Puppy Barking in the Crate Early Morning

 

A puppy barking in the crate early morning is not an uncommon problem for new puppy owners. Unless the puppy has some need that is unmet, this may be a form of nuisance, demand barking with the main purpose of getting the owners up on their feet early in the morning. As annoying as this form of barking may be, it’s important to consider that behaviors that are rewarded tend to repeat, and therefore, it is not unusual for this form of barking to put roots and become quite persistent over time.  Following are several tips to stop puppy barking in the crate early morning.

A History of Reinforcement

When a puppy starts barking in the crate early morning, most likely two dynamics take place which keep this behavior very alive and well: positive reinforcement (for the puppy) and negative reinforcement (for the owners). Reinforcement takes place when behaviors have pleasant consequences to the extent of causing such behaviors to strenghten and repeat.

In positive reinforcement, something perceived as pleasant to the subject is added following a behavior and this causes the behavior to become stronger and repeat. In negative reinforcement, something unpleasant to the subject is removed and this causes the behavior to become stronger and repeat. Let’s take a closer look into the exact dynamics taking place in the case of a puppy barking in the crate early morning.

In this case, a puppy’s behavior of barking is likely positively reinforced because it triggers the owner/owners to get up, possibly to let the puppy out or give the puppy some form of attention (pleasant consequence). To a puppy who has been spending time in the crate all night sleeping, possibly any form of attention is perceived as reinforcing (even attention of the negative type). So if barking gets the owner up even if to scold the puppy, this may be perceived as rewarding because the puppy got to see and hear his owner. This causes the behavior of puppy barking in the crate early morning to strenghten and repeat.

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At the same time, the owner’s behavior of getting up to scold the puppy or let the puppy out, is negatively reinforcing (to the owner) because the barking behavior likely stops, even if temporarily (pleasant consequence). Most likely, the behavior of taking the puppy out, shaking a can with coins or scolding the puppy will strenghten and repeat because it made the unpleasant barking go away.

It’s therefore easy to see how these dynamics lead up to an insinuous problem: the puppy will continue to bark for the pleasant consequence  of obtaining attention while the dog owner will continue to scold or let the puppy out for the pleasant consequence of stopping the unpleasant barking.

Beware of Extinction Bursts

What happens that day though when the owner is tired of getting up to stop the puppy barking in the crate early morning? The barking likely worsens, and worsens quite a lot! How can this be though? Why would it worsen if the barking behavior is no longer being fueled by attention? Say hello to an interesting phenomenon known as an “extinction burst.”

What exactly is an extinction burst? For sake of comparison, what happens if mom always purchases candy when the child asks for it at a store and then, one day, suddenly mom decides out of the blue not to buy the candy anymore? Most likely, one will witness the worst temper tantrum on earth. The child turns into a monster and emits crying spells that can be heard from up to mile.

What happens though if mom holds strong and stops buying candy  depite the great commotion? Most likely, the child understands that the crying, screaming and stomping of feet won’t get him what he wants as mom holds her ground and won’t give in to buy that candy. What happens instead if mom ends up buying the candy just to stop the child from making such an embarassing scene in public (negative reinforcement)? The child’s persistence is rewarded (postively reinforced), and the child will learn to use these temper tantrums in the future for similar situations.

Now, let’s compare the process of extinguishing  unwanted behavior with the process of extinguishing a fire. When applied to a dog barking in the crate early morning, every time you wake up and give your dog ANY form of attention by taking the puppy out or scolding the puppy when he’s actively barking, you will be adding fuel to the fire. The barking behavior will persist and become more difficult to eventually extinguish. If the fuel is not added, the fire may likely get a big bigger initially but eventually, it will get gradually smaller and smaller and easier to extinguish.

Moral of the story: if you decide to toughen up and stop getting up to tend to the puppy barking in the crate early morning, expect a worsening of the barking behavior  (or even the addition of some new behavior such as scratching at the door).  This is fortunately, in most cases, just temporarily. The behavior just gets worse before getting better. The puppy will eventually bark himself tired at some point. Day after day, the pup should learn that barking no longer works.

Avoid Intermittent Reinforcement 

As seen, it’s very important to not give in to a puppy barking in the crate early morning. The worst thing an owner can do giving in some days and resisting others. This inconsistency puts the behavior of the puppy barking on a variable schedule. A variable schedule is when behaviors are rewarded sometimes yes and sometimes no, and this causes behavior to remain alive and well and resistant to extinction. Let ‘s take a closer look as to why.

A variable schedule is quite an addicting and powerful schedule. Indeed, there’s a whole psychology behind it and  it’s why people become so addicted to certain habits. People addicting to playing the slots at Vegas are addicted because they are sometimes rewarded by winning. That day the person wins, will have a big impact and will reward all the days the person has not won. This rewards persistence and keeps the person playing in the future. Slot machines are based on this principle.

Even abusive relationships can be based on this type of variability. The emotional abuser will mistreat a person but reward every now and then with some nice acts such as buying flowers or making flattering comments. The person abused looks forward to these pleasant times and emotionally depends on them, hence why many mistreated people have such a hard time leaving their abusers.

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In dog training, once a dog learns to perform a behavior well, the behavior is no longer reinforced with a treat every single time it is performed (continuos reinforcement) but only every now and then. This keeps the dog on his toes as he never knows when the reward will be coming so he will  stay motivated and will feel compelled to keep on trying. Variable schedules do a great job in maintaining behaviors.

Giving in to a puppy barking in the crate some days will therefore keep the behavior alive. The puppy will want to keep on trying, barking in hopes that this day will be the one that the crate will be opened.

Things to Consider 

When dealing with a puppy barking in the crate early morning, it’s firstly important to rule out unmet needs. If the puppy is young and in the process of being potty trained, it’s important to know whether the puppy may need to go outside to potty. If that’s the case, barking as a way to asking to go out is important because you don’t want to wake up to the terrible mess of a puppy having soiled in the crate. Waking up several times in the night and early morning to get the puppy out is normal and expected in the process of potty training.

In a puppy who is perfectly housebroken and as proven that he or she can hold it in the crate, owners must also sometimes give the benefit of doubt and consider the possibility of the onset of some health problem. Urinary tract infections may cause puppies the need to go potty more often and in small quantities and dietary indiscretions may trigger an urge to potty  due to diarrhea.

Another thing to consider is a puppy’s circadian rythm. This is not the puppy’s fault.  All animals, including dogs, have a circadian rythm which acts sort of like an internal biological clock. It is courtesy of circadian rythms that we often wonder whether dogs know how to tell time. It’s as if dogs know when owners are about to come home, when meal-time is getting near and when it’s time to go on a walk. Circadian rythms are governed by many things such as light and dark, and the many physical, mental and behavioural cues that follow a 24 hour cycle.

A puppy awakening early in the morning may therefore be anticipating the onset of light, his stomach may be preparing for breakfast and hormones may be preparing for all the pleasant activities that follow.  This internal, biologicalmechanism controls the pup’s regular activities and may cause him to wake up early.

[adinserter block=”2″]How to Stop Puppy Barking in the Crate Early Morning 

 

There are several things you can do to stop or reduce puppy barking in the crate early morning. Adhering to these general guidelines is important to ensure success.

 

• Make sure your puppy doesn’t have unmet needs. Make sure he has eaten well, has had an opportunity to drink before bed time (some owners restrict water 3 hours prior to bed time), has peed and pooped before going to bed, and if young, has been offered one or more opportunities to go potty in the night. Also, make sure your puppy is not too hot or cold.
• Act boring during outings. When you take your puppy out at night or early morning to potty, act boring. Simply put collar and leash on and make it a business trip, in and out with no talking and no petting. If you make it a “happy hour” there’s a risk that your puppy may learn to ask out early morning or night just for the attention.
• No attention for barking. If you are sure all needs are met, stick to not giving your puppy any form of attention for barking in the crate early morning. Be aware of extinction bursts and don’t give in.
• Make an about-turn. If your puppy starts barking the moment you are walking in his direction to open the crate, make a swift about turn and leave the room. Quietly wait for him to be quiet again and repeat as necessary until you can open the crate while your puppy is quiet. Make it crystal clear that quiet makes you open the crate, barking makes you leave.
• Trick his circadian rythm.  Many puppies awaken due to bright lights. Room darkening may help with some early risers. Make sure you pull the curtains and close the blinds so that the morning bright sun doesn’t awaken your puppy. If the room is bright and no way to make it dark, you may find it helpful to move the crate to another room or cover the crate with a blanket.
• Provide companionship. For lonely puppies, keeping the crate in the bedroom beside the bed may help reduce barking from feeling lonely. Pups who waken up will often go back to sleep once they realize they are not alone. For many pups just hearing the owner’s breathing (or for some let’s say snoring!) is reassuring enough to make them go back to sleep. This can be a temporary measure, and the pup’s crate can be moved slowly out of the room bit by bit over several days.
• Prevent complaints. For puppy owners living in tight-knit neighborhoods where there are risks for complaints, it may help to set the  alarm earlier and get up before the pup starts barking and take him out or provide him with some form of entertainment in the crate that will keep him occupied and make him tired (stuffed Kong).
• Keep some white noise on. White noise (TV or radio on) can help so the puppy doesn’t feel lonely or wakes up to external noises. The white noise sounds may keep the pup from hearing birds, the heating coming on or neighbors driving which may act as a wake-up call.
• Give a little snack. A bedtime snack may help quench early morning hunger pangs.
• Postpone puppy breakfast. Try feeding morning breakfast a bit later if possible. Puppies may learn to wake up because they associate getting up with eating. Delaying breakfast for a bit may break this association and trigger the puppy to sleep in more rather than barking.
• Evening games. Make sure your puppy is exercised enough and mentally stimulated (brain games!) during the day. Prevent your puppy from sleeping too much during the day, especially in the evening. Spend time with your pup in the evening, ensuring the is really tired.
• Watch for inconsistencies. If you get up normally on weekdays at 5.30 am, then for clarity sake you may need to wake up at the same time on weekends as well. Puppies do not understand weekends or day light savings time.
• Train to respond to the alarm. This tip comes from dog trainer Pat Miller. This is a bit exhausting but may be worth a try.  If you plan on waking up around 6:30 am and your puppy is barking at 5:30am,  you can try for one week to set your alarm at 5:20. When the alarm rings, immediately get up and let the puppy out (if he is not barking of course, unless you want to use your puppy as a back-up alarm! Then, each week move the alarm forward five more minutes, until you reach 6:30. This may teach your puppy to wake up when the alarm goes off.
• Patience pays. Dog behavior is governed by learned behaviors and instincts. It’s important to be patient and understand that the longer a behavior has been rehearsed, the longer it will take to extinguish. With guidance and consistency though, patience pays.
• Crates are great! All these tips are based on the notion that your puppy has been proplerly introduced to a crate and has formed positive associations with it.

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