I need sleep and my dog wont stop barking...please help :-(

[Dar]

I have a major problem and i am dealing with sleep deprivation cause my dog is ...well ummm a BIG BUTT HEAD...lol



this is freckles....she is 11 yrs old...mixed breed...we have had her since she was a puppy...she was crate trained from day one and still remains in her crate when we go out and at night time because she likes to chew on underwear and the garbage...

her crate is her bed and always has been you say its bedtime and she just goes in . She has her kong in there and i put one treat in it so she has something to do. She has never had a barking issue in her crate...

then Abby comes into the picture..



this Abby she is 3 months old, we are crate training her just like we have done with freckles

It has taken some time but she has gotten accustomed to her crate and the "rules" ...dark = bedtime. I understand she is a baby so we have been getting up about every 4 hours for a pee break...we have started to stretch it out to 6 hours now...and she is fine with this..BUT FRECKLES IS NOT!!!

we let her out at the same time as we were letting abby out cause thats not fair..but now every 2 hours freckles is barking and wont stop...you get out of bed come down the cold stairs and let her out get the cold draft on your toes as you open the door to let her out to pee and then you need to go 15 minutes goes by you are finally all warm and cozy in yr bed....2 hours later repeat it all over again...most times she just goes outside and sits there does nothing and comes back in.

I know she is older and cant hold her body functions as well as she once did but this is insane. I did a test...I brought her up into my bed the other night ..she stayed in bed for 8 hours and did not move so i know she is playing a game ..but darn it i done like this game and i dont want to play anymore. I try and ignore her but she wont stop..please someone help me...she is very close to a shock collar.

 

[gapeachy]

bark collar....works with ours

 

[adorable]

because you gave in and brought her upstairs. NOw she wants that .Because there is another dog in the house. If the other one barks and crys to let out. SHe is going to do the same. They just like kids. Maybe you can bring the crates up stairs. WHen she starts to bark for no reason . Then let her know that you are still in the room. I think it is just for attention.

 

[HennysMom]

Sounds to me like your older dog is jealous maybe and is vying for extra attention from Mommy and Daddy awee...

. I'm sorry you're sleep deprived from all of this, but its an adjustment to your old pup as well. Also, you're right, the older they get the more they need to go out and sometimes, they just want to show you that they aren't forgotten - that they can still "be ever watchful and faithful" for Mom and Dad - even if it IS every 2 hours

Maybe some one on one time away from the new puppy will do Freckles some good - and let the old girl know she's not being replaced.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Quote:
She is training you, and done very well at it. Put on some headphones listen to some soft music and go to sleep. She will get the idea after nobody comes. If they play together in the daytime she may miss her new friend, you may want to consider putting them both in a indoor pen of a night.

 

[Dar]

both of the crates are in the house....they are in the living room..

we try not to let the dogs upstairs cause thats the cats domain but when the dogs are sick or we have a concern about one of them we will bring them up...kinda like the kids sleep with mom and dad when they have a sick tummy

as for giving freckles extra attention...abby is not allowed to sit on mommys lap..thats freckles spot...we go for our walk in the evening and abby is not allowed to come i have been very careful not to spoil abby cause freckles has thrown a temper tantrum before she can pee more then a great dane if she is not happy...lol

thank goodness i am in the country and dont have neighbors to worry about


Eta...they dont play together during the day cause i cant trust them not to eat my house or the remotes while we are gone out...if they cant be supervised they are in the crates....have had to many expensive vet bills...freckles has had surgery on her belly to many times to count cause she got into something i just cant trust her

the most time they are left home alone (but in their crates) is about 6 hours but thats not common....

freckles was fine until a 2 weeks ago...we got abby on jan 8th and she was fine until recently

 

[rooster0209]

you mean ole momma. Just put both dogs in bed with you at night. problem solved

 

[walkswithdog]

Adding a new pup always adds stress. Since you KNOW the older dog is an eater you should understand that chewing/eating like that is a stress related disorder. Dogs chew up stuff to relieve stress.

New stresses mean new needs. More chewies can help. Extra exercise helps LOTS. A tired dog is a good dog.

It may help to bring them upstairs just to sleep.

Punishing a dog with an e collar, when you've added new stressers can push a dog right over the edge behaviorally.

She may have developed a UTI due to the new stress, stress can alter a dogs' health.

You have a reactive dog, reacting. Punishment isn't going to solve it and may cause MORE problems.

Exercise, exercise, exercise. New and interesting chewies - alternate them a bored reactive dog BARKS.

Also she's 11, if her hearing is beginning to go out - she's gonna bark. At first hearing loss can be intermittent and mild. Dogs bark to be able to hear something, anything.

Those are some things to consider. I do feel you about the sleeplessness, I did 9 weeks with hardly any. Good luck

 

[WalkingWolf]

Buy a outdoor dog run for the daytime so they can get exercise instead of being in the crates. They will be much more happy. JMHO but too much time in the crates. Chewing is usually do to boredom and stress, they need exercise even a mature dog.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Cher (walkswithdog) said it best

Excercise
Chew choices
Understand the new stress levels
patience

e-collars (although that makes me think of elizabethan collars not electric collars) are a LAST resort in HIGH danger situations only and with professional training IMO. don't use these if your an ametuer.. it can really backfire on you.

but don't give in to the nonesense... meet the dogs needs and they will respect you.

and the loss of hearing is a very good tip I wouldn't have thought of..

but Earplugs have not yet been mentioned... when we're having a loud night yet we know everyone is OK, we play a radio outside our closed bedroom door and cover our heads or wear earplugs... we all need a few consecutive hours.

Added: if your dog dreams... it's NOT getting enough excercise.. ideally dogs should be SO tired they just sleep like a log, not fitfully or restlessly.