Barking

Dog Barks at Hair Dryer? Here’s How to Stop It!

It just drives you crazy! Every single time you try to dry your hair or your pup’s, your dog barks at the hair dryer! Why is your dog barking at the hair dryer? Why are dogs afraid of hair dryers? Is it too loud for them? Do hair dryers hurt dogs’ ears? And can you use a hair dryer on a dog?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about this frustrating problem. And obviously, we’ll cover what you’re really interested in: how to stop your dog barking at the hair dryer once and for all. Soon, this will all be a thing of the past. Keep reading below for our article “Dog Barks at Hair Dryer? Here’s How to Stop It!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at Hair Dryer

Dog Barks at Hair Dryer

To stop dog barking at hair dryer:

  1. To get your dog to be silent whenever they start to bark at the hair dryer, teach them the “quiet” command.
  2. Practice by bringing your dog to a place you know they’re going to bark such as the park with plenty of treats.
  3. When your dog begins barking, say “quiet” in a calm and positive voice. If they listen and get silent while also giving you their complete attention reward them with a treat and praise right away.
  4. But if your dog keeps barking or soon resumes, then hide a treat in your fist.
  5. Put your fist right next to your dog’s nose. They’ll still be able to pick up the scent even inside of your hand and should quit barking to investigate it.
  6. Once they’ve stopped barking and are giving you their full attention, again say “quiet,” and then open your hand to reward them with praise and a treat.
  7. If they keep being silent and are paying you their attention, continue rewarding them with praise and treats.
  8. But if they again begin to bark or are not giving you their attention, repeat the process of putting a treat inside of your hand, placing it close to their nose, and waiting until they stop their barking and focus on you.
  9. Be sure to always wait until they’ve stopped 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 staying silent and paying attention to you.
  11. With practice, time, and patience, you should be able to get them to respond with only the “quiet” command, and it will no longer be necessary to put your fist by their mouth.
  12. When your dog is responding well with only the command, then you can begin lengthening the duration of time you wait before you give them any rewards.
  13. Start by waiting for about 2 seconds, then as they do well increase that to 5 seconds, and so on.
  14. Before long, it will no longer be necessary to reward your dog with praise and food, and they will become quiet and give you their attention solely by you giving the command.

This will get your dog to stop barking at the hair dryer, but it’s important to remember that the underlying behavioral issue (anxiety) that was causing all of this to begin with will still be present. And until you address that, 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 the hair dryer 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 the hair dryer ever again!

Why Is My Dog Barking at the Hair Dryer?

Your dog barks at the hair dryer because they make them stressed, confused, and scared. Hair dryers produce a lot of sound, along with heat and wind. All of these combined is very worrying to a dog, and they will respond to it as if it were an actual threat by barking.

Dogs are sensitive to heat, and many have noise anxiety, so it’s not surprising that many would then be scared by your hair dryer. But if your dog barks at the hair dryer and then ignores your commands to stop (regardless of whether you’re using it on them or yourself), then you have a serious behavioral problem developing.

Refusing your commands is a clear sign of disobedience and disrespect of your leadership role. If allowed to continue and not addressed right away, you give your dog tacit approval of responding like this to things that they find confusing or uncomfortable. Soon, they’ll be doing it at all sorts of times.

It won’t be long before your dog barks at the blender, barks at the microwave, barks at the toaster, and even barks at the ironing board (yes, this happens). I’m sure you can now see why it’s important to get out in front of this problem before things get any worse.

To learn how to stop your dog barking at the hair dryer while also getting them to respect your leadership, go back to the first section now where we’ll give you the exact steps to follow.

Why Are Dogs Afraid of Hair Dryers?

Dogs are afraid of hair dryers because they produce a lot of noise, heat, and wind. Regardless of whether you’re using it on yourself or them, the combination of these is very scary to your dog. Many will attempt to run away, bark at it, or even attack the hair dryer to protect both themselves and you from this strange threat.

While a bit odd and obnoxious, a dog being afraid of your hair dryer is not an unusual response. Dogs are sensitive to both noise and heat, and will typically seek to either retreat or to “scare off” what is causing them this discomfort.

Do Hair Dryers Hurt Dogs’ Ears?

Hair dryers may hurt dogs’ ears. Most hair dryers top out at about 90 decibels, while it takes 88 decibels to begin causing hearing damage to dogs.

Can You Use a Hair Dryer on a Dog?

You can use a hair dryer on a dog. Keep the heat on a medium to low setting (never high, as your dog has sensitive skin), and do your best to towel off your dog first so that you can keep the hair dryer usage as brief as possible. Many dogs will find this time stressful, so also be sure to give them pets, praise, and treats to help them form positive connections with being dried in this way.

Always be sure to not use the highest heat setting so that you’re not causing pain or discomfort to your dog. With time and the aforementioned treats and praise during drying sessions, your dog may even learn to enjoy this time with you. But you should still keep things as brief as possible, especially when your dog is still getting used to the process.

I’m sure you’re sick of your dog barking at the hair dryer, 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 Barks at Hair Dryer? Here’s How to Stop It!.”

The Author

KB Williams

KB Williams

Hey there! I'm a dog behavior expert and lover of travel. Since 2016, I've been sharing my knowledge of dog training and behavior while exploring the Pacific Northwest with my two rescues.