My younger daughter has a rescue dog. He is about 4 years old. When she first had him, he was very quiet and very well behaved. I dog sitter a few times and I’ve had no issues with him. Last year D2 broke up with her long time BF and moved to a new place. The puppy adjusted to the new place but had started to bark sometimes when he was out for a walk. D2 then met a new BF and has since moved in with him. The dog likes the new BF and they spend a lot of time together. The place they moved to is a bit small, but it’s close to a large park, so the dog is getting a lot of exercise.
A week ago, the dog started to bark in the middle of night and would do it for an hour at a time. D2 has tried to be comforting and patient, but she is very stressed due to lack to sleep. She is taking him to a vet tomorrow and meeting a trainer as well.
I am asking many dog lovers on this forum to see if any one has experienced dog barking at night and what could possibly be the cause of it.
You have to wonder what the dog might be hearing at night now that his people cannot hear.
Hoping the vet has some good advice…and the trainer.
What breed is the dog? I have Great Pyrenees and barking is in their DNA. I thought I had the one quiet one, but at 10 months old he found his voice.
Dogs generally bark because they are either lonely or stressed (doesn’t sound this is the case) or they see/hear something that bothers them. Doe he bark at about the same time every night?
My initial thought was also that the dog is reacting to something he’s hearing. There are plenty of times that my dog will hear something that I don’t.
Hopefully the vet will rule out any physical reasons and a trainer can help with the barking. An hour is a long time and I’d be exhausted too!
I have a dog that seemingly barks at nothing sometimes but he is quite elderly and I just assumed it was the start of doggie dementia - probably not the case with a four-year old dog. Assuming the dog sleeps in the same room as them, I’d guess the dog has decided it wants to play in the middle of the night and is hoping if it keeps barking someone will get up and play with him (obviously thinking this in dog terms - not with that level of cause and effect). I’d try moving him into another room without interacting and/or crating him if they use a crate - again without interacting if he does this. If he keeps barking in the other room /away from the people then this is probably not the reason.
Dogs have good hearing and they bark when they hear things. The dog may be alerting its humans to something outside. It could be people in the distance, other dogs, sirens, cars, etc.
Sometimes, thanking the dog for the alert, rather than asking them to stop, can help. (Sounds backwards, but it’s sort of like telling someone who is freaking out that “it’s nothing”, which only makes them more shrill because their concerns are not getting taken seriously.) My sister’s dog used to bark every time he heard someone in the hall in her apartment building (several times each hour!), and this worked for him.
It can also help to give them a command or activity that is at odds with barking, like asking them to retrieve something.
I’m guessing the trainer will be able to help figure out what’s prompting the barking and how to address it.
The new place they are at is actually quieter than where D2 was before. D2 is going to make sure the dog is not in pain. He is crated. He likes to go I to the crate for quiet time, even without them telling him to go to the crate.
I think he is a mixed of German shepherd and something else because his head looks like a German, but his body is smaller. He is very gentle with children and not aggressive.
When I dog sit him, he knows I like to wipe his paws after been outside, so he’ll sit by the door and not move until I wiped his paws. D2 said he doesn’t do it for anyone else.
If it doesn’t bother the humans perhaps they could try sleeping with a white noise machine or tv on for an evening or two so that it might drown out a noise the dog is responding to. It might help them rule out or identify the issue.
Alternatively, any chance the dog is hungry? Perhaps feed her later as another thing to check off.
I think some white noise at the start of bedtime is also a good idea. Is he in a crate in their bedroom? So are they near to him? Another idea would be a tshirt or something with their scent for comfort.
They have tried to out a fan near him, a bit of white noise, but maybe not sufficient. He has slept in the apartment before. It’s the BF’s apartment.
I was just about to write about this. Great idea.
Dogs can be extremely sensitive to changes. When we moved, our dog had a lot of problems adjusting, but it just took time (and lots of love) to get her back to “normal.”
Dogs really are a gift to humans. Their sensitivity and love is something to behold. When things change drastically for them (e.g., a loss of a loved one in whatever way), they do exhibit what might seem odd. But to them, they just want things back to what they knew before.
Patience, patience, patience. That’s the best remedy.
I wonder if one of those thunder shirts would be comforting to the pooch.
He is a very good pup. He has been going through a lot of changes. I am just concerned of D2’s lack of sleep. She is also work 12-15 hr days, plus weekends.
Hi! It is great that she is taking him to a vet to rule out any health issues and to get expertise from a trainer. And huge thanks to her for caring for a rescue dog. 
I have trained several puppies for a service dog organization. A dog’s sense of hearing is much, much more sensitive than humans. Maybe he is hearing some critters at night that are causing him to bark (like bats, mice, a moth on a window, an alarm going off someplace nearby, music, an animal moving through the yard) or other sounds that your daughter cannot detect.
Also, dogs are VERY fast learners, especially when offered reinforcement of a behavior. By comforting the dog initially, she may have inadvertently reinforced the initial barking through comfort (cuddles, petting, sitting with him, talking with him) so now he associates getting a mid-night cuddle with barking. Even negative reinforcement like saying, “knock it off!” – because it represents getting some kind of reaction from their human – can reinforce the behavior. The trainer can be a big help in terms of sorting this out, assuming it is not a health issue.
I have had success with this method with 3 dogs that barked during night (again, assumes the dog is not in pain or sick). It can sometimes be they need to go potty (they had too much water too close to bedtime, or they ate something different, or it is their de-worming or flea/tick medication) Without saying a word, keeping the lights off as much as possible, quietly open the crate, take him outside to potty (on a leash). Give him 5 minutes. If he doesn’t potty, bring him back inside and back into the crate until morning. No treats. No water. No pets. No cuddles. No food.
Good luck!!! Your daughter sounds like a great dog-mom.
Sounds Only Dogs Can Hear: Higher Pitches Is Where They Shine.
Totally understand. We had to take our pupper to a local humane shelter behavioral specialist to see what was going on. Our pup was really, really different after we moved. It was very bad, to be honest, and this continued for nearly a year, until we started changing OUR behaviors to help our pupper adjust to her new life.
There are some herbal remedies you can consider. Amazon has several, and your local trusted pet store (or vet) might be able to suggest some things too, that will help both D and her pup.
Best of luck to all of you, but it will work out! It just takes some effort. But, like we all know, dogs are the very best thing for humans, and it’s worth exploring what works best for him.
(Don’t get the anti-bark collars that give a shock to the dog…I personally think they are inhumane.)
Thank you for your replies. I am sending them to D2. Will update what the vet and the trainer say about this matter. Living with a barking dog in a nyc size apartment is difficult.
D2’s BF bought some calming classical music playlist for dogs today. The pup seems calmer and was fine with the dog walker. I am keeping my fingers crossed for tonight. I even offered to have D2 too sleep over few nights( alternate with the BF).
He is barking at what he hears outside. Have her keep him in bedroom with her, and give a firm quiet! Or a sharp Ah-ah!, the stop it sound if he barks. Then praise for being quiet.
I know you said he is getting a lot of exercise but make sure he is getting mentally stimulated too. This could be as easy as teaching a few tricks at night or getting a puzzle game. Or even a walk were he is allowed to sniff at things.
I was also thinking about how many dogs get the late night (not middle of the night) zoomies. Like a quick second wind, soon exhausted shortly before bed.
Does the dog bark much at other times of the day that is not sound or people induced?