Tips on moving a 1.5yr old dog from sleeping inside to outside?

drunkmonkey

Need some help, dog is barking a lot at night, never used to be a problem but he's waking us a few times a night now. He's always slept inside, spends most of the day outside if he's not asleep inside somewhere.

Is it as simple as just setting up a run with a kennel in it. Any recommendations on a warm kennel he can walk in and out of, wondering how a open door will work if it's a cold and windy night or should he be locked in?

Hopefully he won't bark all night outside as that'll cause a problem with the neighbours.

con747

Something must have changed for him/her to just start barking. I don't see how making a bigger change will resolve the issue. It will just relocate it and personally I couldn't do that. Maybe see if you can think of any reason for the sudden change or try to get some training before doing anything drastic. A pet's place should be in the home IMO.

Jaymacc

Maybe get him checked with the vet. He might be in pain? If moving him outside you could put a pet head pad in the kennel to keep him warm. They are great

mojesius

Spending most of the day outside might be the issue here. Do you mean, the dog spends most of the day outside, alone when awake? And you expect the dog to be silent when the dog finally gets inside to see you at the end of the day

Dogs are social creatures and need company, even to follow someone around Indoors. Why not try keeping your dog indoors as the norm aside from when someone in the household is outside or out for a walk or when they are awake?

I'm sorry if I misunderstood your situation at all, but this is my gut instinct from reading your OP

drunkmonkey

He goes outside by his own choice during the day, he's not just left there for the day we work from home a good bit so he's never really alone.

He's just seemed to have switched from sleeping at night to during the day. He didn't sleep much today but was wrecked this morning from been giddy late at night.

I'm pretty sure he's not sick or in pain more like he fancies himself as a bit of a guard dog and has to report everything to us.

Victor

Might there be something that is triggering the braking at night - the washing machine running or some other noise?

drunkmonkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121560017#Comment_121560017

Nothing running in the house, went to bed just before 11 and he's still at it every 20 mins or so now... looking to go out...let him out he just runs out to the gate barking and comes back in again.... nothing has changed really probably not out as much with the weather but still gets plenty of exercise..kids playing with him all day...it's a nuisance now at this hour..

airy fairy

Clearly there's a reason he's barking.

Putting him outside is going to make the problem bigger I'd imagine. Sounds like an insecurity thing.

Is he neutered? Quite possibly smelling a dog on heat?

Honestly, if you're going to put him outside, evict him from the family home, without trying to find out his issues, you'd be better rehoming him. He's still a pup. Dogs go through changes like humans throughout their lives.

drunkmonkey

He's neutered. He's well behaved just gone to hell late at night, he had free roam...might sleep on one of the kids beds or up on the couch spread out on his back. He was in a crate when younger just got too big.

I've put him out in the outside toilet for the night it's beside my room it has a radiator so he's not going to be cold we just need sleep. He's still barking mad.

Savetheplanet

If one of your kids cried at night would you put them there? Maybe you took on more than you can chew, pardon the pun.

Rubberchikken

Putting him outside even in the fanciest kennel isn't solving the problem.

He will bark out there, not understand why he's being left outside in the dark and start annoying neighbours.

Do you want to be the person who will sleep through their dog barking outside while others in nearby homes are awake and angry?

You need to see what has changed in his routine. Does he get proper attention and exercise. Just being around people isn't always enough. Just playing with the kids isn't always enough exercise.

Do right by him. He didn't ask to be put to one side just because it inconveniences someone.

Doe Tiden

What breed is he? Definitely something has changed for him but maybe it’s not obvious to you. I don’t think he will get better having him sleep outside.

laoismanj

Get rid of the dog. Its only a dog and people need to remember that. Animals dont belong in houses.

This isnt intended to be cruel or rude but people are gone dog crazy lately and what we are left with are entitled animals that think they are equal or superior

SuperBowserWorld

Might be a phase he's going through.

Depending on the breed, he may need sufficient walking/exercise, and socialising with other dogs etc

Get a good dog trainer/behaviourist.

headtheball14

Putting him outside in January is not the solution but I know that night after night without sleep for you all isnt workable either.

Could you try crate training him again? bigger crate and maybe kept in at night he might settle.

Leave the radio on for him , set up a routine . what is he like left alone during the day

Otherwise the trainer or looking online for solutions, I don't think moving outside is the best.option. but I can understand it.

Charlie19

Does the dog want to sleep in a bedroom to be close to his family.

headtheball14

someone said to me once that at all times either you are training the dog or the dog is training you

If they are doing something you don't want then they shouldn't get attention so if they are barking don't go down to them.

maybe set them up with a lickimat when you head to bed but if barking and running to the door gets you downstairs they will keep doing it

I should add about the crate training , that was the only time mine barked non stop was when I tried to get her to sleep in it at night. I gave up after three nights, she sleeps on the couch

Kurn

Hi OP,

The responses here are... interesting. From making wild assumptions, and insulting you to telling you to get rid of your dog.

If I were you OP =I would discuss this with your vet - ignore 95% of the comments on here and see if you can come up with some plan of action for the dog with the vet's help.

Randomly our dog likes to sleep in the garage for a few nights during the year, Dogs often hear and see things we don't and the best we can do is to try and interpret them with the help of your vet.

Best of luck

blackbox

I'm pleased to see that OP is considering the neighbours before putting a barky dog outside. Many don't.

Furze99

Many dogs partic in rural areas anyway do sleep happily outdoors at night, in a shed or in a kennel. They do need to be stopped from roaming though, so shed or kennel with door or on chain if open kennel during summer months.

If this dog spends a lot of the day outdoors anyway, maybe quite happy out at night as well. But you'd want to leave this till May and the warmer summer months to start. Where ever you decide on, start during the day or evening for a bit keeping them in there and/or if you're all out for a while and then progress them to a night if they're happy enough.

A few wee doggie treats always go down too when you try.

Del2005

Any of your neighbours get a cat recently? Sounds like a cat or fox might be hanging at the your house and annoying the dog.

drunkmonkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121561023#Comment_121561023

So many replies, there's something kicking him off as you'd think he's asleep the up he jumps and makes a b-line for the door as if he wants to go to the toilet but when you let him out he just runs up to the front gate and goes barking mad as if something is there. It's like he's hearing something we're not.

There is a bit of a barky lad up the road unless it's that and you can faintly hear him at night. They're like the neighbour hood watch during the day. You'd know the post man is coming 20 minutes beforehand.

Plenty of carts about he's well used to them. A hedgehog has recently arrived on the scene.

Someone mentioned earlier it could be a phase. I definitely don't think it's anything medical he was at the vets about 3 weeks ago getting a booster and some anti flea drop, he was on his best behaviour.

This is only happening about 2 weeks. I'm frazzled from it though.

He's not talking to me now, so he knows we're off, maybe he got the memo after last night.

drunkmonkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121560161#Comment_121560161

He's an Irish Goldendoodle....so there's a red setter and poodle in the mix.

tom traubert

In the past I've had mice get in to the house. Properly set off our dogs barking at night. A couple of traps behind the kickboard of the sink unit in the utility room where they sleep solved both the mice and barking problem.

Might this be the cause?

AMKC

@OP You have to train him to not bark and go to sleep at night if you want to let him sleep in your bedroom with you. My one well two but I only have one now both used to bark at night when up in the bedroom especially after the Summer's but I would tell them with an Autheritive voice No and they would learn to stop. Its very rare he does it now but if he does I just say No and he stops. Now is not the right time to move a dog that has been used to sleeping inside outside. Wait till the Spring at least if you decide to do that but it would be easier to just get him to learn that when he or she is in the bedroom they do not bark much. Maybe it might require a tap on there nose but they have to learn that you need sleep too. A dogs sleep cycle is a lot different to ours and a lot shorter. They only need 10 to 20 minutes and they are reenergised for what the consider is a new day to them them. They do not need 6 to 8 hours like us. That's probably why he wakes up and is barking so soon. You need yo teach him he had to rest it for at least 6 hours.

Good lord, a dog sleeping outside is the equivalent of putting human children outside? I think most sensible people would disagree but anyway.

OP dogs bark at night sometimes. It could be anything tbh. Attention seeking, they’re hearing/smelling something unusual or new, separation anxiety etc. there’s a list as long as your arm and then some 🥲

our beagle made it very clear she wanted out of her crate every night for about 2 weeks. The advice from all and sundry was to just ignore her. So we did. She doesn’t bark anymore.

I guess I should report myself immediately to the ISPCA according to some here. Anyway, maybe that will work. It sounds to me like they are barking, being let out & to that end they will continue. If the dog gets what it wants from barking then it will continue to do so.

Dogs only do things when they get a positive result. If they don’t get what they want they won’t bother. You will need to try and be patient with them because it won’t be immediate but eventually they’ll get the idea.

Worth consulting with your vet as perhaps there’s something else but honestly if it’s a new behaviour it sounds like something is catching their attention especially if it’s around the same time every night.

drunkmonkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121561332#Comment_121561332

I hadn't thought of it but we have caught a couple over the last few weeks. We definitely haven't caught them all. He's definitely trying to alert us to something. With the change in the weather and even the hedgehog trying to come in the door it could be the problem.

FlipperThePriest

Would agree with Raichu above - dogs are very reactionary when it comes to positive or negative reward. It could be something as simple as the dog was startled one night, barked like a mad yoke, you came in to see what was going on, and now he thinks - cool, I bark, the boss comes in for a craic late at night, will try that again. There are too many variables for anyone here to say. I find it helps to try and think of the situation from the dog's very simplistic perspective when it comes to training.

Mice defo a good bet too, if you have them in the house.

Besides the fact dogs don’t work on morality like humans and just on fairly simplistic principles such as is it safe, beneficial and/or enjoyable to do what I’m doing?

so being let out for barking is definitely adhering to those principles. They are clearly safe but also benefitting by getting let outside to go bark at the gate.

The fact he keeps repeating the same sort of routine (goes out, barks or whatever for a few mins, comes back to bed) suggests that it’s attention seeking and/or just sussed you’re going to let them out if they bark.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121560033#Comment_121560033

It wouldn’t make the problem bigger for occupants of the house. Would more than likely make it significantly smaller.

harmless

I've not read all the thread but some replies are awful, people spoiling their dogs is an issue but some people on here really seem to hate dogs.

Here's my experience recently with the same problem, maybe the info will help.

I've had a rescue dog for 7 years, she has lots of insecurities but one thing was she had always slept the night no problem and only woke me if there was a real problem.

Halloween was difficult, 5 weeks of fireworks when usually it is only 1. The nights she was very upset I would come down and sit with her for a few mins and this would reassure her and she would sleep the rest of the night.

Then we also had problems with mice and we were catching one every second night. She would bark when the trap went off in the early hours of the night. I would come down and empty the trap and she would sleep again.

After these two things back to back she realised she could convince someone in the house to come down to her around 6am, she goes to bed at 9pm so she's probably ready to get up at this time but will sleep on if she thinks no one is getting up.

So after checking that there were no health issues I then realised it was probably just her wanting to start the day early.

I looked online and after trying a few different things I had no choice but to leave her bark it out for a few nights.

I got ear plugs and just ignored her for 2 weeks, some nights she would sleep and some she would wake early. It's still early days and she has now slept 4 nights in a row with no barking. Near the end she started barking as early as 3am. I had read this could happen. The problem getting much worse is often a sign that the dog has got very frustrated that it no longer works but this also means they are probably close to realiising that it no longer works.

As others have said your dog is barking for a reason, it may be noise that they can hear or other animals. They may be ill or it may just be attention seeking. It can all be fixed far easier than trying to move the dog outside. The difficult part will be figuring out what it is exactly. But after that you can come up with a plan and it will work once you address this.

The one thing I have not figured out is that sometimes during this my dog also wanted to go outside and I figured she needed to urinate but like your dog she would just run the length of the garden then look confused like she didn't know what she wanted. Obviously dogs can hear far more than we can and if there is a new noise it could just be a matter of adapting to it and realising it's not a threat.