Hi,

We are the proud owners of a 12-week old spaniel cross (sam). He's very good in general, and he's always seemed very content being left on his own for shorter periods of time (he's crate trained and would just whinge a little before quitening down and going to sleep). A week or so ago he seemed to suddenly find his voice and instantly started barking when excited (we're slowly getting this under control) and when being left on his own.

We have him in a crate in our bedroom over night, and he sleeps throughout, is very good like that. We take him out at 7am then when my partner leaves for work he takes him out for a wee, then settles him in the crate downstairs. Again, he settles fine and sleeps until he can hear me stirring, or on the weekends when he can hear the two of us waking up. As if on cue he starts barking, and barking and barking. We're pretty sure it's attention seeking (having read up on it) and have done what's suggested and waited until he's quiet before going down to him. We haven't really noticed any improvemet however. Will he eventually learn or do we have to change our tactics? It's not as if he's left downstairs for hours on end, we rarely sleep past 8am even on a weekend.

He does the same thing throughout the day when we leave him and he can hear us moving about, and when we go out without him. We use the same tactics with waiting until he quietens down before going back in and praising him for being quiet. Again, we have yet not noticed this working at all, in fact he just seems to bark for longer each time. Are we expecting results too soon after just a week, and is it just a matter of hanging in there?

It's not that he's bored, he will happily play about with his toys as long as we're there just when we leave he doesn't seem to find them interesting at all, he's too worked up by us leaving.

Am I worrying too much? It's not my first dog but it's the first dog I've got this young, my other one was 6 months old when we got her and was never a big barker.

I would suggest that you stick closer to his weekday routine at the weekends for some time yet. If he's getting used to controlling himself till being taken out at 7am then settling again, continue to take him out at 7 at the weekend as well. He's too young to understand about weekends or lie-ins yet.

Do they EVER learn about these JG?!!!! :-)

My 13-year old (dog, not child!) has just about twigged the idea! Puppies and lie-ins just don't go together!

It takes about the same amount of time for Children to register this too!  Youngest son was 12 yesterday and he was up at 7am this morning!

Maybe I wasn't clear enough, we always take him out at 7am, weekends as well, we do know about sticking to a routine. After he's had his morning walkie, he's settled in his crate downstairs and we have a little nap til about 8. He is fine during this time, it's just that as soon as he hears us stirring he starts barking.. It doesn't matter that this is the same time every day.