As a child, I used to think that my dog hated the doorbell because he would bark whenever it rang.
And really didn’t matter who it was at the door.
I used to think that it was the sound of the doorbell that hurt my dog’s ears or that he was mad because someone woke him up from his nap.
As I grew up, I realized that it is something that most domestic dogs do.
But, what is that so?
Well, I figured the answer out later than I would care to admit. But, at least now I know!
In this blog post, I would like to answer the question, “Why do dogs bark at doorbells?” and share with you certain facts that lead to this behavior.
So, let’s begin, shall we?
Pavlov’s Bell and The Doorbell!
Have you ever heard about the concept of Classical Conditioning?
A physiologist and psychologist named Pavlov made an accidental discovery during his study of a dog’s digestive system.
Before he used to feed his test subjects (dogs) he used to ring a bell.
The dogs quickly realized that the sound of the bell meant that they were going to be given some food and the responded to the bell by salivating—even if it was not necessarily followed by the food.
What I want to tell you is that dogs are really intelligent and they catch onto things rather quickly.
This means that when someone rings the doorbell, your dog assumes that a new person will enter the household.
The barking is the reaction to what your dog has been conditioned to feel.
Why Do Dogs Bark at Doorbells?: The Simple Reason
There are quite a few reasons why Fido is barking at the doorbell.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
Hey! Get The Door! There’s Someone Out There
Some dogs act as guard dogs and start barking because they feel threatened by the presence of someone unknown in their house.
So, your dog is trying to alert you that there is someone out there.
The barking will eventually fade and your doggy will sniff the new person who’s just walked in and all will be okay.
Hey! Friends Are Visiting!
Certain breeds are more social than the others and if your doggy loves people and gets along with them just fine then, chances are that your pooch is excited about the new friends that are out there.
Final Words: Why Do Dogs Bark at Doorbells?
Dogs are intelligent beings who easily cat onto things.
Your dog barks at the doorbell probably because he has associated the sound with one of the following situations:
- It announces the arrival of someone
- Friendly barking in anticipation of friends
- The feeling that someone is entering their territory and they must protect it
Did I answer the question, “Why do dogs bark at doors?”? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section…
Still, got any doubts? We’ll clear them right up!
