My dog has started barking loads during the night

[Lagattolove]

Any advice please. He’s 9 months old crate trained from day one. He’s never shown any dislike for his crate and goes in happily when he’s tired. Still does. But from 2am for the past week he has barked and howled on and off most of the night.

the room he’s in is cool as gets no direct sun and we are in the North so although hot it’s not unbearable.

My daughter went down the first time it happened to let him out for a wee as it was so out of characters then DH went down other nights. I have asked them not to as he is being rewarded but I’m just getting ignored as they can’t sleep.

we also left him out the crate one night and he was so much worse.

Has anyone had experienced this and stopped it. Thanks

Sounds like he wants to be with his pack. Not unusual in a pack animal.

Sounds like the secondary fear period of a teenage dog. It's not rewarding him by going down, it's reassuring him when he's scared and unsure. Even better if he can sleep with you.

I think it’s potentially a secondary fear period as well. If you don’t want him in your room, can someone sleep downstairs with him for a few nights for reassurance? That might actually alert you to potential triggers too, eg foxes or cats outside, neighbours coming home or going out.

If it is a fear period, all he needs is to be supported and reassured through it, so someone sleeping with him for a few days will provide that, it’s not giving in or rewarding him. Think of it as similar to a child that is suddenly scared in the night, you wouldn’t leave them to cope alone in the dark you would spend time reassuring them.

Awww bless him. Yes I’ll sleep downstairs and hopefully settle him. He is a barker by day but I’m slowly getting a handle on his window rage.

Could something be something disturbing him? Cats in the garden etc? Might be worth putting white noise on in the kitchen or wherever he sleeps, if you have a speaker in there.

I've only had dogs that barked if something spooked them. If something set my dog barking I'd assume I had an intruder, for that reason I've never had a dog in a crate! Maybe start to ditch the crate. Most dogs prefer to sleep with their family and feel more secure, I feel more secure too knowing should I ever be faced with any danger my dog is not useless locked in a cage.

If it's constant and not a one-off I would also assume it's because he doesn't want to be by himself.

Could you put the crate in DD's room if you don't want it in yours?

Leaving him to bark isn't a nice thing to do - it's not fair on the dog or the neighbours. Best to prevent the behaviour in the first place rather than end up in a position where you have no choice but to reward it for a peaceful nights' sleep!

I asked the same question when my dog was a similar age and got my butt kicked. Mumsnet is anti-crate by and large even though in my case we have solid reasons for it.

We tried letting him out of the crate but still in that room etc. but he seemed to prefer the crate as it was his nighttime signal. In the end, it finished when we bought a bigger crate - stupidly large for a small dog. Bar some fox visits and people outside (good boy!), he no longer barks at night.
It wasn’t easy so you have my sympathy.

Do you leave the radio: white noise on at all?
that can help

Sensible advice here about cats & foxes he can hear but you don’t at night.
If u go out & he barks your neighbours might be upset but not say anything?

Closing the curtains to curtail stimulus from postman or pedestrians can be helpful during the day.

Worked a treat on my grandparents dog.

What breed is your dog. If its a guarding breed it might be hearing noises. I had a fox nightly upsetting my dogs. Not sure where you live but I live rural we get a lot of wildlife at night. Alternatively he may be fed up of being in a crate.