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Old 04-24-2011, 09:25 AM   #1
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Default Barking at night only

Tiny is astonishly not a yuppy dog. He does not bark at all for no reason.... UNTIL WE GO TO BED! It is a nightmare, as soon as we turn the lights out, he goes in some kind of protective mode and starts growling at nothing, then barking mildly and then full blown barks.... he runs into living room and barks at the window, even when we close the blinds. Does anybody have the same issues or ideas of how to deal with it? We live in the condo, and I do not want anybody to complain...
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Old 04-24-2011, 09:45 AM   #2
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Could this be a rather young Dog ?

It's possible it's not used to the surroundings yet...
Night Lights may help (exposing all those Goblins in the dark)
Maybe "get up and actually look" and see if it's an actual
threat. Praise if yes, Scold if no, but don't Scold too quickly.
It may have dispatched the thread by it's barking.

I always check those "alarms" out from either of mine...ALWAYS !
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Old 04-24-2011, 09:50 AM   #3
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Thanks for the insight! He is almost 7 months. He usually knows that he is doing something wrong, because as soon as I get up and walk to the living room, he hides under the couch! Such a little spaz!
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Old 04-24-2011, 08:08 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vandronova View Post
Thanks for the insight! He is almost 7 months. He usually knows that he is doing something wrong, because as soon as I get up and walk to the living room, he hides under the couch! Such a little spaz!
vandronova,
Ummm.... that's not good, I think you've been Scolding/over-correcting
for it's actions.

Keep in mind, these little guys of ours, have superior hearing, sight,
smell and are SO alert... what a super "tool" for us to use for our
protection !
First of all, it has established a "territorial instinct", and, very likely a
concept of it's "pack", which it is attempting to protect.
THAT, deserves praise, not denunciation.


You need to change that "shame/fear" of it's actions, into PRIDE !
And the only way that's going to happen, is with your support.
The situation being that, you've gone to bed, you're not right there,
unavailable, and... you've left the "guard" duty up to him.
And, from what I can tell, he's doing the best job he knows how.
Getting that situation "reversed" at this point, may be a little difficult.

You're going to have to start "praising" him for his alarms... every one,
to start with. Make him comfortable with staying on duty, without
withdrawing (under the couch) when you arrive, and focusing on the
perceived threat he is telling you about. Once you've accomplished
this, you may be surprised that it IS valid, even though it's remote
and you have doors and walls that protect you. Keep in mind, that
he doesn't know about Deadbolts and stuff like that. He just knows,
that doors open, and things happen that are beyond his control.


How lucky you are, to have such a devoted little guy there with you !


He just doesn't know yet, how valuable his services are, and how he
should apply them, to make you happy. Once you've got him "proud"
of what he's doing for you, you then can install a "back off" command
which he eventually will learn how to apply himself, and learn to ignore
the things you identify as being ok.
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Old 04-24-2011, 08:46 PM   #5
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Thank you so much for such a detailed, witty and full answer. I feel guilty now for my misjudgment. I never spanked him for that, but I do tend to raise my voice, when he is being overly bad. My mom has told me to speak to him in a firmer, quieter voice before. He listens to my bf more, who is an alfa. And I am his mommy, who spoils him and when mommy yells, he thinks that I am playing and continues being bad, which of course makes me even more frustrated. He has attended 3 obedience classes out of 6 that I paid for so far. But although I do our "homework", I do not believe that they really taught us anything useful yet. I will try doing my best to be consistent and patient, and checking out his "concerns" and communicating to him that I appreciate the alert, but it is ok, and he needs to go lay back down with us.
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Old 04-24-2011, 09:19 PM   #6
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Have you tried crating him at night? Our dog's crate makes him feel more secure like a little den. Also, we cover the front of his crate with a little towel so he won't see any shadows or light in the morning.
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Old 04-24-2011, 09:27 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vandronova View Post
Thank I feel guilty now for my misjudgment.
Hang on there... don't feel to badly about that.

SO many of us misunderstand our animals, the learning process is not
only for them, but us as well.

Be patient, and be consistent, those are the keys !
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Old 04-24-2011, 10:05 PM   #8
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@dands: well when I first got him, I tried kenneling him. He absolutely is terrified of the confined space. He runs around, hits the walls, and screams like an animal that is being slattered. It is terrifying, so I quit doing that because I could not stand hearing and seeing him in such distress. So needless to say, the ship has sailed 4 months later.
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Old 04-25-2011, 12:03 AM   #9
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Im sorry to hear he that. If you think it's worth trying again, here's how we trained our dog to enjoy his crate.

We have one of those plastic top crates where you can separate the top from the bottom. We took the top off and put a nice crate pad on the bottom. Then we used that as his bed. I don't remember how long we did that. Since he was a little puppy at the time, we put the crate/bed in our bedroom enclosed it behind a small puppy pen so he wouldn't roam during the night. (we were still potty training at the time so I think that's why we had the puppy pen up too).

Then after he got used to it, we put the top back on but kept the crate door off. (that was removable too). Then after a while we put the door on and he still loved his crate.

We eventually put his crate in the living room. Now, we say go inside and he jumps in. We then close the door and put a towel on the front to keep out the sun in the morning.
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Old 04-25-2011, 03:46 AM   #10
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dands,
How considerate. Gentle, encouraging, and it got what you wanted
done, done !

Personally, I do not Crate, save for "hospital" isolation, and transport
when not in my vehicle. My objective is to allow mine to be able to
be free for "security rounds"

I have stair/ramps set up, where mine can see out the windows, onto
the property, and "keep an eye" on anything that would trespass.
HA, that includes Cats, Possums, and other "violators", and we have
to go along with the "minor" inconvenience, of an occasional difference
in opinion, as to what is actually a threat or not.
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Old 04-25-2011, 12:21 PM   #11
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Here's my two cents, of course you can take it or leave it. Yes, I 110% agree that our dogs are pack animals and that barking at everything lol is their way of "allerting" us to a possible threat, BUT, our dogs also need to know that we are the pack leader. It's completely fine and normal for a dog (even one who understands his place in the pack) to bark when he perceives a threatening sound or sight, but it should only be to allert the pack leader, not carry on and on. That to me says that dog thinks HE'S the leader and it's his job to protect the "den".

Granted, I absolutely want my dogs to bark their heads off if someone ever broke into my house, but there's a difference between that (which to a dog will obviously be a real threat because that "intruder" will come into your home uninvited by you, the pack leader, and no doubt be projecting a very negative energy that any dog should naturaly pick up on) and the wind blowing or rain hitting a window or a shadow. I surely don't want them barking at every little thing, I think that's nervousness and not a healthy mentality for a dog to live with. Alice is still learning that she's not supposed to bark at every little thing, but she's learning. We're at the point that when she starts, all I have to do is go over to where she is and as soon as she sees me she stops and it's getting less and less (now, at six months old and 2 months in my house, she actually has to see or hear something out of the ordinary to make her bark). My other 2 dogs will only bark if someone comes to the door, but as soon as I or my husband go to the door, they stop and sit behind us. (Still very much doing thier "duty" of protecting us if need be, but they know that if we are there it's not their place to decide what's a threat and what's not)

Since you're not crating him, I'm assuming he sleeps in your bed? Something about that is making him nervous and unsure of your ability to protect the "den" while you're sleeping. Maybe it's the darkness, or more likely, you haven't "invited" him into your bed and bedroom properly. My suggestion is, start during the day - walk him into your bedroom on a leash, stop just short of the doorway and put him in a "sit", you walk into the room FIRST and ask him to follow. Go around the room with him on the leash but don't let him just go around, make it structured. Wait for him to be calm and paying attention to you, then sit on your bed but make him stay on the floor and sit calmly. Then invite him up but right away tell him to "sit" or "down". Once he's calm, lay down on the bed, but any excitement what so ever from him and he has to get down. Then make him sit again on the floor, wait for calmness and invite him back up. This is "owning" your bed, which as far as your problem goes, should help him relax more at night because he'll understand that it's your place to rest together, but since you "the pack leader" are in controle of that space (even when you're laying down to sleep), there's nothing for him to worry about and he can sleep contently and safely.

I don't think you should "punish" this behavior, but I also don't think you should encourage or reward it because it's a nervous, fear based behavior and that IMHO should never be followed up with praise or affection because it will only reinforce it. Teach him that your bed is a safe place to sleep and he doesn't have to be on "guard duty" all night because YOU are in charge of it and will handle any potential issues and he'll be fine

One quick thing I picked up on, you said your husband is the "alpha" and you're the "mommy"; tempting as that may be (not saying there aren't plenty of opportunities throught a day to give tons of affection and "spoil" our little furbutts), but you have to change that idea in your head. You're BOTH the "alphas", trust me, you're dog will be happier
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