How Do I Get My Dog to Stop Growling at the TV?

Like all mammals, dogs possess a built-in threat detector. Since dogs don't have the human ability to evaluate potential threats rationally, they bark first and ask questions later. Pet dogs in domestic situations find themselves far from the wild in which their protective instincts evolved, constantly exposed to strange stimuli, such as television and other appliances. Sometimes, they respond to those stimuli as potential threats andthey bark. Luckily, dogs are fairly adaptive, and they can overcome habits like barking at the TV in many cases, given the right approach.

  1. Don't Get Frustrated

    • Your dog does not "know better" than to bark at the TV, no matter how many times you yell at it to stop, or explain to it that it's just the TV. In its mind, it is simply alerting its pack to a potential threat. Getting angry or upset will not help; in fact, the more frustrated you become, the less likely your dog is to obey. Dogs require leadership and firm commands, both of which demand that you cultivate a state of calm. The more frustrated you get, the more likely your dog is to remain agitated and assume that you, too, are "barking."

    Be Consistent with Your Commands

    • It takes repetition to teach a dog to respond to a particular stimulus in a particular way. If your dog is barking at the TV and you give it a command to stop, follow through to the point at which the dog has actually submitted to your command and stopped barking. You'll have to repeat this thoroughly every time it barks at the TV. Over time, your dog can learn not to bark, but only if you are firm and consistent; anything less, and your dog simply won't get the message.

    Make Sure Your Dog Has Enough Opportunities for Activity

    • Excessive barking, whether at the TV or anything else, may be a result of pent-up energy. Walk your dog regularly, take it for runs or bring it to dog parks where it can run freely off-leash and socialize with other dogs. Keeping a dog inside and not respecting its needs for playful physical expression is bound to create stress, which will express itself in secondary ways, such as barking at the TV. A pleasantly tired and satisfied animal is far less likely to overreact to stimuli it finds unusual.

    Consider Seekign Outside Help

    • If you've been calm and consistent in your commands and made sure your dog has plenty of outlets for its energy and it still won't stop barking, hire a professional trainer or send it to an obedience school. All dogs are different, some more sensitive than others. If you don't know your pet's whole history, you may not be aware of early experiences that could have imprinted it negatively. Such factors are difficult to deal with appropriately without expertise, and it can sometimes take professional intervention to undo negative imprinting and to retrain your dog to be responsive to your commands.