Two year old dog barking in crate at night

[MyDogTails]

Hi, my two year old dog has always been crated at night. He settled with it quickly and as long as he was well exercised, slept through the night. In recent weeks possibly linked to the dark evenings, he is barking a lot at night. I’ve considered everything: is the room too hot or cold, does he need a late walk etc. Yesterday I walked him for 3 hours and he settled quite quickly and yet he started barking at 6am when the first planes flew overhead. I am exhausted and grumpy.

For various reasons, he can’t roam the house so will need to be shut somewhere. He definitely can’t share my bedroom. I’m at a loss what to try next.

What time is bedtime? Do you expect the dog to stay crated 8-10 or 12 hours?

Bedtime is normally after 11 until about 6am so 7 hours. I've tried not putting him in but he goes back in and often visits his den there during the day.

Agree with others that dogs need to be able to move about so locking in a crate isn't in their best interest.

Is his bed near a glazed door where he can see cats peeping in?
Does a neighbour have a security light switching on which might disturb him?
Are there people walking/talking past the home at night that he may hear?
These are all things that would stat my dog off when younger.

What breed is your dog OP?

What do you do when he barks? Do you get up? Has he decided it’s nice to have a bit of company and reassurance during the night? Although if he sleeps 11 til 6 I think you might just have to resign yourself to an early wake up.

You said when you slept next to him he slept like a baby?
Obviously something has unsettled him (fireworks) and he needs company so a few nights sleeping closer to him and then moving further away would help. He's probably scared.

Put your partner in the crate and let the dog in your bed.