Dog suddenly barking at night

Steve_o

Hi all, I have a 1 & 1/2 year old Yorkie x Maltese who last Thursday started barking at night all of a sudden, up to now he has been completely content. If I go out and tell him to stop a couple of times he usually gets the message but I'd love to get to the bottom of the problem. He spends the evening with us in the sitting room so he's not lonely and he gets a 4-6km walk everyday. Any ideas?

737max

Poltergeist.
Dogs have especially attuned senses.

Latatian

Bring him in at night. Might be a weird noise, rats moving in the bushes, a dog barking further away than you can hear. If you let him practice it, though, he will keep doing it more and more.

Panthro

He could be spotting mice or rats doing their nightly rounds.

tk123

Could be fireworks if you're in the city!

VonVix

Where is he when he is barking?

dashoonage

Hedgehogs.... past two weeks have been unreal the feckers are everywhere!

CeilingFly

Cold nights and near full moon - also small dogs like Maltese and crosses should be indoors. They are not really suited as outdoor dogs.

harr

Probably getting a bit colder now at night and he ain’t to happy put a bit extra bedding into kennel or it might something spooking him....

Steve_o

I should've mentioned, he does sleep inside, he has a pen with his bed in that he sleep in at night. Always has but for some reason he's started barking recently.

CeilingFly

Steve_o wrote: »

I should've mentioned, he does sleep inside, he has a pen with his bed in that he sleep in at night. Always has but for some reason he's started barking recently.

Its possibly other animals - foxes in particular cause disturbance to dogs

Steve_o

CeilingFly wrote: »

Its possibly other animals - foxes in particular cause disturbance to dogs

It's doubtful as he's an indoor dog and sleeps in my kitchen! What i'm wondering is why he started all of a sudden when for well over a year he's been very content at night.

VonVix

Steve_o wrote: »

It's doubtful as he's an indoor dog and sleeps in my kitchen! What i'm wondering is why he started all of a sudden when for well over a year he's been very content at night.

It could be fireworks. My dogs didn't pay much attention to them when they were younger, but I have found as they have gotten older they seem to notice them more and more. Not sure why.

Is his bed in an exposed part of the kitchen? As in, is it in an open area like a central part of the living room, rather than in a utility room for example?
Is it at the same time like clockwork every night or is it seemingly random?

elperello

Usually when dogs are well fed and have cosy bed they will settle down and sleep unless they are disturbed.
Is there any chance you have mice in the kitchen? Maybe set a mousetrap.
Is there any new appliance making a noise?

CeilingFly

Steve_o wrote: »

It's doubtful as he's an indoor dog and sleeps in my kitchen! What i'm wondering is why he started all of a sudden when for well over a year he's been very content at night.

They can hear noises a fair bit away - I'm rural, have Maltese, she'll hear someone walking on the lane about 60metres away.

Similarly if she sees anything moving in the garden that isn't "normal"

Do you have patio doors or window he can see through and see something moving like hedgehog / fox / cat.

One option is to play easy listening music.

Another option is to let him sleep on your bed - maybe that's what he's hoping for :P

dizzyn

CeilingFly wrote: »

Another option is to let him sleep on your bed - maybe that's what he's hoping for :P

My dog barks at night so my brother will go out to tell him to stop then lift him into the bedroom and onto the bed. He's very clever!

Choc Chip

This is going to sound random, but do you have any neighbours?

We're very rural but do have a house close by. When they brought their new baby home they were up and down a good bit and it took our dog a couple of weeks to get used to it (she'd be waking us up every night, every time they got up with the baby).

Could be anything outside though- I was shocked by how good her hearing was!

Steve_o

His bed was in view of the patio doors so I moved it on some of your advice that there might have been cats or hedgehogs or some such outside. Since moving it into the corner, he's back to sleeping through the night!! Thanks guys!!

harr

Steve_o wrote: »

His bed was in view of the patio doors so I moved it on some of your advice that there might have been cats or hedgehogs or some such outside. Since moving it into the corner, he's back to sleeping through the night!! Thanks guys!!

That’s great...probably a cat looking in at him. That happed with our lad a cat would jump up on window sill and just stare in at him freaking our lad out ,
had to move his cage as well.

paulers06

My dog has been out of sorts the past couple of nights. A lot of barking, whining and pacing. I'm chalking it down to the moon as was previously mentioned. My parents dog has had a couple of rough nights too. Poor doggies, very stressed.

Cookie_Monster

Steve_o wrote: »

It's doubtful as he's an indoor dog and sleeps in my kitchen! What i'm wondering is why he started all of a sudden when for well over a year he's been very content at night.

my lot started barking for no reason a while back. We think either too much light getting in or just it got too cold so they woke up.

Leave the rad in their room on during the winter now at a low setting and a blackout blind on the window and no more issues.

The one or two night I've forgotten the heater they're up barking in the early morning.

paulers06

Had a rough night with our dog last night. She's a yorkie cross and is usually a very placid dog. She sleeps on the bed and usually heads up to bed herself at about 10.30 each night and conks until 8 or so the next morning without a peep.

Last night she totally lost it. She was very distressed and spent most of the night wedged between the couch and the wall barking. When she wasn't there, she was pacing and whining. The poor thing was so worked up and there was no calming her down. This has happened a couple of times now. The last time it happened it was on the night before and the night of a full moon. I'm not sure about the times before that as I didn't twig that it might be linked to lunar activity. We adopted her in June so I only have her behaviour for the past few months to go on but these little episodes are out of character compared to the quiet little pet we have the rest of the time.

I was wondering if anyone here has experienced something similar? Does anyone have any tips? I feel so helpless when she is like this. She's exhausted today and I'm trying to keep her naps short so she'll sleep tonight. I picked up some pet rescue remedy so hopefully that will help. Would appreciate any suggestions!

CeilingFly

Fireworks - even if you can't hear them, the dogs can

Same situation here for past 6 years with a Bichon. Also gets freaked with thunderstorms.

We also have a Maltese who couldn't care less and almost wanted to go to the bonfire.

Usually takes a couple of days to get back to normal. We use a couple of finger licks of calpol to calm her.

Cheshire Cat

paulers06 wrote: »

Had a rough night with our dog last night. She's a yorkie cross and is usually a very placid dog. She sleeps on the bed and usually heads up to bed herself at about 10.30 each night and conks until 8 or so the next morning without a peep.

Last night she totally lost it. She was very distressed and spent most of the night wedged between the couch and the wall barking. When she wasn't there, she was pacing and whining. The poor thing was so worked up and there was no calming her down. This has happened a couple of times now. The last time it happened it was on the night before and the night of a full moon. I'm not sure about the times before that as I didn't twig that it might be linked to lunar activity. We adopted her in June so I only have her behaviour for the past few months to go on but these little episodes are out of character compared to the quiet little pet we have the rest of the time.

I was wondering if anyone here has experienced something similar? Does anyone have any tips? I feel so helpless when she is like this. She's exhausted today and I'm trying to keep her naps short so she'll sleep tonight. I picked up some pet rescue remedy so hopefully that will help. Would appreciate any suggestions!

My 2 went mad last night howling and whining. Went down several times to calm them, then caved and brought them upstairs.
Our kitchen is normally pitch black as our back garden faces a field full of brambles, but at 2:30 this morning it was really bright and the garden looked illuminated.
Heard on the radio this morning that we are having a super moon at the moment. Full moon was on Friday.
Hope they don't repeat it tonight, am completely wrecked.

paulers06

Cheshire Cat wrote: »

My 2 went mad last night howling and whining. Went down several times to calm them, then caved and brought them upstairs.
Our kitchen is normally pitch black as our back garden faces a field full of brambles, but at 2:30 this morning it was really bright and the garden looked illuminated.
Heard on the radio this morning that we are having a super moon at the moment. Full moon was on Friday.
Hope they don't repeat it tonight, am completely wrecked.

I picked this up in Maxi Zoo on Saturday evening and my dog has slept like a baby since. The staff said that they have heard that it works well with dogs and fireworks and suggested it. It comes in a collar and a spray form also. Himself thinks it's codswallop and maybe it is but our pup has been her usual wonderful self since.

https://www.adaptil.com/uk/Adaptil/Adaptil-Diffuser

Cheshire Cat

paulers06 wrote: »

I picked this up in Maxi Zoo on Saturday evening and my dog has slept like a baby since. The staff said that they have heard that it works well with dogs and fireworks and suggested it. It comes in a collar and a spray form also. Himself thinks it's codswallop and maybe it is but our pup has been her usual wonderful self since.

https://www.adaptil.com/uk/Adaptil/Adaptil-Diffuser

I've used the collar successfully when one of them had to endure several weeks of crate rest. Don't think it's suitable for unforeseen once offs. Normally there's no sound out of them at night, even when the neighbours noisily fall into their house in the middle of the night. They didn't mind the recent fireworks and bangers either.