It happens every single time you do a load. Your dog barks at the washing machine like crazy! What is going on here? Why does your dog bark at the washing machine? Is it the machine or the room itself? Why is your dog afraid of the laundry room? Are washing machines too loud for dogs?

Well, worry and wonder no longer, because today we’re going to answer all of these questions for you. Most importantly, we’ll tell you how to stop your dog from barking at the washing machine once and for all. Soon, this will be behind you. Keep reading below for our article “Dog Barks at Washing Machine? Here’s How to Stop It!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at Washing Machine

To get your dog to stop barking at the washing machine, they need to learn to become quiet when told. To accomplish this, take your dog somewhere you know that they like to bark like the park, with plenty of dog treats. Don’t take them off their leash and stay a good distance away from the other people and animals there.

As soon as your dog starts to bark, say “quiet” in a positive, calm voice. If they give you their focus, then reward them with a treat and praise right away. But if they quickly resume barking again or never even stop, then you should hide a treat inside your hand.

Put your hand very close to your dog’s nose. Your dog will still be able to detect the treat even within your hand and will stop their barking to sniff it out. Once they’ve become silent and are also paying attention to you, again issue the “quiet” command and then open your hand to give them a treat and praise.

If your dog continues being quiet, keep rewarding them with a treat and praise. 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 within your first, putting it right by their nose, and then pausing until they’ve become silent.

Be sure that you’re waiting until your dog has become quiet before you give them their rewards. This helps create a positive connection for your dog with giving you their attention and getting silent any time you say “quiet.” Reward them immediately with praise and treats when your dog is doing what they should.

With time, repetition, and consistency, your dog will get silent just by you giving the command, and you will no longer need to place your hand next to their mouth. You should then begin increasing the amount of time before you give them any rewards. Start with just a couple of seconds, then move that up to 5 seconds, and so on.

It won’t be long until the praise and food rewards won’t be needed anymore and your dog will quit barking at the washing machine or at anything else just by giving the “quiet” command.

This will get your dog to stop barking at the washer, but it’s important to remember that the issue which was causing all of this to begin with — anxiety — will still remain. And you definitely need to address that, because not doing so means that your dog will continue to suffer, act up, and misbehave in other ways.

And to do that, we must first discuss what makes dogs function and has for thousands and thousands of years now. You’ve likely heard before that all dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But when your dog barks at the washer, they are without a doubt telling you that they have no trust for you in this leadership role.

If they did, they wouldn’t be barking at the washing machine. They wouldn’t display any other types of anxiety-related disrespect or misbehavior. And they would obey your commands at all times — immediately — and they would do so happily.

Make it clear to your dog that you are not just their pack leader, but a capable and deserving one who they must respect, and you’ll make all of these wonderful things your reality.

You’ll win for obvious reasons. But your dog will be the real winner here because they’ll no longer have to deal with all of the confusion and worry that their anxiety problems are currently burdening them with every moment of every day.

That sounds great, does it not?

“Yeah, definitely, but how am I supposed to do this then?”

You should watch a tremendous free video series by a renowned trainer named Dan which is on this very subject: how to be your dog’s pack leader. In Dan’s series, he explains everything in ways that are very easy to follow and teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you can start seeing these important changes in your dog in no time.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t worry, because no, you’re not going to have to yell or be mean to your dog. Dan never uses those types of methods. Not just because loving teaching techniques are the right thing to do, but also because they’re the fastest way to achieve permanent changes in your dog’s behavior.

Why Does My Dog Bark at the Washing Machine?

Your dog barks at the washing machine because they have noise anxiety. This causes them to be fearful of loud, confusing objects like your washer. Many dogs will then choose to respond in the only way they know how to threats, which is to start barking. Even if your washer seems very quiet to you, remember that it’s much louder to your dog who has very sensitive hearing.

The real trouble comes when your dog barks at the washer and then ignores you when you try to get them to stop. When this happens, they’re clearly disrespecting you and your role as their leader. While it may be easy to brush it off if this is the only time something like this is happening, it’s important to address things right away.

A sole problem (barking at the washing machine) will soon grow into many problems. Once you give your dog tacit approval to be disobedient like this, they’ll begin doing it at many other times as well.

Soon, you’ll find that your dog barks at the dryer, barks at the oven, barks at the dishwasher, and (less surprisingly) barks at the vacuum cleaner. I’m sure you don’t want to be listening to their barking all day long, nor do you want them disrespecting your role in the home, so it’s important to get a handle on this issue of theirs immediately.

To learn how to stop your dog barking at the washer while also regaining their respect as their leader, go back to the first section now and we’ll tell you the exact steps you need to be following.

Why Is My Dog Afraid of the Laundry Room?

Your dog is afraid of the laundry room because of all the frightening sounds in there. There are loud machines that they don’t quite understand in that room, and many dogs have noise anxiety which means that they get very stressed out when they’re hearing noisy, confusing things.

Remember that while you may have state-of-the-art quiet machines in your laundry room, they’re going to be much, much louder to your dog who has an incredible sense of hearing. Do your best to keep the door to the laundry room shut whenever things are running so that it can be as quiet as possible for your dog.

Are Washing Machines Too Loud for Dogs?

Washing machines might be loud enough to annoy your dog and make them stressed and anxious, but a properly running machine will not be loud enough to cause any problems. Dogs can experience sounds up to 140 decibels without damage or pain while washing machines average between 40 and 80 decibels.

I’m sure you’re sick of your dog barking when you put the wash in, so I’ll let you begin now. Best wishes with all of this, and we hope you found our article “Dog Barks at Washing Machine? Here’s How to Stop It” helpful!