How to Reduce Dog Barking in Animal Shelters: Practical, Research-Based Tips

Loud, prolonged barking is stressful for staff and volunteers — and for the dogs in your shelter. Excessive barking can increase stress levels, disrupt rest and make kennels less welcoming for adopters. Here are some practical, research-based strategies to help reduce barking in animal shelters.

Provide Outdoor Enrichment and Exercise

Opportunities to go for a walk outdoors — with time to sniff and explore — help tire dogs mentally and physically. Enrichment walks can make it easier for dogs to relax once they return to their kennels. However, brief outdoor sessions may temporarily increase arousal, so dogs will also need help learning to settle when back inside. (See ideas below.)

Playgroups for dog-social dogs are another excellent form of exercise and enrichment when trained staff are available to supervise.

Make the Kennel a Calm, Comfortable Space

The reality is the dogs will spend the majority of their time in their kennel, so here are some ideas to make this time more soothing and pleasant:

Consider these improvements:

Use comfortable bedding, durable toys, food puzzles and other enrichment to provide mental stimulation.
When safe, have staff and volunteers spend time inside the kennel with the dog. As applied animal behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell notes, “What better way for a dog to feel comfortable and ‘at home’ than having a person settle in with them for a while, just as you would in your living room?”
Train for “quiet” by having staff carry treats, or attach containers with treats on each kennel and reward dogs for being quiet as you pass. Avoid giving the dog attention when they bark, waiting instead for a brief moment of quiet to reward.
Provide scent-infused cloths for enrichment. Research has shown certain scents — including ginger, coconut, vanilla and valerian — may reduce vocalization and activity levels in kenneled dogs.
When appropriate, co-house compatible, dog-social dogs together to provide companionship and reduce stress.

Decrease Visual Stimulation in Kennels

Many dogs bark in response to visual triggers, especially when other dogs or people pass by.

To reduce visual overstimulation:

Install inexpensive barriers on the working side of kennels to limit visual access.
Consider “Dutch doors,” where the bottom half of the kennel door is covered so dogs cannot see others walking past.
House easily stimulated dogs in quieter, low-traffic areas whenever possible.

These small environmental changes can significantly reduce reactive barking.

Control Noise and Acoustic Stress

Noise levels in animal shelters can escalate quickly, contributing to stress and increased barking.

Research suggests:

Audiobooks may reduce barking and promote resting behavior more effectively than classical or pop music.
Earlier studies found some calming benefits from classical music, but audiobooks appear to have a stronger impact.
Reducing irritating sounds — such as squeaky doors or loud cleaning equipment — can help soothe dogs.
When budgets allow, install sound-dampening materials such as acoustic quilts, heavy blankets or fiberglass or foam panels to absorb reverberating noise.

Reducing overall sound levels can create a calmer environment for both dogs and people.

References

Summaries of these studies are available on the Companion Animal Psychology blog.

Binks, J., Taylor, S., Wills, A., & Montrose, V. T. (2018). The behavioral effects of olfactory stimulation on dogs at a rescue shelter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Brayley, C., & Montrose, V. T. (2016). The effects of audiobooks on the behavior of dogs at rehoming kennels. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 174, 111–115.
Kogan, L. R., Schoenfeld-Tacher, R., & Simon, A. A. (2012). Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 7(5), 268–275.