Do Bichon Frises Bark a Lot? How Much & How to Stop It (Vet-Reviewed)

Bichon Frises can be fairly vocal dogs and bark a lot. Like many smaller breeds, they are often alert and may bark frequently, which some owners consider undesirable. 

It is true that most only bark to alert their owners. However, their barking can also be triggered by excitement, boredom, or a lack of training. They are not necessarily among the noisiest breeds, and their barking can usually be managed. 

However, all isn’t lost. With the proper training and understanding, focusing on positive reinforcement, you can teach your Bichon Frise to bark less. That’s what we’ll look at in the rest of this article.

The 6 Possible Reasons Why Bichon Frises Bark So Much

Some Bichon Frises can indeed bark quite a bit. However, this isn’t all nature. In fact, how you raise your dog plays a huge role in how much they bark. Here are some reasons Bichon Frises bark so much:

1. Small Dog Syndrome

Many small dogs get carried around and treated like a baby a lot. Instead of letting small dogs walk to the car on a leash, many owners will simply carry them. And who can blame them? These dogs are so small that it’s often more practical to carry them.

However, when a dog is carried much of the time, they may receive a message that the world isn’t safe. They may not learn how to perform very basic actions by themselves, and don’t get to explore as much as they need. Therefore, they can sometimes become more fearful and bark more.

Because it tends to affect smaller dogs, this behavioral problem is known as “small dog syndrome.”

2. Attention Seeking

Some dogs may bark as a way to seek attention. Often, this is a learned behavior. They bark and then get attention. Therefore, the next time they want attention, they bark for it.

3. Boredom

If they aren’t socialized, exercised, or mentally stimulated enough, these dogs may bark simply because they don’t have anything else to do. Or they may bark at every little thing because it may (finally) give them the opportunity to play.

Therefore, wearing your dog out with games, training, and interaction is a great way to prevent barking, as well as socialising them with various people and pets in different environments from an early age.

4. Alarm or Fear

Bichon Frises may bark when they feel frightened or are trying to alert you to something. They’re very alert dogs, which means they will see many things outside that you might not. If something is out of the ordinary, they may bark as a way to alert you (and others).

To some extent, this is the type of barking you want your dog to do. However, it is important that they are appropriately stimulated, or they may bark at absolutely everything they see.

5. Separation Anxiety

Some Bichon Frises may bark and howl when they are separated from their people. Separation anxiety refers to a dog that becomes anxious when they are separated from a particular person. Many of these dogs actually suffer from “isolation anxiety,” an informal term not yet broadly accepted in veterinary circles, which occurs when they are alone in general.

If you suspect your pet is suffering from separation anxiety, you should contact a vet directly for an assessment. They can provide you with more information and a care plan and may refer you to a certified behaviorist.

6. Lack of Socialization

If your Bichon Frise isn’t well socialized, they may consider more things scary, leading to more barking. Socialization should begin as young as possible and involves introducing your dog to many different people, places, and animals. Simply put, you want to make every day as normal as possible. This prevents your dog from coming into contact with “new” and scary things.

When dogs aren’t socialized, more things are new and scary, leading to barking and other behavioral issues.

The 5 Tips to Prevent Excess Barking

Some Bichon Frises may be a bit yappier than other dogs. However, that doesn’t mean you can prevent excess barking. There are a lot of things you can do to help your dog remain calm.

1. Provide Plenty of Stimulation

Dogs that aren’t exercised or entertained enough tend to be noisier. They may be looking for something to do, and that something could easily be barking. It’s important to provide your dog with plenty to do so that they don’t sit by the window and bark at everything that comes by.

Bichon Frises are intelligent, so they require a fair amount of mental stimulation on a daily basis. Consider investing in some puzzle toys for when you aren’t around, as well as training or sports like agility.

2. Crate Training

A crate provides your dog with a quiet, safe space to retreat to. When crate training is done correctly, dogs learn to associate the crate with positive experiences, making it comfortable for longer periods of time.

Crates can be especially helpful when you’re away, as they allow you to safely confine your dog in their secure space. While not a guaranteed solution for every dog, crate training can help reduce anxiety and limit excessive barking for many dogs. Additionally, a crate gives your dog a safe spot to go to when they’re feeling stressed or anxious, which can further support calmer behavior.

3. Teach the Quiet Command

Teaching your dog the “quiet” command can help with excessive barking. This command isn’t hard to teach and can be taught in several ways using positive reinforcement. Call your vet or a certified behaviorist to get some tips for training your dog.

4. Ignore the Barking

You shouldn’t give your dog any attention when they bark, even negative attention. If you do, your dog may learn to bark for attention. Of course, this is the last thing you want.

5. Socialize Your Dog

You should also socialize with your dog from an early age to prevent excessive barking and other behavioral problems later on. Socializing can go a long way to making your dog more manageable.

Final Thoughts

Some Bichon Frises may bark more in certain situations, though it’s unclear how much of this is due to breed tendencies versus upbringing. It may just be that how most Bichon Frises are raised leads to tons of barking, not that they bark more overall.

Therefore, it is possible to raise your dog to bark less. You can do this by socializing them well, avoiding small dog syndrome, exercising and mentally stimulating them, and training them using positive reinforcement. Working with your dog from an early age goes a long way to preventing barking and stopping it quickly when it does occur.

Keep in mind these dogs are very alert, so they may bark more at strange happenings outside. However, this doesn’t have to be excessive and shouldn’t happen all the time. Socialization will help dogs that tend to be alert to everything.

Featured Image Credit: Vladimir Nenezic, Shutterstock