s behavior. Sometimes, it might seem complicated, but you will enjoy it once you are familiar with it.

4 month old puppy barking

Your 4-month-old puppy is barking to say something. Maybe your puppy is hungry or needs to get your attention. There might be some other reasons behind your puppy’s barking. Often, your puppy gets scared of something and will start to bark for a while. So, you need to take it usually.

You will find six different situations where your little puppy will bark regularly. You must know why they bark in crates, strangers, at night, and in other situations. So, they bark and want to tell you something.

If you’re a good friend of your pet, you will understand the requirements and take it accordingly.

Maybe you will give it some company and treat it with delicious pet food. But you should never counter your pet and spread negativity. Be positive and try to understand why it is barking.

In crate

Your 4-month-old puppy can bark in a crate because of several reasons. They are:

Fear:

When you keep your puppy in the crate for the first time, it will bark in fear. It will not understand the crate’s purpose; instead, it will try its best to get out of it and sleep with you. So, fear is the most common reason your puppy barks in the crate.

Company:

Sometimes, your puppy will bark in the crate because of company. If you have a single puppy and keep it in a large crate, it will feel uncomfortable and bark continuously.

So, you must take it seriously and give it company or make a habit of sleeping alone.

Food:

Your puppy can bark in the crate because of food. If you forget to provide enough food, it may wake up at midnight and will start barking for food. So, provide enough food so your puppy can enjoy them in the crate.

At strangers

Your 4-month-old puppy can bark at strangers for some weird reasons. Maybe It is not familiar with receiving strangers or fear of them. Anything could happen. Let’s see why your puppy barks at strangers.

Natural Behave:

It’s a natural behavior of any puppy to bark at strangers. You will find this behavior in your adult pet unless you teach them well.

The dogs and puppies don’t feel comfortable with strangers, so they take them as a danger and bark at them continuously.

Aggressive Behavior:

Your little puppy can bark at strangers if it has aggressive behavior.

Some little puppies will come with an aggressive behavior pattern, so it depends on how you will introduce the stranger to your puppy. You can train them in different ways to take on strangers normally.

At night

Your 4-month-old puppy can bark at night because of fear and other reasons. Let’s see why your little cry & bark at night.

Fear:

Since your puppy is very little, sleeping alone at night will make it uncomfortable. When you keep it in a crate, your puppy will bark at night for a very long time.

It indicates that your puppy is scared of the dark and needs some light to become normal. It’s better you keep some light in your crate room and give some support to your little puppy.

Loneliness:

More often, the little puppy can bark at night because of loneliness. It may find it challenging to live accordingly.

Especially when you keep a single puppy in a large crate, it may feel alone and be bored to sleep. Therefore, it will bark at night regularly unless you train your puppy properly.

At other dogs

It’s a common scenario where your 4-month-old puppy is barking at other dogs. Puppies cannot take other dogs and puppies normally, so they bark at other dogs regularly. If they find any foe or feel that the other puppies or dogs are not safe or aggressive, they will bark at other dogs.

Aggressive Behavior:

If your puppy is aggressive, it will typically bark at other dogs. It will fail to take other dogs usually. So, it will bark and try to get your attention towards it. You must give proper attention to your puppy and try to keep calm.

When left home

When you leave your puppy in your home, it will bark and try to get your attention there. Let’s see other reasons why your puppy is barking when left home.

Boredom:

When left home, your puppy will be bored and won’t get anything to do. Therefore, it will bark continuously and try to get your attention.

Normally, the little puppies are very friendly, and they love to have company. If you leave them alone, they will bark.

Insecurity:

When you leave your puppy at home in a crate, it may feel insecure and will bark for a long time. They will not take it usually and will bark and try to seek attention from you. So, it’s better you never leave them alone in your home.

At everything

Sometimes, your 4-month-old puppy can bark at everything. There must be some particular reasons why your little puppy barks at everything. They are:

Sick:

Maybe your little puppy is sick and barks at everything. Your puppy has fever and stomach issues and will bark continuously at everything.

If you provide food, your puppy may bark at the food and will refuse to eat. You must take it seriously, check your puppy’s health, and solve the issues.

Hunger:

If your puppy is hungry and starves for a long time, it will bark at everything. You cannot expect to have a quiet puppy once it is hungry. So, provide food and keep your puppy calm and make it happy.

Do 4 month old puppies bark more when teething?

4 month old puppies bark more often when teething. Teething of 4 month old puppies is a very painful process.

Although pups may cry and whine like babies, the symptoms are frequently not as visible. They might eat more slowly, slobber, and try to chew on anything due to the pain in their gums and mouths.

Teething puppies frequently whimper while eating and chewing on their toys. This is also a result of their present-day gum and tooth sensitivity. This is still typical teething behavior as long as the whining isn’t too much and your puppy doesn’t appear to be in excruciating pain.

Can 4 month old puppy be trained not to bark?

4 month old puppy can be trained not to bark. A dog that is 4 months old is old enough to be trained to stop biting and growling at people.

Whether your dog barks at strangers out of territorial concerns, excessive enthusiasm, or a lack of socialization, it is crucial to explore these three causes before beginning any training techniques.

More aspects of their lives may be incorporated to stop them from barking at strangers than just training techniques if we want our dogs to be the most loving, well-behaved canines possible.

How to stop 4 month old puppy from barking?

You can stop a 4-month-old puppy from barking with the following tips. They are:

Isolate:

When your puppy bites, immediately isolate him. Make noise to alert him to his error, then set the child down, turn away, or return him to the playpen. Withdraw your presence or your attention, whatever you prefer.

Make him realize that when he bites, the fun is over. Do not confine him to his crate; you want it to be a pleasant place for him to be and not one where he feels rejected or punished.

Ignore:

Until he stops to breathe, ignore the barking. Give him a treat and immediately command him to be quiet.

This requires careful planning and timing (having a treat handy). If you enjoy this kind of training, this would be an excellent time to utilize a clicker because it signals to the dog that what he just did was right and that a reward is on the way.

Be Gentle:

Reduce your voice while being composed, firm, and patient. Your puppy might bark louder if you yell at him because he will perceive it as a noise contest.

Final Thoughts

Your 4-month-old puppy can bark for several reasons. Maybe it needs food or your attention in different conditions. When you understand the needs, you must take them seriously and try to solve the problem accordingly. You can also follow my tips to stop your little puppies barking.