They’re so gorgeous to see flying colorfully through the air, but your dog feels quite differently. Why is your dog barking at a hot air balloon? Are they scared? Why are dogs afraid of hot air balloons? Is it because they don’t get them? Do dogs understand hot air balloons, or are they completely confused?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about this curious problem. We’ll also answer, of course, what you really came here for: how to stop your dog from barking at hot air balloons. Soon, you’ll be able to enjoy watching with your dog by your side. Continue reading below for our article “Dog Barking at Hot Air Balloon!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at Hot Air Balloons

To stop dog barking at hot air balloons:

1. To get your dog to be silent whenever they begin barking at hot air balloons, teach them the “quiet” command.
2. To accomplish that, take your dog somewhere you know they’re going to bark such as the park with lots of small treats.
3. As soon as your dog starts barking, say “quiet” in a calm and positive voice. If they listen to you and become silent while also giving you their full focus immediately give them praise and a treat.
4. But if your dog continues to bark or soon starts again, then hide a treat in the palm of your hand.
5. Place your hand right next to your dog’s nose. They’ll still be able to pick up the scent even within your fist and will stop barking to sniff it.
6. As soon as they’ve quit barking and are paying you all their attention, again say “quiet,” and then open your hand to reward them with a small treat and praise.
7. If they continue to be silent and are giving you their focus, keep rewarding them with treats and praise.
8. But if they again begin to bark or are not giving you their attention, repeat the steps of hiding a treat inside of your hand, placing it near their nose, and waiting until they stop their barking and give you their focus.
9. Always be sure to wait until they’ve stopped their barking and are giving you all their attention, and then say “quiet” before you give them any praise or treats.
10. This forms a positive connection with your dog with the “quiet” command, and with being quiet and paying attention to you.
11. With time, repetition, and patience, you will be able to get them to behave with solely the “quiet” command, and it won’t be necessary anymore to put your hand next to their mouth.
12. Once your dog is doing well with only the command, then you should start lengthening the amount of time you wait until you reward them.
13. Begin by waiting for 2 seconds, then as they do well increase that to about 5 seconds, and so on.
14. Before long, it will no longer be necessary to give your dog any food and praise, and they will become quiet and pay attention to you solely by you giving the command.

These steps will get your dog to stop barking at hot air balloons, but it’s important to remember that the underlying behavioral issues (anxiety, dominance, overexcitement) that were causing all of this to begin with will still be present. And until you address those, any positive changes you see are only going to be temporary.

“So, how do I make these changes stick?”

By getting your dog to truly choose to follow your direction, that’s how. I tried many times to write out how you can do that before deciding it made more sense to just link you to the free video series that explains it better than I’d ever be able to.

The series is by a man named Dan who is one of the world’s leading dog obedience trainers. In it, he teaches you how to put an end to things like when your dog barks at hot air balloons and all other misbehavior using his fast and easy-to-follow methods.

In the first video, Dan will reveal to you why the two most common methods of dog training only doom you to failure. You can watch the video now by clicking here. Follow the proven system he’ll show you in his series and you’ll never have to spend another second worrying about your dog barking at hot air balloons ever again!

Why Is My Dog Barking at a Hot Air Balloon?

Your dog is barking at a hot air balloon because they are confused by the large object in the sky, which causes them anxiety. Many dogs will then respond by becoming aggressive because they also feel dominant, and believe that it is their sole duty to protect both themselves and you from this unknown thing.

However, when your dog is barking at hot air balloons and then ignoring you when you tell them to stop is when the real problem begins. This is a clear sign of disrespect of your leadership, and can’t be allowed to continue or their problems are only going to become worse and occur more often.

If they’re not already, you’ll soon find your dog barking at many other things that confuse or scare them. You’ll find your dog is barking at airplanes, barking at window cleaners, or barking at the birds who come through your backyard. If you’re a nature lover, you certainly don’t want them frightening those off, and the other instances are obviously a problem too.

That’s why you need to get a handle on this situation right away so that the problem does not grow and escalate. To learn how to do so, go back to the first section now where we have step-by-step instructions on how to quiet your dog in any situation, including when they bark at hot air balloons.

Why Are Dogs Afraid of Hot Air Balloons?

Dogs are afraid of hot air balloons because they do not understand them, and this causes them to feel very stressed and anxious. Feeling scared by hot air balloons or other large objects in the sky is a common occurrence for dogs, as is just being frightened by things that are confusing in general.

Do Dogs Understand Hot Air Balloons?

Dogs do not understand hot air balloons. Even dogs that have come to get used to planes and birds will have trouble with hot air balloons as they are shaped very uniquely and seen much less often. They also move in a much different and slower way.

How they respond to this odd flying object will vary depending on a dog’s temperament. Many will be excited and might even view it as a large ball they’d like to play with. With these dogs, you’ll likely see jumping, a wagging tail, and maybe even play bows. Others will be disinterested, with the remaining dogs being frightened.

I’m sure you’re looking forward to being able to quietly enjoy watching hot air balloons with your pup, so I’ll let you begin now. Good luck, and thank you for checking out our article “Dog Barking at Hot Air Balloon? Here’s What to Do!”