Your dog goes absolutely nuts every single time they see the school bus coming. Is there a reason for this? Is it something to worry about? Why do dogs bark at school buses? Why does your dog hate school buses? Do they even hate them? Are dogs afraid of school buses?

Today, we’re going to put your fears to rest and answer all of your questions. We’ll, of course, also tell you how to stop your dog from barking at school buses once and for all. Soon, you won’t have to worry about this ever again. Keep reading below for our article “Dog Barking at School Buses? Here’s What to Do!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at School Buses

To stop dog barking at school buses:

1. To get your dog to be silent whenever they start barking at school buses, teach them the “quiet” command.
2. To do so, take your dog somewhere you know they’re going to bark such as the park with lots of treats.
3. Once your dog starts barking, say “quiet” in a calm and positive voice. If they listen to you and get silent while also giving you their full attention immediately give them a treat and praise.
4. But if your dog keeps barking or quickly resumes, then hide a treat in your fist.
5. Place your fist right next to your dog’s nose. They’ll still be able to smell it even within your hand and will pause their barking to investigate it.
6. Once they’ve stopped barking and are paying you their complete attention, again say “quiet,” and then open your hand to give them a small treat and praise.
7. If they continue to be silent and are paying you their full focus, keep rewarding them with treats and praise.
8. But if they again start to bark or are not paying attention, repeat the process of hiding a treat within your fist, placing it close to their nose, and waiting until they quit their barking and give you their attention.
9. Always be sure to pause until they’ve quit their barking and are giving you all their focus, and then say “quiet” before you reward them with any treats or praise.
10. This creates a positive connection with your dog with the “quiet” command, and with being quiet and fully focusing on you.
11. With consistency, repetition, and patience, you will be able to get them to respond just with the “quiet” command, and you’ll no longer have to put your hand by their mouth.
12. When your dog is doing well with only the command, then you can start lengthening the amount of time you wait before you reward them.
13. Begin by pausing for about 1-2 seconds, then as they do well increase that to 5 seconds, and so on.
14. It won’t be long until you won’t need to give your dog any praise and food, and they will be silent and give you their attention solely by you giving the command.

These steps will get your dog to stop barking at school buses, but it’s important to remember that the underlying behavioral issues (anxiety, territoriality) 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 school buses 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 school buses ever again!

Why Do Dogs Bark at School Buses?

Dogs bark at school buses they’re large and loud, which makes them feel anxious and stressed. Many dogs, especially those that are also dominant, will then respond by barking at this massive threat. It’s also possible that they’re just excited if they know their favorite child can often be found on one.

Remember that dogs have very sensitive hearing, much more so than we do, so a school bus can be very loud to your dog even from a distance at which you can barely hear it. It’s not unusual for a dog to bark at a school bus, but when they’re doing so and not listening when you tell them to stop is when you have a real problem on your hands.

This is disrespectful and disobedient, and if you don’t address it right away, then it will only lead to more and more behavioral issues. Their problems will grow and escalate into other areas until they’re practically uncontrollable and are misbehaving constantly.

You’ll see that they’re barking at other loud, scary things. Your dog will bark at the thunder and bark during fireworks. They’ll bark at anything that causes them anxiety. Your dog will bark at people that jog by and they’ll bark at car doors slamming. And all of this while refusing to stop when told.

Sounds pretty irritating, doesn’t it? Of course! To learn how to stop your dog barking at school buses and anything else on command, go back to the first section now where we’ve compiled a step-by-step list that will teach you exactly what to do.

Why Does My Dog Hate School Buses?

Your dog hates school buses because they’re large and make a lot of noise. With your dog having extremely sensitive hearing, this loud rumble can be very intimidating to them. This causes them confusion, anxiety, and worry.

Some will then respond by barking because of this stress, while others will bark because they feel the need to protect themselves and you from this threat. In rare cases, they may even become aggressive in which case you should obviously get them away from the school bus immediately.

Are Dogs Afraid of School Buses?

Some dogs are afraid of school buses. They can be very loud to your dog, which will make many feel anxious and stressed. They may then become fearful, which dogs show by shaking, trembling, pacing, panting, salivating, and attempting to hide.

If you see your dog exhibiting signs like these when a school bus approaches, then you should take them to an environment where you know that they will feel safe. Be patient with them, and work on their fear issues slowly before attempting to bring them around a school bus again.

I’m sure you’re ready to not worry when your dog sees a school bus, so I’ll let you get going on things now. Best wishes with all of this, and thank you for checking out our article “Dog Barking at School Buses? Here’s What to Do!”