Puppies can bark for many reasons, but if they do it most of the time, that may indicate you are not training your dog correctly. Don’t worry. A 6 month old puppy is still pretty young to stop that bad habit. This article will explain why puppies bark and ways to solve their barking issue.
6 month old puppy barking
6 month old puppies can bark when they are defensive, aggressive, or just to express their boredom. They can bark when they ask for attention, hear something suspicious, or spot a stranger. The reason can be countless, but it’s possible to fix that with proper training and socialization.
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Congratulation on getting your puppy! Puppies are super adorable and fun to have. As you read this, I guess your puppy is causing barking issues. Stick with us to get a clear idea about why that happens and what you should do.
First, dogs and other animals make sounds and bark naturally, and you should never expect your puppy to be completely quiet. They need to bark when they feel sad, happy, or want your attention. But if they do it too frequently and you don’t have control over him, that’s a big issue indeed.
6 month old puppies are between their puppyhood and adolescence. At that time, they start behaving like adult dogs and sounding like big dogs. In puppyhood, it’s easy to ignore their barking, but their barking starts to get loud and problematic when they pass six months.
That’s why it’s essential to train your puppy early and address lousy barking behavior. You must make him understand when to bark when to become defensive, and limit their unnecessary barking. Since your puppy is only six months old, training them about barking should not be a problem.
In the later part of this article, we will discuss how you can train your puppy to stay quiet and not bark without any reason. For now, let us try to understand the reasons for their barking and what you should do.
In crate
A puppy crate is where you keep your puppy. If your puppy bark inside the crate, here are the possible reasons for their barking.
The puppy is feeling lonely:
Puppies are not too much different from human babies. They want attention from you. They always want something to happen around them. Your puppy can bark if they feel lonely and bored.
If your puppy is barking to get your attention, you should not give them attention. If you do so, he may think he can get anything they want if they bark. Don’t let your emotion come into your puppy training.
The puppy need to poop or pee:
If you keep the crate door looked at, they can leave and take care of their business. Before keeping the puppy inside the crate, ensure your puppy takes care of his business.
The puppy is hungry:
Always ensure your puppy ate well before keeping him in the crate for the whole night.
At strangers
Six month old puppies start acting like an adult dogs. They begin to become protective of their family and house. At this time, if you do not train them well, they will bark at every stranger they will see. Here are some possible reasons why they can bark at strangers.
Lack of socialization:
Domestic dogs are friendly animals, but if you do not socialize them properly, they can develop aggressive behaviors such as barking at every unknown people they see.
Lack of proper training:
If you do not teach your dog about suspicious people and friendly strangers, they may find an inappropriate pattern to bark at random people. A puppy owner must take care of this type of behavior.
At night
Barking sometimes during the day is not that problematic. But barking at the middle of the night can be super irritating. Here are some reasons why 6 month old puppy can bark at night.
They have done sleeping:
If you do not strictly maintain your puppies’ sleeping patterns, that can cause issues like this. If your puppy does not exercise enough in the daytime and naps, it’s expected to sleep less at night. Helping them develop a regular sleep cycle can help you fix the barking issue too.
6 month old puppy needs to sleep 16-18 hours a day. So ensure your puppy stays awake for at least 8-9 hours in the daytime. By doing that, your puppy will not have the energy to wake up in the middle of the night and bark. But for that, make sure your puppy peed and pooped before going to sleep.
At other dogs
Some puppies become defensive when they other dogs. This can cause a lot of hustle if you don’t take care of the problem. Here are the reasons they bark at other dogs.
Dogs are territorial by nature:
Dogs want to dominate other dogs. That’s their instinct. But they no longer live in the wild, so you need to break the tendency to look at other dogs as their rivals. Take them to the dog park often and let your puppy play with other puppies. That’s enough to fix the issue.
Fear:
Your puppy can bark if they get intimated by other big dogs. Socialization is essential to fix this type of issue.
When left home
Do your six month old puppy bark when you keep him alone in your home? Here are the possible reasons.
Loneliness:
Your puppy loves you and wants your companion. It’s okay to sometimes keep him alone in the home for a few hours. But keeping him alone for a long time is not appropriate. They are just babies and feel feared and lonely when you keep them in your home alone. Make sure your family is looking after your dog when you are out.
Hunger:
Your puppy can bark in hunger if you leave it in your home for a long time.
At everything
If your dog is barking at everything, here are the possible reasons.
Your dog thinks you like barking:
If your train your dog wrong, the dog can develop such behaviors. Make sure to know the proper way to bark and train your dog.
Health issues:
If your dog has some mental or physical illness, he can bark all the time. Take the puppy to a vet for treatment.
Will bark hurt a 6 month old puppy?
Barking is natural for 6 month old puppy. They do it when they feel excited, threatened, and stressed. But does barking hurt them? No, barking generally does not hurt a 6 month old puppy. It’s okay to let them bark when they are playing and enjoying. Burking is okay, but it’s essential to control their barking.
But if a dog is barking all day, that can harm the dog. Like us, they also have a vocal cord. Their vocal cord can get broken if they bark all day. Too much barking without any reason also indicates that your puppy is stressed.
Why is my 6 month old puppy barking so much all of a sudden?
If your 6 month old puppy starts barking suddenly, they may find something suspicious around them. The reason can be pretty small. They can begin barking at the strange sounds of tv, mice in the ceiling, or things like this.
You should make your puppy familiar with all the new things. They will act more maturely on those little things as they grow up.
How to stop 6 month old puppy barking?
Here is an effective way to train your puppy to be quiet and not overreact to little things. Check out the following points.
Pick a command:
Pick a command to make your dog stop barking. That can be ‘quiet’ or ‘silence’ or something simple.
Try to find out why:
Try to find out why your puppy is barking. Is it the pressure cooker sound or the doorbell? Mimic the reason and make your puppy start barking. Now it’s time to train.
Command and treat:
When your puppy starts to bark, let him stop and command ‘silence’ and immediately let him smell the treat. The puppy will stop burking. Then feed him the treat and pet him well.
Keep doing this for a few days and command to stop barking whenever the puppy starts barking. Repeating this process for some days, the dog will learn to abide by your order without threat.
Final Thoughts
6 month old puppies often bark as they become more curious about their surroundings and may find many things suspicious. Proper training and socializing is the way to fix such behaviors. Treat the puppy for being quiet. And never bark back at your 6 month old puppy.