9 month old dog barking all night and sleeping all day.

[reveriereptile]

She is a english bulldog that is 9 1/2 months old. For the last 2 months she has been doing this and it is driving me nuts because it takes me over and hour to fall asleep no matter how tired I am once I get in bed. One reason she might be up is cause she ate her bed (stuffing and fabric) so I had to throw it away and didn't buy another one cause apple bitter (other sprays also) doesn't work with her since she likes it. I also found out she was peeing in the few inch area next to the bed instead of barking to be let out since the top of the bed stayed dry. She was almost fully housebroken before I got her a dog bed and only had the bed for a month. She would have an accident once in a while but would sleep all night (midnight-9am) without going in the crate or waking up before we got the bed. I've tried switching her feeding schedule around and take her out in the middle of the night but she still barks all night.

Here is the best schedule that keeps her from barking the longest that I've been doing. I feed her around 10pm, take her outside and make sure she poops and pees before going into the crate. I put her in her crate (located in another room with door shut) around midnight or sometimes if we have young cousins staying over not till 3am. Then no matter what time she was put in her crate she gets barking 1-2 hours later. I get up and take her outside and she won't do anything and then take her back to her crate and jump back in bed. Then she will whine at different times for the next few hours and I try to ignore it. Finally I get up from not being able to fall back to sleep and take her back out and she may pee or poop the slightest bit and off back to the crate. When it comes around 5-7am she starts barking again so back outside and in the crate. I feed and water her around 8am and then put her back in her crate to try to get a little more sleep but she won't stop barking.

During the time she is out of the crate she plays with her toy for 10 minutes and walks over and goes to sleep and if you try to get her up to do something she plays the wet noodle game when trying to play with her, take her outside, or take her for a walk cause she was up all night. We've tried not messing with her to see how long she would sleep and she will sleep from 9am-5pm be up for an hour to see my husband when he gets home, go back to sleep and stay there till it is ready for her to go to her crate for the night. I've been trying to keep her up during the day and making sure she gets her exercise to keep her from sleeping the whole day but it still doesn't help. I don't know why that when she was a few months younger she would sleep the whole night without any accidents or barking and now she is barking all night. A week ago she was also pooping in her crate and then barking cause she didn't want to be near it instead of just barking to be taken outside in the morning. It is stressful trying to get some sleep and get woke up just a few minutes after finally falling to sleep. I don't let her out when she barks and she knows that and when she hears movement she will stay quiet for 3-5 minutes and I've used the spray bottle on her by standing next to her crate with her in it and spray her whenever she makes any noises and have stood there till I had used up the whole half liter water bottle in a hour. I don't know what to do since she is not letting me get any sleep and with me getting up and down it is waking my husband up and he ends up taking naps during the day inbetween when he is working. I have tried not feeding her past 7pm and she would bark even more and be actually needing to poop and pee during the night. She doesn't have any bladder problems either.

Forgot to add that we don't have room for her crate in our room and we are allergic to her so we try to clean the room after putting her in the crate to pick up the hair so we don't want her sleeping in our room at night since that is the only time we aren't usually around her other than maybe 2 hours during the day if we got some place and need to crate her.

 

[abluechipstock]

is she thirsty, my dogs are crated when they eat and will bark a few hours after when i don't let them out right away, just a thought

 

[Judy]

With human babies you keep them up during the day and wear them out when this happens. I would do the same with a dog.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Wet noodle game isn't going to work. She gets a leash on and if she won't walk she'll get dragged a little way and then get up on her feet and walk. Wet noodling is just manipulative behavior on her part. She needs to be exercised during the day, and least 3 times. Her last walk needs to be sometime in the evening or at night.

If she goes to sleep during the day, you put her back in her crate. Sleeping dogs in crate - active dogs out with you. If she wants to sleep so badly and then be a wet noodle, she can do it in her crate.

eta

Put a large nylabone, or something she can chew on but not swallow in the crate with her at night.

Is she cold in her crate? You might try putting a pad of some kind under the crate so it isn't on the cold floor at night. You might even try a small heating pad on low under the crate.

All the toys are yours. She only gets to play with them if she plays with you or another person. All toys get put away when you are done playing and should not be available to her to play with by herself, except for 1 chewbone and the chewbone in her crate.

 

[Skyesrocket]

I feed her around 10pm, take her outside and make sure she poops and pees before going into the crate.

Is there any reason that you are feeding her so late at night? That could be part of the problem. I would feed her at 6 or 7 pm and then take her out for her last potty at 10pm. I'd pull her water at that time too. After you crate her for the night leave her in there. Try ignoring the barking and don't let her out or pay any attention to her until morning.
It will probably get worse before it gets better, but stick to it and she should learn that barking doesn't do any good or get her any attention.
Good Luck...hope you get some sleep soon!​

 

[drdoolittle]

Wow, I don't think I could stand that! But, by 9 1/2 months old, our dogs are no longer put in a crate they like sleeping on the bed with us------all 3 of the inside dogs, and ones a boxer! This may not be an option for you, but it does seem that she wants your company or attention. Hope it gets better.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:

I completely agree with Brindlebtch.

Do not respond to barking/whining in the crate, you are only reinforcing her idea that her making a fuss gets her attention. If the bed brought about urinating in the crate, use a blanket or pad in the bottom of the crate, that way she will not want to urinate as it will absorb the pee and make more of the bedding wet, dogs won't do it if their sleeping area is messed up. At 9 1/2 months old shes plenty old enough to stay 8 hrs in her crate without noise.

On your part you need to keep her active during the day or when you are there, do not let her sleep outside the crate. resting with you is one thing, but sleeping just to sleep is done only in the crate. Wear her out with some play time and a good walk in the evening before or after last meal. A tired dog is not going to bark and carry on all night long.

Try covering the back half of the crate if its a wire kennel type, with a cover of some kind to keep out drafts, and better create the secure feeling of a den. Give her something to do while in the crate, like BrindleBtch suggested, nothing that is rippable or squeaky.

Feed her in the AM and in the PM atleast 2 hours before bedtime, pull water 30 minutes before you plan to go to bed. Take her out to potty the last time right before you go to bed and she goes in the crate.

Good luck!

 

[dmk]

Yeah I would definitely NOT feed at 10pm. Food will energizer her. Walk her before you feed her. Feed at 5 or 6pm. It takes probably 2 hours for her to digest so walk her again at 7 or 8 and she should poop. Then her last walk for the night at maybe 10 so she can pee. I would put a blanket or crate cover over the crate so she feels secure, like being in a den. I always put my dogs toys in her crate with her. When she wakes up she quitely plays with her toys until I get up and she is let out of her crate (she does the same thing if she slepps in my bed - if she wakes up early she quietly plays with her toys on the bed until I get up). She then goes directly from crate (or bed) to outside to do her business. When she is outside she gets play time AFTER potty. Then inside for breakfast and outside again in a couple of hours to do her business. Her crate is open during the day and when I am busy she is locked in the living room with her crate open. She usually pulls her toys out of the crate to play during the day and she goes inside the crate to sleep during the day when she is tired. If she barks while she is in the living room she gets brought out to potty area. If she doesn't go, she comes back in. She quickly learns that barking is for potty, not for play or attention. And she learns that potty is first, then play. Otherwise she will connect barking to going outside to play and get attention. If potty is first, that is the connection made in her brain to barking = potty. If she gets to play after potty then her brain connects Potty outside = some play time after. The brain doesn't skip from barking to play time unless that is the first thing she gets after barking.
The other really great savior for me with a 10 month old boxer is Doggie day care. Once a week I drive 30 miles to bring her to a kennel that offers doggie day care. No appointment necessary. She gets dropped off between 7 and 9am, plays with 70 dogs (actually she pics a buddy for the day usually) and gets picked up any time b/4 7pm. She sleeps all the way home and is amazingly calm for the next few days. It is well worth the 29.00 if you can afford it and the service is available anywhere near you.

 

[Bossroo]

You have done everything wright... The reality is this dog has a few loose screws. If I were you, I would cut my losses and get rid of her. Your, your husband's as well as your neighbors' sanity and jobs are at stake.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Quote:
The dog is just spoiled and the situation is easily remedied. The dog is bright enough and manipulative enough to have trained her owners admirably. A little affort on their part and they will have a great companion for years.