Whenever you walk through a neighborhood at night, you probably hear the sound of dogs barking. It seems like dogs barking at night is simply a part of life. So why do our canine friends start barking when the sun goes down and keep their owners and neighbors awake? Even when there is nothing going on?
Causes of Barking At Night
There is no one true reason behind why dogs bark at night. It depends on your dog and what is going on around him. Most of the time, a dog that has been left outside will bark at night so the cause of his barking will be related to the outdoors.
Noises
Dogs have amazing hearing and they can hear much better than humans can. Because of this, a dog will hear something that you won’t even notice. It may seem like he is barking at nothing, but you simply can’t hear what it is that he is responding to. If your dog is particularly sensitive to noise and reacts sharply to strange sounds by barking, then your dog is guaranteed to bark at night, especially if he is outside.
Other Dogs
Group barking or socially-facilitated barking takes place when one dog hears another barking and starts to bark as a result. Since dogs are pack animals, they will react to the barking of another dog. They assume that if one is barking, he probably has a good reason for doing so, and before you know it, all the neighborhood dogs will join in barking together.
Wildlife
Dogs have a great interest in wild animals, like raccoons, squirrels or deer. Even if you cannot see or hear the wildlife present near your yard at night, your dachshund can. A dachshund will bark at different sights and movement during the night; the likely culprits are raccoons and coyotes.
Boredom
If left alone for a long time, your dachshund may get bored. They become bored easily when they have nothing to do and they will decide to have their own fun. It can be barking at every sound that they hear during the night, joining other dogs in the neighborhood in group barking or simply barking to release energy.
Loneliness
Dogs are very social animals. This is one of the reasons why your dachshund barks at night when he is left outside – he is lonely. He will express this loneliness through howling. If he barks continuously, he is likely trying to get your attention.
An animal behaviorist can tell you there is no single reason why a dog barks at night, but loneliness is a top trigger. Again, dogs are pack animals and may bark to get your attention when they are left alone at night. If you allow your dog to sleep in your room, it may help ease his separation anxiety and resolve the issue of nighttime barking.
Fear Or Alarm
Your dachshund may bark at night because he is scared. Humans are also afraid of the unknown and can experience anxiety at night. He may also bark at night to alert you that something is going on that you might need to be aware of.
Why Do Dachshunds Bark At Cars?
Chasing after and barking at cars can stimulate a dachshund’s natural hounding instincts to hunt prey. His predatory aggression may drive him to chase anything that passes by at great speed. Your dog may see a car as needing to be “captured.” Generally, he will chase the car only up to a particular point and then stop suddenly. The reason is that the car or the perceived threat has moved beyond his territory, which is your house and its yard. Whenever a car approaches your home, your dachshund is likely to start barking in order to warn the car that it has entered his territory. As the car drives away, the dachshund believes that his warning worked, and this then reinforces the behavior of barking at cars.
Another reason your dachshund may bark at cars is if they are carrying the scent of other human beings or other dogs. Sometimes, a dog may pee on a car’s tires in order to mark its territory, and when a new scent approaches fast, your dachshund may bark at it to chase it out of its territory.
Conclusion
If your dog is barking at cars and also at everything else, it could be a sign that he is feeling bored. Dogs need mental and physical challenges to remain healthy and live a complete life. Cars provide enticing stimuli for your dachshund. They approach fast, and they are loud and smelly. Cars represent prey in the wild.
