# Barking Early in the Morning



## cfherd (Oct 28, 2010)

Hi there, this is my first post and I am hoping the experienced members can help clear up what may/may not be a problem with our puppy.

I should mention I did search to see if there was a similar thread however as is the way with these things, every situation is fairly unique.

To give some background, my wife and I have a 5, nearly 6 month old Cocker Spaniel show strain puppy called Angus. He is generally speaking (for a puppy) well behaved and is a very loving and happy dog however the one problem we seem to still be having with him is during the night.

Thankfully we are over the barking and howling through the night stage and he quite happily goes to his crate when we are off bed. Typically this is straight after his last walk of the day where he has done his business. I should say at this point that we dont (and have never) closed the door on his crate. We just dont like the thought of locking him in there all night.

The trend seems to be that without fail he barks and howls anywhere from 4.30am to 6am until we get up. Normally on a working week this is OK as we both get up for work at around 6.30 though this can be somewhat tedious on a weekend.

We do try to leave him barking however if we do go down, rather comfort him he gets a fairly stern row and told to be quiet. He does know he has been bad as he cowers and run back to his crate though 10 minutes later it starts again.

Ultimately the question is I dont know if I am asking too much of a puppy this age to sleep or at least be quiet for the time we are in bed or if I should be dealing with the problem differently.

Hope this all makes sense and let me know if you want me to clarify anything.

Cheers

Chris


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## SEVEN_PETS (Aug 11, 2009)

Funnily enough, I had a problem with my cocker spaniel a couple of times over the past 2 years for about a week or so at a time. He would howl and bark for no apparent reason. Now sometimes, he would bark if he heard foxes outside, which is understandable and he soon quietens down. But sometimes he would just bark and howl whenever you left him. 

So we put a light on in the room, put the radio on and made sure he was calm and quiet before putting him in his crate for the night. This worked. Maybe think about leaving a radio on or leaving a light on.

The important thing to do is don't go down to him or speak to him when he's barking. If you have to go downstairs (because you have to get ready for work), then completely ignore him and avoid eye contact. Once he is quiet, then reward him for this.


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## cfherd (Oct 28, 2010)

SEVEN_PETS said:


> Funnily enough, I had a problem with my cocker spaniel a couple of times over the past 2 years for about a week or so at a time. He would howl and bark for no apparent reason. Now sometimes, he would bark if he heard foxes outside, which is understandable and he soon quietens down. But sometimes he would just bark and howl whenever you left him.
> 
> So we put a light on in the room, put the radio on and made sure he was calm and quiet before putting him in his crate for the night. This worked. Maybe think about leaving a radio on or leaving a light on.
> 
> The important thing to do is don't go down to him or speak to him when he's barking. If you have to go downstairs (because you have to get ready for work), then completely ignore him and avoid eye contact. Once he is quiet, then reward him for this.


Thanks for the reply, nice to know it's not just you! 

We had the Radio/Light for the first month or two but took it away (perhaps too early) when he was sleeping for longer during the night so might try it again to see if it helps.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

cfherd said:


> *He does know he has been bad as he cowers and run back to his crate though 10 minutes later it starts again.*/QUOTE]
> 
> No, he doesn't know he has done wrong. I don't know, of course, but I would have thought that he is quiet again once he hears you coming? Then when you get there he will be pleased to see you and come to greet you. And you tell him off. He thinks he is being told off for coming to greet you; he doesn't connect the scolding with his noise.
> 
> ...


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## ddb (Oct 16, 2010)

hi............for you to be able to say quite to him in a stern voice is 1 if he knows what the command means and 2 if he is barking or howling , the second he stops its then to late

he knows you are cross by you body language so unless your timing is spot on he will not know why and last thing you want is for him to think that coming to you is a bad thing


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Is the room he sleeps in light-proof? If not, he will wake up with the light and expect you to do likewise. If he sleeps in a crate, you can cover it with blankets and make it a nice dark den for him - but it sounds like he's just loose in the kitchen or utility.

Also, I'd go back to leaving the radio on. I still do this with mine when they are left alone, after several years.


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## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

Why does he cower when you come down? Does he always do that? 

I'd check he doesn't need the toilet and take him out without saying anything. 

Definitely have the same routine on the weekend as in the week.


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## cfherd (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks for the advise everyone.

We tried putting the radio on again last night and he slept (or was at least quiet) right through until we woke this morning so the early signs are good.

I've not brought a light back down yet but I think I'll put a larger cover over the crate as the one we have just now only covers the top, sides and back and leaves the front open so I think he is still being woken by the light in the morning. Where does everyone stand on closing the crate? I trialled this for 5 minutes last night and he didn't seem to bother but that may be a different story if I leave him all night.

Fair point on how I have been telling him off, we both agreed last night that we will only go down to let him out to the toilet and use the techniques suggested and not resort to shouting. I don't like doing it anyway, I'm just not that type of person! God help me when we have kids!

Also, I appreciate that the situation shouldn't be different on a weekend. I think we'll alternate who does the early shift.


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## cfherd (Oct 28, 2010)

Jobeth said:


> Why does he cower when you come down? Does he always do that?


No, only if he has had a proper telling off, which to be fair has only been in this situation. He is always really excited and wagging his tail furiously when we come down in the morning.


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## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

Mine gets a sharp 'ah' and that is enough to distract him if he is doing something he shouldn't. I hope that he settles soon.


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## SEVEN_PETS (Aug 11, 2009)

cfherd said:


> Thanks for the advise everyone.
> 
> We tried putting the radio on again last night and he slept (or was at least quiet) right through until we woke this morning so the early signs are good.
> 
> ...


that's good that he was quiet all through the night last night. I wouldn't lock him in his crate unless the radio and light don't work. Some dogs can see a crate as a den and feel more secure and happy locked in a crate, whereas others don't like it. It's up to the individual dog so I would stick with what you are doing if it's going well.


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