Dachshund Barking With Two Dogs: Calm Two-Dog Home

Quick Answer

• Two Dachshunds often bark more than one because the first bark excites the second, and the pair then feeds off each other’s energy.
• Work out which dog starts the barking, and train that dog first, one dog at a time, before practising together.
• Give each dog its own mat, bowl, and resting place, so competition for space and attention does not add fuel.
• Keep the household calm with separate walks, individual training, and quiet time apart every day.

Contents

• 1. Why Two Dogs Bark More Than One
• 2. Find the Dog That Starts It
• 3. Train One Dog at a Time
• 4. Set Up the Home So Dogs Do Not Compete
• 5. A Daily Routine for a Calm Two-Dog Household
• Two-Dog Barking Response Checklist
• Common Mistakes
• When to Call Your Vet
• Pin This: Calm Two-Dog Checklist
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

One Dachshund barks at the doorbell, and within a second the second Dachshund is barking too, louder and longer than the first. A walk past another dog turns into a duet. A knock, a hallway sound, or a visitor sets off both dogs at once, and the noise is twice as hard to stop. Owners of two Dachshunds often say the same thing: each dog is manageable alone, but together they are a different animal. That is not an exaggeration. Two dogs change the barking picture in real ways, and the fix has to match.

The core problem is simple: barking is contagious between dogs that live together. One dog’s alert excites the other, the second dog’s barking confirms to the first that something is worth barking at, and the pair escalates together. Add competition for attention, food, space, and the owner’s lap, and a small trigger can become a long, loud event. This guide explains how to break that cycle: identify the dog that starts it, train each dog separately, set up the home so the dogs do not compete, and build a daily routine that keeps both dogs calm.

1. Why Two Dogs Bark More Than One

Barking spreads between dogs for the same reason yawning spreads between people: dogs watch and copy each other, especially dogs that live together. When one Dachshund barks at a sound, the second dog hears the barking, sees the first dog’s excitement, and joins in without checking what the original trigger was. The second dog may not even have heard the doorbell or the hallway noise; it is responding to its housemate. That is why the pair often barks longer than either dog would alone, and why the barking can continue after the original trigger has gone.

Excitement also builds faster with two dogs. One dog pacing and barking raises the energy of the other, and the pair can feed each other into a state where neither dog can hear or respond to the owner. In that state, calling the dogs, offering treats, or stepping between them rarely works, because both dogs are too aroused to think. Prevention matters far more than reaction: once the duet is at full volume, the realistic goal is to separate the dogs calmly and wait for the energy to fall, not to train through the noise.

Competition adds a third layer. Two dogs in one apartment share the owner’s attention, the best sleeping spots, the food bowls, and the doorway to the garden or balcony. If one dog feels it must compete for those things, it may bark to claim attention first, guard a spot, or push the other dog away from the owner. That competition barking looks similar to alert barking, but it needs a different fix: separate resources and fair, individual attention, rather than more practice with the trigger. Watching when the barking happens is the first step to telling the two apart.

2. Find the Dog That Starts It

Before training either dog, spend a week watching who starts the barking. Keep a simple note: the date, the trigger, which dog barked first, and how long the barking lasted. Most two-dog homes have a clear pattern: one dog is the instigator, reacting to sounds, visitors, or other dogs, while the second dog is the follower, joining in once the first dog starts. Sometimes the roles swap by trigger, with one dog starting doorbell barking and the other starting walk barking, but there is usually a main instigator for each situation.

Knowing the instigator changes the training plan. The instigator needs the most work on the trigger itself: desensitisation to sounds, practice with visitors, or calm walking past other dogs. The follower needs work on staying calm when its housemate barks: settling on a mat, ignoring the other dog’s excitement, and being rewarded for not joining in. Training the follower first is often easier, because it already has a calmer starting point, and a calm follower removes half the noise while the instigator is still learning.

Watch for competition as well as triggers. If barking happens mostly when the owner comes home, at feeding time, or when one dog is getting attention, competition is likely part of the picture. Note which dog barks, which dog gets the attention, and whether the barking stops once the dogs are separated. The plan for barking at other dogs on walks helps with the walk trigger, and its distance and reward steps work for the instigator in the home too. A week of notes is worth more than a month of guessing.

3. Train One Dog at a Time

Training two dogs together is twice as hard and half as effective, because the owner cannot reward one dog without exciting the other, and neither dog can hear the cue over the other’s barking. Train separately instead. Take one dog to another room with a helper, or to the garden or hallway, and work with the other dog alone for five to ten minutes. Short, separate sessions let each dog learn at its own speed, and let the owner reward precisely, without confusion about which dog earned the treat.

Start with the basics, one dog at a time: a settle on a mat, a quiet cue, and calm behaviour around the trigger at a low intensity. For the instigator, that means practising with a quiet doorbell recording, a visitor at a distance, or a calm walk past another dog, with rewards for looking and staying quiet. For the follower, it means practising staying on its mat while the owner makes exciting noises, moves quickly, or plays a recording of barking at low volume, rewarding the dog for staying settled. Each dog learns a different job, and both jobs matter.

Bring the dogs together only when each one can do its job alone. Start with the easiest trigger, at the lowest intensity, with both dogs on their mats at a good distance from each other. Reward both dogs for staying settled, delivering treats to each mat in turn. Keep the first joint sessions very short, two or three minutes, and end while both dogs are still calm. If the pair escalates, separate them calmly and go back to separate training for a few more days. Joint success is built on separate success, not the other way around.

4. Set Up the Home So Dogs Do Not Compete

A two-dog apartment needs two of everything that matters. Each dog should have its own bed or mat, its own food bowl, its own water bowl, and its own resting place, in different parts of the room. Feed the dogs in separate spots, at the same time, so neither dog feels it must rush or guard its food. Give chews and food puzzles in separate places too, because a high-value chew in a shared space is a common trigger for barking and squabbling. Separate resources remove the competition that fuels much of the barking.

Give each dog individual attention every day. A few minutes of one-to-one play, training, or a short walk alone with the owner makes each dog feel secure, and a secure dog barks less to demand attention. Walk the dogs together most of the time if they walk well together, but take each one out alone at least a few times a week, so each dog practises calm walking without its housemate. The guide to barking during play with people covers the excitement side of this, and its calm-play rules apply just as well to two dogs playing with each other.

Manage the shared spaces that cause trouble. If the front door is the main trigger, keep both dogs behind a baby gate in another room when visitors arrive, and bring them out one at a time once they are calm. If the window is the trigger, limit window access during busy times, or use frosted film on the lower part of the glass so the dogs cannot see every passer-by. If one dog guards the sofa, give each dog its own comfortable spot and make the sofa a shared, calm place or a no-dog zone, whichever keeps the peace. Small changes to the layout often remove the trigger entirely.

5. A Daily Routine for a Calm Two-Dog Household

A calm two-dog day has a predictable shape, with separate and shared time balanced through it. Start with a walk together, then feed the dogs in separate spots. Give each dog a short individual training session in the morning, even five minutes each, working on its own job: the instigator on the trigger, the follower on staying settled. Offer a shared rest period in the middle of the day, with each dog on its own bed, and a quiet activity such as a food puzzle in separate places.

Build in time apart every day. Dogs that are together all day, every day, can become over-dependent on each other, which makes barking worse when one dog gets excited. A short period in separate rooms, with a chew each, teaches both dogs to settle alone. That separation time is also useful for the owner, because it gives a quiet window for calls, chores, or rest. Keep the separation short at first, ten to fifteen minutes, and increase it slowly, always ending while both dogs are calm.

Review the household weekly. Note whether the barking is shorter, whether the follower joins in less often, and whether the dogs settle faster after a trigger. Progress with two dogs is often uneven: one dog improves quickly while the other takes longer, and that is normal. If progress stalls, check the basics: are the dogs getting enough exercise, are resources truly separate, and is each dog getting individual attention? A two-dog household needs more management than a one-dog household, but the reward is two dogs that can be calm together, not just calm apart.

Two-Dog Barking Response Checklist

Situation	What to do	What to avoid
One dog starts barking	Settle the follower on its mat first	Shouting at both dogs at once
Both dogs barking loudly	Separate them calmly, wait for quiet	Training through full-volume barking
Feeding time	Separate bowls, separate spots, same time	One bowl or bowls side by side
Visitors arrive	Dogs behind a gate, out one at a time	Both dogs rushing the door together
Daily training	Short separate sessions, then brief joint work	Training both dogs together from day one

Common Mistakes

• Training both dogs together before either can do the job alone.
• Scolding both dogs when only one started the barking.
• Sharing one bowl, one bed, or one chew between two dogs.
• Rewarding the follower for joining in with attention.
• Expecting joint sessions to work without separate practice.
• Letting the dogs be together every minute of every day.
• Blaming the follower when the instigator is the real problem.

When to Call Your Vet

Contact a veterinarian if barking between two dogs is paired with aggression, injuries, or one dog showing signs of pain, fear, or distress, or if either dog’s behaviour has changed suddenly. A veterinarian can check for pain or illness in either dog, because a dog in pain may bark more and be less tolerant of its housemate, and advise whether professional behavior support would help. This article gives general information only and is not a diagnosis. Fighting, biting, or one dog repeatedly pinning or guarding against the other should be assessed promptly, and the dogs should be separated safely while professional advice is sought.

Pin This: Calm Two-Dog Checklist

• Watch for a week and note which dog starts the barking.
• Train each dog separately before practising together.
• Give each dog its own bed, bowl, and resting place.
• Feed in separate spots at the same time.
• Give each dog a few minutes of individual attention daily.
• Separate the dogs calmly when barking escalates.
• Build short time apart into every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I get a second dog to keep the first one company?

Not as a fix for barking. A second dog often doubles the barking, because the dogs excite each other. A second dog works best when the first dog is already calm and the owner is ready for twice the training and management.

Which dog should I train first?

Train the follower first if it is calmer, because a calm follower removes half the noise. Then work on the instigator’s trigger. Both dogs need training, but the order matters.

Can I walk two Dachshunds together?

Yes, once each dog can walk calmly alone. Until then, walk them separately for training, and together only for short, easy walks. Two dogs on leads can pull each other into barking at other dogs.

What if the dogs fight over chews or toys?

Give chews and toys in separate places, and remove high-value items if they cause guarding. Do not force the dogs to share, and seek professional advice if guarding is severe.

How long does two-dog barking take to improve?

Expect several weeks of separate training before joint sessions work well, and a few months before the household is reliably calmer. Progress is measured in shorter barking and a follower that stays settled more often.

Conclusion

Two Dachshunds bark more than one because barking spreads, excitement builds, and competition adds fuel. Find the dog that starts it, train each dog separately, give each its own resources, and build a daily routine with time apart. Start the week of watching today, and judge progress by a follower that stays settled and barking that ends sooner.