Hi folks, Sorry to bring this up again, but it's really starting to annoy me! Bob is managing fine from about 11pm to 4.30am... I go down take him out to toilet (wee)... and then put him back in his crate.. (lights all off and no interaction) But then he basically barks until I get up again. It goes on and on and on - howling, barking, whining.... and then I worry he needs a poo..so I go down again. I have literally just come down today and he's fine... he didn't go toilet at all... little monkey. I didn't go straight to him though, I made sure I made myself a cup of tea first... but still I reckon he knows now that he gets a reaction from barking. Shall I carry on just leaving him to bark do you think? Will that create a negative association with the crate? He's been doing this every morning for the past 3 or 4 days. I do not want to get up at 4.30am... Lou x
Re: Barking in the morning... I'm drinking my tea here ignoring Bob now while he goes bat crazy with all his toys... I'm so annoyed with him... lol!
Re: Barking in the morning... Ah, sorry to hear he is barking so early, small puppies can be tiring. [quote author=Loopyloo30 link=topic=8490.msg119971#msg119971 date=1414390034] he basically barks until I get up again. It goes on and on and on - howling, barking, whining.... and then I worry he needs a poo..so I go down again. [/quote] If he gets a result after he has been barking for a long time, he learns that he has to bark for a long time to get a result. You just have to find a way to prevent him from getting a reward for barking. Or put his crate in your bedroom.
Re: Barking in the morning... Thanks Julie. I can't have the crate in my bedroom as I co-sleep with my little boy. Any suggestions as to how to reward him for NOT barking at this time? The only thing I can think of is either distracting him with something in his crate.. OR to go down when he's quiet to reinforce that behaviour more? I was thinking about ordering one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/StagBar-Antler-Natural-Dog-Chew/dp/B007CIWQGY#productDetails Maybe after I've taken him out at 4.30am I could leave this with him? Lou x
Re: Barking in the morning... You must only go down when he is quiet. Trouble is, if he already knows that he has to bark for a long time to get you to appear, this might be tricky. And even more tricky if you are worried he needs to go out. So it's just about finding a routine where you take him out sufficient to be sure he's comfortable but means you don't arrive when he is barking. If it's already a habit, you'll have to be persistent. I'm not a fan of antlers, I think they are too hard. Others use them though. You could try a frozen Kong.
Re: Barking in the morning... Thanks Julie, So maybe we are back to setting an alarm in the night so that we can ensure he is quiet when we get him out of the crate? Because at the moment we are waiting until he tells us he needs to go out. I hear one bark and I go down and take him out. So maybe set the alarm for 4am go down, toilet. Kong or antler back in crate with him and back upstairs... ear plugs and ignore? Lou x
Re: Barking in the morning... Could you maybe give him a frozen kong when you take him out for that wee? He obviously isn't tired anymore and is bored/lonely. Willow does the same, but luckily for me, it's at 7:50 (although that has now moved to 6:50 with the time change!). I just mooch around, put the dishwasher on, any tidying that needs doing, make a cuppa etc and whenever she's quiet, she gets a "good girl" but she gets ignored when she's whining. She doesn't bark - she barked for the first time yesterday morning when she was playing and shocked herself We'll get through this, Lou. I slept on the sofa last night so I could get up to let Willow out when she needed a poo. Luckily, the sofa's comfortable, but I think my husband may start to get lonely and begin whining soon PS I forgot to send this and see that Julie suggested a frozen Kong in the meantime... might be worth a try.
Re: Barking in the morning... Thanks Fiona (How is Willow today? Did she/you have a better night?) I have been avoiding kongs because of Bob's upset tummy, wasn't really sure what I could put inside. However I've just tried him with a tiny piece of banana pushed inside and he loves that.. so maybe I'll prep a couple of these up and freeze them. Banana is pretty bland. Some people had suggested peanut butter, but maybe that's a bit fatty for a delicate tummy? I think we've caused this barking problem because we stopped setting an alarm as we wanted to see how long Bob could actually last at night. So when he woke up and started barking I've been going down. Tonight however the alarm will be set at 4am so I can ensure I am downstairs when he's quiet.. and then I'll take him out for potty and then give him a frozen banana kong to keep him entertained... If he barks afterwards, then I'll ignore it until I'm ready to go downstairs and then only go to him when he's quiet. Also I read something else about making them sit for a reward before opening the crate.. so if they HAVE been barking for a while beforehand, they'll associate the crate opening because they sat nicely.. and not because they barked. So we will start doing that as well. Fingers crossed! Lou x
Re: Barking in the morning... It's difficult! I suggest you try setting your alarm for pup wake up time. Get up before he barks - so that he begins to associate the alarm with up-time. Then set it 15 minutes later each day. I have had many dogs, but only two very young pups (so far!) I always got rescues ay 6 months old before Tatze. I have never had dogs in my room (except Gavin, when he was 15 years old and very dependant on me) so I totally understand that. Tatze would bark in the morning, but only a couple of woofs, then she chewed her nylabones 'till I came down. Gypsy barked whenever she woke in the crate. I concluded that she hated the crate and put her in a puppy pen. No more barks from then on! She now just sleeps in a bed in the kitchen (5 months). Tatze is 18 months and I still can't de-crate her, she cries if I don't shut the crate door. So I have given up and always crate her at night. So I think they are all different and we need to play it by ear with each pup. My next pup will arrive in June or July so we'll se what works with him/her!
Re: Barking in the morning... For a frozen kong, you could use stodgy rice with a teaspoon of natural yoghurt......Harley loves these, especially when she has a poorly tummy she also has an antler that keeps her busy
Re: Barking in the morning... I was going to say, you can stick anything in a kong! ice and chicken, frozen would be fine. And no issue mixing up flavours that we wouldn't choose to go together as humans. Banana and chicken, for example! Or soak a bit of kibble in chicken stock. For Willow coming out of her crate, she's learnt to sit nicely very quickly without treats. I would just stand there, quietly, until she offered a sit. Then I would open one of the catches. If she moved out of her sit, I'd simply move my hand back and wait until she offered the sit again. Within probably three attempts (morning, lunchtime and dinner - she gets crated while we eat), she learnt that if she sits and stays (with no command from me) then she gets out more quickly than if she acts the fool. The reward is being allowed out to play, so treats aren't necessary. I think it's nice to let them offer the behaviour rather than telling them what to do.
