Many owners are surprised when their neighbors complain about the barking of their dogs, because the dog never barks excessively when they are at home. If your dog constantly barks while you are away, you have a major problem on your hands, especially if you live in an apartment or townhouse. Dog barking is one of the most common noise complaints among homeowners and city ordinance officers.

The main reason dogs bark when left alone is separation anxiety. Your dog thinks that you are going to leave him forever and that you will not return. They usually start out whining, but as their anxiety increases, the whimper turns into a bark. These are not your normal barks, they are high-pitched panic barks that can be very loud. Your dog is trying to call you home to rescue him.

The barking can go on for hours at a time. When a dog barks due to separation anxiety, the barking causes the dog to become even more stressed and more frantic, which in turn causes more barking. Every time the dog is left alone to bark, this cycle repeats itself until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The longer you wait to act, the more conditioned your dog will be to bark when left alone, and the more difficult it will be to break the cycle.

One of the hardest parts about your dog constantly barking while you’re away is that you can’t be there to correct your dog, so typical obedience training doesn’t work. The best way to solve your dog’s separation anxiety barking problem is through behavior modification. Behavior modification can be used to reduce and eliminate the anxiety your dog feels while you are away.