What to do about a dog constantly barking at night

swingaloo2

I have a cocker spaniel. He is a lovely dog and mostly well behaved (cough-cough). 

We moved house 4 months ago and since moving we have had a problem with him constantly barking after we go to bed. At our previous house this did not happen, he would get in his basket or lie on the rug and occasionally during the night he would come upstairs and lay on the landing. 

At the new house he can do the same, the doors are left open so he can come upstairs if he wants and he has a basket on the landing.  When we go to bed he follows us upstairs and settles on the landing but shortly afterwards he goes downstairs and then the  barking starts. At first I thought something about the house was unsettling him and I would get up maybe 3 or 4 times over an hour, he would settle when I went down then start again.  After a couple of weeks of this I decided to try to ignore the barking as he was expecting me to get up each time. 

If I ignore him he eventually stops after an hour or so and then settles down.  Ive checked everything I can think of, there are no strange lights, no odd noises, the road is no busier or quieter than where we lived before, he has fresh water, a bit of dried food in a bowl. He just stands at the back door or at the bottom of the stairs and barks. Ive tried closing the kitchen door so he cant get to the back door but if I do that he jumps at the door and bangs it.  If I do go down I open the back door in case he wants to go out but he just stands at the door and looks out.

He can go upstairs or downstairs as he pleases. If I put him in the lounge and close the door he will do the same thing and jump at the door.  Occasionally he will do the same on our bedroom door to get attention but if I come out of the bedroom I tell him off and tell him to go in his basket, which he does, then 10 miutes later he is barking again. 

We have had him 6 years and he has never been allowed to sleep in our bedrooms so thats no different. 
It's something we thought would wear off after a few weeks and my son has been shielding so not working so it's not been a big problem, just annoying. But now my son is back at work and has to get up at 5am its not ideal to be kept awake by barking. Luckily we have no neighbours to worry about.

He is fine during the day, seems to love the house and garden so I just cant understand what is starting this nightime behaviour.   Any ideas or suggestions please?

sheramber

 He sounds as if he is still upset by the new surroundings.

I would leave the bedroom  open to allow him to confirm that you are still there.

You say you have had him 6 years but how old is he? Elderly dogs can suffer from dementia , like humans, and being unsettled at night is a common symptom.

A nightlight worked for one of mine who started barking at night.

swingaloo2

Thanks for the reply.

He is 7 years old. I have tried both those thigs actually. If I leave the bedroom door open he will come into the room and lie on the bedside rug for a few minutes then gets up and wanders off to the bottom of the stairs and barks again.
I have also left a lamp on in the living room but to no avail. 

We have moved house twice since we got him and never had a problem before. 

wannabe_a_saver

Are there any other dogs nearby or do you get foxes/cats in the garden?

sheramber

A bit young for dementia.

I would get a vet check and full blood tests. 

Any change in behaviour should be checked by a vet.

I did read of one dog who suffered from separation anxiety for the first time after a house move.

It turned out it has developed  an under active  thyroid and that was the reason for the change in behaviour.

TBagpuss

I'd get a vet to check him out.

Another possibility if he is quiet n the landing might be to consider a dog gate or crate for overnight so h can't get downstairs.

That said if he eventually settles if you ignore him, then ignoring him may be the way to go.

Are there changes from the move which might mean he is more bored / less tired than in your previous home? Maybe try leaving him with a puzzle feeder last thing at night so he has something to occupy him would help? I wonder if he has things to look out / listen for before and f you are more isolated now he's getting bored when he wakes up?

eve824

Is the back door glass? Could noises / movements outside be triggering the barking?