Question: Why does a 1-year-old Bichon bark all night? He’s been doing this for a few months now. He was recently neutered, because he is just full of energy. He has calmed down some but the barking continues.
The dog?s name is Cody and he belongs to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. This is their first dog and because of this problem they’ve been talking about giving the dog away. I’ve had dogs all my life and I love them. I’m afraid this experience will turn their 7-year-old son off to ever having a dog. – Gaspare
Answer: Barking at night can be a really frustrating problem, because it causes the owners to be sleep deprived. After a couple of days, everyone in the house feels like they are in a fog. He may be barking at night because he is not yet housetrained, has been rewarded for this behavior with attention (remember that yelling is attention) or because he is hearing sounds outside.
If he is housetrained already, he is probably barking at sounds outside or for attention. If he is crate trained, move his crate to a part of the house where you will not be able to hear him barking. Put him in for the night, put your earplugs in and close your door. Let him bark. If he is barking for attention, he will stop in about three nights. I want to caution you here. If you have not crate-trained your dog, do not put him in a crate. It will most likely cause him to panic at this point. Instead, use a bathroom or the kitchen with a baby gate up.
If he is hearing things outside, you can play music or white noise next to his crate so that he can’t hear the sounds.
Finally, he could be an anxious dog who cannot be separated from the owners at night. If this is the case, you should seek help from your veterinarian.
Dr. Radosta
Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com
Read more articles by Dr. Radosta | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2012/06/04/what-makes-bichon-bark-all-night/
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