Barking

Dog Barks at Workmen in House? Here’s How to Stop It!

You’ve got to get repairs done, but it’s so much trouble because your dog is barking at workmen in the house every time they’re there! What do you do? How do you get your dog to stop barking at workmen? Why do dogs bark at workmen in the house? Will workmen refuse to work in your home if your dog barks? How do you introduce your dog to workmen in the house?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about this frustrating issue. And of course, we’ll cover what you’re really interested in: how to stop your dog barking at workmen in the house. Soon, you’ll be able to get repairs done without worry! Keep reading below for our article “Dog Barks at Workmen in House? Here’s How to Stop It!”

How Do I Get My Dog to Stop Barking at Workmen?

Dog Barks at Workmen in House

To get your dog to stop barking at workmen:

  1. Teach your dog the “quiet” command to use anytime they bark at workmen or whenever you need them to be silent.
  2. To do so, take your dog somewhere you know they’ll probably bark such as the park with lots of treats.
  3. When your dog begins to bark, say “quiet” in a calm, positive voice. If they listen to you and get silent while also paying attention to you reward them with a treat and praise right away.
  4. But if your dog keeps barking or quickly starts again, then hide a treat within your fist.
  5. Put your hand right by your dog’s nose. They’ll still be able to detect the scent even inside of your hand and should stop barking to investigate it.
  6. As soon as they’ve stopped barking and are paying you their complete attention, again say “quiet,” and then open your hand to give them a treat and praise.
  7. If they continue to be silent and are giving you their complete attention, keep rewarding them with praise and treats.
  8. But if they again start to bark or are not paying attention, repeat the process of putting a treat inside of your fist, placing it near their nose, and waiting until they stop their barking and give you their focus.
  9. Make sure to always pause until they’ve quit 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 for your dog with the “quiet” command, and with being silent and focusing on you.
  11. With time, practice, and patience, you should be able to get them to respond just with the “quiet” command, and you’ll no longer have to place your fist next to their mouth.
  12. When your dog is doing well with just the command, then you should begin increasing the duration of time you wait until you reward them.
  13. Start by pausing for 1-2 seconds, then as they do well increase that to about 5 seconds, and so on.
  14. It won’t be long until it will no longer be necessary to reward your dog with food and praise, and they will become quiet and pay attention to you solely by you giving the command.

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

For us to go over that, we must first discuss what makes dogs function deep down. You’ve likely heard before that all dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But every time that your dog barks at workmen, they are definitively telling you that they have no trust for you in this leadership role.

If they did, they wouldn’t bark at workmen and ignore your commands to stop it. They wouldn’t display any other types of territorial dominance or anxiety-related disrespect or misbehavior. And they would obey your commands as soon as they’re given, and they would do so happily.

Prove to 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 changes your reality.

Obviously, you’ll be better off. But your dog will be too because they’ll no longer have to deal with all of the worry and confusion that their dominance and anxiety issues are currently placing on them every single second of every single day.

Sounds like a terrific thing, don’t you agree?

“Yeah, of course, but how do I actually do this then?”

You should watch an incredibly useful free video series by a renowned trainer named Dan which is on this exact 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 immediately 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 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 Do Dogs Bark at Workmen in the House?

Dogs bark at workmen in the house due to territorial dominance combined with anxiety. They feel the need to protect you, themselves, and the home because they think it’s their sole duty, and they also feel very nervous and stressed about these strange people that are in the home making all sorts of noise and commotion. This causes them to become aggressive and bark.

While it’s not an unusual response for a dog to have to repairmen or workmen in the house, if your dog is barking at workmen and ignoring you when you tell them to stop, then you have a potentially serious behavioral issue on your hands. This is a clear sign of disrespect of your authority. Your dog feels that they are in charge and that they don’t have to listen to you.

If you don’t get a handle on this problem right away, they will believe that you are approving of the way they behave. Things will then get even worse, and you’ll soon find them barking at and getting aggressive with many other workers who are needed to get things done.

You’ll see that your dog barks at housekeepers, barks at window cleaners, and probably even barks at house sitters. Obviously, these people are serving a necessary role and you don’t want them to feel unwelcome or to refuse to work in your home, so it’s crucial that you start addressing your dog’s issues with anxiety and territorial dominance immediately.

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

Will Workmen Refuse to Work in My Home if My Dog Barks?

Workmen will refuse to work in your home if your dog barks. While it’s no guarantee, they expect a safe work environment and if your dog is getting aggressive and making them concerned, it would be no surprise if they choose to decline to work for you. Depending on your agreement, you may even forfeit deposits.

Home repairmen are in high demand, so they can afford to be selective about who they work with. If you’re not creating an environment for them to do their job safely and without the stress of a dog barking at them, then it’s very likely that they could easily find another job that pays just as well.

That’s why it’s important to make sure that your dog doesn’t bark at workmen, and that you’re able to control them simply by giving a command. Go back to the first section now where we’ll teach you how to give the “quiet” command whenever you need your dog to be silent.

How Do I Introduce My Dog to Workmen in the House?

To introduce your dog to workmen in the house:

  1. Be calm and relaxed before the workmen come by for the first time.
  2. On their first visit, have the workmen toss your dog some of their favorite treats.
  3. Use a positive tone of voice whenever speaking to your workmen to keep your dog at ease.
  4. Don’t force your dog to interact if they seem scared.
  5. Try to tire out your dog before your workmen come to do their job by taking them for a long walk or having a long play session. Tired dogs are generally quiet ones.
  6. Put your dog somewhere they’ll feel safe with a quiet toy to keep them occupied, like a closed-off room or their crate with a blanket over the top.
  7. Once they’ve shown that they’re ready, allow your workmen to pet them while again giving them a small treat.
  8. If possible, do your best to be at the house at all times your workmen are there so that your dog doesn’t feel that they’ve been left alone.

I’m sure you’re ready to have repairs done in your home without your dog going crazy, so I’ll let you get started now. Best of luck with everything, and we hope you found our article “Dog Barks at Workmen in House? Here’s How to Stop It” helpful!