Barking Dogs

As a responsible dog owner, you have an obligation to make sure that your dog's barking doesn't become a nuisance to anyone. It's important to get barking under control while your dog is still a puppy. The longer the behaviour is allowed to occur, the longer it can take to change.

Why does your dog bark?

Dogs bark, cry or howl for different reasons, including:

  • What they see (e.g., people, other animals, or cars passing by)
  • What they hear (gates or doors banging, sirens going off, children playing)
  • What they feel (too hot or too cold – not enough shelter, tight collar or lead)
  • Separation anxiety
  • Illness or injury
  • Hunger

Identifying why your dog barks will help you control this behaviour. Removing the motivation for the dog to bark, where possible, is in most cases the most effective way to reduce the nuisance.

For advice on controlling your dog's nuisance barking, have a read of our Resolving Nuisance Barking(PDF, 280KB) information.

Need help with a barking nuisance issue?

If your dog, or a dog in your area is creating a nuisance by persistently barking, you can log a request with our compliance team, and we'll investigate the issue.

Before you lodge a request for service, you should consider whether the dog owner is aware of the issue. Their dog may only bark when they aren't home and having a chat with your neighbour, or leaving a friendly note in their letterbox, may be enough to sort the issue.

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