Your dog loves farm life but just can’t seem to get along with your cows. It seems like every time you turn around your dog is barking at your cows. What is going on here? Why do dogs bark at cows? Can dogs chase cows? How do you train a dog to be around a cow?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about this frustrating issue. And we’ll, of course, cover what’s most on your mind: how to stop your dog from barking at your cows. Soon, this problem will be a thing of the past. Keep reading below for our article “How to Stop My Dog Barking at Cows!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at Cows

To stop dog barking at cows, teach them the “quiet” command. Take them to where you keep your cattle with plenty of small treats in your pocket. When your dog barks at the cows, immediately give the “quiet” command. If they respond and stop, then you should reward them with praise and a treat right away.

But if they don’t, or quickly start barking at your cows again, place a treat in your fist and then hold it close to your dog’s nose. They will be able to smell it even within your fist and should soon stop barking. Now that they’ve quit barking and are giving you their full attention, quickly repeat the “quiet” command and then reward them with praise and a small treat.

Keep placing treats in your fist and repeating this process along with the command when they start barking at the cattle again, which is likely when they’re still learning. Be sure, however, that you don’t give them any praise or treats until they’ve quit their barking and given you their complete attention.

With patience, time, and consistency, your dog should learn to quit barking at cows and other animals simply by you giving the “quiet” command and it won’t be necessary for you to place your fist by their mouth. Once they’ve reached the point that they’re responding well to only the verbal command, begin slowly increasing the time before you reward them with a treat and praise.

Begin by waiting 2-3 seconds, then 5 seconds, and so on. Your dog will quickly get to the point that treats and praise will not be required for you to get them to “quiet” on command. But you’ll still need to address the root problem which was causing all of this misbehavior and disrespect in the first place, which is dominance.

And to properly cover that, we should first quickly discuss what makes dogs tick to begin with. You’ve probably heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But when your dog barks at cows and your other animals, and ignores your commands to stop, 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 your cows. They wouldn’t show any other types of dominance-related misbehavior. And they would obey your commands at all times — immediately — and they would do so happily.

You’ll be better off and your cattle will be better off. But your dog will be the biggest beneficiary here because you’ll have freed them from all of the stress and confusion that pack leader and dominance issues are currently placing on their shoulders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sounds like a great thing then, doesn’t it?

“Yeah, absolutely, but how do I do this?”

You should watch an excellent free video series which is on this very subject — how to be your dog’s pack leader — by a renowned trainer named Dan. In the series, he explains everything in ways that are very easy to understand and to teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you’ll start seeing these important changes in your dog before things get any worse.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t get worried, because no, you’re not going to have to yell or be mean to your dog. Dan uses only 100% humane and loving methods at all times. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it’s the fastest way to achieve permanent changes in your dog’s behavior.

Why Do Dogs Bark at Cows?

Dogs bark at cows because they see them as encroaching on their territory, and they’re warning them to stay away. Dogs don’t trust these large creatures that behave differently than other animals they’re used to, but they also know that they’re not prey due to their large size.

Depending on your dog’s temperament and their familiarity with cows, they could also just be trying to play (though this is less likely). They’ve seen that cows can run for short distances, so they may be trying to entice them into a fun game of chase. If this is the case with your dog, you’ll also see them doing things like wagging their tail and performing play bows.

But when your dog is barking at cows and not listening to your commands to stop, then their disobedience is a clear sign of dominance issues. It’s important that you address this right away because allowing this belief to continue in them will mean that it’s only going to get worse.

You’ll find your dog barking at other dogs, barking at your horses, barking at your sheep, barking at your goats… basically, anyone and everyone will be a potential target. And if this problem is left to fester long enough, they could even escalate into attacks.

Obviously, none of these are things you want to be dealing with so you should work on fixing their issue right away. To stop your dog barking at your cows and other animals, go back to the first section now and we’ll give you the exact steps to follow.

Can Dogs Chase Cows?

Dogs can chase cows, or at least many will attempt to do so. Your cows, however, will not enjoy this and will likely try to get away so you shouldn’t allow it. Your dog will see the cows running away as a positive response and will think that the cows are playing along, of course.

But this will be stressful and frightening to the cows, who will not see it as a game as your dog will. Continue to the next section where we’ll go over how to train your dog to be around a cow and behave properly.

How Do You Train a Dog to Be Around a Cow?

You train a dog to be around a cow by:

1. Put your dog on their leash and put some treats in your pocket.
2. Take your dog out to the cows, and preferably by a more mild-mannered one.
3. When your dog notices the cow, hold tight on the leash.
4. Tell your dog “lay down.”
5. Gently push down on your dog’s rear end to get them to do so, if necessary.
6. When your dog lays down, reward them praise and a treat, but only after they’ve given you their attention and stopped looking at the cows.
7. When they’re relaxed, have your dog stand and move closer to the cows.
8. If they start barking at the cows, lunging at them, pulling towards them, or attempting to chase them, lead your dog away again.
9. When they calm, repeat the “lay down” command.
10. Again reward them a treat and praise only after they’ve given you their full attention.
11. Repeat this process for 10 minutes or so.
12. Repeat this entire process later in the same day, or the next one.
13. Brief training sessions repeated often will get your dog to learn the fastest and will also be the least stressful on your cattle.
14. Be patient and consistent.

I’m sure you’re ready to not have to worry about your dog being around your cattle, so I’ll let you get started on things now. Good luck, and thank you for reading our article “How to Stop My Dog Barking at Cows.”