Do Border Collies Bark a Lot?

Is it Possible to Prevent Problematic Barking in Border Collies?

"I am looking to get a border collie puppy and really want to work on preventing barking at night in the crate and also when being left home alone in the crate and also at any noises coming from outside the house. Any tips?"—Nicole

What to Know Before Adopting a Border Collie

Hi Nicole, It is always great when prospective puppy owners proactively seek advice on preventing the onset of problem behaviors. This demonstrates great commitment and dedication in providing the best environment for the dog, while ensuring a smooth transition.

You have identified a common "trifecta" of problem barking in puppies: barking in the night, barking when left alone and barking at outside triggers.

Addressing these issues early on is crucial. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," goes a popular saying that perfectly encapsulates the importance of preempting problematic behaviors rather than working on fixing them, which can sometimes become quite an arduous task once they have been established.

Additionally, something else to consider is the fact that dogs are not only the product of their environment, but also of their genetic makeup.

This underscores the importance of considering the interplay between nature and nurture when it comes to behaviors such as barking.

Let's therefore explore genetic tendencies for barking in the Border Collie breed, and then look at various environmental influences that may contribute to a dog's predisposition for vocalization.

Subsequently, we can then look at several proactive strategies aimed at averting the onset of excessive barking behaviors from the outset.

A Border Collie's History

To determine a dog's predisposition for barking, it helps to take a look at historical data such as the purpose of the breed and the various functions the breed was selectively bred to carry out.

Border Collies derive their name from the fact that these British dogs originated from the Border country between Scotland and England. Here shepherds selectively bred dogs for biddability and sufficient stamina in order to spend long days herding livestock such as sheep, cattle, geese, goats, and pigs on rugged terrains .

This breed's area of specialty was gathering and fetching livestock and controlling their movements by "giving eye" (staring) along with a crouched posture, which resembled the stalking-like movement of wolves.

Blessed with high intelligence, Border Collies are capable of taking directions from their shepherds from quite a distance by voice or by whistle.

Temperament-wise, Border Collies are expected to be energetic, intelligent, keen, alert, and responsive. When approached, they should be alert and interested without showing any signs of shyness or fear.

Do Border Collies Bark a Lot?

Whether Border Collies bark a lot, is not really something easy to answer. There are various factors that may predispose this breed to barking, but of course, not all Border Collies are created equally.

Even within a litter of puppies of the same breed, you will find puppies with different temperaments. There are also Border Collies coming from working lines and show lines, which may have different personalities.

Following are several general traits of Border Collies that can predispose them to barking, but please take these with a grain of salt considering individual variances. There are several stories of Border Collies who bark very little or rarely bark.

Awareness

Border Collies are predisposed to being keenly aware of their surroundings. This acute perceptiveness to changes in their environment was necessary in their role as herding dogs.

Border Collies may struggle with abrupt changes in the usual scenery, the so-called "sudden environmental contrasts," which may trigger a bout of barking, such as in response to the neighbor's car door being closed shut at an unusual time of the day or furniture rearrangements/presence of new objects around the house.

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Overexcitement

Border Collies may get readily excited, especially when young. They may bark when they're excited to eat or when they are playing.

Excitement may cause barking, but so can frustration, such as when Border Collies are excited about something about to happen, but it does not, or something thwarts their expectations.

For example, a bout of barking may be evoked when an owner doesn't throw the ball fast enough, when they see squirrels from the window and can't chase them, or when there are animals showing up on TV.

Clinginess

On top of being keenly aware of their surroundings, Border Collies are very in tune with their owner's emotions and instructions.

This person-focus can sometimes get a little on the unhealthy side, predisposing them to excess clinginess, which may turn into barking when they can't keep tabs on their owner's whereabouts as they would like.

Herding Instinct

As other herding dogs, Border Collies come with a factory installed herding instinct which can sometimes involve people or animals other than sheep.

Now, normally Border Collies won't bark or nip when herding. They will use their predator-like stare to control herds of sheep.

However, it's not unusual to stumble upon Border Collies (especially those from non-working lines) barking sharply and running around disorganized groups of children and animals.

High Energy Levels

Border Collies are active dogs, herding dogs at heart, blessed with a strong drive to work. Left unemployed, they will find their own forms of entertainment, which could translate into digging holes in the yard or barking at anything that moves.

An under-exercised and understimulated Border Collie may also bark when owners sit down to read a book or watch TV.

These dogs benefit from a structured exercise, mental stimulation and training program, but must also learn how good it feels to relax.

Protectiveness of Territory

As keen observers, Border Collies will bark at any changes in their environment and this often includes the detection of intruders in their perceived territories.

Border Collies may therefore bark upon seeing somebody pulling into the driveway, approaching the property or ringing the doorbell, or any combination of these.

Suspiciousness

Suspiciousness may translate into barking at any suspicious sounds and any suspicious people.

This is more likely seen in puppies who have missed out on being properly socialized. Under-socialized puppies may bark at intruders and anything that appears out of the ordinary at home or on walks.

Neuroticism

Sometimes, Border Collies get stuck in a pattern of repeating behaviors that can verge on the compulsive. Compulsive disorders in dogs consist of excessive and repetitive behaviors that impact their quality of life.

Typically, these disorders affect dogs between the ages of 6 and 36 months of age and are known to be triggered by stress, anxiety and genetic predisposition.

It's not unheard of for certain Border Collies to become "fixated" on lights and shadows, resulting in chasing and barking. This may start as a fun game that gradually intensifies to the point of becoming a repetitive act.

On the Plus Side

Border Collies are often described as being biddable dogs, a term that means they "easily led, taught, or controlled, docile," according to Merriam Webster dictionary.

Biddable dogs thrive on being provided with guidance and are generally blessed with a genetic predisposition to be compliant and cooperative.

Something worth clarifying though is that biddability doesn't comes without challenges. While Border Collies are the poster child for trainability and cooperation, they are very smart and can sometimes be a handful in inexperienced homes.

The problem is that smart dogs tend to get bored easily. They struggle with repetition. They may try to anticipate you as they are always one step ahead of you. Once they learn a new skill, they may seek more challenges.

However, when given the right incentive and starting with a high rate of reinforcement, Border Collies can bring oodles of satisfaction to dog owners willing to overcome the initial hurdles.

A "Quiet" Ancestor

How to Prevent Barking in the Crate at Night

There are several strategies to help prevent barking in the crate at night or at least reduce its incidence. Following are several general tips:

Get Your Puppy From a Reputable Breeder

A reputable breeder will have introduced puppies to a crate from an early age. This is important. It's often thought that puppies adjust to being in a crate readily because dogs are den animals, but this is a myth that is difficult to debunk.

Puppies need time to habituate to being in a crate and the process requires forming positive associations with it. It starts with teaching puppies to enter the crate on their own by placing valuable items inside and leaving the crate door open.

Good breeders are aware of how early introduction to crates can help puppies better acclimatize to their new home because they provide a sense of familiarity in an unfamiliar place.

They may also send home their puppies with something that smells like their home to help provide some comfort during the transition (like a blanket, towel or a T-shirt). It's not a bad idea to ask the breeder for an item to take home with the puppy.

Fortunately, more and more breeders are aware of the importance of early interventions to help puppies adjust.

Puppy Culture offers an educational DVD on how breeders and new puppy owners can make the most out of the puppy's first 12 weeks of life. It has revolutionized the way puppies are raised. I think this DVD can really help shape desirable behaviors starting from an early age.

Keep the Crate in the Bedroom

One of the most common triggers for barking in the crate at night is the location of the crate. Keeping the crate in the kitchen or basement the first nights may lead to incredible stress in a puppy who has just left the breeder's home along with his mom and littermates.

Sure, the puppy may tire himself out enough to cry himself to sleep, but letting a puppy cry it out may lead to long-lasting repercussions.

Sleeping in the owner's bedroom doesn't need to be a permanent living arrangement, rather, with time, the crate can be gradually moved out of the bedroom if necessary.

Here is a guide on how to reduce stress during the process: Moving puppies out of the bedroom? Don't let puppies cry it out.

Consider Calming Aids

There are several products that can help new puppies adjust to their new home. Pheromone-based products are now available in the form of plug-in diffusers, sprays and collars.

Adaptil has recently crafted a pheromone-based collar called "Adaptil Junior," which was purposely crafted with puppies in mind. It's meant to help puppies better navigate through challenges such as staying home alone, crying at night, and exposure to loud noises.

Another helpful product that I use with new puppies is a Snuggle Puppy behavioral aid. This is a stuffed animal that emits warmth and even a heartbeat sound that helps comfort young, stressed out puppies.

Reassure Your Puppy

Ignoring a crying puppy only contributes to the puppy feeling lonely and helpless. We know that traumatic and stressful events taking place early in a puppy’s life can have a negative impact on their ability to cope with stressors and build up resiliency, explains board-certified veterinarian Dr. Wailani Sung in an article for PetMD.

It's, therefore, important to comfort the puppy and let him know that you are there. Talking to your puppy or simply lowering your arm towards the crate by the side of the bed, so that your puppy can smell you or feel your caring touch, may be all that's needed to reassure him.

If you are concerned about reinforcing any barking/crying behavior, you can always wait for a brief pause in between the barks or make a sound to temporarily stop the crying before you provide some attention, further suggests Dr. Sung.

Ensure Your Puppy is Empty

Prior to crating your puppy for the night, it's important to ensure your puppy is "empty," meaning that he has successfully peed and pooped. This way, you know your puppy isn't barking because he needs to potty.

If your puppy wakes up barking in the middle of the night or early morning, you may want to take him outside, but make sure that the outdoor trip is boring (take him to the designated area on leash and then straight back) and take steps in the next few days to preempt the barking by setting your alarm for a middle-of-the-night/early morning bathroom break.

More tips on potty training a puppy can be found here: how to train a dog to go potty outside.

How to Prevent Barking When Left Alone in the Crate

While many puppies eventually adjust to sleeping in their crate during the night, many still struggle being crated during the day, why is that?

In many cases, puppies are left alone too quickly and this only leads to them dreading being in the crate because the crate starts becoming associated with separation.

There are also other risk factors at play such as puppies who are not fully potty trained being crated for longer than they can hold it, and puppies who have a deep fear of missing out (FOMO). Let's dig deeper on how to prevent these issues.

Proceed Very Gradually

Puppies tend to be very clingy during their first weeks in their new home. They may follow their owners around the house and act like Velcro dogs.

It shouldn't therefore be surprising if they struggle when they don't see us for just a few minutes, such as when we need to go to another room or take a bathroom break.

In these cases, it's important to work very gradually in acclimatizing puppies to our brief absences, starting with just second-long absences before moving to longer ones.

As we steadily increase our absences, it's helpful to mix in some shorter absences so that our smart puppies don't detect an increase in difficulty in these exercises which may cause them to feel stressed.

You can find more tips on getting puppies used to our absences here: exercises to prevent separation anxiety in puppies and here: separation anxiety in puppies, all you need to know.

Ensure All Needs Have Been Met

Prior to crating your puppy when you must leave the home, it's important to ensure that all your puppy's needs have been met.

In a nutshell, make sure that prior to being crated your puppy has:

• Been taken outside to pee and poop
• Been exercised enough (without risking harm to the puppy's growth plates)
• Been provided with mental stimulation (here are 17 ways to keep dogs mentally stimulated)

Create Positive Associations

When leaving a puppy alone, it's important that he is provided with something to do so that he keeps busy and happy, which helps form positive associations with alone time.

You should therefore seek ways to keep your puppy's brain busy while you're out and about by providing him safe and calm activities. Here are some ideas: how to keep your dog entertained while you're at work.

Watch Out for Recognizable Patterns

Border Collies are very attentive dogs and sometimes they are too smart for their own good. It's therefore important to not fall into the poisoned cue trap.

In other words, if every time we leave, we provide our Border Collie with a stuffed Kong, he or she may come to dread receiving that Kong because it has been associated with our departure. The same may happen with putting the dog in the crate.

Soon, the Kong and the crate may become predictors of something bad (you leaving) and this can put a dent in the dog's willingness to enter the crate or eat from a Kong.

To prevent this from happening, it's important to place the dog in the crate and provide Kongs at times when we are not leaving so that we can maintain the crate's value as a happy place where to chill and enjoy some appealing treats.

Monitor When You Can

It's a good idea to always monitor a dog's behavior when left alone in the crate. Even when my Rottweilers were seniors, I occasionally recorded them during our outings so as to gauge how they were doing emotionally.

These important hints can help you recognize early signs of trouble and take swift action so as to nip any problems in the bud.

For example, my Rottweilers did always fine when they were left alone (after howling for about half a minute, they immediately laid down and rested), but around the age of 7, I caught my female Rottweiler whining more.

Aging can sometimes lead to an onset of separation anxiety in senior dogs. Coincidentally, this started when she developed knee problems and likely felt more achy and vulnerable.

Nip Problems in the Bud

If you notice barking or whining when left alone, here are tips for a puppy whining when left alone. If you are dealing with a suspect case of separation anxiety, here are three ways to find out and 20 tips to reduce separation anxiety in dogs.

How to Prevent Barking at Sights and Sounds When at Home

Barking at noises can sometimes get out of hand, especially in dogs who are fearful and prone to becoming territorial. Fortunately, there are several strategies to prevent and address these issues. Following are several ways to prevent and address excessive barking behaviors in dogs.

Socialize Your Puppy

Puppies who miss out the important window of socialization taking place between the ages of 3 and 12 weeks may be prone to excess suspiciousness and fearful barking.

A good breeder will have started the socialization process when the puppy was in his/her care, but after being adopted into our new homes it's important to pick up the work and ensure the process remains smooth and pleasant.

Puppy classes run by reputable trainers are a great way to get puppies to meet a variety of people and discuss common puppy behaviors with like-minded puppy owners and professionals.

Puppy socialization get-togethers can also help puppies get gradually acclimatized to accepting a variety of guests in the home and forming positive associations with them.

Socialization, though, doesn't stop at 12 weeks. It's important to keep working on maintaining good socialization skills and protecting the dog from overwhelming encounters that may be too intense or harsh for these sensitive dogs.

Keep Away From Windows

Keeping your dog away from windows or see-through doors when at home can help reduce barking. You can erect a baby gate or indoor pet fence so that your dog is prevented from accessing windows, or you can place some privacy window film so that it's difficult for your dog to see outside.

Buffer Sounds

If there are particular sounds that appear to induce barking, it may help to use a white noise machine to help buffer the sound and make it less noticeable.

Use the "Look at That" Method

If your Border Collie starts barking at triggers seen from a window or behind a fence, you may find Leslie McDevitt's Look at That method helpful. Here is more about this method: Look at That and here is a guide applied to a dog barking at other dogs behind windows: How Can I Stop My Dog From Barking at Dogs Passing by the House?

Use the "Hear That" Method

Should you identify noises in your home or surroundings that trigger barking, you may find it helpful to use the "hear that" method. This is an auditory version of Look at That. Here is a general guide: The Hear That Method.

Train an Alternate Behavior

Training your dog to perform a cued behavior can keep his mind off of barking. For example, a "go to your mat" may be helpful in cases where dogs tend to bark at triggers such as the sound of the doorbell. Here are more tips for dogs who bark at visitors.

Leaving dogs outside unattended allows them to bark with impunity. Dogs that are barking excessively should be gently brought indoors. Dogs should not be left outdoors when no one is home.

— Carlo Siracusa, board-certified veterinary behaviorist

6 Tips for Reducing Barking at Guests

Become a Pro in Canine Communication

As seen, there can be various stimuli and situations that may induce barking in dogs, and dogs use their barking to manifest various emotions.

Getting really good at understanding your Border Collie's body language and vocalizations is key in knowing how to tackle any excessive barking.

For instance, did you know that there are as many as 11 types of barking in dogs? There may be even more if we pay close attention.

A Word About Bark Collars

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, barking may still get out of hand. This can happen when life gets busy and we can't dedicate as much time as we want to our dogs, or when dogs become particularly stressed, fearful, anxious or excited by something.

At some point, when dogs start barking at everything or when neighbors start complaining about our dogs' barking, it may feel tempting to use some type of bark deterrent such as a bark collar that delivers shock, makes an unpleasant sound or emits a spray of citronella.

As tempting as it may feel to use such devices, it's important to consider the risks associated with their use. Punishing a dog's barking fails to address the underlying problem which can cause side effects that may sometimes be worse than the barking itself.

More about the risks involved are discussed here: Do ultrasonic bark collars work?

If Worse Comes to Worst

Fortunately, there are several alternatives to bark collars. For example, remote training systems such as a Pet Tutor or Treat and Train can be used to reward moments of quiet.

The Furbo Camera can also be used to monitor dogs when left alone and allows owners to toss treats to dogs when left alone.

And of course, there is always the option of seeking professional help. If the barking doesn't appear amenable to behavior modification and training, you can always reach out to a professional dog trainer or behavior consultant.

These professionals can provide guidance on how to work on the problem and prevent some common behavior modification mistakes.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior offers guidelines on what to look for when selecting a dog trainer or a canine behavior consultant.

Wishing you the best of luck in finding the dog of your dreams. Happy training!

References

• Collie Point: Border Collie History: From Old Hemp to New Beginnings
• Meet Your Dog · The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior by Kim Brophey
• Rosado, Isabel & Silva, Juliana & Freitas, Dilmas & Reis, Aline & Picelli, Julia & Alves, Endrigo Gabellini & Martins, Ian. (2019). Compulsive Disorder in Border Collie bitch. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae
• PetMD: Puppy Crying in His Crate? Here’s What To Do
• Landsberg, G., W. Hunthausen, and L. Ackerman. 2013. Unruly behaviors, training and management– dogs. In: Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat, 3rd edition. Elsevier: Philadelphia
• Lindell, E. 2009. Management problems in dogs. In: Horwitz, D. F. and D. S. Mills (eds), BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine, 2nd edition. British Small Animal Veterinary Association: Gloucester.
• Blackwell's Five Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Behavior, 2nd Edition

If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting), please consult with a dog behavior professional for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos, and general information provided online are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this service, you are waiving any liability claims or other types of claims related to any of your dogs' behaviors against you or others.

© 2024 Adrienne Farricelli CPDT-KA, Dip.CBST