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How to stop my puppy from barking/howling in her kennel at night?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 5 months and 25 days old | 40 lbs

My dog sleeps in her kennel and wakes us up with barking several times a night. It's more of a howl/bark. This occurs at 3 am. 2am 4am and other various times. She's on a strict feeding schedule. What can we do to stop this so we can get sleep again.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on March 1st, 2017

I see that Rhea is still very young, only about 6 months old. I'm also not sure from your description if she is barking because she needs to go out and potty, or because she is anxious and lonely in her kennel. If she is needing to potty this often at night, I would be concerned that she may have a medical problem such as a UTI causing this - in that case, it would be best to take her to the vet to have this checked.

If she doesn't need to potty but is just restless and upset in her kennel, I would first make sure that her kennel is in your bedroom - right next to your bed, if possible. It's not natural for puppies to be all alone at night, so many pups will cry if they are isolated in a separate room from their owners. Normally, moving her so that she is nearby resolves the problem - you can talk softly to her to reassure her if she wakes up and gets scared during the night.
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