Is the dog left alone 12-15 hours per day while your D works? Is the BF at home?
If dog was older I’d suspect dementia/blindness. Hopefully vet visit doesn’t find anything.
I’ve had a couple of shepherd mixes. Great dogs. One thing about shepherds is they typically prefer one human. Usually the caregiver. Our last one never left me. Slept on my feet. Not separation anxiety, just a feature of the breed. Maybe he wants to be nearer his human at night?
My rescue dog was a dream from the beginning re sleeping at night. He seemed to be already crate trained and I continued to have him sleep in his crate because he would chew on and eat anything and everything without supervision.
I got him in Albuquerque while I was temporarily working there, and then brought him back to our home in VA. The transition went very well, until he for some reason started having bad anxiety attacks in his crate to the point he could have injured himself. So I took him to the vet and she gave him trazadone and Prozac. That worked and he’s been fine in his crate ever since.
Btw, he is 20% Great Pyrenees and 30% coonhound and he is a barker also during the day, but only when he sees or hears something outside. I discovered the suggestion on a previous comment (praise him for barking) by accident. I knew his genetics caused him to be protective so just thought to try it. It does work a lot of the time! He still goes nuts sometimes, but praising him does help.
Dogs are weird. My almost perfect border collie won’t walk on bridges or anything she thinks are bridges. Like a short hallway to exit a parking garage (which happened when I was bringing her to Virginia Tech for my daughters graduation photos). We finally found a different exit for her since she is too heavy for me to carry.
Keep us posted!
Very cute! Our pup might be a long distance cousin - lol - looks a little similar!
Is he a cattle dog mix? Mine can bark like a lunatic (though not in the middle of the night unless he hears coyotes).
He is very sweet looking! 
for a sound night’s sleep.
I wonder if it’s a delayed response to the changes. New boyfriend, new apartment.
My daughter has a rescue and at first the dog was a dream. And they moved not too long after they got her. I think the dog was afraid of being left again (they think she had an owner before she was abandoned because she did respond to some commands). But as the dog became used to the couple, she would act out more. Like she knew that they wouldn’t abandon her so she could act like herself more.
But like a baby with a sleep regression, it’s tough on the parents.
I would definitely consider this as,well. It’s not unusual for animals who are scared, starved, injured, weak, traumatized, etc to develop into something quite different as they heal. While most of it is what we hope our love and care will nurture, sometimes strength and confidence creates energy - and associated behaviors- that weren’t expected.
Update. Last two nights the pup slept through and didn’t bark.
They had a vet visit. The vet spent a lot of time with them. He thinks the pup could have been in pain with inflammation in his leg because he stopped barking when the inflammation med kicked in. The vet also recommended Prozac for the pup. D2 is going to wait when they are back from vacation.
They also met with a trainer and D2 was very encouraged after the session.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that the pup will get pass this barking issue.
Excellent. Didn’t know about the inflammation! Great that the meds kicked in.
Who is staying with the pooch during their vacation? Or is he going?
When my parents got their dog, the vet said her personality might change some - like she was being on her best behavior.
It didn’t - she is still on her best behavior. But she was also older (7-ish) and seemingly well cared for/loved.
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