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Note: This post has been expanded into a guide with more tips to stop your dog from crying and barking all day. LEARN MORE
Stop your dog from barking and crying all day when left alone
Most dogs or puppies will settle down and stop crying or barking within a half-hour after they are left alone. However, some dogs simply cannot relax. They bark or cry for the entire eight hours their owner is at work. Obviously, this can result in some angry neighbors or an apartment eviction. Some people are even faced with giving up their dogs because they feel like they can’t leave the dog alone barking all day. They feel like they have no choice but to find the dog a new home.
There are ways to overcome this problem. Some people will call the problem separation anxiety. You can call it what you want, but in most cases what the dog really needs is more exercise and rules. “Separation anxiety” is an overused term by vets and trainers. Most dogs do not have anything wrong with them, but they are crying or barking because of pent-up energy and boredom.
Stop a dog from barking all day
Here are some tips to help your dog feel more relaxed when left alone.
Run with the dog every single morning.
A lot of dogs are said to have “separation anxiety” when really they are not getting enough exercise. So, run with your dog for an hour in the morning before you go to work. Some people will laugh when I say this, but it’s not a joke. Run her (or at least walk fast) for a minimum of 45 minutes every single day, even if she is a small dog. How can you expect a dog or puppy to sleep all night and then go in her kennel all day while you are at work? Leaving her loose in the house is no different. To a dog, a house is just a big kennel. To stop your dog from crying all night or day, more exercise is a must.
If you are not a runner, then take your dog biking or rollerblading or to the dog park.
Buy a dog backpack.
The dog backpack will help drain even more energy during the dog’s morning run. A dog can carry a small amount of weight in the pack and it will make her physically more tired. It will challenge her mentally by giving her a job to do. This will make it easier for the dog to sleep when you are gone, and you will stop telling people, “My dog cries all the time.”
Buy a kennel.
If you don’t already have a kennel, get one. Don’t use it as a punishment for the dog. Give the dog a treat when she goes in the kennel, and tell her she’s a good dog. Leave her in the kennel for a few minutes at a time, maybe one minute at first, and only let her out if she is not crying. If the puppy will not stop crying for 20 minutes and is quiet for 30 seconds, let her out during those 30 seconds when she is actually quiet. Work with her until you can leave her in the kennel while you are away. The goal is for your dog to feel safe and secure in her “den” and know it is a place for her to rest quietly. Once you have a dog that can stay quietly in a kennel all day, you can begin to leave her loose in the house.
Ignore a dog that is crying or barking.
The worst thing you can do is return to a dog or let the dog out of her kennel when she cries or barks. Make sure she learns she can only come out if she is calm. If the barking or crying really escalates, then firmly tell her “No!” Yelling at her will not help. It will only increase her anxiousness. Just let her know that the behavior is unwanted. Putting a blanket over my dog Ace’s kennel helped when he was learning to stay quietly in his kennel.
Gradually leave the dog for longer periods.
Once the dog can stay in the kennel for 10 minutes quietly, increase that time to a half-hour. Try this while you are home with the dog. Once she is OK with that, you can act as though you are leaving by just stepping outside for a few seconds. Then leave for five minutes. Slowly increase the time until you can leave for a half-hour or an hour to go shopping. Eventually the dog will be able to be left while you are at work all day. Ideally, you could practice leaving her in the kennel on the weekend or days you are home with her so she is prepared to be left during the work week.
Don’t make a big deal about coming and going.
When you leave, just quietly exit like it is no big deal. Don’t tell your dog she is a good girl over and over. Don’t say “Goodbye, Honey! It’s OK! Mommy will be back soon!” This just gives her a reason to feel anxious because she will pick up on your excited, worried energy. Put your dog in her kennel a few minutes before you go to work, and then leave without saying anything. When you come home, wait a few minutes before you let her out. When you do, just calmly let her out and take her outside. Don’t throw a small party for her every time you come home for work or you will be encouraging your puppy to cry all day. You do not want to “reward” your dog when you return because then she will anticipate your return. You want to “reward” her when you leave so that she actually looks forward to getting a treat when you leave.
Exercise your dog again when you come home from work.
Another hour-walk or run would be ideal for a dog that has been left home all day. If this isn’t possible for you, then at least take your dog on a brisk 20-minute walk and then play with her in the backyard. If you are someone who says, “My puppy will not stop crying” what you should really be saying is “Why don’t I make more time to exercise my puppy?”
Use Kong toys to entertain your dog.
Buy three of four Kong toys and stuff them with different goodies like treats, peanut butter or squirt cheese. Then put them in the freezer overnight and give them to your dog before you leave for work. These should keep your dog entertained for at least a little while. The chewing will help her relax and getting the treats out will give her mind something to focus on. Also look for any kind of interactive toys that make the dog work to figure out how to get a treat.
Buy a dog Thundershirt.
There is a product called the Thundershirt that basically fits snuggly around the dog so she feels “swaddled.” I have not tried this with a dog yet, but many people swear the product helps dogs feel much calmer. It’s not going to cure the problem, but it might help.
Did your dog ever have crying/barking issues when left alone? How did you solve the problem?
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The barking while I’m gone has corrected itself apparently. I ask my landlord the other day if he had any more complaints and he said no. At that time the neighbor that moved in next to me doesn’t like people and doesn’t get along with almost no one. My landlord at the time said the neighbor may be making noise to get her to bark. The reason she may have done this is because when she first moved in, about a week, my dog ran out the door while a friend was leaving. She said my dog attacked her cat but I went out immediately and I didn’t hear any sign that she did. She probably went up to the cat out of curiousity. She ran her back in my yard and that should have been enough, but as soon as I got out she was hiding behind her brick wall and jumped out at me, jumped on me and cursed me out. She was so bad that I got very upset. She was moving around like she wanted to fight. I had not even met her before this. I’ve been here over 12 years and never had any problem with anyone or caused any trouble. Until she had been here just one week. It was about 6 months after that that she conplaimed about her barking. Why didn’t she complain before that if my dog had been barking that much. The neighbor before her liked my dog and I didn’t get one complaint about her barking, and no one else complained at that time she was complaining.
I also started listening for her to bark when I left and when I came back. I would stop on the parking lot and listen and she wasn’t barking. When I went to a friends house just across the yard in front of my apartment. I stayed for hours most times and she didn’t bark. We sat on her porch and she didn’t bark so I think she just wanted me to lose my dog. She doesn’t like dogs, just cats. After that it was a big problem with her for about 4 or 5 months. She even called the police out while I was gone. I went and got the police report and the officer said he didn’t hear a dog bark.
Now my main problem is she loves company so much that she jumps on them when they get through the door and she is very strong for her size and I couldn’t hold her. She wants to be the center of attention while they are here. I finally put her ball up that she wanted them to play with her. That stopped that but she still wanted to be center of attention. I finally told my visitors to ignore her and when she was ignored she would chew on her bone laying still and quietly on the floor, but she still jumps and if they pay attention to her they didn’t get any peace. So far no one has cared that she did that but when she was still they liked that better. I cared but she either ignores me or is too excited to hear me. Ignoring works, but at the door if I can’t hold her while the door is open she will run out and she don’t come back until she got ready. I can’t catch her and no one else can. She is fast. This is why I think she has a lot of Jack Russel in her. She has a will and mind of her own.
She is very smart. She has learned how to sit and now she comes to me when I call her when we are inside. She has learned how to lay down and crawl on her belly. I leave a pad on the bathroom floor in case she needs to go when I’m gone or I don’t get her out in time. She has learned to show me that she has used the paper when I asked does she have something to show me and she does for a treat. If she messes up and doesn’t get a treat though a few times because she had used the bathroom floor, then she messes up a lot. Get her back on treats and she does fine again. She doesn’t go any where but the bathroom though. The main trouble is her jumping on people and she can jump almost up to a womans face. I don’t know what to do about this except close her up in another room and I don’t think that will train her. She is strong but kind of small but she puts her front paws on you when she jumps and she can make you really feel it. She could make a weak person fall backwards. Jack Russel I think again.
A man that worked on our apartments raises them and he said she was a lot Jack Russell but she has a beard and eye brows like a snauswer, so I think she is a mix there but they are both Terriers and I hear they do have a lot of energy and are very hyper. She plays rough and scratches me when I play with her. One more thing she used to do when she got canned dog food once in a while. I would put the can on the floor and she would pick it up and bring it to me when I told her to. That was cute but she doesn’t do that any more. I need help with this jumping on people and if company plays with her I need her to learn not to worry people so much wanting them to play with her. She has to have all the attention then unless I put her ball up and she is ignored. Please.
I’ve considered having her put on something to slow and calm her down. When we’re here alone she sleeps a lot and is very quiet.
Sorry about the length of my post. Any advice please and thanks for the reply.
With the jumping at the door, keep a leash on her. Step on the leash so if she jumps, she self corrects herself. Once people are inside, put her on her bed or a specific place and teach “stay” or “place” as a command. At first, I’m sure this will be too much of a challenge, so keep her on a leash and keep have her stay lying down at your feet. You can step on the leash close to her collar so she does not have enough room to walk around. Or, you can tether her leash to a chair across the room. Ignore her when she cries and acts excited. When she is calm, quiet and has all four paws on the ground, by all means, give her attention.
This will require lots of practice without distractions at first. As I said in my previous comment, work on some solid obedience skills. Work up to the point where she will stay no matter what with minimal distractions and then add mild distractions and increase the length of time. Practice every day in short sessions and in different environments.
What is a citronella spray collar?
It sprays citronella when the dog barks. It doesn’t hurt the dog, but most dogs don’t like the smell and they learn not to bark. I would only use one when the dog is kenneled.
Oh ok! Thank you! Ill try that! I got the Thundershirt and that doesnt seem to make much of a difference
I have had my puppy almost a week now and trying crate training he goes in and out crate freely all day and sleeps too but at night it’s a total nightmare my partner has to put the crate in the room this calms him a little but now he’s howling all nite my partner keeps giving in and bringing him in the bed!!! Causing fraustration as I have told my partner it’s worst move he could make! Any tips anyone as I’d prefer the crate downstairs as I don’t want dog too dependant on our company as we have a 6 month old son too
I have a 3 1/2 snaswer (not spelled corr.) Jack Russel mix dog. My problem is when I take her out on a leash she slips out of her collar, harness, or body harnass. I can’t tighten her collar more. I don’t understand how she does this but I’ve never found anything to hold her. After she gets loose I have to wait until she gets tired, hot or cold before she comes to the door wanting in. Noone can catch her, she runs when I get close to her and she is very fast. I can’t bribe her with food or treats even human food. What can I do. I know the body harness is tight, the other one is very tight behind her front legs and her stomach. Also can you tell me a breed of small dog that does not shed and needs very little grooming? Please help!
Joyce A.
Try putting two types of collars on her, such as a harness and a collar and either using two leashes or clipping the two together. Or, try a choke/slip collar, which will tighten when she tries to slip out.
Don’t pretty much all dogs shed or need grooming? Maybe try an Italian greyhound or a Mexican hairless-type dog.
Would a weighted vest be appropriate for a puppy for walks? I’m nervous about running a puppy from what I’ve read about hip dysplasia risks, but I think the little guy would benefit from higher intensity exercise.
I’ve been using a frozen kong in the crate (with peanut butter, dog food pieces, and greek yogurt), but it seems like once he realizes I’m really gone and has finished his kong, begins crying for longer periods of time. Do I just need more busy time tasks?
I’m about ready to kill my piece of shit dog.
Hello,
I have been reading your blog and it has a lot of really helpful information!
So, I have (my family has) a 6 year old Jack Russell Terrier named Charlie. We have never had a problem leaving him home alone until about a year ago. We were always able to leave home home for long days and he wouldn’t have accidents and he did not destroy anything. About a year ago, my last sister left home, and he has since been home with my parents. However, about a year ago, something happened to him while he was off by himself in our woods. (We live out in the country and he has always stayed in the yard so he has never been tied up). He was attacked by something, we are not sure if it was a neighbor dog or a wild animal, but since then, he gets very nervous when left alone. The first incident was him jumping on our desk and knocking everything off and he also dug at the door. Shortly after that, we bought a kennel and started kenneling him when we leave because he wasn’t trusted enough to be left out. He has since then almost destroyed the kennel, he moves the kennel across the room, and his latest thing is peeing out the door of the kennel… He is very well behaved when we are home, and has not gotten to the point of following us room to room. He even sleeps in his own bed on a different level of the house.
I am really concerned about this behavior and even more so because I am taking him with me now that I am done with college. However, I will be moving into an apartment and I am concerned mostly about the barking when I am gone at work. Do you have any suggestions to help with this? I would really like to be able to take him, because I think in the long run he will be more happy because I will have more time with him than my parents. But, I need help getting over the anxiety!
Thank you!
How frustrating. I address those issues in my ebook here: http://www.thatmutt.com/ebooks/how-to-end-separation-anxiety-in-dogs/
I’m wondering if the dog will be OK once you move to your apartment. Maybe it is something about your parents house that triggers the anxiety due to the incident you described. Let’s hope!
Sticking to a consistent routine and remaining calm yourself will be a big help.
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