Does anyone have experience of a previously happy puppy deciding they don’t want to go to bed? My 8 month old normally takes herself off into her crate about 10pm and sleeps until 7am, but this week she has started barking constantly when I go to bed. Our kitchen has a conservatory roof and it’s very rainy at the moment so I wondered if that could be the problem. I don’t think she has any separation issues as she’s fine in the day. She has a good bed and the same warmed teddy in there she had as a baby, nothing has changed in her routine. I’m confused!
Hi Natalie, I suspect that this sentence is very revealing. My hunch is that he sleeps during the day and wants to play rather than sleep more during the evening and early night.. Maybe get a trainer to come in during the day and teach him some skills using shaping. Observe the dog's behaviour. If he settles, then you know that you need to seriously pursue environmental enrichment while you're working[?].
If you want to rule out separation issues, the quickest and easiest way to do that, is to crate the dog in your bedroom for a few nights and see if the dog is more comfortable with you in the same room. If so, then separation was playing a role... And you know what you need to work on.
