Barking is a natural way for dogs to communicate with others. This can be both a blessing and a curse depending on how frequently your dog barks. Greyhounds aren’t known to excessively bark, but when they do, it can be concerning. Knowing how to stop greyhounds from barking can help reduce the noise and make their lives more peaceful.
Knowing the reasons for your greyhound’s barking helps, so you can either remove the trigger or move them away from it. Understanding the different barks they might exhibit is also helpful. Since greyhounds aren’t known to bark constantly, there could be something worthwhile that your greyhound is trying to alert you to.
Training your greyhound to reduce their barking is possible, and isn’t difficult at all. Just know that your greyhound is going to want to chat with you occasionally, and you should allow that to foster positive interaction between you and your puppy companion.
How To Stop Greyhounds From Barking
If your greyhound is one that barks at people or other animals, socialization to the outside environment is essential to reduce this behavior. Their barking is typically a sign of distress or territoriality. If they come to understand that other people and pets are not a threat through slow and supervised exposure, this should reduce their barking in this capacity.
Establishing a routine that your greyhound can rely on can also help reduce their barking due to feeling lonely or being uncomfortable. Greyhounds like having routines established as it makes them feel more comfortable in their new environment. They will learn that you will return home when you leave, they’ll always be fed, and they’ll always get outside time.
Training can also help them learn when there is a time to be quiet. Training your greyhound has to be approached with composure and repetition. Reward them when they successfully stop barking as you give them a command, such as “quiet” or “no speaking.” Keep up with this training once you learn what makes them bark, and this should help reduce these tendencies.
You can also incorporate gestures or hand signals into your training. This is actually an effective technique with greyhounds as they tend to take in those signals and understand them more easily. You can combine both words and signals if you want to depend on how your particular puppy seems to respond to either strategy.
How Not To Stop Greyhounds From Barking
Given their even-keeled disposition, it’s no surprise that greyhounds don’t acknowledge shouting, yelling, or punishment. If you shout back at them when they’re barking, they’ll either become afraid of you or they’ll assume you’re playing along with them. You should also be cognizant of the language you use when training your greyhound.
Sure, they don’t understand the meaning of your words, but they can sense the intonation of the words. Thus, using words like “quiet” or “no thank you” as opposed to “shut up” can have more of a positive impact. You should also make sure that everyone in the home uses the same command word, and everyone stays consistent with that particular word.
Do Greyhounds Bark A Lot?
Greyhounds aren’t classified as excessive barkers, but that doesn’t mean they can’t develop unsavory barking habits. Their constant barking is usually for a particular reason. Otherwise, your greyhound’s barking is just their way of talking to you. When you talk back, they may talk back, as if you’re having a conversation with each other.
It’s not recommended to stop talking back and forth with your greyhound. Even though you can’t understand each other, this back-and-forth is an important part of your bonding experience with each other. If you see that they look excited while they’re barking at you, go ahead and smile at them while talking back.
The trick to avoiding an excessive barking habit is implementing training techniques as soon as you can. If you try and go from allowing your greyhound to excessively bark to trying to stop it immediately, your dog might become confused. On that note, if you give into their barking all the time, they might learn that they can manipulate you into doing their bidding through tons of barking.
Why Greyhounds Usually Bark
Greyhounds like to bark at people or animals they see passing by when they’re looking out the window. Sometimes, they’re doing this in an excited manner, but other times, it’s usually because they are wanting to let you know that someone is near the home. Greyhounds used to prey on small animals, as they were bred to do this, so their hunting instincts are still intact.
Greyhounds might also bark when you come home or come into a room because they’re happy to see you. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on your preferences. Some pet parents love nothing more than their pup’s outward excitement about their presence. You can try to train this barking out of them through rewards and encouragement.
Some greyhounds will also bark in an effort to let you know that they’re bored. They might want you to give them some attention or play with them for a few minutes. Greyhounds love getting affection from their pet parents and will let you know if you’re not satisfying this need. Greyhounds are also known to bark when they are lonely.
Since you’re likely not home when this is occurring, a neighbor might let you know that your greyhound barks and whines when you’ve left for the day. It’s recommended to curb this behavior by taking your greyhound for walks before you have to leave to tire them out, so they sleep when you’re gone instead of barking.
Understanding Different Types Of Greyhound Barking
If your greyhound is barking due to outside activity, they will usually bark in spurts. Their barking could also become louder as the outsider gets closer to your home. This type of barking can be hard to stop if your greyhound becomes fixated on the movement outside. You would have to distract them with a toy or train them to walk away to divert their attention.
If your greyhound barks because something scares them, you’ll likely notice their body language changes. They might tuck their tail into their bodies, they might cower, or they might run away. This barking will usually be frantic and may be accompanied by whining. In these situations, you want to gently reassure your pup that they’re safe.
An excited bark doesn’t usually last long. It’s usually high, and your greyhound will also usually be wagging their tail and nuzzling you. A few pets should do the trick to get this barking to stop. If your greyhound wants your attention because they want food or outside time, they’ll usually go to their dish or the door and bark until you help them.
The more serious barking is hard to pinpoint, due to separation anxiety. This isn’t healthy behavior. They might bark constantly, become destructive, pace around, and have accidents. Separation anxiety needs to be remedied through socialization, consistent routines, activity before you leave, and if all else fails, they may need a dog sitter when you’re gone for long periods of time.
When Barking Might Be Bad
Other than barking being a nuisance for you, barking can also be associated with health problems. The trouble is that barking is not a telltale sign; it’s one of those behaviors that could indicate that your greyhound isn’t feeling well. The only way to really know if their health is the cause for their barking is to look out for other symptoms.
For example, your greyhound might incessantly bark along with making various other noises, such as yelps, whines, and cries. You should also look to see if their movement is restricted in any way. They could limp or have trouble getting into a certain position. Some dogs, including greyhounds, will also lick at a wound or sore spot if they have one.
Taking your greyhound to the vet outside of their regular check up can help you rule out any potential health problems lurking beneath the surface. If they are healthy, you may want to try interacting with them more before you leave home. Giving them toys that can interact with them while you’re gone can also help them feel less alone.
Final Thoughts
You’ll never be able to get any dog to stop barking completely, and you shouldn’t aim for that. Barking is one of the many ways dogs have learned to talk to us. Knowing how to stop greyhounds from barking excessively or at inconvenient times is fine, while also remaining aware of why they might bark and when their barking is warranted.
Greyhounds are the type of companions that relish in making their pet parents happy, so if you train them with kindness, they’ll be more than happy to cut down their barking when they know you don’t want them to. As long as you listen to them when they bark out of necessity, they’ll listen to you too.