Ask the AKC Animal Behaviorist - Why Does My Dog Bark at Doorbells on TV?

Mar 23rd 2011

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has more than 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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Q: Why does Gus, my 2-year-old German shepherd, bark when the doorbell rings on a television show? We've never even had a doorbell, so it's not like he's expecting someone. Is it just the sound that bugs him?

A: When most dogs bark up a storm upon hearing the doorbell, it's because they're pairing the sound with what happens next. Doorbell rings; stranger appears at door. In behavioral terms, we would say the sound of the doorbell has generalized if the dog also barks when he hears a doorbell on television.

But, in your case, you've told us that you don't have a doorbell and Gus barks when he hears one on television. Has Gus ever been exposed to a doorbell, so that he learned that the sound is a signal strangers might appear?