Mowing your lawn is a hassle, but the more intimidating thing is having your dog bark at the lawn mower. Adding the lawn mower loud noise and dog barking makes you lose your cool.
If you think it’s only your dog barking at the lawn mower, then it’s not the case.
Dogs universally don’t like lawn mower sounds. The sound gives them monster nightmares in their life.
So, you want to clean the yard but do it in peace without disturbing the dog or the dog attacking the lawn mower. The fear is inherent in dogs and can be brought by previous traumatic events in its life.
That said, there are ways you can do to prevent the situation. All you need to have is no barking and an easy time mowing the lawn.
We have highlighted the best methods of addressing your dog barking to the lawn mower in this article; read on.
Contents
- Why Does My Dog Bark at the Lawn Mower?
- How to Avoid Dog Bark at the Lawn Mower
- 1. Familiarize Your Dog with The Lawn Mower
- 2. Buy a Quieter Lawn Mower
- 3. Don’t Mow the Lawn Yourself
- 4. Dress it a ThunderShirt
- 5. Spray Citronella on The Lawn Mower
- 6. Buy a Goat
- FAQs on Dog Barking at the Lawn Mower
- Why will my dog attack my lawn mower while working?
- How do I introduce my puppy to the lawn mower?
- Can I stop my dog from barking at my lawn mower?
- Author
Why Does My Dog Bark at the Lawn Mower?
If you find your dog barking on the lawn mower, it could be different reasons. One of the main reasons is that dogs hate loud noise because it makes them feel threatened.
When your dog sees you operating the lawn mower, the dog will think you are fighting or wrestling with it. So, because it is threatening, they have to attack it.
However, that will depend on the breed of the dog. Others are inherent, especially when it had a traumatic event while growing.
Typically, for a dog that’s afraid of lawn mowers, it’s also scared of thunderstorms. Dogs have four stages of fear – freeze, flight, fight and submit.
Most dogs will respond to the lawn mower with a flight or fight. The most classic reaction is to lunge, bite, bark, growl, and circle around the lawn mower.
It will shake, pupils dilate, pant heavily, sweat, and experience an increased heart rate. The reactions may seem opposed only that they are on the same continuum.
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How to Avoid Dog Bark at the Lawn Mower
The best thing you can do is avoid the horrible situation for your dog. There will be no more barking, and these are the most effective ways to address the issue:
1. Familiarize Your Dog with The Lawn Mower
Don’t get a hurry to mower your lawn while the dog is around. This is a mistake for most dog owners. The dog will pay attention to the lawn mower, which brings fear.
So, the two will be enemies since they never meet friendly or in non-threatening circumstances.
You, therefore, need to familiarize your dog with the lawn mower while switched off. Offer the dog edible treats for it to come close to the mower itself.
That is something that will help your dog become less fearful when working with the noisy lawn mower machine.
Gradual introduction and offering short sessions such that someone turns the mower on is worth a try.
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2. Buy a Quieter Lawn Mower
All lawn mowers are not made equal; therefore, some make more noise than others. Some lawn mowers have 64% less noise than others.
The difference is huge, which is beneficial to your dog alone and the neighbors.
However, the noise isn’t the main trigger for your dog because it hates the lawn mower. It also plays a vital role in the doggy phobia of mowers due to poor initial familiarization.
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3. Don’t Mow the Lawn Yourself
This is an easy option for you. Hire professional services from reliable mow service providers. The experts will come to mow your lawn while you’re out with your dog.
The good thing about this option is that no-hassle, barking, or working up a sweat while doing an activity you don’t like. You will have to terrify the dog again.
4. Dress it a ThunderShirt
This may sound like an outfit for a superhero, but one of the greatest ways to help your dog avoid barking at your lawn mower.
However, ThunderShirt is a plain-colored, calming shirt/vest for anxious dogs. It has a gentle, constant pressure like swaddling an infant.
5. Spray Citronella on The Lawn Mower
Citronella is a plant-based essential oil extracted from lemongrass leaves. The good thing, it will have a calming effect on your dogs.
When you start mowing, the dog will aggressively attack the lawn mower. The smell of citronella cools down the dog, working like a charm.
6. Buy a Goat
Lastly, you may need to buy a goat. The goat will eat the grass and keep the environment cool without having the disturbing loud noise of a lawn mower.
Your goat will be happily munching the grass and keeping the lawn clean. Unfortunately, you may not keep your dog, thus an unpractical solution.
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FAQs on Dog Barking at the Lawn Mower
Why will my dog attack my lawn mower while working?
Your dog is afraid of the big, loud sound from the lawn mower. That gives your dog a threatening gesture. So, it will have to bark due to fear.
How do I introduce my puppy to the lawn mower?
Create space while introducing the puppy to its new encounter. Allow it to show willingness and move forward to the new object.
Don’t drag a scared puppy to the lawn mower while working and expect to solve any problem. In the end, you will never find a solution.
Can I stop my dog from barking at my lawn mower?
Generally, your dog can calm down while the lawn mower is running. But before then, you must introduce it to the mower in a friendly environment.
Why does my dog bark at the lawn mower? It is a problem most dog owners don’t know the reason for. However, it is a big problem when your dog barks and lunges at the lawn mower constantly.
You need to mow your yard when the dog isn’t feeling or thinking its life is in jeopardy.
Take the necessary steps to train your dog and ensure it’s acquainted with your lawn mower. Reassure your dog is in good hands and should coexist with your lawn mower.
