Help! Dog suddenly barking

[sethrogansaunt]

My rescue puppy (got her at 4mo. She’s now 18mo. Has always been fine at night) has started barking in her crate when we go to bed. Only lasts 5 mins. She is well (saw a vet). She has a wee and (usually) a poo at bedtime Is she just trying her luck? I don’t want her not be in a crate - other than the convenience, a friend’s dog died when they decided to leave the door open (got hold of something the shouldn’t and choked) so I’m not up for a chat about inhumane crates! Do

She's barking to tell you that she's unhappy in her crate and probably missing you, since dogs are social animals. I'm not sure what you can do about that apart from making the room she's in (or your bedroom) dog-safe and letting her move about more freely?

Dogs also cause themselves severe injuries in crates, through chewing the crate in desperation to get out. We all do our best to keep our pets safe, but their happiness is also important.

She probably wants to sleep in a nice, cosy dog bed in your bedroom!

Try putting a cover on her create? Not the whole thing just top and opposite ends, my boy used to love his little cave, settled better when was less “exposed”

Dogs are polyphasic sleepers and need to be able to move around in order to regulate their temperatures. It's why many dogs will start curled up under a blanket, then stretch out under one, then move to a cooler surface, then back under the blanket.

Unless your dog has a huge crate with a variety of surfaces, she can't do any of that.

Also, your dog can only get hold of something they shouldn't have if you haven't dog-proofed your house. Mine is 8 years old, has never been crated in his life and has never eaten anything he shouldn't.