Dealing with a dog who barks excessively can be very frustrating. And for most people who are thinking about which dog to bring into their homes, barking is one of the major factors to consider.
This leads to the question “do Labradoodles bark excessively?” No, Doodles were bred to be kind, gentle, easily socialized and highly intelligent dogs. With the correct training, Labradoodle barking is not an issue.
In this article, among other things, we’ll look at how common Labradoodle barking is, and what the most typical causes for barking in puppies and adult dogs are.
And perhaps most important, what you can do if your Doodle just won’t stop barking.
Doodle Barking: How Big Of an Issue Is It?
Of course, all dogs naturally vocalize, and no two dogs are never the same.
Barking, growling, sighing, whining, and that weird snuffling sound, are all parts of a typical dogs’ vocabulary.
So, while Doodles aren’t particularly troublesome when we’re talking about barking, barking problems can still occur with a Labradoodle.
If this is the case for you, try to think of the barking as a type of communication from your dog, rather than it just being some annoying noise.
Of course, this is usually much easier said than done.
Tips for Managing a Barking Labradoodle
When looking at barking issues, it’s important that we separate barking puppies from adult dogs.
The reasons why the different types of bark, are usually very different, and they need to be looked at with different strategies in mind.
Labradoodle Puppy Barking
Puppies grow up faster than you think.
And in the first few months of a puppy’s life, there are going to be tons of new things for it to learn and experience.
In the first months when a puppy is very small, it’s going to need a lot of extra attention.
And you can expect that the puppy will tell you whenever it’s feeling lonely, scared, anxious or bored.
By far the most frequent type of barking from a Doodle puppy is because of separation anxiety (typically most often in the first six months where they are learning substantial amounts of information about this new world of theirs).
During this phase, it’s important that you try and not reward your puppy by giving it your attention every time it barks.
But at the same time, it’s quite important to be around your puppy a lot during that period of time, so that it really manages to bond with you, so it’s a fine balancing act between those contradicting points.
A study was done on Labradors that showed that the greatest factor in your dogs’ overall happiness, adjustability and sociability is the relationship they are able to form with its owner, you.
So what this shows is that while you will need to pay attention to not reward the barking, you will have to invest a lot in your relationship with your puppy, as it is the main factor in bringing up a great dog.
The Attention-seeking Barking
Asking the question “do Labradoodles bark excessively?” is pretty much the same thing as asking if humans moan a lot.
It all depends on exactly what’s happening in a specific situation.
Like with any living creature on this planet, if your Doodle feels like it’s being neglected or ignored, there is a very high risk that it will do something about it.
And that usually means that it will start making some noise.
If the reason for your dog barking is because she feeling bored or abandoned, the behavior you’ll most likely encounter is more the type of “acting out” behavior.
Perhaps your dog will start stealing your favorite shoes. Or maybe she’ll start chewing on your couches or another type of furniture.
And as stated earlier, fixing the attention-demanding type of barking is a balancing act.
And the single most effective way of fixing such a situation is by making sure that you have a happy and healthy dog.
If your dog is bored, make sure there are plenty of different toys for it to enjoy. And make sure that you can find plenty of time for lots of playing and pampering your doodle.
Eventually, as a Labradoodle is a quite intelligent breed of dog, it will often find out that barking for attention usually works!
One way of fixing this is by simply walking away when the usual signs of attention-seeking barking begin.
Never reward Labradoodle barking with your attention. What you should do instead, is reward the good behavior.
Night-barking
Barking at night is perhaps the most blood-boiling kind of barking, and not only for the dogs’ owners, but perhaps even more for those living in the immediate vicinity.
In a study by Researchgate.net, barking dogs were ranked as the first-most leading cause of noise during night-time in a suburban setting.
As a breed, do Labradoodles bark a lot at night? No. Their compassionate temperament means that late-night barking isn’t a very frequent occurrence.
But if it does occur, there can be a few things which could be the main culprit.
The first thing that comes to mind is that it is some kind of illness, pain or some other condition which is usually the result of old age, something like dementia also known as can also be the cause.
One of the first things you should do in that case is that you should take your dog to the vet to rule out any serious health issue.
Another reason for night-time barking is that perhaps it just becomes a habit in your dog due to boredom or maybe separation anxiety.
If that’s the case, more play and exercise will work great and is proven to greatly improve the temperament and good-naturedness of any dog.
Here you can find our guide to keeping your Labradoodle perfectly fit and happy.
If you’ve tried everything and the night-barking continues, perhaps try to stay up one night and see if there are any disturbances that might aggravate your dog.
If your dog happens to hear a raccoon of other critters at night, you can be certain that it will react to that with barking.
Do Labradoodles Bark a Lot Because of Aggression?
Aggressive barking is usually also something that potential dog owners are very concerned about and worried about.
But for potential Labradoodle owners, the good news here is that Labradoodles are one of the least aggressive dog breeds.
But of course, no matter how calm and gentle any animals are, if it is placed in a situation where it becomes scared, it might react in a way that will feel very aggressive.
And if we are talking about Labradoodle barking problems that are based on fear or aggression, there are a few steps you can take to help your Labradoodle calm down.
Firstly, try to understand where the fear is coming from.
If your Doodle is feeling the fear due to another dog or perhaps a stranger, the best way to get results is to simply remove your Labradoodle from the situation instead of trying to just stop the barking.
If you are able to identify what triggers your dog, you can slowly reduce the levels of anxiety that your dog will feel, by gradually introducing your Doodle to those specific situations.
Secondly, and this is often quite tricky, it’s especially important that you are able to manage your own reaction to the situation.
Dogs can read their owners’ reactions extremely well, and if you are acting angry or upset it will only contribute to making the situation even worse.
So no matter how you feel if you ever get in such a situation, try to take a deep breath, and remember that your reactions are very likely to influence how your dog reacts.
And thirdly, if frustration is the cause of the aggressive barking, try to divert your Labradoodles’ attention and energy somewhere else.
Having a chew toy at hand is a very useful way to help divert your dogs’ energy away from the barking and more towards it being playtime instead.
Final Words
So as we’ve established, while Labradoodle barking problems can happen, the Doodles gentle nature and eagerness to please, especially it’s owner, means that it can, for the most part, be dealt with rather easily.
The first step to fixing any situation is to try and understand what your Labradoodle is trying to tell you.
I hope this guide has given a helping hand, no matter if you are considering getting a Labradoodle, or already have one.
References and Further Reading
Duffy, D.L., Hsu, Y., and Serpell, J.A., 2008, “Breed Differences in Canine Aggression,” Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Lofgren, S.E., et al., 2014, “Management and Personality in Labrador Retriever Dogs,” Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Kobelt, A.J., et al., 2007, “The Behaviour of Labrador Retrievers in Suburban Backyards: The Relationships Between the Backyard Environment and Dog Behaviour,” Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Flint, E.L., et al., 2014, “A Survey of Public Attitudes Towards Barking Dogs in New Zealand,” New Zealand Veterinary Journal.
Some of My Favorite Products For Dog Owners
I hope this article has helped you just a bit in everyday life as a dog owner. Being a dog owner for more than 25 years, I’ve tried many different products with varying success, but these products below are some that I can highly recommend to every dog and their owner without hesitation!
These links are affiliate links, so if you do end up using the links, I will earn a commission. But it’s products that I use daily myself, and I have the utmost praise for.
Dog Food: Every dog needs to eat correctly, and finding the best food for your dog can be challenging, as the market is absolutely flooded with products. But since 2015 when the company was founded, I’ve been using Ollie Petfood. With their product being tailor-made to suit every dog’s specific needs, and as my dogs love the product, I’m pretty sure I’ve found a product I will continue to use for many years more. If you use my link you can get 50% off your first order.
Dog Training: If you’ve ever owned a puppy, you know that it requires a lot of training to grow into a well-behaved adult. Brain Training for Dogs has helped me immensely with the mental training part of raising a dog, and it’s something I strongly recommend you consider.
Grooming: If you have a dog in your home, you’re going to need a brush, and for this, I recommend a Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush. For that price, you simply can’t beat this brush for everyday grooming.
If you’re looking for the most up-to-date recommendations, check out my recommended products section that I’ve created to help every dog owner!
