What to Do When Your Puppy Bark Non-Stop in the Middle of the Night

You just had an enjoyable day playing with your new puppy and you badly wanted to have a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, something is causing your puppy to bark non-stop. The noise is waking you and other family members up. It's probably affecting the neighbors too. So what can you do to stop the puppy from barking it's head off?

The first thing you need to do, is to examine the causes. If you are a first time owner, you may be inexperienced in this. Go to where your puppy is and start investigating. There are many reasons that could be causing your puppy from behaving in such a manner.

1) Feeling uncomfortable in a strange environment.

If you have just brought the puppy home, this is a common phenomenon. Dogs, like people, need some time to adjust to its surroundings. Puppies may feel insecure in its new home and to ease such feelings, they start to bark non stop. Try reassuring the puppy and see if it helps. Give it some water and let it sleep with someone in a crate. That will help reassure the puppy.

2) Separation anxiety.

This is perhaps the most common cause. The puppy is separated from the store owner, and is now feeling uncomfortable. The puppy will eventually learn to be independent. But for now, it needs some company.

3) Barking out of boredom.

Some dogs simply bark out of boredom. They have too much residual energy and find it hard to get some rest. If they are constrained with a lease or a crate, they may start barking out of boredom. Give the dog some toys to keep itself occupied. A nylon bone or a rubber ball should do just fine. If the dog stops barking after you offer the toy to it, then you know for sure that your puppy is feeling bored.

4) Attract attention.

Then there are dogs who are attention seekers. They want attention all the time! You have to remember, young puppies are very much like little children. They behave childishly at times. And they don't know that barking in the middle of the night is the wrong thing to do. This is forgivable for a young pup. But if you own a mature dog, you need to find a way to stop this behavior!

5) Puppy is in pain.

The puppy is in pain and needs medical attention. You should be able to detect that something is wrong with the puppy. For example, it isn't as active as it usually is, or it doesn't have much appetite for its favorite food. It is barking to attract attention so that it can get some help. If the condition is severe and you are worried about your pet, seek medical attention immediately.

If the cause is not a medical related one, the problem can easily be solved by giving your puppy some food, toys, or some comfort. When all else fails, use a nose muzzle. This measure is temporary. It helps to prevent disturbance to the neighbors, until you can train it to behave itself properly.

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