My 2 year old rott has started barking at night and the broken sleep is driving me round the bend. It is usually a couple of hours after I have gone to bed and I usually get up to see what it is that has triggered it but find no burglars, cats or any random stuff that would wind him up.

I don't want to ignore him as sods law it will be the night that burglar bill is rooting round my house!  I have the blinds in the kitchen and these are shut and he often has toys and chews but there is no pattern to the woofing aside from that it is happening more often.  I am reluctant to let him sleep upstairs as black dog and cream carpets don't mix!  Any suggestions?

Could it be the fireworks a neighbour leaving for work/returning.  A fox on patrol etc.

Have you tried leaving a radio on for him so that he is less likely to be disturbed by external noises.

Have you had your central heating on later. The pipes can creak as the system starts to cool down - my terrier lets us know when this happens ;-)

I live in a quite a new house so the radiator pipes don't tend to creak and this if often an hour or so after the heating has gone off.  I don't think I have foxes in my garden as it is surrounded by other houses and there are no holes in the fence.

I don't know whether to start ignoring him but hoping that he is just crying wolf and not unwell or scaring a housebreaker away.

My Rottie X barks in the night if he hears an engine idling in the vicinity...like a taxi picking up or dropping off a neighbour. Also, the neighbours that we are attached to (semi detached house) sometimes set him off if they come in or go out very late. Could be something like that?  Maybe a neighbour has changed their work pattern and are coming and going at odd hours?

The one time that we did have intruders attempting to break in through the kitchen window, he slept through the whole episode and left it to the Newfie to play guard dog.

It may be that Sahynlola or perhaps a security light going off a couple of doors down.  do you just let your dog bark or do you go and check that he is ok?

My youngster started to do this at about 8 months after  sleeping quietly from about 9 weeks,the freezer made a few noises at night,(well it does in the day but that was not scary) I went down and without talking to him put the radio on low then went back to bed ,this seemed to work for a while then he started again,found him looking out of patio door,so now for the first time ever I shut the curtains at night and all is well again.

>do you just let your dog bark or do you go and check that he is ok?

I only get up (actually, I kick OH and make him get up ;) ) if he doesn't quiet down when told to.  Generally he'll shut up when told to but continue to have a little grumble under his breath until whatever is bothering him stops/goes away.  His 'our lives are in imminent danger' bark is quite different to 'the neighbours have come home drunk again' bark so if we hear it, we know that there's really something that needs investigated.

ROFL at 'our lives are in imminent danger' barking.  My boy's sounds more like 'I'm bored come and get me or feed me' barking with a bit of 'why does she get up the stairs but I have to sleep in the kitchen' whinging.

>My boy's sounds more like 'I'm bored come and get me or feed me' barking with a bit of 'why does she get up the stairs but I have to sleep in the kitchen' whinging.

Ah...that's known as the 'drama queen' bark in this house.  Most often heard when the Newfie is lying in a spot he wants (generally our bed) so even if you did let him sleep upstairs, you may still hear this one.

Just a thought, but could he be a bit chilly in the kitchen?  Mine is Rottie x Chow so no shortage of coat but he does like a nice cosy bed.  At this time of year we add an old single duvet (folded double) on top of his bed and he really likes this.

> Maybe a neighbour has changed their work pattern and are coming and going at odd hours?

I was thinking along the same lines there too. Visiting my mum, my own dog often barked during the night as her policeman next-door neighbour works shifts and tends to go out through his back garden at strange hours of the night. He's got used to it now, but still retains a little suspicion... it just ain't Normal for people to be wandering around at that time of night, according to dogs!