I'm at the end of my tether with new dog barking at night.

[VivaLeBeaver]

We've only had him 10 days...he's 6 months old.

First couple of nights he took a while to settle into his crate but I'd expect this. Then he seemed OK apart from the fact he poos in his crate most nights about 3am. He then barks hysterically so I get up, clean the poo up, put him in the garden and then back in his crate.

He normally settles quite well. Apart from last night. He barked from 2am non-stop, and I mean non-stop. Ignored him for over 2 hours, then went down and told him off. He was quiet for 3 mins and then started up again.

I'm shattered, dh is in a foul mood. I put the dog in one of the outbuildings at 5am just to try and get some sleep, but he's managed to make a hole in the brick wall and then stuck his head out and carried on barking. I'm sorry, but I was desperate and probably not very rational. DH is muttering about sending the dog back which I really don't want to do......I don't think dh is serious.

There's no way DH would allow him to sleep with us at night. He could at a push sleep on dd's bed and if he was better house trained I'd be keener on this. I'm concerened he'll poo in her bedroom or even on her bed in the night.

[BellaVita]

Oh Viva , I am watching with interest as I really really want a dog but DH is less committed.

Have you got neighbours? Would they be happy with the dog barking outside early morning?

[PseudoBadger]

Perhaps last night he was worried about pooing in the crate so preempted this with a good bark. Could you get up before he pops and take him out?

[VivaLeBeaver]

He pooed last night before he barked. So when he was barking like mad for hours he'd already done it and I'd cleared it up.

We have got neighbours which is why I'm up now! Putting him in the outhouse worked for a bit until he managed to push a brick out the wall. When he staretd barking through the hole I got up and brought him in and have stayed downstairs with him.

Neighbours are semi-detached so I can't imagine they're delighted about him barking in the house all night either.

I've just ordered a table top ultrasonic anti-bark thing. Its not an electic shock collar before anyone says anything. But apparantly if he barks it makes a noise that he won't like. I am desperate.

I have to go away with work this weekend and I'm stressed that while I'm away the dog will drive dh insane.

[MothershipG]

If you don't want him upstairs how about sleeping downstairs with him for a while?

Is he a rescue? Do you know much about his previous conditions? Could he be anxious?

I understand the desperation that sleep depravation causes but I would have thought it's early days to be moving to an ultrasonic collar.

[VivaLeBeaver]

He's not a rescue, he came from the breeder but he's always been with other dogs before.

I don't know about him been anxious, maybe. But he's been ok'ish most other nights - nothing like last night for sure.

I can't even sleep on a sofa downstairs with him as we're waiting for sofas to be delivered. Front room is empty apart from the dog!

[idirdog]

Strongly advise against using the anti bark device. The dog will either take no notice of it but what it more likely to happen as your dog is anxious already would be to stress him out more. He may stop barking, (unlikely) but will change his stress behaviour to something worse, chewing, howling, more pooing etc and become more stressed and then have more issues for you to work through.

You have had him no time at all he has had a major life change and is obviously unsure.

First get a DAP collar (this works well for some dogs others it makes no diffrence but worth a try)

Then there are two ways to approach this: make a bed on the sitting room floor crate the dog and sleep in there for a few days moving away from him each night.

Second way is to leave the radio on low at night and then just sit out the barking. It will not go on for ever maybe a few more nights.

Personally I would take the first approach.

[miggy]

what about having the crate in your bedroom? that sometimes helps

[VivaLeBeaver]

OK, have cancelled the no bark thing. Thanks.

He's got a DAP collar already and we've done leaving the Tv on, blanket over the crate, hot water bottle, my old jumper, etc.

I can sleep downstairs with him tonight. DD will have to do it Friday and Sat night as I'm not here. DH won't have him in our room at all, even in a crate.

We did ttry him in a crate in dd's room but he barked at the chinchillas. I think he might be better in her room not in the crate, I think he might ignore the chinchillas then. But I also think he might crap on her pillow!

[miggy]

Good luck
It's bad timing as well because I think they do get more vocal at that age, our pup is same age and was very quiet and is now trying out a very annoying attention yap.
Nothing worse than no sleep and worrying about the neighbours :(

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

He does sound anxious. My dog barked all night once, it was horrendous. Turned out he had colitis and was distressed about pooing in the house. Stupid human didn't realise and told him off :(. Could something have spooked him? Jasper gets upset and barks if the hoover is left in the kitchen at night, or the blinds aren't pulled. He doesn't feel safe.

[moosemama]

I would second whoever said to pre-empt the pooing by setting your alarm and letting him out before he does it or starts to bark.

Am I right in thinking he came straight from kennels to you, so hasn't been a house-dog before? If so it will be a big change for him, as he was likely to have been able to hear/see other dogs in the kennel, even if he wasn't actually kennelled with another dog.

I know he's not a rescue, but he's young and has had a massive upheaval in his life, having only known the breeder's kennels before he came to you, so a lot of the same rules will apply. With some rescues you often get a period of relative calm while they settle in and get used to things, then a couple of weeks in they start to feel more confident and that's when the problem behaviours start up.

I think idirdog is right. Think of it in the same way as you would do a gradual withdrawal from a toddler's bed/cot, he needs the reassurance that he's not alone, so if you sleep nearby you can gradually move further and further away until he's settled enough for you to be able to sleep elsewhere.

Unfortunately by going downstairs and telling him off you will have reinforced the barking and he's likely to redouble his efforts - hence starting again a couple of minutes later.

I would also recommend doing some clicker training with him to teach him "quiet", then you will at least have a chance of him understanding that you want him to stop barking.

I've just noticed you said he hasn't been as bad before. Could something have disturbed him last night do you think lots of dogs react to thinks like foxes in the garden etc.

I do feel for you, our lurcher started howling at night when we lost our old girl a couple of weeks ago and like you, we are semi-detached and although our neighbours are lovely, I'm pretty sure they would be wholeheartedly unimpressed with being kept awake.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I know I did all the wrong things by going down but after ignoring him for 2 hours hadn't worked I was just beside myself.

I'm worried that me sleeping with him will only put off the inevitable, that when I do go back upstairs he'll just be barking again.

Something might have spooked him - the room is at the front of the house but sometimes peoplw walk by/rev car engine, etc. We can't have him at the back of the house as he barks at the cats using the catflap

But yes, this is his first home and it is a big upheaval for him. On the positive side he's walked really nicely today without growling at other dogs.

[moosemama]

I can understand that - I've done it myself, it's hard enough when it's just you they're keeping awake - but when you add the stress of disturbing the neighbours into the mix it's a nightmare.

When our boy started howling, dh went downstairs, opened the door - leaving the child/dog-gate closed and just went to sleep in the living room (dog sleeps in kitchen) without giving him an attention at all. That did the trick, because he wasn't rewarded by attention, but felt comforted enough by dh's presence to stop howling. Is there any way you could set up a bed in an adjacent room with a dog gate or similar in between, so that he knows you're there, but isn't actually getting any attention?

After a couple of nights, when dh was fed up of sleeping on the sofa, we set up dd's old baby monitor with the parent until in the kitchen and the baby part in our bedroom. That way he can hear us and knows we're there, but dh gets to sleep in his own bed. We then gradually turn down the volume on the monitor each night until we can switch it off. (We did the same thing when he was a pup.) It's an alternative to gradual withdrawal, but I realise it might not be right for every dog/household. It's been a fortnight and he's now OK without the monitor on.

Fingers crossed it was just something that spooked him and he won't be as bad tonight.

[moosemama]

Oops, "without giving him any attention at all."

[mistlethrush]

In many ways were were in a similar position, bringing home mistlehound from a situation where she'd been with lots of dogs, to one where she was the only dog in a house for the first time, and not house trained.

We started off the first night OK, with her in the kitchen. However, things went downhill - at 1.10am I came down to unhappy (whining) dog, poo in kitchen and lots of panting - took her out, tried to settle her - had to get up because of woofing (never heard that before from her) rather hysterically... Tried the sitting room and she went to sleep (almost immediately) on top of me on the sofa - but I decided that I couldn't sleep like that, so gave up and took her upstairs, removed her from DS's bed and our bed and put her mat down right adjacent to me so that I could leave a hand on her to start with and she could easily hear and see us. She settled down immediately. She has only ever once soiled in the bedroom - normally went downstairs (I got good at waking up as soon as she got up and sloped off downstairs, and that helped with the housetraining too).

She still sleeps in the bedroom - although not right by the bed now - although she doesn't necessarily join us for the start of the night if she's got settled on the sofa.

We've not had an accident for ages, despite her being at least 2 when we got her - so as he's younger, hopefully the housetraining should be a bit easier.

[MrRected]

Feed him earlier in the evening
30 min walk after your own dinner
15 mins in the garden before bed
Crate next to your bed - you can gradually move him

[neepsandtatties]

I like the baby monitor idea - makes sense!

Hope you find a solution that works for you

[VivaLeBeaver]

Dog is in bed with dd.

[MothershipG]

I bet he sleeps through nicely and doesn't have any accidents, I'm sure he is happy as Larry. 2 out of my 3 sleep with me and DH, and always have.

(But can I confess to a few qualms about such a new addition to your family sleeping with your DD, please tell me she's a teenager!)

[VivaLeBeaver]

She's 12, so nearly a teen. And very good with dogs and he worships her, follows her round like a shadow.

You're right he slept through, haven't stuck my head round the door yet but I can't smell poo!

[MothershipG]

Fingers crossed on the poo front then! He obviously was missing the company. Looked at the pic on your profile, what breed is he?

[VivaLeBeaver]

Hes a portugese podengo. Not very common. The vet had never seen one before.

[PseudoBadger]

We had one at agility for a while, very cute :)

[VivaLeBeaver]

I'm thinking of doing agility with him. Never done it before but I think he'd like it.

[PseudoBadger]

Go for it!