Golden retriever barking help

[barkygoldie]

Our 3yr old GR has developed an undesirable habit of barking overnight when a relative is minding him for us. In the past it’s happened on occasion and our advice to them has been to ignore him so as not to reward him with their attention when barking, but I appreciate it’s hard to do when he’s waking the house up. He doesn’t do this at home.

Recently he stayed with them and it was really bad, barking multiple times a night for several nights. They go down and tell him to be quiet, and say if they do ignore, he doesn’t stop. I need to work out how to deal with this as they are our only doggy help, and they adore him during the day! Any tips? I’m inclined to say ignore it from the start and consistently, as any going down to him is rewarding him. But I understand they are not prepared for him to bark for ages.

He sounds unhappy and/or stressed at being left alone at night. Can they let him sleep in the bedroom?

He's clearly incredibly distressed. So they have two choices:

• ignore him and make him more distressed, and possibly piss off any neighbours
• have him upstairs.

I wouldn't ignore a barking or crying Golden Retriever. They are incredibly sensitive but also incredibly prone to acting irrationally and stupidly (i.e. hurting themselves if ignored and distressed).

Does he sleep downstairs at home? Barking is communication. Ignoring it won’t cure it.

Does he ever bark at home? Out golden retriever literally never barks, except at foxes. Could it be this? Can he see outside at their house?

My Golden retriever doesn't like the dark. As long as I leave a small light on she is happy downstairs. If no light, she barks for me every now and then. Perhaps in a different environment your dog feels more insecure at night.

Hm, interesting replies, thanks. Yes he’s always been a barky boy, at puppy class he drowned out everyone and everything and that’s where the ignoring the barking and rewarding the behaviour you want came from. As a pup he didn’t last long in the crate as he barked so much at night, but we moved him into the utility room and he was happier. For a time he had the roam of downstairs at night but he has a sensitive tum and goes through pukey phases so he’s been in the kitchen overnight for a good while, and accepts this, doesn’t bark even if weve had a lie in or are moving about upstairs.

He barks excessively at other things, if he has to be left in a room for a short while if someone comes in who doesn’t like dogs for example. We did some training on this and he’s better. He barks to get in from the garden, barks at his ‘cousin’ dog if he steals his toy, barks his head off the moment we stop the car when going on a walk (I think this may be because he’s worrying we are going to leave him in the car, which he hates).

Interesting about the dark - he’s fine at home but maybe he is more insecure in that environment. Although I’m just thinking he doesn’t do it at a dog sitter weve used a few times - I think he did it the first night and she sternly told him off and it stopped. He is quite a pushy, dominant type and I saw it as a symptom of that but I’ll think about what the insecurity could be..

He would be an angel dog if he didn’t bark like this! No, theres a big patio door but they close curtains at night. She tried leaving the kitchen door so he had access to other spaces but it didn’t help.

We don’t have him in our room, he’s not used to that, and whenever weve stayed in holiday accommodation and he’s had access to us at night, he jumps up and paws us in the bed during the night, so I wouldn’t suggest that to them.

I hope you & the sitter don't have neighbours. Allowing a dog to bark is incredibly antisocial.

Thank you for your input. Yes, here trying to see if anyone can help solve the issue for both dog and human sake.

Then let him sleep on the landing with a baby gate across the door. He’s stressed in an unfamiliar space. He calms when they come down to him.

Barking is communication. He was obviously unhappy being left alone in a strange place to sleep alone and was letting them know. Telling him to be quiet is like telling a crying child to shut up.

In this situation, they either need to allow him access to them to see if he can settle, or you will need to put in some work. Suggest he has a 'special bed' that he can have at their house. You can work on training him to settle on that at home and making it a really positive place, and then it will accompany him when he stays there. This is then a safe space that is familiar to him.

Then if he barks in the night, they can get up, go downstairs DO NOT SPEAK TO HIM as that is exactly what he wants. Quietly and kindly let him out to pee and then show him back to his bed. They may need to do this several times a night for several nights but he will soon learn that getting them up is really boring and he might as well sleep instead.

Thank you, I’ve just seen this. Taking on board the points about communication, but still struggling to understand what he is communicating. He has stayed at SIL’s house many times throughout his life, including 2 weeks each summer, it is a familiar place and he loves the family as far as I can see. His own bed and toys go with him. Their dog stays with us a few times a year and they get on, not besties but seem comfortable together. Knowing him, it just doesn’t feel like the answer that he’s scared.

He has barked on occasion at night at their home in the past, but usually when people start to stir in the morning. At a paid dog minder, where he’s only stayed a handful of times, he barked at first, she told him firmly not to, and he hasn’t since. I think he’d definitely be more scared there.

Helpful about not speaking to him, makes sense. We have agreed that the next time he goes there, DH is going to go the first night, to settle him and try to work out what is going on.

He probably felt with the dog minder that she wouldn't listen to him anyway so just accepted it, especially if she was very stern. If he's closer to sister in law he may feel more anticipatory that she would listen to his needs especially if they have come down.

He's just communicating he's unhappy being on his own now - it doesn't really need a why given it's happened now. He'll be quiet with company. Dogs are social animals - that's why we love them and why they have been a companion to humans for thousands of years. Expecting that to be reversed overnight is a big ask.

Yes lots of dogs are fine at night but I bet if they could choose they would be as close to the people they like at night as possible. It's not about being scared. It's their nature.

He is possibly just 'trying it on' because he doesnt want to be on his own - so if you follow the no talking and resettle rule and make it super boring, hopefully he'll get the message.

The behaviourist who works with me says never ignore barking or whining. The dog is trying to tell you something. Acknowledge, reassure, calm.