Poodles are very intelligent dogs—they are considered one of the most intelligent dog breeds. As such, they require a lot of attention and training to maintain their good behavior.
If you have a poodle, you will know that they make excellent watchdogs. They will alert you whenever a stranger approaches your home, but in some cases, this can get out of hand and become undesirable.
The good news is that it is possible to train your poodle to not bark excessively.
This is important because it shows that poodles can be trained to bark less, which is beneficial for those who live in close quarters (such as apartments) or who otherwise do not want their dog barking excessively.
In this article, we will go into detail about how to train your poodle to bark less.
Are Poodles Known for Barking?
Poodles are one of those breeds that just seem to love barking. Some people say that it’s because poodles were bred to be hunting dogs, and others say it’s just their personality. Regardless of why poodles bark so much, it can get annoying after a while in some situations. So if you’re looking for a quiet dog, the poodle might not be the right choice for you.
However, if you’re looking for a watchdog, however, then poodles are definitely a great option! They have a tendency to bark often and loudly which makes poodles an excellent choice as watchdogs because they’ll let you know when anyone is near your home or property.
Poodle Barking Level – How Loud do Poodles Bark?
Some standard poodles bark as loudly as 110 decibels, though the average barks at 80 to 90 dB. Even an average standard poodle may be able to produce a bark exceeding 110 decibels when triggered. If you have more than one poodle the noise can easily exceed 115 decibels.
Toy poodles, miniature poodles, and standard poodles are not especially quiet or loud dogs. The poodle is considered a moderate barker that becomes louder when provoked.
The standard poodle’s bark is the loudest, then the miniature poodle’s. The toy poodle’s bark is the quietest.
The size of the dog also contributes to pitch, with a deeper and lower-toned bark from larger standard poodles in contrast to their high-pitched smaller poodle counterparts.
If you’re wondering what a poodle’s bark sounds like, here’s a small audio clip of a toy poodle barking.
Why Do Poodles Bark?
Poodles bark for a lot of reasons. They might be bored, they might be afraid, or they might just be excited. If you’re having trouble figuring out why your dog is barking, here are some ideas that might help you out!
Breed: Some dog breeds, such as poodles, huskies, and chihuahuas, are well-known for their vocalization tendencies.
Boredom: If your poodle barks when you’re away from home or at night when no one’s around, this may mean that he’s bored. Try providing him with more toys and games that will keep him occupied when you aren’t around to play with him.
Excitement: Some owners find that their poodles bark whenever someone comes to their door—this can be a sign that their dogs are getting over-excited by the interruption in the house routine. Consider training your poodle to stay calm when another person comes into your house. This will help prevent him from barking whenever someone else enters his territory!
Fear: Some poodles have been known to bark constantly when they’re scared of something like thunderstorms or fireworks displays at night; others will bark if they hear strange noises outside like howling wind or creaking doors in the middle of the night (these noises can sound very similar to those made by predators).
Anxiety: When poodles are left alone, they can get anxious. This is why it’s important to leave your poodle with plenty of toys and chew items while you’re gone. It’s also a good idea to leave them with some food so they won’t be desperate for it when you return.
Frustration: Poodles bark for a variety of reasons, but they often do so when they are frustrated or need something from you. They might be bored, hungry, thirsty, or need to go outside for a walk. If your dog is barking at night, it could be because they want to play or because they are afraid of something. You can try to determine the cause of your dog’s barking by observing them closely and paying attention to what happens before the barking starts.
Loud Noises: Poodles have an amazing sense of hearing, and they can hear noises that humans cannot. The sound of a thunderstorm or fireworks can startle your dog and cause them to bark. This is especially true if your dog has never heard these sounds before. You should also keep in mind that dogs are very territorial animals and they may feel the need to protect their owner when they hear other dogs barking or other loud noises.
Critters in Your Property: If you’re a dog owner, you may have noticed that your canine friend tends to bark more when there are critters on your property. Common intruders such as rats, squirrels, rabbits, and even birds like pigeons can make your dog bark more than usual. If you have a lot of critters on your property then you should try and find a solution so they won’t keep entering your property.
How to Stop Poodle Barking?
If your poodle is annoying you and the neighbors by barking at everything in the yard, keep your poodle indoors until you can train him not to bark excessively.
When you do eventually decide to let your poodle out in the yard, keep a close eye on him and don’t leave his side.
When your dog barks at something, figure out what he’s barking at and acknowledge him for alerting you to it. Then try to distract him with rewarding behavior. Rewarding behaviors for your poodle can include throwing a ball, practicing obedience commands like ‘sit’ or ‘down’, or simply going back inside the house together.
If you’re distressed by the sound of your poodle barking indoors, it’s important to first understand what causes him or her to bark at all. After you have figured out the trigger, you can begin to work on ways to eliminate the situation.
If you’re not home when the barking occurs, close the blinds on a window that lets your dog see things that cause them to bark.
If he barks because of outside noises (like party music coming from next door, or dogs barking in a distant yard) leaving a device like PetMedics Calming Portable Sound Machine on might help drown them out. You could also try confining him to an area of the house where he can’t hear a lot of noise from outside.
If your neighbors complain about your poodle’s barking, you should pay attention. Ignoring their complaints will only make the situation worse.
But excessive barking is not only bad for neighbor relations; it can also be a sign that your poodle isn’t feeling happy herself.
Your poodle is either bored, lonely, or overstimulated; if you can figure out the reason why they are barking and address it then their stress will alleviate, and most likely the excessive barking will stop.
If your poodle barks constantly while you’re home, especially when the mail carrier or the amazon delivery person arrives or walks by the house, don’t shout at them.
Instead, call your poodle’s name and let him know that you’re on his side. If he stops barking for even a moment of silence, use your clicker to click and give him a treat right away to show him perfect quiet is what gets the good stuff.
If you don’t have a clicker yet, I recommend Downtown Pet Supply Clicker – it’s inexpensive and helps a lot while training your poodle.
Barking is a completely normal poodle behavior. But barking that continues for hours on end can be indicative of other problems and should be addressed immediately.
How to Stop Poodle Barking at Night?
First, it’s important to determine why your dog is barking at night; the problem may seem insignificant but can be more serious than you think.
Your dog may be barking not just because it’s scared or nervous, but also because its sensitive hearing is picking up on noises that you don’t even notice.
Other dogs barking, wildlife sounds, distant sirens, and cars driving by can all be triggers for your dog’s ultra-sensitive hearing and cause him to bark.
If your poodle barks during the night, it might be because you’re not giving him enough exercise during the day and he’s too hyper at night. If your dog doesn’t get enough exercise during the day, he or she might want to release that pent-up energy in the evening and night and one of those ways to release that energy could be barking.
Lastly, loneliness and boredom are both common causes of night barking.
If your poodle is left alone and cannot get to where you are, they may experience separation anxiety. Their boredom may manifest itself as unwanted behavior such as barking among others.
Here are some things you can do to stop your poodle from barking at night:
- If you suspect your poodle barks because of noise, you can buy a device such as the PetMedics Calming Portable Sound Machine. Devices like this will play soothing tones to help calm your dog and even get a good night’s sleep.
- If your dog barks all night near the windows, he’s probably trying to scare away whatever he thinks is outside or trying to alert you. If you know that it’s safe and there are no security concerns, try closing the curtains at night.
- Give your poodle enough exercise during the day to ensure that they will be well-rested at night.
- If your poodle continues to act hyper, even after you’ve given them enough exercise, try walking or playing with them for a bit in the evening.
- Additionally, consider leaving your dog with a few chew toys at night.
If the barking starts to get worse, it’s best to have your poodle in the same room as you, or at least in a place where they can see you.
Poodles are extremely intelligent and will often mimic the behavior of their owners. If you keep your poodle in the same room as you at night, he will start mimicking your behavior and try to get a good night’s sleep.
Which Poodle Mix Barks the Least?
If you’re looking for a dog that’s going to be quiet and not disturb your neighbors, you might want to consider one of the poodle mixes listed below. These dogs are known to have lower levels of barking than other purebred or mixed-breed poodles.
Poodles mixes such as goldendoodles, whoodles, cavapoos, labradoodles, cockapoos, Sheepadoodle, Bordoodle, Boxerdoodle, and Aussiedoodles bark the least out of all the poodle mixes.
Here are some things when considering which poodle mix to buy when your main concern is getting a poodle mix that barks less:
- While large dogs tend to have deep, booming voices, those of smaller pups can be high-pitched and almost piercing. As such, their barks may seem more noticeable to us humans.
- As far as the gender of the poodle is concerned, there are no studies that link a dog’s gender with how loud they bark. The pitch of a dog’s bark is dependent upon the size and build of its vocal cords—not whether or not the poodle is male or female.
Is There Such a Poodle Mix That Does Not Bark at All?
Barking is a natural behavior for dogs, including poodles and their mixes. So the answer is, no, there is no such poodle mix that does not bark at all. If your dog doesn’t bark, it could be because they have a health problem or they’re simply shy around people they don’t know well.
Because they’re so smart, they have no problem learning new commands and tricks. They can also learn how to stay calm in situations where they might normally bark.
The best way to train your poodle not to bark is by using positive reinforcement. When you see your dog making progress towards becoming quiet, reward him with treats or even a fun game of fetch!
Why Does My Toy Poodle Keep Barking?
Here are some reasons why your toy poodle might be barking:
- They’re trying to tell you something is wrong – this could be a lot of things from you leaving the door open to them trying to alert you that there’s a stranger approaching the house or simply because they see something that’s making them anxious or scared.
- They’re bored and want your attention. They’re excited about something (like seeing the ice cream van).
- They’re frustrated because they can’t get something they want (like a toy).
- They’re just being playful!
- Your toy poodle may be feeling lonely. If they are left alone for long periods of time, they may develop separation anxiety which could lead them to unwanted behavior such as excessive barking.
Poodle Barking at Other Dogs
If your poodle is barking at other dogs, it’s important to socialize them so they get comfortable around unfamiliar dogs and don’t bark at them unnecessarily.
Here are some tips for making sure your poodle is well-socialized:
1) Take your poodle out in public frequently.
2) Don’t let them get overly excited when they encounter other dogs; try to keep a calm demeanor so they can learn to relax around new dogs.
3) Practice training with your poodle in environments where there are lots of people and dogs around so they can get used to being around crowds of unfamiliar animals.
Using a clicker to let them know when they act in a way you want them to and reward them will enforce that good behavior. Always remember, positive reinforcement will always be better than shouting or hitting your dog when they do something you don’t want them to.
Poodle Barking at Strangers
If you have a poodle that barks at strangers without any reason, it’s time to take action.
If your poodle is barking at strangers, they may be afraid of them, or they may be excited. The first thing to do is to figure out which it is. If your dog is afraid of strangers, then you need to work with them so that they can get used to being around new people in a safe way. If your dog is excited about seeing new people, then you need to teach them how to calm down when they see someone unfamiliar coming near their home.
Once you’ve figured out why your dog is barking at strangers, there are certain steps that you can take to help them learn how to behave appropriately when someone comes over.
Poodle Barks at Everything
Most dogs bark because they either want to scare away a perceived threat or drive off an intruder. This answers the “Why does my poodle bark at everything” question!
Most dogs bark to scare away a perceived threat or drive off an intruder, because they want things that are scary and intruders to go away.
Because you now understand that your poodle barks as a way to express his feelings, and since feelings are often associated with internal states in living things, we can use this information to change the barking behavior.
Now, all that remains is teaching your dog to be less of a guard and stop incessantly barking with the help of positive reinforcement.
The way to achieve this is by using positive reinforcement, and patience and working on your fundamental commands such as “stop”, “no”, sit, “stay” and “come”.
Poodle Barks at Nothing
Poodles live in a different sensory world than humans do.
Their senses are very different from ours: they smell, hear and see things in a very distinct way.
As a result, they perceive different things in their environment than we do; many of these stimuli can cause your poodle to bark.
Canines can hear higher-pitched sounds than their human owners, such as the squeaking of mice. And at a far superior frequency to our own, dogs are able to pick up on extremely soft sounds that we humans are simply incapable of hearing.
This means that there are sounds flooding your poodle’s ears that you aren’t aware of—so when your dog seems to be responding to noises you don’t hear, it could be because he is reacting to sounds you can’t hear.
Furthermore, dogs have superior night vision. Once the sun sets and your backyard looks pitch black, it still contains sights that you can’t see but are crystal clear to a canine eye. So, the next time you find your pooch barking at something in the dark, they may be reacting to a sight that human eyes would never be able to see.
Poodle Barking Home Alone
If you’ve ever left your poodle alone, you know how much they can bark. It can be the sound of nails on a chalkboard, and it can drive your neighbors crazy!
Here are a few tips for reducing your dog’s barking while you’re away:
1. Make sure they have plenty of toys and chewables to keep them busy until you get home. Leave them in their kennel or crate so they don’t destroy your house while you’re gone.
2. If possible, try leaving some white noise on for them to listen to while you’re gone—this can help them feel less lonely and anxious about being left alone.
3. If possible, hire a dog walker or neighbor who can come over once or twice per day to let them out for exercise and playtime—this will also help with loneliness issues!
Poodle Barking Out of Jealousy
According to animal behaviorists, jealousy can also manifest itself in a dog’s aggressive tendencies towards other animals or people. If your dog displays aggressive behavior such as barking excessively among other things around strangers or other animals, it may be a sign of jealousy.
Poodle Barking When We Eat
If your dog barks or whines for food as a form of begging, you will have to stop rewarding them for it and by rewarding them I mean not giving them any food off of your plate while you eat. Doing so will only prove their theory that barking while you’re eating = them getting food.
Ignoring your dog’s cries for food can be difficult, but try to do so no matter how pitiful they are. Don’t scold them—this won’t help anything and may cause more problems in the future! Instead, use positive reinforcement when you see your poodle ignoring other people’s plates of food.
Poodle Barking Like Crazy in Crate
Poodles kept in crates are not able to investigate their surroundings in the way that they might otherwise and tend to bark more often.
If your poodle keeps barking when you keep them in their crate, here’s what you can do:
Leave your poodle with toys to keep them occupied.
A good example of this is a chew toy that keeps your dog busy while you’re not available or an interactive game where your dog must work to get a treat out of the toy.
Train your dog to be calm when you are home.
Leave for a few seconds, come back into the house, and reward him with treats or petting if he has been quiet while alone
Do your best to keep ignoring the puppy.
She’ll probably cry for about 45 minutes less time on her second night than she did on the first one, then a little bit shorter each subsequent evening.
Poodle Barking Early Morning
Barking in the morning to wake up owners is a nuisance if the owners do not want to get up early.
The most common cause of this type of barking is the act of getting up and attending to the dog by giving it food or attention.
Here’s what you should do instead:
- If you install room-darkening shades or move the dog to a darker part of the house, your poodle may be tricked into thinking that it is nighttime and will let you sleep for a bit longer.
- If you feed your dog a snack before bed, it may be more content to let you sleep in the mornings.
- Having the dog sleep in your bedroom, or at least nearby, maybe a way to reduce early morning barking. In this case, it would help if you could provide the dog with its own little corner of space on which it can feel comfortable and safe enough not to bark all night long.
- Teach the quiet command. Every time your dog barks, say “quiet.” If he stops barking immediately afterward, praise him and give him a treat as well. If not, turn away from him—ignoring bad behavior is what dogs want most of all.
Poodle Barking at The Fence Barrier
Even the friendliest and most social poodles can pick up the habit of barking at the fence. Fortunately, “fence wars” are just a bad habit that can be corrected with training in most dogs.
Fence disputes are not a sign that your dog is unfriendly or aggressive, but rather an indication they might have picked up bad habits.
What could cause this behavior in your poodle could be several things, here are the three most common reasons:
- Territorial Behavior
- Excitement
- Bored
Basic commands, such as “sit,” “stay,” or “come,” can help you keep your dog under control.
What Does The Law Say About Dogs Barking Excessively?
Laws prohibit people from owning, harboring, or keeping on the premises any dog that barks so much as to unreasonably disturb neighbors.
Examples of excessive barking can be frequent barking over an extended period of time; a sustained bark for more than one or two minutes; and early morning, late night, or otherwise outside normal social hours.
If dogs bark excessively, it can be disruptive to the community and bothersome for neighbors. Having a law in place that prohibits people from owning or harboring such animals, it helps to keep the peace and quiet in residential areas.
If your neighbor feels that your poodle barking disturbs the peace, he or she has every right to call the police. Barking dogs probably aren’t high on their list of priorities, and the person lodging the complaint has to provide them with a written record of everything that has occurred.
This could result in a warning or citation being issued to you.
Best Poodle Bark Collar
You should never punish your poodle with an anti-bark collar that shocks him.
If you’re worried about getting kicked out of your apartment because your dog won’t stop barking, consider buying an anti-bark collar that sprays a blast of citronella when the dog barks.
It doesn’t address the source of the problem, but it’s more humane than some alternatives.
Here are two dog collars we recommend:
Downtown Pet Supply – Citronella Dog Collar
A device that senses your dog’s bark and emits a burst of lemon spray. The spray is harmless enough to distract even poodles!
Small Dog Bark Collar Rechargeable
An adjustable collar that is perfect for use on toy poodles or miniature poodles. In contrast to other no-barkers, this collar uses safe vibrations to discourage undesirable behaviors rather than shocks.
Can You Use a Muzzle to Stop a Poodle Barking
Muzzles can help stop poodles from barking!
If your dog seems to bark excessively when you take him for walks, a no-bark muzzle may help keep the behavior under control. It’s important that he still be able to breathe and pant healthily.
Here are 3 of the highest-rated muzzles on amazon:
Please use a muzzle safely and only when you absolutely need to.
Do not leave your Poodle alone wearing a muzzle. Poodles can become very stressed in their owners’ absence, which may cause them to stress further if they are muzzled during such time.
Conclusion
So, do poodles bark a lot? Well, they’re certainly capable of it. But that doesn’t mean that you have to put up with nonstop barking—there are steps you can take to help your dog learn to stop barking.
If you’re looking for a watchdog, then a poodle is your perfect choice. They have a natural tendency to bark when they sense danger or another animal nearby. This makes them easy to train as watchdogs and incredibly alert pets who’ll let you know if there’s someone in your yard or if there’s an intruder in the house.
But if you’re not looking for a watchdog, then constant barking can become annoying very quickly. Luckily, there are ways to teach your dog not to bark so much!
