My 8 year old Douge de Bordeaux has recently returned from a short stay in boarding kennels(4 days) and has started exhibiting problems at night.

She will go down to sleep fine and will stay that way for about 4 or 5 hours, then she has to get near us, breaking down the gate that we have put between us and climbing the stairs between her bed and our bedroom.  This only started happening 3 or 4 days after we got her back from the kennels.

When we try to return her to her bed she puts up an amazing fight(not biting just resisting) and when we do she invariably tries to break the barrier again.

It does sound like the trip to the kennels has brought on some form of separation anxiety, has anyone else witnessed anything like this and if so how did you stop it.

Maybe it's worth removing the gate for a while and letting her build up her confidence again?  Perhaps if she knows that she can reach you if she feels the need, then maybe she won't actually need to - if you see what I mean!

I agree with ridgielover, 

If you really don't want her upstairs though, could one of you sleep downstairs once she starts to become restless for a little while to build up confidence again and then go back up to bed once she is settled again.

It is strange that an 8 year old would exhibit this behaviour.

Has she never been in kennels before?
Is this a different kennel?

Never been in kennels before.

Usually she will stay with a relative so has human company that she is used to.  To be perfectly honest the kennel in question wouldnt have been my first choice and Wont be used again.

Gonna try her without the gate tonight so fingers crossed.

Makes sense at 8 years old that will have been a shock to her system.

If she is likely to need kennelling again a slow build of a few hours, a day on the odd occassion will help, if you find a good kennel they are happy to help with dogs that are effected like this.

She'll be ok, just obviously she has been upset by being in a kennel when not used to it. :-)

Sorry to hear about the upset.  My experience has been with a noise sensitive dog who became really fearful of being enclosed in the area we wanted her to sleep in - the utility room.  She was frightened by fireworks there and tried to break down the door, open the window - everything.  In the end we moved her basket into the kitchen and only closed doors of rooms that we did not want her in.   She has free access to us.  To begin with she crept up the stairs and slept on the half landing.  When we have had storms or a very windy night I have had to accept her upstairs but only once did I let her stay in our room - taking her back down when the storm died away.  She now crawls under the desk in my work room here under the computer if in need of a safe place.   She knows she can get upstairs but with gentle persuasion now does not even come to the half landing.