Short version: dog won’t go to bed but barks and barks for attention or to be allowed out, just to sniff the air and bark some more, not because she needs to wee. This happens every night. Any ideas on how to get her to stop?! She’s now started doing it at 5am too. I’m broken. I will try anything other than letting her sleep in my or dc’s bedrooms.
(Very) Long version:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, now 9 and becoming more and more needy. Lots of health issues. She is very good in the day, sleeps in her bed mostly, is near me as I work from home so she is with me but doesn’t have lots of time being fussed. She gets a walk and some attention, she isn’t totally ignored, but she only wants 1 walk, she refuses a second one most of the time and isn’t interested in playing. Sleep and cuddles are her two main interests.
In the evenings she loves cuddles on the sofa and will spend whatever time I have free cosied up next to me or the dc.
But this (and it might be 3-4 hours of cuddles) is never enough for her and when it’s bedtime she just sits in her bed and barks. And barks. I have to run down over and over again, every night, to get her to be quiet. I don’t fuss over her, as I don’t want to reward her with attention. I am firm and tell her “quiet” “bedtime” (both of which she understands) in a low voice. But it will take 2, 3, 4 or more trips to get her to settle. The first time I always offer her to go out in case she needs a wee but that’s rare. She is keen to sniff the air and bark though. We are in a residential area so I can’t let her do that. I can’t leave her to bark, I’ve tried for a short while but she just doesn’t stop and I don’t want her to wake the dc or disturb the neighbours.
She used to have a crate for night time as otherwise she would run round the downstairs of the house barking at urban foxes through the front door. She genuinely loved the crate, would ask to get in, now she hates it and won’t get in, barks incessantly otherwise (door always left open), I put her bed in the same place with the dog gate across to make a mini pen, she liked that, now hates it, barks incessantly if left and refuses to sit in her bed. I’ve given her the run of the kitchen, she liked that but now sits in her bed barking, or gets out to bark through the back door.
I think she would only be happy if she were sleeping in my room and that’s my red line. To make matters worse she’s not even my dog, I took her on when DH’s exW couldn’t look after her as DSD, who she was bought for, would have been heartbroken if she’d had to be rehomed. DSD is now at uni and DH now works away Mon-Fri so I’m the one having to deal with this.
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The doghouse
Dog won’t go to bed at night! Please help.
29 replies
BigRedDoor · 03/05/2019 06:56
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