It happens every time an office is racing to a call past your house: your dog barks at the police car and sirens like the world is ending. What’s going on here? Why do dogs bark at police sirens? Are police sirens too loud for dogs? And what about the lights? Are police lights safe for dogs?

Today, we’ll put all your worries to rest by answering all of these questions. We’ll also get to what you came here for: how to stop your dog barking at police cars and sirens once and for all. Soon, you’ll no longer have to deal with this aggravation. Keep reading below for our article “Stop Dog Barking at Police Cars!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at Police Cars and Sirens

To get your dog to stop barking at police cars and sirens, they need to learn to become quiet on command. To make this happen, bring your dog somewhere you know that they like to bark like the park, with plenty of dog treats. Leave them on their leash and stay far away from the other people and animals at the park.

When your dog begins to bark, say “quiet” in a calm and positive voice. If they give you their focus, then reward them with praise and a small treat right away. But if they quickly start up barking again or never quit, then you should hide a treat within your fist.

Put your hand very close to your dog’s nose. Your dog will still be able to smell the treat even within your hand and will quit their barking to investigate the scent. Once they’ve gotten silent and are also giving you their attention, again give the “quiet” command and then open your hand to reward them with praise and a treat.

If your dog continues staying silent, keep rewarding them with a treat and praise. But if they start barking again, regardless of whether it’s at you or at someone at the park, repeat the steps of hiding a treat inside your fist, placing it right next to their nose, and then waiting until they’ve quieted.

Be sure that you’re waiting until your dog has become silent before you reward them. This helps form a positive connection with your dog with giving you their attention and being silent any time you say “quiet.” Reward them right away with praise and treats when your dog is doing what they should.

With repetition, time, and consistency, your dog will become quiet simply by you giving the command, and you will no longer need to place your hand by their mouth. You should then begin lengthening the amount of time before you give them their rewards. Start with just a couple of seconds, then increase that to 5 seconds, and so on.

It won’t be long until the praise and food rewards won’t be needed anymore and you can get your dog to quit barking at police cars or at anything else simply by giving the “quiet” command.

Still, to make real, long-lasting progress you need to ultimately address the problem at its root. Right now, your dog is basically doing whatever they want, losing control of their emotions, and most importantly: not listening to you or your commands to stop an unwanted behavior (barking at police sirens and cars).

For us to go over that, we must first talk about what makes dogs function 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 police cars, they are without a doubt telling you that they don’t respect you in this leadership role.

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

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 wonderful changes happen.

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 dominance and anxiety issues are currently burdening their little shoulders with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sounds like a great thing, don’t you think?

“Yes, definitely, but how do I actually do this?”

You should watch a wonderful 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 absolutely everything in ways that are very easy to understand 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 before things escalate any further.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t worry, because no, you’re not going to have to be mean or yell at 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 Police Sirens?

Dogs bark at police sirens because they find the loud noise very distressing, which causes them a tremendous amount of anxiety. Many will then respond by barking. Dogs who feel dominant in addition to the anxiety will also be barking to attempt to warn this threat to stay away.

It’s perfectly normal for a dog to be confused and worried by something as loud as a police siren. The problem is when your dog barks at police sirens and then completely ignores you when you try to get them to quit. This is a sign your dog feels that they can do anything they please, and needs to be addressed right away.

Letting it continue because “well, they don’t hear sirens that often anyways” gives your dog the impression that they’re behaving correctly, and (in cases where they feel dominant) also that they are in fact in charge of the household. Your problems with them will then only get worse and appear more often.

Soon, you’ll find your dog barks at fire trucks, barks at ambulances, barks at semi trucks, barks at tractors, and barks at garbage trucks. See how annoying this could get in a hurry? And that’s just a small list of examples. Basically, anything that’s strange and confusing will be enough to get your dog barking uncontrollably.

To learn how to stop your dog barking at police sirens — as well as anything else — while also learning to handle the root causes (anxiety and possibly dominance), go back to the first section now.

Are Police Sirens Too Loud for Dogs?

Police sirens are too loud for dogs. They produce 110 to 129 decibels of noise, which while below the 140 needed to cause immediate hearing damage for a dog, is still more than enough to make them very frightened. And given how close they are to the danger zone, it’s best to do whatever you can to keep your dog at a distance if a police siren is active nearby.

How your dog reacts to the siren from a police car will vary. Some will want to run away, while others will want to bark. Neither should be seen as acceptable because they are both displays of disobedience and a lack of trust in you. Your dog needs to respect that you are in charge and capable of deciding what is a threat and what is not.

To learn how to teach your dog to listen to your commands, go back to the first section now.

Are Police Lights Safe for Dogs?

Police lights are safe for dogs. They are not in any danger due to the flashing lights. Some dogs may be confused and frightened, but there is no risk of any damage. If your dog is showing signs of distress due to the lights from a police car, take them to a different area. You should then pet and reassure them to help them calm back down.

I’m sure you’re looking forward to your dog not barking at police sirens, so I’ll let you get started on things now. Best of luck, and we hope you found our article “Stop Dog Barking at Police Cars and Sirens” helpful!