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Original poster

My dog hates bedtime!

19 replies

mummy2joshie · 11/08/2006 20:27

I have two shih tzu's (dog Oscar and bitch Molly). They sleep in the conservatory of the bungalow we've lived in for about 18 months. The past few months Molly just won't settle when its bedtime. A few minutes after I've shut them in she just barks and scrapes at the internal door. I go in, smack her nose and tell her no but have to do this at least 3 time until she settles. Anyone have any ideas? I've tried leaving light on, giving her plenty of attention through the evening but nothing. The other dog is good as gold. Lukily ds (11 months and sleeping in next room) hasn't so far been woken by her barking but it's driving me mad! Have I got to do controlled barking with her???!!!! PLEASE help if you can.

OP posts:

magnolia1 · 11/08/2006 20:34

Sorry but you really think smacking her nose helps
Was going to try and give advice but really can't be bothered now!!

tortoise · 11/08/2006 20:40

Would you smack a child for not settling at night?
I have no idea how to deal with it but smacking is not the way.

Original poster

mummy2joshie · 11/08/2006 21:36

Ok so maybe tap is a better word than smack. The whole point of me posting this was to get help. If I'm going about it the wrong way I'd appreciate some constructive advice. My dogs are as much a part of my family as ds is and I would never hurt either of them. I just don't know how to deal with this situation any more.

OP posts:

cutekids · 11/08/2006 21:39

let them upstairs and they'll settle down on the carpet next to your side of the bed!!!!...that's my experienc of "disciplining" puppies anyway!!! can't do with their "yelping" at nightime and find they settle so much easier when they're in the company of people!!! maybe i'm just too soft!

twinsetandpearls · 11/08/2006 21:40

Dogs are like kids and once you let them in your bedroom you won't get them out. I personally wouldn;t let them in. Do you want your dogs watching you do the horizontal tango?

shimmy21 · 11/08/2006 21:41

I agree that smacking or tapping is not the way to calm your dog down. Have you tried crating your dog? we crate trained our puppy and still use the cage as a temporary place for her to calm down if she gets over excited. We still use it sometimes at night if she wont settle and it works like a dream.

lilymolly · 11/08/2006 21:42

I have a 3 year old lab also called Molly, who I love more than life itself, but have tapped her on nose, on a few occasions! we are only human. I would try to ignore behaviour if you can, mine sometimes does it after dh has gone to work at 6am when me a dd are asleep, and I just ignore it snd she stops!

Original poster

mummy2joshie · 11/08/2006 21:47

She's nearly 3 now and hasn't been in a crate since she was a puppy. She hated it then and just barked and cried. They both used to sleep in the bedroom before we moved to the house we're in now. Once we moved and ds was on the way I wanted them to have their own space and not be in with me. We've been here for well over a year now though and its only the past few months she's not liking being shut in at night.

OP posts:

magnolia1 · 11/08/2006 21:47

Do you know a dogs most sensitive part is their nose!!! A bit like smakcking your nipple
And it obviously isn't working so please try to stop it
I agree crate training is the way to go but its harder the older you get.
Sounds like its become a habit and the fact that you go to her is giving her the response she wants so she continues to do it.
Ignoring is the way to go I'm afraid.

magnolia1 · 11/08/2006 21:48

the harder the dog gets I mean, not you

Original poster

mummy2joshie · 11/08/2006 21:54

I do try to ignore her but its hard with the baby in the next room. Its not a big house and I worry about the neighbours too. Guess its the only way to go though. And no more tapping her nose I promise.

OP posts:

cye · 11/08/2006 21:57

you could try leaving her in there during the day for short times (even 30 secs at first) and build up to longer periods of time...until she gets used to the fact that you'll come back.
when you leave her, only ever go back to her when she's quiet. you're doing two things, teaching her not to be anxious when you leave as you'll always come back and that whining and/or barking won't get you back but being quiet will. never ever reward barking/whining with attention - and as far as the dog is concerned a tap on the nose is attention and that's what she's after. if negative attention is all that's on offer she'll take that over nothing - so you really need to offer her no attention at all! (but agree with other postings that a tap is never a good idea). when you do go in when she's quiet praise her ie reward the good behaviour.
could she be jealous of the baby? if so, she needs to (re)learn she's bottom of the pack and you're pack leader.

Lewsmummy · 11/08/2006 21:57

I say to ignore her too. Going into her is probably the worst thing because she'l know now that barking and scratching makes u go to her. Dogs aren't stupid they know what they're doing. We did it with our puppy (lhasa apso) and he goes to bed fine now but ours has always slept in a cage (he's 18mth) and we never have a problem getting him in it in fact if we're down stairs til really late he gets in on his own as if to say "right, i'm in bed now you go"

lilymolly · 11/08/2006 22:00

Yeah agree, my molly goes to bed now on an evening on her own accord- especially if Big Brother is on TV! she has however been put out a tad since birth of dd, whom she adores, but never the less has been a little naughty for attention! this may be it.

Chandra · 11/08/2006 22:06

If something works please let me know, I also have a dog and a bitch, and the nights we have had during the last few months! I have tried everything I can think of and 2 out of 3 nights she is barking like crazy, she is not hungry, doesn't need to drink water, doesn't need to go out, she is a crate (and would bark like crazy to be put inside even when the door is open! )

During the last few days it has helped to let her out to the garden and allow her to camp outside, obvioulsy she resumes barking as soon as the sun is out.

Chandra · 11/08/2006 22:07

in a crate even

cye · 11/08/2006 22:13

could foxes be disturbing them? ours still sleeps in crate but sometimes wakes up and barks if there are foxes knocking around the garden. drives her mad. and us...

wannaBe1974 · 14/08/2006 10:53

I certainly wouldn't have a dog in my bedroom. giving a dog leave to sleep by your bed shows it that it is in the same place in the pack as you are and could cause behavioral problems of a different nature in the future.

Why do you shut them in the conservatory though? When I got my new dog I shut him in the dining room at night and when we went out to restrict where he is allowed in the house (dogs not allowed upstairs and in kitchen anyway and they don't go there even when we're not around), but I found that if I shut him in he would bark first thing in the morning, and would also bark when we were out. One day I forgot to shut the dining room door and we had no barking. From then on the dogs have the run of the downstairs of the house at night, they each have their own basket where they are put when I go to bed, but they're not shut in. I found that my new dog just doesn't like being shut in. He equally didn't cope well in kennels during training apparently.

I would train the dogs so they know they're not allowed upstairs, and then maybe think of giving them the run of the downstairs during the night. Are they house trained? do they chew if you're out? if accidents/chewing aren't likely to be a problem then i don't see any reason they couldn't be put to bed in the conservatory but with the door left open. If she then barks do as you might with a child, go down, put her to bed and go back to bed without saying a word. She will learn.

buffythenappyslayer · 14/08/2006 11:02

we had this problem when we first got our akita.

we dont let him upstairs,we have a safety gate at the bottom of the stairs and he used to scratch at it and bite it and start whining when we went to bed.

what we did was gove him a blanket that all of us had handled and gave it to him.yes he ripped he to shreds but he would lay with it on a night and after a couple of nights he no longer tried to get to us.

its worth a try if your pooch is missing you on a night time!!

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