Why does my dog bark at 4 AM, sleep all day, and not come home?

Question

We have observed a behaviourial change in Leo recently. He sleeps whole day and wakes up early morning at about 4:00 AM and conatantly barks until we take him for a walk or play. Also, we usually take him for a walk 5 times a day for 30-60 mins but everytime he goes, he doesn't want to come back home. How can I train Leo to not bark or sleep till when my family wakes up i.e. 8 AM approx? And secondly, why do you think he not willing to come back home when we are taking him for regular walk? Pet's info: Dog | German Spitz | Male | unneutered | 7 months and 5 days old | 15 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

Leo is old enough to be a teenager now and hormonal. Neutering him may help because intact males are more prone to roaming to look for mates. Although we can't be sure, this may be his reason to not want to come home. When you get up and walk him when he barks, you are rewarding his behavior and so he will keep doing it. Ignore him, correct him or distract him. Not allowing him to sleep all day and instead of walking, try something more vigorous like a game of fetch to tire him out. Here is an article about excessive barking which may help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-barking-a-common-behavior-problem/ Best of luck.

Why does my dog bark at 4 AM, sleep all day, and not come home?

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