Barking for dogs is their way of communication or habit. So let’s find out if the Poodle dog breed is a big barker, how often, and why?
A Poodle is an intelligent, obedient dog that can pick up on training quickly. Poodles can quickly become problem barkers without proper training. As a result, a Poodle will bark excessively. However, with the appropriate training, an owner can control the barking of a Poodle.
How often do Poodles bark?
An untrained Poodle will bark very often; however, a well-trained Poodle won’t bark as much. The excellent news is Poodles are intelligent dogs with a high ability to learn that can overcome excessive barking.
Personality
- Active
- Alert
- Faithful
- Instinctual
- Intelligent
- Trainable
Let’s understand the personality of a Poodle which can cause a Poodle to be more vocal when untrained. Also, learn the history of a Poodle, as this will give you a good indication of why these dogs are so alert.
Personality traits of a Poodle that is the main factor for barking
- Alert
- Intelligent
Since the Poodle is alert, the Poodle dog breed doesn’t miss anything. Be it someone walking past the window or a bird flying by. A Poodle will spot it thanks to its alertness. An untrained Poodle will bark. However, a well-trained Poodle won’t. A trained Poodle will undoubtedly see the bird or the person walking by but will choose not to bark.
Intelligent dogs love to communicate, especially to their owners, and one of the primary communication forms a dog has is through barking. Therefore, understanding your dog and having a proper routine for a Poodle is very important. Poodles thrive on a routine and having one will make training them much more straightforward.
Benefits of a routine:
Walks/exercise – knowing when it’s time for a walk, your Poodle doesn’t need to bark at you to communicate a walk.
Dinner Time – Knowing that its dinner time and no need to bark for food
Reasons For Barking
Poodles love to communicate with their owners, and this does involve barking. To understand why your Poodle is barking more often, you must understand the bark to overcome it. The below applies to all three types of Poodles; they all have the same tendency to bark.
- Standard Poodles
- Miniature Poodles
- Toy Poodles
Frustration
A frustrated Poodle is undoubtedly a noisy dog. A proper routine will help considerably by giving a Poodle some sense of security for the day ahead, such as going on walks, eating dinner or bedtime. Also, intelligent dogs need routines to avoid the frustrations of being unable to communicate correctly, so understanding your dog is vital and having that routine in place.
Home Alone
A Poodle dog loves to be around its owners, and often when left home alone for extended periods, it can cause some anxiety among the Poodle dog breeds leading to barking and upsetting the neighbours. However, there are things you can do to help when you need to leave them home alone.
- Extra toys: providing them with different toys when you leave the house.
- Long-lasting dog chews: keep them happy with a chew. The longer it lasts, the better!
- Having someone pop into them: If you plan to be away from the house for a considerable time, then you can get someone to pop into them, which will break up their day. Here you can find some additional helpful suggestions when out of the house.
Thunderstorms and Fireworks
A Poodle is an alert dog, and we know how noisy thunderstorms and fireworks can be. These sounds to a Poodle will be unsettling. However, this type of barking is expected, and no training can help with this; you need to settle your Poodle as much as you can. Use calming tablets, plugin calming smells, snood or even dog-ear protectors.
Protection (Owner)
The bond between a Poodle and owner is a powerful one, and if they feel that you as the owner is under any threat, they will bark. To overcome this, use a gentle voice and calm disposition to settle your dog. This gives them some reassurance that all is okay. But, on the other hand, one day, your Poodle could save your life.
Protection (Them)
Most dogs bark when they think they are in danger. It’s their natural way of saying I’m in trouble or back off. Just like us, humans, when we will shout help!. Barking when they think they need help is very typical among dogs. However, if they aren’t in danger, use a soft voice and calm disposition to settle your dog.
Jealously
Although Poodles are amiable dogs and love to socialise, some can become jealous of an owner’s involvement with another animal or even a person. As a result, a Poodle may start to bark to get an owner’s attention.
Boredom
Poodles need mental stimulation because they are highly intelligent and need to be entertained, or boredom will set in. So provide your Poodle with good training, toys, chews and exercise.
Boredom will result in barking as well as the below:
- Scratching and biting themselves
- Sad and feeling depressed
- Chewing on furniture and furnishings
- Toileting in the house
- Excessive barking
House Guests
When you have house guests, a Poodle will look to them as a new play friend, and their friendly nature will cause them to get very excited, which can lead to barking more than often. To overcome this, let your guests know not to dive straight in and starting smoothing a Poodle, give them some time to settle. Or, on the other hand, a Poodle can often bark as they are unfamiliar with the houseguests. In this case, you will need to reassure a Poodle dog that the houseguests is not a threat.
Other Dogs
It’s essential to socialise your Poodle with other dogs, and this will stop any excessive barking at other dogs when you’re out on a dog walk. A dog can bark at other dogs due to: excitement, aggression and obsession.
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Summary
That all dogs bark, but how often is something that you can avoid, by proper training, socialisation and reassurance, depending on the scenario, will depend on the solution. The good thing is the Poodle dog breed is intelligent and can pick up training very quickly. So do not let the worry of barking put you off to welcoming a Poodle into your home.
