It brings you so much joy to look out early in the mornings and see the deer out grazing in your backyard. But that beautiful sight might not last if your dog keeps barking at the deer every time they come by! Why does your dog bark at deer? Why do dogs go after deer? How does your dog know a deer is outside?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about your dog barking at deer. Most importantly, we’ll get to what you’re really concerned about: how to stop your dog barking at deer once and for all! Soon, you’ll be able to enjoy the nice view of nature without your pup scaring them off. Keep reading below for our article “Dog Is Barking at Deer? Here’s How to Stop It!”

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

To get your dog to stop barking at deer, take your dog outside with plenty of small treats. Say “quiet” in a positive voice. If they look at you, immediately give them praise and a treat. If your dog gets excited and starts barking at you or something else, place a treat in your fist. Place your fist in front of your dog’s nose. They’ll be able to smell it and should stop barking.

Once they’ve quit barking and given you their attention, again say “quiet,” and then open your hand and give them the treat along with praise. If they continue to remain quiet, keep rewarding them with a treat and praise. But if they start barking again, whether it’s at you or something else, repeat the process with putting a treat in your fist, placing it by their nose, and then waiting for them to quiet.

Make sure that you’re timing things so that you do not open your hand to give them their treat and praise until they’ve quieted and closed their mouth. This will help to form a positive connection in their mind with keeping their mouth closed whenever you say “quiet.” Reward them with the treats and praise right away when they do, especially when they’re learning.

With time, practice, and consistency, your dog should learn to stop barking simply by you saying “quiet” but without you placing your hand by their mouth. When they start responding well to the verbal command, you can lengthen the time before you give them the treat. Start with just a few seconds, then move to 5 seconds, etc.

Soon, the food rewards and praise will no longer be necessary and you can get your dog to stop barking at deer and for any other reason simply by giving the “quiet” command.

But while these steps will get your dog to stop barking at deer, you need to remember that the underlying behavioral issues (dominance and anxiety) 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 them 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 deer 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 deer ever again!

Why Does My Dog Bark at Deer?

Dogs bark at deer because they are territorial, and they are warning the deer to stay away. If your dog is barking at deer during walks or away from the home, then they are being dominant and they feel the need to protect you from what they see that could be a threat.

Being overexcited is also a possibility depending on your dog’s temperament. If you see your dog exhibiting signs of wanting to play (doing play bows, wagging their tail), then they are seeing the deer as something new and interesting, and a potential playmate for a fun game of chase. They just don’t understand that the deer sees them as a predator.

Be sure that your dog is getting plenty of playtime, attention, and exercise. Your dog barking at the deer is likely very threatening to them, so you may want to consider taking a different walking route, or adjusting the time of day that you go out. While at home, keep your dog occupied with a quiet chew toy.

But if your dog barks at deer and refuses your commands to stop, then you have a clear behavioral issue on your hands. You’ll likely also find that your dog barks at other animals inside and outside of the home uncontrollably as well. You’ll see your dog is barking at wild rabbits, barking at reptiles like iguanas, and maybe even barking at your fish in their tank.

You don’t want to allow your dog’s misbehavior and refusal of your commands to continue, or they could soon escalate into attacks that you won’t be able to prevent. To stop your dog barking at deer and other animals before their problem gets any worse, go back to the first section now and we’ll give you the exact steps to follow.

Why Do Dogs Go After Deer?

Dogs go after deer because it’s in the deer’s natural instincts to view your dog as a predator and to respond by running away. Your dog’s natural instincts, however, make them see anything that runs from them as prey, so it’s not surprising that they would then react by chasing after the deer.

Be sure to always keep a firm grip on your leash when you walk your dog if it’s possible that there’s deer nearby. You also need to immediately begin working on behavioral training with your dog, so that they respect your commands at all times, even when posed with something enticing like chasing after a deer. Go back to the first section now where we’ll tell you how.

How Does My Dog Know a Deer Is Outside?

Your dog knows a deer is outside because they can detect their scent. Dogs have extremely good senses of smell, being able to pick up scents over 12 miles away. They’re even able to smell things through walls. Deers that are stressed also give off a different scent, which would make them even more enticing to a predator like your dog.

I’m sure you’re eager to be able to enjoy peaceful walks without worrying about your dog crazily barking at the wildlife, so I’ll let you get started now. Best wishes with everything, and thank you for reading “Dog Is Barking at Deer? Here’s How to Stop It!”