Night Time
Becca is now two and last week I tried again to have her out of her crate at night. When I try this it seems to last about a week, then she starts woofing at the windows during the night. I get up and check. I can't see anything and the motion lights have not turned on. Last night I asked her to go in her crate and shut her in, silence the rest of the night.
Telling her to quiet doesn't work at these times. I am wondering if she just feels much more secure in her crate. It is available to her at all times and she goes in when she is insecure. Do you have suggestions? Do I just continue to crate her?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Did you try running a fan or something for background noise? That helped with Jack, my alert barker. He was waking us up multiple nights a week barking at who-knows-what (wild animals, cats, cars going by with the windows down and people talking). I started running a fan on a higher speed and he was fine.
In his case, he's not insecure but he is super protective about the house. To be honest, I have not discouraged the behavior because we live near a park and get the sometimes-less-than-desireable activity that tends to take place in deserted areas at night. I don't mind him sounding the alarm.
But the "white noise" made every little sound less obvious.He also sometimes sits looking out the glass parts of the door, barking at shadows. For this, I order him away from the door.
If you are willing to put up with loss of sleep for a week or two while you work with her, you might be able to set better guidelines for her of what you find acceptable barking and what you don't.
If not, there is no harm in crating her at night. Personally, I like my dogs loose so they can do their job, which is be on patrol. But others prefer their dogs to be securely contained and quiet, and that is fine.
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By the way, what I have always done with Jack is tell him "no" if he is barking at something I don't want him to (like the mailman). If he raises the alarm for something legitimate, I tell him "thank you" and he usually stops (but will bark again the next time he sees or hears something similar). If he persists, I will look out the window and say "I see it" and then "that's enough."
Generally, one "that's enough" will stop him, but if he is truly concerned he'll continue to bark until I check out the situation.
Again, I have not trained away from this because I find the behavior useful and don't mind occasionally being awakened at 2am.
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Permalink Reply by Linda on
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She very well may feel more secure being crated at night. You can try Beth's suggestions and see how she does.
Like Beth I also prefer Max to be loose at night, his job is to let us know if something is not right. I put up with an Irish wolfhound that would bark at a leaf blowing down the street for years because my husband worked 3rd shift and I am hearing impaired...I needed him to alert me to noises.
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Permalink Reply by Leslie Ross on
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I always use the plan...if it ain't broke!!
If she likes her crate, leave her in it, LOL!
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Permalink Reply by bobbie joh on
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crating a dog is a GOOD thing: a crate is a small, enclosed space that can be protected on three sides with no intruders coming at them. I have one corgi that NEEDS her crate - she is deaf, and very nervous. At night, she puts herself to bed and sleeps soundly knowing that she is in an enclosed safe space. BTW she is now old enough that I don't close her door, but the door is still on the crate. I believe she appreciates that too! I have another corgi who does not need a crate and keeps his own company at night - he OFTEN gets up and moves to another room. I personally do not sleep well because of this (i hear him all the time) but I know he could never go back to a crate again. His size is such that he wouldn't fit in the smaller crate, and the larger crate is too big for the space where he sleeps.
I find that a crate is a wonderful tool, especially if your dog is anxious. I put my (crated) dog in her crate to go to the vet and it is SO much easier, saves us both hassle and stress, and keeps my car cleaner! A crate is NOT an evil thing! Many people recommend a crate in the car always, in case there is an accident you can easily lose a runaway dog.
+1 for crating at night.
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Every dog should be crate trained. Whether they use it at night, when you are not home is up to you and them. Arnie needed to be crated when I wasn't home...he would get into things but at night he was fine. Katie uses her crate at night but Max doesn't. I have pictures of Arnie being the derpy-est dog ever because he loved his crate. Katie doesn't use hers during the day but Max uses. It's a cave...their quiet place, where they can feel secure even if the door is open.
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Permalink Reply by Marcie on
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Thanks for your suggestions. I have crated Becca since my first post. She always has access to her crate, and often puts herself to bed when she is ready. I have a sleep disorder, and need to keep disruptions to a minimum. I also don't want her to annoy the upstairs neighbors who have a baby.
Beth- I do run the a/c or a white noise machine at night. Becca is not a barker. She barks when someone comes to the door and occasionally when the people across the street fight. The low woof at night is not in her regular vocabulary. It always seems to start about a week after she has free reign at night. The cat has woken me the few times I needed to be aware of something. I have a "Beware of Cat" sign out instead of "Beware of Dog".
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