Dog not going to bed at night, help????

charmed13

Hi Everyone
I have a 2 year old ShihTzu.. I have him since he was 8 weeks old. He has always slept in the utility room at night in his own bed. During the day he gets to go from the kitchen and sitting room and sits on the couches.. At night i use to just say come on to bed and he use to go and jump into his bed and get a treat and stay there for the night no problems. The same used to apply when i was leaving the house, he would be put in the utility room and stay there till i got back.
I had a baby 8 weeks ago and since then i am having terrible trouble getting him to stay in the utility room. He will run in when i say bedtime and get into his bed and get his treat but within 10 minutes of me going to bed he starts barking. He will bark all night long and scratch at the door to get out. He is doing the same when i leave the house. His barking is setting off the house alarm. His barking is also keeping me and my partner awake. I am moving the baby into his own room and this room is closer to the dog so the dog will wake him then..
I am seriosly thinking of trying to rehome him even though this would break my heart. I am crying all day thinking about it.. I couldn't put him out or in the shed as he has always stayed in the house and he really is a brilliant dog besides this. He is brilliant around the baby.
All ideas as to what i should do are welcome. I am really desperate and wore out from lack of sleep..

Whispered

Hi Charmed, you poor thing you must be knackered.

The arrival of the baby is a big thing for everyone in the house, including the dogs. But try not panic just yet.

First thing I would suggest is finding a local kennel and booking the dog in for a night or two. It will allow you have a good night sleep (well as good as possible with a baby!) and you can approach the situation with a fresh head.

While he's in the kennel, ask them to really really concentrate on exercise, particularly on the day you're collecting him. If he's very tired he will sleep much easier.

If it works, you might be able to organise a walker to top up the walks you're already giving him. Honestly - a tired dog is a content dog.

How do you react when he barks? How long does he bark for? Does he eventually stop, or do you stop him? His routine is probably all over the place, try get him back into a routine and start leaving him in his room for a short time during the day. Almost as if you are starting from scratch with the training. I know it's difficult with a baby in the house, but if you can ignore him barking it would help, he will learn that it gets him nowhere.

Failing that, you can get a spray collar (please don't get an electric one) http://www.multivet.net/en/products/antibark/ I would never usually advocate using a tool like that but you are in a very difficult situation and it might help. Try upping his exercise first though, I really think it would help.

Congratulations on the new baby.

charmed13

Thanks for the advice whispered. The dog will bark all night long if i let him. He started barking one night at 11.30 and barked non stop untill my partner got up for work at 6.30. I don't react to his barking normally, i ignore it and leave him at it, but lately because of the baby i have had to let him roam from the kitchen and sitting all night to keep him quiet, some nights i even have to stay up with him..I wouldn't mind leaving him in the kitchen and sitting room every night but he sets of the house alarm when i do this...So i am running from the dog to the baby all night now and i am going to have to do something before i colapse...

dvet

Whispered wrote: »

Hi Charmed, you poor thing you must be knackered.

The arrival of the baby is a big thing for everyone in the house, including the dogs. But try not panic just yet.

First thing I would suggest is finding a local kennel and booking the dog in for a night or two. It will allow you have a good night sleep (well as good as possible with a baby!) and you can approach the situation with a fresh head.

While he's in the kennel, ask them to really really concentrate on exercise, particularly on the day you're collecting him. If he's very tired he will sleep much easier.

If it works, you might be able to organise a walker to top up the walks you're already giving him. Honestly - a tired dog is a content dog.

How do you react when he barks? How long does he bark for? Does he eventually stop, or do you stop him? His routine is probably all over the place, try get him back into a routine and start leaving him in his room for a short time during the day. Almost as if you are starting from scratch with the training. I know it's difficult with a baby in the house, but if you can ignore him barking it would help, he will learn that it gets him nowhere.

Failing that, you can get a spray collar (please don't get an electric one) http://www.multivet.net/en/products/antibark/ I would never usually advocate using a tool like that but you are in a very difficult situation and it might help. Try upping his exercise first though, I really think it would help.

Congratulations on the new baby.

+1 All great advice!

The other things i would suggest -

Would there be any chance that he's just colder in the utility room these nights? If you make it a bit warmer in there at night, and maybe give him some toys/rawhide chews/food based toys (kongs) etc to keep him busy. (Also try increasing his exercise like Whispered said!) These are all simple enough but can sometimes make a real difference.

As for the new baby in the house, sometimes the new/different smells and the change in routine can really disturb them, some people recommend adapting the dog to the new routine and to the baby's smells before the baby ever comes home from hospital. Seeing as baby's already home though, something that might help is if you make an effort to make a fuss of him when the baby is around, and give him little attention when the baby is absent; the idea is that they get positive associations with the new baby.

It would be no harm to reinforce his general obedience training either, i.e. if you spend 10 mins every evening doing sit/stay exercises, and also get him into the habit that 'nothing in life is free', i.e. asking him to sit before you feed him/pet him etc. All of that will reinforce some basic rules in his head.

If you can try to settle him back into a fairly stable routine again it would help him too (i know this is incredibly hard with a little baby, but just simple things like always feeding him at the same times, putting him to bed at the same times etc).

That's all assuming there are no signs of aggression or jealousy between the dog and your new baby. If there is any at ALL, then I'd say your options are: dog behaviourist, complete separation of dog and baby, else rehoming him. That's extreme measures though, doesn't sound like it really applies to your fella, but just throwing it out there!

I hope you figure out something that works soon, sounds like you are under serious stress! hopefully it will all settle down for you soon!

RubyGirl

Hi Charmed 13,

My only suggestion is to get the kitchn zoned off aswell from the alarm for awhile and see if it works. Maybe leave a radio or night light on for him, anything is worth a try at this stage.

Rabbitandcavy

What kind of walking routine have you got going for him?
Maybe he is getting little to no walks lately with the baby, so he probably is full of energy.