Barking in crate at night

[ifl]

I have a 2 year old spaniel mix (Pesto) who is crate trained, and we crate him at night. His crate is in our bedroom.

At night, foxes and other wild critters roam around our neighborhood, making noises (shrieks, etc.) that make Pesto bark and bark. This goes on about 3-5 times in the middle of the night.

Any ideas on how to stop the barking? Unlike daytime, we can't simply pull him away from the noise and redirect him, as we just want to go back to sleep!

[sumbirdy]

Maybe you could let him out of the crate at night? He may not like to be shut in. Or maybe you can have a fan going-something that might mask the noise from outside.

[emc]

Keep the crate next to your bed and have a spray bottle filled with water handy. Soon as he starts barking say "no" firmly while at the same time spraying him with the bottle. If you keep doing this he should eventually get it and saying "no" will be enough to make him stop. This will interfere with you sleep for a while but it may work.

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[petpsychologist]

Hi, sorry to answer so late, just came back from a little holiday and want to tell you my thoughts about the problem:

Try to make the crate interesting for your dog, involve the crate in playing, put some treats in it and let the door open, do not shut it when your dog is inside, maybe you can also put the food in the crate, everything that makes the crate interesting helps.

Many dogs like places where they can rest and be alone for some time, but these places should not give them the feeling of beeing locked and put away from the rest of the family.

All the best and nice greetings from Vienna,

Michael

[BC_MoM]

Keep the crate next to your bed and have a spray bottle filled with water handy. Soon as he starts barking say "no" firmly while at the same time spraying him with the bottle. If you keep doing this he should eventually get it and saying "no" will be enough to make him stop. This will interfere with you sleep for a while but it may work.

Digital Paint Pet Portraits
http://dogshop.50webs.com

Can we not think of a non-violent way? And yes, spray bottles can be considered "violent".

How about covering the crate at night so he has privacy? Or keep a radio on low volume so that it may mask those pesky critters?