7mo puppy suddenly starting to bark at night, any ideas?

[smellysock]

Please help, oh wise ones! We have had ddog 3 whole weeks now, bit of a learning curve obviously but things have been going pretty well. She was crate trained by her previous owners and goes in very happily at night with fav toys etc. All has been fine until the last 2 nights when she has been unsettled and barking quite a bit. Nothing has changed that I can think of, exercise, food, etc not sure whether to ignore or comfort or something else. Open to any advice, I have learned so much from MN doghouse but I have definitely still got some learning to do! Thanks.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Is there something going on outside? DDog pretty much only barks at night when there's something going on - usually a cat, but once it was a burglar.

[smellysock]

I wondered about that but we have tried hard to completely dog proof the garden which should hopefully keep foxes etc out too? Poor dcat hasn't left the upstairs rooms since ddog arrived but I suppose other cats could be around. DCs were worried about potential burglars and gas leaks too but are mostly sleeping through it tbh. Its hard because she has been so happy and settled up til now and it has caught me a bit by surprise!

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

My garden is completely dog proof by virtue of having 5-6' walls and fences all around it. The local cats appear to have no trouble getting on top of the walls and I imagine a fox would be the same.

DDog demanded to go out yesterday and it turned out it was starting to spit with rain that hadn't been forecast, so I got my laundry in pronto. I like to think was worried about my laundry but I suspect he had other priorities 🤔

[smellysock]

Could well be cats then, thanks for replies!
Can anyone advise what my best approach is if the barking persists every night? Currently giving her another chance to go out for a wee, get a drink etc but without any fuss. She then goes happily back to the crate but starts barking as soon as I get back into bed. Probably 20mins or so then quiet for a few hours then another 10mins barking at some point during the night. Thanks!

[BiteyShark]

Try a white noise machine to muffle out the noises from outside. Make sure the room is sufficiently dark as well.

[smellysock]

Good idea! Tried a bit of Radio 2 on quietly last night, she did settle reasonably soon after that!

[GrouchyKiwi]

My puppy did this at a similar age after settling to sleep really well at night from 9 weeks. We used to sit with her for 10-15 minutes at bedtime (in the dark room) till she was settled properly (snoring...) and then go up to bed ourselves. She's now back to settling straight away at 9 months.

[werideatdawn]

Won't be helpful for you if you're keen to stick with the crate but our dog started exactly the same thing at the same age. We left her out of the crate for one night to see how it went and she was quiet as a mouse. I think she just wanted out. She doesn't destroy anything or toilet in the house or anything and we don't hear a peep from her until morning. I was absolutely dead set on keeping the crate and we do still have it just in case an occasion calls for it but she seems more settled overall our of it. it's been nearly 4 months and all is well.

[smellysock]

Thanks for the replies, reassuring to know this can be reasonably normal. I am tempted to have a go without the crate but she is so used to it and I didn't want to make too many changes for her in the short space of time that she has been with us.
There is a sofa in the same room that I think she could move onto when the sporadic chewing starts to ease off! I have never used a crate before so was in 2 minds about it but just went along with it as it is what she is used to. Will try a bit more settling time tonight see if that helps, fingers crossed! She is such a good girl, I just want to get it right! Thanks for the advice!

[typoqueen]

our dogs bark a lot at night this time of year, esp when we have windows open, they hear all the night time activity, esp foxes and owls as its mating season (we are semi rural)

[GrouchyKiwi]

I just had a thought (because my pup has started today) but could she be in heat? GrouchyPuppy has been extra clingy the last few days, including at bedtime, and this evening I discovered that she is in season.