There’s nothing more annoying than your neighbor’s dog barking at night just when you are about to hit the bed. Worse yet, there is nothing you or your neighbor can do anything about it. Apart from the general perception that dogs bark at night to bay at the moon or ward off strangers and supposedly evil spirits, there are several other reasons for a dog to bark incessantly at night. And here are some of the more common ones.
Increased sensitivity to sounds
A dog’s sense of hearing is very strong and can help him hear even the smallest of sounds easily. And while there may be additional sounds and noises to disturb him during the day, the pin drop silence of the night would only make these sounds amplified. Even a small movement made by a nocturnal rodent like rats or raccoons would be enough to make him start barking.
Increased sensitivity to light
Dogs experience monochrome vision and can only see everything in shades of black and white. Surprisingly, this very hindrance boosts their vision at night. The black and white vision amplifies the light and contrast to a great extent. This would be enough to make a dog see the minutest of details clearly at night. And that would be more than enough to send him into a barking frenzy if he happens to see even small movements in the dark.
Territorial markings
A dog would most probably take after its ancestor, the coyote or the world, and bark at night to mark its territory and ward off other dogs. Barking loudly would enable the dog to announce to other dogs (and even rodents) in the vicinity that it is his place and he would not give it up without a fight. This way, the dog would protect his family members (his owners) during the day and keep watch over potential trespassers.