How to stop dog barking at night: which video to watch
Dog Behaviour › Barking & Night Settling
How to stop dog barking at night: which video to watch
● verified 8 Aug 2026
By the editorial team · human-reviewed before publishing
Most videos labelled 'stop dog barking' cover daytime triggers — visitors, the vacuum, other dogs on walks. Nighttime barking is a different problem: the dog is usually alone in a crate, the behaviour is often self-rewarding, and the owner is trying to fix it at 2 a.m. without waking the street. Only two of the eleven videos reviewed tackle this specific situation head-on.
Short verdict
Start with McCann Dog Training's crate-at-night video. It is the only one built around the exact scenario — dark house, tired owner, dog in a crate — and it gives two interrupters you can use without leaving your bed. If your problem is a brand-new puppy crying rather than an established barker, the Chewy clip adds the daytime conditioning step that stops the night habit forming in the first place. If anxiety rather than habit is driving the barking, Veterinary Secrets is the only video in the pack with practical calming techniques and supplement options for that specific cause.
How To Stop Your Dog From Barking In Their Crate At Night
McCann Dog Training · 5:30 · Sep 2018
Ken Steepe of McCann Dogs addresses crate barking at night directly, opening by explaining that it is a self-rewarding behaviour so waiting it out alone is 'not a great training plan' 0:05. He works through building a positive crate association during the day 1:06, a sharp verbal interrupter ('ah ah') and tapping the crate side for dogs within arm's reach 2:26, then a leash-jingle technique that lets owners interrupt from across the room without getting up 3:44.
Why it ranks here: This is the only ranked video built entirely around the nighttime-crate scenario. The progression from daytime crate conditioning through in-room verbal interruption to the long-line jingle is logical and complete. The step at 1:47 — rule out whether the barking is a toilet signal before applying any interrupter — is a practical safeguard that prevents the training working against you. Commenters confirm it in real conditions: one reports a puppy quieting in 5 minutes after nearly 2 hours of barking; another had a 10-month-old rescue pup settle after 10 minutes. Ken's own account of using the jingle method for his dog Deegan 4:17 gives the technique credibility beyond demonstration.
~5 min · puppy and adult dog · no equipment needed for basic version; optional long line for the distance technique
2
Best for new puppy parents
How to Stop a Puppy From Crying at Night
Chewy · 2:10 · Feb 2019
Sara from Chewy delivers a four-step guide for puppies crying at night: give the puppy alone time during the day so separation is not only associated with bedtime 0:20, resist going to comfort the puppy when it cries 0:45, play soothing music or a calm television programme 1:08, and wait for at least one moment of silence before responding to any genuine need 1:23. The whole video runs just over two minutes.
Why it ranks here: Its single most important point — that giving a crying puppy attention, even just to check on it, rewards the crying — is stated plainly at 1:00. That one idea stops many owners from accidentally teaching the opposite of what they want. The brevity keeps the method clear: four numbered steps, no tangents. It complements the McCann crate video rather than duplicating it, because it focuses on the daytime conditioning that prevents the night habit forming, whereas McCann focuses on breaking it once it has already started. A commenter reports it working after a week of no other solution making progress.
~2 min · new puppy · no equipment
3
Best if anxiety is driving the barking
How To Quickly Stop Dog Barking
Veterinary Secrets · 6:30 · Feb 2013
Dr Andrew Jones of Veterinary Secrets covers the full picture of excessive barking in under seven minutes, including what not to do (yelling, shock collars), basic recall training, and — most distinctively — two hands-on calming techniques drawn from Tellington TTouch: a gentle ear stroke from base to tip 4:34 and a small circular motion along the same path 4:57, both demonstrated on his dog Jesse. He also outlines two supplement options for anxious dogs: a herbal blend and Bach Rescue Remedy 5:39.
Why it ranks here: If a dog barks at night because it is genuinely anxious rather than bored or habit-trained, the other ranked videos offer little beyond the standard interrupt-and-praise loop. This is the only video in the pack covering calming aids and physical touch techniques that can be applied before barking starts — useful when a dog wakes in the small hours and no verbal cue will settle it. The exercise guidance at 4:02 is specific: 30 minutes twice a day at an elevated heart rate, producing calming hormones that reduce barking. The video also states clearly that debarking surgery is outlawed in the UK as mutilation 1:06 and should never be considered.
~6 min · any age dog · TTouch needs practice with the dog when it is already calm; supplements require sourcing
Where the videos disagree
Should you actively interrupt a dog barking in the crate at night, or wait it out?
McCann (crate video) argues that barking is self-rewarding, so pure waiting is 'not a great training plan' 0:05; it recommends an active interrupter — a sharp verbal sound or a tap on the crate — followed immediately by praise for quiet. The Chewy clip takes a harder 'wait it out' line, telling owners to be 'indifferent' 0:52 and hold firm until the puppy is silent before giving any response at all.
Our read: The two approaches are less contradictory than they appear. McCann's interrupter is designed to break a self-reinforcing bark loop, not to console the dog; the praise follows quiet, not barking. Chewy is directing owners away from running to the crate and cuddling — it is not arguing against a neutral, non-soothing sound interrupter. For a very young puppy in its first nights home, Chewy's stricter line prevents the consolation habit forming. For a dog that has already learned to bark persistently, McCann's active method is likely more effective.
Worth knowing before you start
Adult dogs barking at outdoor noises through the window at night All nighttime-specific content in this pack covers crate barking. No video addresses the separate problem of an adult dog patrolling windows and barking at sounds outside in the dark, which is territorial or alert behaviour and calls for a different approach.
How long training realistically takes — and what to do if it is not working Comments range from 'five minutes' to 'still not working after weeks'. None of the ranked videos gives a realistic timeline or explains clearly what to try if the method has not produced improvement after several nights.
