Barking in kennel

Question
QUESTION: Hi Sandy,

Thank you for volunteering! I have two mini Dachshunds, 7 years old, male and female. They sleep in a crate in our office, adjacent to the bedroom. Lila is a very vocal dog who likes to "talk" to us a lot and express her opinions. Lately she has taken to barking or yipping in a high-pitched tone in the early morning hours (not continuously, but once every 15 minutes or so). She doesn't need to go out; I make sure of that. She's just bored and ready to get out.

I have been handling this by either ignoring it, or getting up and telling her to be quiet (which works for about an hour, and then she starts up again). There must be a better way to handle this. What do you suggest?

Thanks,

Cindy

ANSWER: I would work with Lila on voluntarily going in the crate and waiting with the door open. Make a fun game of it. Offer her a great chewy (maybe a stuffed Kong) that she only gets in her crate) Ignoring is good, telling her to "be quiet" is attention of a sort and may be reinforcing the barking. Would she be more comfortable crated in the bedroom so she is near you (and where you can occasionally slip her a treat for being quiet?) And finally, at the age of 7, is she housebroke? Is she non-destructive? Does she actually NEED to be crated at night? Crates are invaluable for housetraining puppies and keeping them from getting into trouble. But I'd expect a 7 year old to be pretty reliable. If she can be trusted, how about a dog bed instead? Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Sandy,

Thanks for your prompt reply. Neither dog is destructive, but neither is 100% reliably housebroken, which is why they sleep in the crate. They make too much noise to sleep in the bedroom with us. I could try letting them sleep downstairs, where it's all tile, but I am also concerned that they might bark at things outside and make MORE noise.

She is only crated at night (has been all her life) and only yips in the early morning hours. She also hasn't done this all her life --- she's done it periodically, and my getting up and telling her to be quiet usually takes care of it, but recently she has been at it for weeks on end. She doesn't fight going into the crate when we tell her "bedtime" but never goes in on her own, without being asked.

I hope this additional information will help, and thanks for your advice.

Cindy

Answer
I would start working with her on going into the crate on her own and making the crate a rewarding place to be, and realize that telling her quiet is reinforcing the behavior - better to get ear-plugs and ignore! She barks, she gets to hear your voice - very reassuring even if your voice doesn't sound happy! The rule of thumb is that if the behavior isn't going away, or is getting worse, it's being reinforced in some way. My guess is that is happening when you talk to her about barking. If you are concerned about her barking at stuff all night if you leave her downstairs, my guess is that the crate isn't the only place she has a barking problem. What about a bathroom - you can close the door and it is less confining than a crate? At the age of 7, I'd also be keeping a close eye on her potty habits - is she peeing more? Less? more frequently? It's always possible that she has a medical condition like a urinary tract infection that makes her feel like she really DOES need to go out. Worth checking that out too. Sandy