Your dog’s barking can certainly drive you crazy at times, but it’s even worse for you and others when it happens at night. We all just want to sleep, and you certainly don’t want your neighbors hating you. Fortunately, there are easy and proven solutions and we’re going to provide you with the information on what to do both immediately and long-term.

Keep reading and we’ll answer “How do I stop my dog barking at night?” (Don’t worry, this will work either inside or outside.)

Why Does My Dog Bark at Night for No Reason?

Your dog barks at night for no reason (seemingly) because they are feeling fearful or anxious. Needing to go out or feeling sick are also possibilities for why they are making noise, but you’ll usually have other obvious signs in those cases. Older dogs barking at night may be experiencing confusion.

When there seems to be no reason to bark, however, you can safely assume that the issue is with your dog feeling scared or anxious. This creates in them a need to defend themselves, you, and their territory (remember, they’re descended from wolves after all).

And with no obvious threat, even the tiniest sound can trigger them to bark without there being a clear reason to you why they’re doing it.

Should I Ignore My Dog Barking at Night?

You should ignore your dog barking at night, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do anything about it (we’ll cover removing bark triggers and longer term solutions later in this article). Giving your dog attention when they’re randomly barking at night placates them with attention and the feeling that they’ve protected you.

Many dogs will also interpret your yelling or other attempts at communication not as commands to stop, but as approval of their behavior. To them, you’re not saying “STOP,” you’re saying “YES, YES, I’LL BARK TOO!”

It’s critical that you and any other household members are consistent in ignoring the dog’s barking behavior. If you do not give them attention, but someone else in the house does, attempts at stopping your dog’s night barking will go nowhere.

How to Stop Dog Barking at Night Outside or Inside

To stop your dog barking at night outside or inside, you should first begin by removing any obvious motivations or triggers. Bring your dog inside, or close the curtains so they can’t see out the windows.

Try putting them in another room which has less noise. If they stay outside all night, consider covering up any peek holes you have in your fence during the night.

Longer term, you’ll need to address the need to bark at every little thing they see or hear at night. Just removing your dog’s triggers doesn’t get to the problem at its core. You’ll remember earlier we talked about your dog’s barking likely being rooted in fear or anxiety, and that’s what you’ll need to address for more permanent results.

Your dog feels fearful or anxious due to these noises and sounds because they do not feel safe and protected. This is because they are not seeing you or anyone else in the home as a clear leader.

Remember that dogs are pack animals, and because of this will always be looking to someone in the pack to take charge and protect everyone. When they see no one (at least in their view) taking that role, their instinct forces them to take it over themselves.

Feeling the need to protect you and your home’s territory prompts them to warn others to stay away by barking, and at nighttime these fears (and the resulting barking) will be more common since sights and sounds are harder to distinguish and recognize as threats or non-threats.

To learn how to become your dog’s pack leader, there’s an excellent free video series by a renowned dog trainer named Dan which will show you everything you need to know. His videos give clear, easy to follow instructions, and get right to the point so you’ll start seeing progress in no time.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. Addressing your dog’s pack leader issues will correct misbehavior like barking, aggression, leash pulling, and more. And don’t worry, all of his teaching methods are done in a 100% loving and humane way so you won’t have to be mean.

I’m sure you’re looking forward to peaceful nights with your dog, and I’m excited for you too! Remember the steps we covered that you should take in both the short and long term, and your dog’s nighttime barking will soon be a thing of the past.

Don’t forget to pin and share this in case you need to check back later for some reminders!