Dog started barking at night

[BigBadMummy]

We got. Two year old Jacj Russell / chihuahua cross from friends of friends a while ago.

He arrived with his cage and beds and settled brilliantly.

His routine has always been the same but recently he has started barking and whimpering when he goes in his cage at night. He is happy to wander into it for a snooze during the day of his own accord but at night he whimpers for an hour.

We have also tried an anti-bark collar which has stopped the barking to an extent but not the whimpering.

He was recently neutered but that hasn't changed the situation, he was doing it before and continues now

Help!! Barking at 1am when DH gets up at 6 is really frustrating and any advice would be appreciated

Please ditch the anti bark collar. Is he barking to go outside? One of our dogs does that occasionally, and although it's a pain at 3 a.m. I'd rather that than come downstairs to a mess.

It could also be that you have wildlife in your garden that is moving about at night such as hedgehogs, foxes or badgers. A terrier would be very interested in the noises they make and would probably be excited and curious - can you see any tracks, burrows, other wildlife signs?

One other thought is that he is cold - is he warm enough in his crate?

Mine barks in his crate, but we have just started to use it. He is getting calmer. We feed him in it and lock the door at dinner time. And at various points during the day.

If he starts getting too upset on a night I go back in and open the door. He is happy to sleep in it with the door open and is going for longer with it closed.

Although Scuttle has a good point. Devil dog was going berserk last night, but according to Dh so was next doors baby who sleeps in the room above his bed.

I did wonder if it was wildlife but he is in the room at the front of the house, not near the garden and there is a very busy main road there so the wildlife would be at a minimum.

He has a twenty minute walk every night before going into it and that has always been the case.

It is the fact that he was fine and now isnt when he first goes in that intrigues me. He stops after about an hour and is fine in the morning, it is just that initial hour.

Grrrr, we adore him otherwise.