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Permalink Reply by DR, Nala & Simon on September 12, 2009 at 12:31am

Nala used to do that. And it was driving me nuts. Then one night that I couldn't sleep she was in bed with me, and started doing it. When I looked in the same direction, I noticed she was doing it to the reflection of the lights of the cars that were passing down the street! The reflection "moved" across the wall as the car went by. And Nala was "woof, woof" (without opening her mouth, I guess this is what Penelope is doing). I solved the issue with cheap curtains. It worked, although she still did it but not as frequent. As she got older (she is almost two), she stopped. Now she sleeps the whole night.

Penelope is still a young pup. She still full of energy. See if you can give her a 20 min walk before going to sleep, or play fetch, so she can tire herself a little before going to sleep. I really have no advice, except try to find out what exactly is capturing her interest. It's probably a reflection, some noise, or even a shadow from any piece of furniture or decoration you have in the room. Or is something that she will outgrow with time. Good luck. BTW Penelope is a cutie!

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on September 12, 2009 at 8:42am

If one of us is not home Sparty tends to do this. I think he is on "high alert" waiting for the other one to come home. He only does it when the other one would normally be home. I pull all the curtains and turn on the tv or turn my white noise machine up so he will relax and let me relax too. I wonder if she is still a little insecure after being in the pound. Corgis are very sensitive so things that don't traumatize other dogs can leave a long lasting impression on a corgi. Obedience training in my opinion is the best way to figure out how to deal with these little quirks. It will make her more confident and she will bond more with you. A good positive trainer can help you with ideas too based on your pup.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on September 12, 2009 at 10:28am

It's probably a sign of lingering insecurity and constantly being on guard.

I agree that some basic obedience training will help make Penelope feel more confident and trust that you have things under control.

Jack's alert bark is full-throated and leaves no doubt he's heard/seen something, but if he's had several "scares" in one night of people walking by the house late or hanging out on the corner or something, he will then start wandering around woofing because he won't let go and relax. I have found that in those cases, crating him helps, since he learned as a puppy that when he was in the crate, it meant that WE had things under control and he was no longer "on duty."

The temptation when a dog is showing insecurity is to coddle them, as that's what we would want for ourselves, but often the key is to show them that you are confident and in control, and then they can relax. That's why some positive-based obedience training might help.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Zach and Lisa on September 12, 2009 at 1:12pm

whenever Midas does this and seems very intent on whatever he sees or is listening to we say "show me" and he will run over to wherever the thing is coming from and once we say it's ok and sometimes have to show him he is fine. At times I even open the door so he can see. But honestly I love that he is on high alert. Especially if my boyfriend isn't home. He takes on a whole new guard dog persona at that point. He can hear things that I could never hear and will let me know if he feels something is off. So then I step in and check that all is well and he's content. He will also do a light talking when he just wants love. So we talk back to him and he will be happy. It's very silly and kinda fun because he will get all happy and do that butt wag we all love.

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