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My german shepherd is driving me crazy!!! She only does this when knight works nights. Starts at about 3am pacing the house and barking. WTH!!!!

Is there something wrong with my dog? Ghosts? Help!!!!!!

On about an hour and a half now.....

It sounds like anxiety. Is she close to knight? My first dog used to bark when I left the house and my current furbaby gets super anxious and lays by the door when xSO goes out.

ETA: is it possible to give her something that smells like him while she sleeps?

[This message edited by Unagie at 4:57 AM, May 11th (Sunday)]

She seems closer to me than she is to knight but she's definitely crazy about him. She follows him around when he gets home. I let her sleep in the bed when he isn't here, I'm sure it smells like him too.

I finally called her in here and told her to lay down. She barked a few more times and went to sleep. Crazy dog.

We have two GSD's. They are highly intelligent and master manipulators! Your dog probably wanted an invite to sleep in your bed and knew that wandering around barking would get her one. Smart.

She did it again last night and she was already in the bed with me when she started. I'm exhausted, and she's freaking me out. She was looking into the bathroom and barking her head off. Now I'm sleeping with my .45.

I would make sure she doesn't have a UTI. Dogs can do some silly stuff when they get them.

It could just be anxiety because she knows this isn't the normal routine. Is it a new thing for Knight to be working nights? If so you may want to consider giving her something to calm her before bed, some Benadryl perhaps (1mg per pound is doggy dose).

That is frustrating when they get up in the middle of the night.

My 18 month old Sheltie Duncan flips out when we aren't all in the same room. He alert barks to let us know the older Sheltie is moving to the bathroom tile (cuz he's hot!) or when either fWS or I go to the bathroom. He's like a gigantic tattle tale.

Tonight I'm in fWS' bedroom because I'm on call (my room has the king so we are all usually in there together) and she has my room with the king and all four dogs. Duncan practically gave himself a hernia as I could hear him barking and throwing himself at the door for a full five minutes. Oh please. I love it how your own pets don't trust you to keep either you or them safe!

I'm pretty sure you're right it's definitely ghosts

Just kidding I found this funny because when my dog wakes up in the middle of the night unsettled I convince myself that the only logical explanation is that he's seen a ghost, when the sun is up I'm far more logical about it but there's something about my mind recalling every horror movie I've ever seen at 3 am!

He went through a stage of waking up and sitting by the bed staring off into space, this really freaked me out. Then I started to hear sounds like a weak child coughing. A couple of nights later I could hear the sound of heavy boots walking up and down my stairs. I was terrified but it turned out to be possums, they can sound very heavy footed and unbeknown to me cough like people. Maybe you have some sort of nocturnal vermin that is keeping your dog up?

I have heard sounds in the attic but I usually hear them in the day time. I've gone up there and haven't found the critter(s). Maybe GiGi is hearing it at night? Last night she barked after midnight again but Knight was at home. She only barked once this time though....

I have no idea. I have other problems I have to work on with her now. She is having some person aggression....

She lunged and barked at a salesman in a store the other day when he tried to hand me something and then proceeded to bark at every man we passed on the way out of the store. She has never done anything like that before. I have called a trainer and have a consultation pending.

How much exercise does this dog get during the day?

And how much training has she had so far obedience wise?

My three Chihuahuas bark all the time. If they aren't barking, I would think they are sick. They bark at the wind blowing. They bark at ME. I'm convinced they have super hearing and can hear leaves blowing a block away. And storms? They give storm alerts before the national weather service.

[This message edited by Jeaniegirl at 6:17 PM, May 14th (Wednesday)]

TG,
I was hoping you would chime in.

We did a puppy class together and she went to a board and train for 8 weeks when she was about 6 months old. She get walked on leash 1-3 miles *most days and we play frisbee or fetch with a ball also *most days. On the week she started acting like that she had had less exercise than usual. I have been wanting to learn and participate in a dog sport with her but we haven't found anything near us yet.

She usually only barks if someone comes to our door or near the car if she's riding with me.

The board and train that you took her to, did they work with you on how to keep her under control and do her obedience exercises?

Have you since gone back to her normal daily exercise and she has kept up the barking?

Has anything else in the normal household routine changed?

My take is that GiGi is in protective mode. She recognizes Knight as the alpha (as shown in her behavior in following him around). When he's gone it falls to her to be the protector which gets her keyed up. My own dog (before the D) would act much the same way. He barked at a balloon, a house plant and even one of his own toys one dark night . That may be why she settled when she was brought to bed. GiGi may be in protective mode but she's probably more comfortable looking to Knight for that protection.

We exercised her appropriately yesterday and she gave one bark last night and when I told her to hush she went back to sleep.

Now that you asked I realize that other than knight having to go on night shift for two weeks she HAS had another major change recently. In the last month we stopped crating her at night. So when Knight was not here in his bed she would have been a lot more aware because since we have left her out at night she travels between our room and DD's and DS's rooms during the night. She has beds in all three rooms... Is that a bad idea?

The board and train did work with us some but I'm not sure they were the best choice for obedience training. She hadn't learned recall after 8 weeks...they told us we needed to teach her that at home. They are acclaimed for IPO and agility titles.

Now that you asked I realize that other than knight having to go on night shift for two weeks she HAS had another major change recently. In the last month we stopped crating her at nigh

This is probably your issue right here. Why are you not crating her anymore? She probably feels a bit more insecure now.

And as for the place not teaching her the recall after 8 weeks, that is ridiculous.

Try crating her again and she if she does better. You may need to wean her out of her crate at night.

We stopped crating her because we felt we could now trust her not to chew everything in the house up.

She can go in her crate if she wants to. We just don't lock her in.

I would try her back in it for a night or two and see if the barking stops. If it does then you have your answer as to what the problem was. Then you may have to just wean her out a little at a time. Some dogs need the security of the crate more than others.

Brandon,
I think you are on to something. She charged at one of my Boy Scouts' dads tonight when he was in our living room. It looked to knight that she didn't want him near me. Scary!

I have to figure out how to get it across to her that I protect her, not the other way around.