You might not mind that they’re alerting you, but why does your dog bark at spiders and then not stop? Do dogs bark at spiders commonly or is yours unusual? Can dogs be scared of spiders even if they confront them? Do spiders bother dogs to the point of being anxious or stressed? Do dogs like spiders in any case?

Today, we’re going to answer all of these questions about this frustrating problem for you. And of course, we’ll go over how to stop your dog from barking at spiders once and for all. Soon, you won’t have to worry about this ever again. Keep reading below for our article “Dog Barks at Spiders? Here’s How to Stop It!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at Spiders

To stop your dog barking at spiders, they need to learn to become quiet when told. To make this happen, bring your dog somewhere you know that they like to bark such as the park, with lots of small dog treats. Don’t take them off their leash and stay a fair distance away from the other people and animals at the park.

When your dog begins to bark, say “quiet” in a calm, positive voice. If they pay attention to you, then immediately reward them with praise and a treat. But if they start barking again or never quit at all, then you should place a treat within your fist.

Put your hand right by your dog’s nose. Your dog will still be able to detect the treat even inside of your hand and will quit their barking to sniff it out. Once they’ve become silent and are also paying attention to you, again give the “quiet” command and then open your hand to reward them with a treat and praise.

If your dog continues to stay quiet, keep rewarding them with praise and a treat. But if they resume barking again, regardless of whether it’s at someone at the park or at you, repeat the steps of placing a treat in your fist, putting it right by their nose, and then waiting until they’ve gotten silent.

Be sure that you’re pausing until your dog has become silent before you give them any rewards. This forms a positive connection in your dog’s mind with giving you their attention and getting silent whenever you say “quiet.” Reward them right away with treats and praise when your dog is doing what they should.

With patience, repetition, and time, your dog will become quiet just by you giving them the command, and you won’t need to place your hand by their mouth. You should then begin lengthening the duration of time before you give them their rewards. Start with just 1 to 2 seconds, then increase that to 5 seconds, and so on.

Soon, the praise and food rewards won’t be needed and you can get your dog to quit barking at spiders or at anything else just by giving the “quiet” command.

But you’ll still need to address the underlying issue which led to all of this disobedience to begin with, which is your dog’s feelings of anxiety and dominance. A failure to do so will just lead to your dog’s problem showing itself in other ways that could be even worse.

To properly address that, we must first talk about what makes dogs tick deep down. I’m sure you’ve heard before that all dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But when your dog barks at spiders, they are clearly proving to you that they have no respect for you as the head of the family pack.

If they did, they wouldn’t bark at spiders and ignore your commands to stop. They wouldn’t engage in any other types of dominance or anxiety-related disrespect or misbehavior. And they would obey your commands at all times — happily — and they would do so immediately.

Show your dog that you are not just their pack leader, but a capable one who must be respected, and you’ll make all of these great things your reality.

Obviously, you’ll win. But your dog will be the even bigger winner here because you’ll have freed them from all of the worry and confusion that their anxiety and dominance problems are currently placing on them every single second of every single day.

That sounds terrific, doesn’t it?

“Yes, definitely, but how do I do any of this?”

You should watch an excellent free video series which is on this exact subject — how to be your dog’s pack leader — by a renowned trainer named Dan. In the series, he explains everything in ways that are very simple to understand and teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you can start seeing these crucial changes in your dog before things escalate any further.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t stress, because no, you’re not going to have to yell or be mean to your dog. Dan uses only 100% humane and loving teaching techniques at all times. Not just because they’re the right thing to do, but also because they’re the fastest way to achieve permanent changes in your dog’s behavior.

Do Dogs Bark at Spiders?

Dogs do bark at spiders, though their reason for doing so will vary. Most dogs aren’t scared of spiders, but typically won’t see them as prey either. They will, however, see them as a strange intruder, which makes them feel both anxious and dominant, with a need to protect their territory from this odd creature. Some will even bark out of excitement over the new thing.

But while it’s typical for dogs to bark at spiders, they should quiet immediately when told. If they don’t, they are definitively disrespecting your leadership by essentially telling you that they — and they alone — get to decide what is worthy of barking at and when they will stop.

You must address this problem right away because if you allow it to continue you give your dog tacit approval. They will then receive positive reinforcement that they are in fact the head of the household and their problem will become even more difficult to correct and even more pronounced.

You’ll soon find your dog barks at insects, barks at mice, barks at caterpillars, and probably even barks at flies — all while ignoring you if you try to get them to quit. I’m sure you can see how obnoxious that will make your home to live in very fast.

To learn how to stop your dog from barking at spiders while also teaching them to respect your role in the home, go back to the first section now where we’ll give you the exact steps to follow.

Can Dogs Be Scared of Spiders?

Dogs can be scared of spiders. While most will not be, it’s still not unusual at all for a dog to be frightened by a spider. They confuse them, and your dog doesn’t know whether to treat them as prey or as a predator. This causes them to feel very anxious, and they will then typically let out these feelings by barking.

Do Spiders Bother Dogs?

Spiders do bother dogs. They move in a way that dogs aren’t used to, and they also don’t look like any other animals or insects that dogs are familiar with. This unusual appearance and behavior will cause many dogs to feel very anxious, and they will then either get aggressive or retreat.

Do Dogs Like Spiders?

Dogs do not like spiders normally. They are confusing and cause them stress, though most dogs won’t reach the point of actually being scared of the spider. Some will choose to investigate, but most will decide simply to keep their distance since they don’t understand this strange-looking creature that moves so oddly.

I’m sure you’re sick of your dog going uncontrollably insane every time they see a spider, so I’ll let you get started on things now. Good luck with everything, and thank you for reading our article “Dog Barks at Spiders? Here’s How to Stop It!”