Why does my dog bark in his crate at night for attention? How to stop?

Question

My maltese who is 5 years old has always slept at night in his cage. We have had a couple of nights (not in a row) where he goes in the cage but will bark and this can go on for a long time. We then give in and bring him in our bed. We do not want this to continue and wonder how we get him back to his usual routine. In our house our kids have gone to camp and he is not getting as much attention as he usually does. Is this his way of telling us he needs more attention from us? Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Male | 6 years old | 6.5 lbs

Bette Isacoff · Accepted Answer

This could definitely be related to the fact that your kids are away. But you must not give in and bring him to bed, as that is a reward for his efforts and will only encourage him to bark longer (He is saying to himself, "Gee, it worked before! Why isn't it working now? Guess I'll have to try harder!) As annoying as ir might be, you need to ignore the barking (I'd suggest starting on a weekend, or whenever you ahve a few days off and do not need your sleep as much). He will escalate, attempting to get you to cave in. DO NOT!!! Eventually he will get the message that this trick will no longer work, and give up. For more help with this, just click on the prompt to inititate a consult.

Why does my dog bark in his crate at night for attention? How to stop?

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