nope, it sleeps in the living room . Sometimes the puppy feels hungry in the middle of the night like say 2am ? den we feed it and after tat ard 5am it barks again until we give her food. She will not relent till she is fed. Other times she just cant sleep.
Hi kultchris,
As some pple mentioned here, most common reason puppies bark is because of feeling lonely or bored.
The terrier breeds like yours are energetic and get bored easily. A well-exercised dog will sleep better at night. Have you walked and exercised your dog sufficiently? This breed needs at least a good walk a day. You can also exercise her by playing fetch (most puppies love to play this) and giving her stimulating toys like Kong stuffed with treats/ peanut butter(good if you are working and have no time in the day to entertain her; she can expend her energy playing by herself). Do note too that while they need lots of exercise, you must take care not to over-exert her as her bones are not fully developed yet and over-exertion decreases the immune system, which is already lower in puppies. Have multiple short sessions of walks and play.
The asking for food could also be due to boredom. Are you feeding her the correct amount? If your puppy is the correct weight, then your feeding should be correct. Feel the hip area - you should not be able to feel bones and not able to feel excess meat - that is the ideal weight. Otherwise, you will need to adjust her diet. And since you are now giving her extra meals at night, you need to account for that. Transfer the extra feeding into the 2 meals a day and don't feed her any more.
You need to let your puppy feel secure. Puppies tend to feel insecure when left alone, esp. when they can't see anyone. Let her sleep somewhere near you. If you can't have that arranged, then let her sleep at the nearest place to you, where she is able to see you. Getting her used to a crate is a good idea too. This way, she has her own 'den' in which she feels secure to sleep in. You will need to do crate training for this.
I understand your anxiety over her barking and fear that neighbours may complain. And there are milder bark collars like spray and vibration collars. But I don't recommend using even these mild bark collars on puppies. Puppies are in a phase of development whereby they are getting to know and understand the world. What they experience can have permanent effects on how they perceive things and respond to them. They can be very sensitive. At this stage, you don't want to develop any fears or phobias in the puppy. You want to raise a confident puppy who knows his place in the family (you have to show him it's below) and knows how to interact with other dogs (you need to socialise her properly).
Try using positive reinforcement methods over negative ones. If your tone is correct (stern, low, curt) and you are serious in your reprimand/command (you mean it when you scold/command the puppy, not scold and in your heart and mind think, poor thing, etc.), the puppy will understand it even without physical negative correction. Dogs understand tones - wrong or right - you're happy or displeased, etc - but it's harder for humans to understand this so many people can't say it right and resort to the short cut of physical correction. I have dealt with many dogs and have found that most dogs respond well to verbal correction. Only the very stubborn, persistent and not eager to please breeds/dogs may require physical correction to get them to obey. Obedience and training can also be harder if the dog does not see your as alpha or above him in the hierarchy. Please read up on how to be the alpha.
I do know that Westies can tend to bark and they have a very loud and sharp bark, esp. for their size. Don't panic or get anxious/ stressed when she starts to bark. She will know it and take advantage of it. Always appear confident and calm in front of your dog and esp. when dealing with it. This is the making of the alpha. You need to be persistent and patient in your training too. It will not be done within a few days. All the best to you!
(Btw, how old is your puppy?)
