HELP PLEASE!
There's been a couple times where Louis would be up for the majority of the night barking loudly at the window, I would turn the sensor light off but even thought it's dead quiet, he keeps barking and wanting to go out, I let him out, he wants to come back in, this is all happening at like 4am!! I blame it on my brother for making him "paranoid" because he would always kind of tease Louis and go "WHOSE THAT?!" and Louis would get all spooked and start barking.. I actully can't say "whose that" or "whats that" without a bark coming. I don't know what to do! He's barking in excessive sometimes and I have no idea how to make him stop =[ me and my mom are losing sleep because of this =[ Last night he probably slept 4 out of the 9 hours =[
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Charlie on
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There are three different things you can try:
Buy a crate for him. He may feel like he has to "guard the house" at night so he is on duty. A crate can be a safe, secure place where the dog calms down and feels like he is "off work".
Ignore him. If you kinow he doesn't need to go out and potty at 4am, just ignore him. Don't get up to let him out, he is getting attention for the barking and training you to do what he wants. This can be a tough one to do as Corgis can be stubborn and he may bark for an hour trying to make you get up (especially if it has been working for him the last few nights). However, dog behavior that is not reenforced is usually self-extinguishing. If he doesn't get any reward, he will eventually stop the behavior. You may need a good set of earplugs for a week or so. :)
Redirect his behavior. This would require you to get up, grab a handful of treats, and work a short session with "Sit, Down, Wait" or any other training commands. That would take his mind off the barking and reward him for refocusing on good behavior. (This may not be the best idea, as he may just start barking again when you go back to bed, but may be worth a try.) You might even try putting a few treats on your nightstand, and call him to you when he starts barking, then give him treats for "Down/Wait" next to your bed.
Any one of these may work for you. Also, you may want to really exercise him late in the day so that he's just too tired to be getting up barking in the middle of the night.
Good luck! Excessive barking can be very annoying. I know Charlie has a sharp, ear-piercing, headache-producing bark, but has barked less "at nothing" the longer I've had him.
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Permalink Reply by DudeWheresMyCorgi on
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Thanks so much for the reply, I do think that the exercise thing is right, because Louis really isn't getting much since it's been below 40 out and he doesn't really like outside very much (where he gets most his exercise) I need to figure out a way to run him out of energy besides having him chase me around which results in an over active corgi and my pj pants to shreds =[ lol Earplugs sound like a good idea for now ... definatly getting some for me and my fam. lol
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Permalink Reply by Cindi on
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Hi! Charlie has some excellent tips here! Kudos, Charlie! As for getting Louis some exercise and not getting your pants legs shredded, have you considered a laser light? Tank loves it. He runs after it in circles and it tires him right out. I even introduce it in my training classes! Or...you could always get a treadmill and train Louis to use it!
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Permalink Reply by Sam on
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Definitely needs a crate. Here we can see that some of the behaviors we find as funny early on arent so funny as our puppy grows. When it is bed time make sure he has time to go out and eliminate first, hopefully he has been well exercised and then in to the crate for night time. I always give some sort of treat when crating my dogs. Then lights out. If the barking begins I would have my spray bottle quite handy. Give a "quiet" command. If he barks again I would use the spray bottle. It may take a few nights for him to get the idea (but remember humans started this behavior) Consistency from all family members is what will be helpful here.
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when you say to crate him, doyou mean with the cage door closed? he has a kennel but I don't really want to keep him locked in there when he sleeps.
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He should be sleeping 8 hours at night now anyway. Closing the crate will definitely keep him from barking at the window at 4am, and should help him settle down and sleep better.
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Permalink Reply by Patti on
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Dude - follow these suggestions - corgis and all dogs actually love their crates - it's their "dens". Louis will feel like it's his own little home, and after a few nite's will not mind the cage door being closed and you, your mom and your neighbors can get a good night's sleep. Another tip that has worked for us, we have french doors as front doors, and both dogs love to "watch" and bark all darn day long. At first, I was reluctant to crate them all day and chose not too, instead, I installed blinds on the lower half's of the doors so that they could not see out - solved most of the barking. If they cannot see what is walking by (or usually their reflection) they won't bark as much, in order to protect OUR home. Everybody's happier now. I hope u get some sleep soon!
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hey guys, just wanted to let you all know that the crate idea is working well!! louis actully walks in there at night and just sleeps, a couple times just with the door open =] it's so nice
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Permalink Reply by Carol Braitman on
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My dogs sleep in their crates all night long, doors shut. I also put all the cats in the laundry room, and close the door. Keeps everyone quiet with no one prowling around at night. During the day, the dogs like to sit on the landing, look out the window, and bark at people and things that dare walk by our house...
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Good for you! Hopefully you and your family can catch up on your sleep now. :) I still keep Charlie's crate closed at night. His crate is by my bed. There's no reason he needs to wander around the house while I'm asleep.
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Permalink Reply by Bonny on
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All great suggestions! I have a few things to add. Whenever I need Junebug to be quiet, I crate her. She is silent as a mouse as long as she's there, and it works well for when company's over or I just want her out of the way for a while.
She also would stand and bark at the window, but the first few times I noticed her doing it, I would go and "claim" the door Cesar-style, telling her to go away, and then if she started creeping back to it, I would simply say "no", and she would turn and walk away (sheepishly!). I have enforced that consistently, and she doesn't have that annoying habit as a result. Yay for Cesar!
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