Barking in Crate at 11 months old?

Question

We have an 11 month old Schnoodle who has been crate trained since we brought her home at 10 weeks old. She has done very well to be quiet the entire time. Recently she started barking and whining in the middle of the night. Once I got up and took her out thinking she must have to go the bathroom but she didn't go. Last night she barked for an hour and when I let her out this morning she wasn't that interested in going outside. We have been trying to ignore her but what is going on? Why has this just started at 11 months?

Answer 1

Your dog is testing you, mine started this about the same age. He is a year and a half now.
By this age she has become aware that you respond to her actions and she's seeing how you will respond to her barking. Her behaviour from this point on will depend on your actions. If you want it to cease you will have to ignore her she'll get the message. Just make sure you only use the crate when need be i.e when you leave the house, at night etc...otherwise you're sending the wrong message. You want her crate to be her "safe place" and you want her to go in their on her own as well. My dog only goes in there now when he feels scared or knows he did something wrong or for time out I say "kennel up" and he goes in for time out if he steals food or whatever. hang in there..I know it's annoying.

Answer 2

I bet she is hearing something. My dog started doing the same thing recently due to a piece of wood that was being blown from the wind. He heard it bumping around and would bark. It could be a mouse in the house, or a cat underneath it. You could try turning on the radio for her at night so she won't here anything else over it....unless the radio will keep you up.

Answer 3

Maybe you should let her out of her crate at night if she isn't destroying anything. I only used my crate for a few months just to house train and stop my dog from chewing when I wasn't home. Maybe your dog is getting fed up of being in the crate and wants to be with you. Your relationship has grown and maybe she wants to be able to protect you at night and can't do it from inside the crate. Try getting her to use it as a bed with the door open.

Answer 4

Maybe she really misses you? Or is someone up in the middle of the night moving around? My lab puppy is 11 months old too, and sometimes he'll bark at night if someone is up going to the bathroom or getting a quick midnight snack.

Answer 5

i think you've got one smart dog-
if she doesn't have anything obviously wrong with her,
she's probably repeating this because you let her out the first time-
which, theres nothing wrong with that, it is weird that she'd start this out of the blue. :)
you could try thoroughly exercising her a couple of days and see if she starts sleeping through the night again. or possibly getting a toy you know she'll love(those cheap latex squeakies work good) and make it a ritual that she only gets that particular toy in her crate, near bedtime, and in the morning- then put it away throughout the day.

good luck :)

Answer 6

some canines on no account finally end up accepting crates. Do you have a room on your place that has no furniture or each little thing is especially much indestructible? although some canines will chunk partitions! in case you have a room you could positioned her in that she can not injury herself via chewing issues and so on and so on. i might use that. the two positioned up a gate or close the door, I thinks gates make some canines sense greater mushy via fact they might see out, yet some canines hop over gates. you could actually positioned her crate interior the room along with her, perhaps she would be waiting to locate it comforting. She appears like she would even have separation stress.

Answer 7

all i have to say is putting a dog in a crate is no good. most people who have dogs treat them like there children.i know i wouldn't put my children in a crate.i think its cruel.years ago nobody used a crate.i wouldn't want to be put in one.