Thanks so much for your detailed reply, canana! To answer your questions:
1. Yes, we wash his bedding regularly. The cats aren't able to get into his little house/crate.
2. When he wanders into his little house during the day, he doesn't bark. He just settles down and plays with his toys.
3. I don't think there are any reflections that he can see. His little house is down on the ground, and our windows are up much higher, so he wouldn't be able to see them.
4. We haven't tried covering up his little house. I wonder if putting a towel or blanket over his little house might help. Maybe we'll have to give that a try.
5. We haven't tried to put his little house up on a chair, either. He can see me--I'm on Butch's side of the bed--easily. (He's a mama's dog.) He starts barking even before we put the lights out.
Butch basically runs our household. (We have 8 rescue cats, he's one of two rescue dogs, and we have 2 foster cats from an animal rescue.) No matter what room we're in, if one of us walks out of the room, Butch barks, too. We are not permitted to leave the room without his say-so.
He is really quite a personality!
Any help would be appreciated.
Hazel the Puzzled