I have a three year old terrierist cross (patterdale vs border), he is gorgeous, lively and very very affectionate.
From a pup until recently he quite happily slept downstairs shut in the kitchen, no problems at all. Then we had those storms one after another and he started barking at the wind coming down the chimney and the noise of the heavy rain. Because this was happening at some godawful time of the night I took him up to bed with me or put him in with dd2 (he's her dog officially!). I KNEW this was a bad idea but at the time I just wanted him to stop making a racket and let me sleep .
Now he won't be left in the kitchen at all and if we try he starts barking almost immediately, we cannot leave him to learn by barking himself out with no response because we live in a terraced house with a newborn on one side and a 6month old baby on the other, totally unacceptable to disturb them or their parents.
I don't really have a problem with him sleeping in with a person but he wriggles and jiggles, has a scratch, licks his feet and generally stops me from sleeping, I was the same when the kids were small and could never sleep if they climbed into my bed. I don't cope well when I miss out on my sleep.
We are currently sharing the sleeping with him so no-one is too disturbed, one night with me, one night with dd2. He seems to sleep better in her room and he doesn't keep her awake but then she has a problem leaving him when she goes to have a shower in the morning after I've left for work.
Strangely he seems fine being left during the day, I've checked with neighbours that he hasn't been barking when we've all been out.
Is it possible to retrain him to sleep (silently ) in the kitchen alone or have I broken my dog forever?
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The doghouse
Retraining night time alone?
4 replies
tsonlyme · 14/01/2016 12:03
OP posts:
AnUtterIdiot ·
14/01/2016 12:11
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