You bought a new vacuum cleaner and cant wait to try it out. But as soon as you start it, the dog vacuum starts barking. But why the dogs will bark at the vacuum? Well, if you have been wondering about this, you have arrived at the right place. In the below part of the article, we will let you know the possible reasons behind the barking of dogs when they encounter a vacuum.
The dog might bark at the vacuum as they find it threatening. Sometimes, it might happen it is afraid of the noise of the vacuum cleaner or it has sensitive hearing. Sometimes, it is afraid of the vibration caused by the vacuum cleaner. Well, there can be a lot of reasons like that.
In the below part of the article, we will let you know what you can do to stop the dog barking at the vacuum cleaner. Keep going through the article to find out why your dog is barking at the vacuum.
Why Do Dogs Bark at The Vacuum?
Below we will break down the main reasons that make your dogs bark to a vacuum.
Be Sure of the Reasons
The first thing we will want you to be sure about is the reason behind the dog barking. As per the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the barking of the dog can be different in different situations. If you give a close look, you will see that the dog barks differently in situations like greeting, territorial fights, and other situations.
If the dog is afraid of your vacuum cleaner, it will bark in a way that is called alarm bark. During this barking session, their body will be stiff and they might pounce a bit forward with each back. With such acts, they are trying to tell you that they are fearing the thing and trying to protect them. Give a closer look if it starts barking as soon as it sees the vacuum to decide whether it is really an alarm barking or something else.
Vacuum is something that is pretty hard to understand for the dog and they find it unnatural. As they find the vacuum threatening, they start barking. Apart from being stiff and pouncing, it might be showing the teeth and growling during the barking.
Sensitive Hearing
Dogs are much more sensitive when it comes to hearing when compared to the human. If you have been owning a dog for a while, you already know how quickly they wake up when they hear a sound. So, the dog might not be afraid of the object the noise of the vacuum cleaner which is making it unpleasant. If you have a high-power vacuum machine that produces powerful noise, then the dork might be barking because of his sensitive hearing.
The hearing range is around 67-45,000 for the dog when it is 64-23,000 for humans. So, it hears thing differently when compared to the human. You can try keeping the dog a bit away in the other room while working with the noisy vacuum cleaner. This might help to reduce the fear in the dog and prevent it from barking.
Sometimes the dog might also be afraid of the loud noise. This can happen because of a traumatic experience in the past which formed this behavior in the dog. Sometimes, it can also happen because of genetic matters. Some breeds of the dog are more sensitive to sound which includes the German Shepherds, Cattle Dogs, Border Collies, Sheetland Sheepdogs, etc.
The Vibrations
Sometimes the vibration can be the reason behind the barks. As per some sources, dogs tend to be sensitive to the sounds that they feel from the ground. Especially, if you are utilizing a high-suction vacuum, this might be the reason behind the vibration. As we said above, you can keep the dog away in other rooms to prevent the issue.
How to Prevent the Dog from Barking
If your dog is alarm barking due to the vacuum cleaner, you should consider quiet training. ASPCA also recommends this training to stop the dog from barking. Note that you cannot be able to completely eradicate the barking with this training, but you should be able to reduce the frequency of barking. The training is simple, you will allow the dog to bark a few times, and then when you will say quiet, the dog will stop barking.
You might require a while to teach the dog about the training. Moreover, you can consider adding some treats which might help to make the training quicker. Such as when you say quiet and if the dog becomes quiets, you can offer the treat as a reward. By doing this several times and gradually increasing the period to give the treat will help the dog to learn effectively.
Another solution can be the head halter. It is a device that can fit in the dog’s mouth and will prevent unwanted barking. In the case of the alarm bark, this technique might help to keep the dog quiet for a while. Make sure that you are supervising the dog while putting this on. Moreover, reward it with something when you are done and if it was quiet. In case of the fear of loudness, you should try the Desensitization and Counterconditioning (DSCC) method.
In the DSCC method, you will explain the dog to the source of sound which is the vacuum cleaner here. And, in the meantime, you must present the vacuum as a form of less fearful and intimidating thing. Moreover, you can consider putting some treats around the vacuum, which will help the dog to think differently for the vacuum instead of a fearful thing.
Conclusion
It is normal for the dog to bark for the first few days because of the first encounter with the vacuum cleaner. But if it cannot stop the barking, then you might take some action. We hope the above information will help you to stop dogs bark at the vacuum.
