Hi....

I posted on here but in the training and behaviour thread about my oldest dog and his recent behaviour....
To cut it short.....He has started waking thro' the night and barking, crying, pacing and rattling baby gate etc....when i go down stairs he appears to be very spooked and when let out doesn't go to the loo or anything but is very reluctant to come back in.....when i go back to bed he can carry on for hours barking and crying or he may just carry on a short while longer....he has started doing it on a morning now...as soon as he awakes he starts....It's torture....

Anyway.....i took everyones advice and went to the vet to have him checked over.....All the vet did was listen to his heart....look in his ears and mouth and that was it....quickly diagnosing it was behavioural!!!!!!

I am not sure whether i should get a second opinion or not......how can he tell from such a brief examination......

My dog is ten and has never had any problems with his sleeping patterns.....

If it would put your mind at rest then yes I would get a second opinion. It does seem strange that he has started this behaviour at ten. I think I would be tempted to see if this is distress caused by something downstairs by letting him spend the night with you. If he goes through the night a couple of times without a sound then you will have more of an idea of what you dealing with.

Let us know what happens. :-)

Yes, I would get a second opinion and also consider changing your vet. If we are lucky  our dogs are mostly well or just have very minor problems.  Its only when you have something trickier to tackle that you realise that maybe they are not the best vets, however pleasant they may be?