October 02, 2025
Our 6 month old Malinois won't sleep through the night without having a barking fit. What should I do?
Full Question:
Our 6 month old malinois won't consistently sleep through the night without having a barking fit. He is fine some nights and is relentless other nights. Once he is quiet and I let him out he is incessantly wanting his food.Both of our older dogs have always loved their crate and the puppy/crying stage lasted a few weeks or less and then was over with forever. Our new dog, however, is working hard to get us up and will start barking and not cease. The barking, digging, whining will last for hours and hours.
I have changed the morning routine where I do not give him breakfast within the first few minutes of being let out and that seems to help some, but now he just starts barking at 5am (instead of midnight) when my alarm is set for 5:30 or 6:00.
We have crates throughout the house and the behavior happens the most in the bedroom closet and the least in the garage. I am letting him rehearse this terrible habit and I need to make it stop before it is permanent. What should I do?
Cindy's Answer:
Have you tried completely changing his feeding schedule? If he's barking because he gets fed early in the morning it may be that he's unreasonably hungry. Maybe he needs a light meal at bedtime? Is he getting a lot of exercise and training throughout the day,every day?
If he's better in some areas of the house I'd move his crate and I would only let him out when he's quiet and been quiet for an extended time.
I bred Malinois for many years and one pup I kept back for myself got me up every single night at around 1-2 AM to go out to pee until she was 9 months old. I have probably crated trained over 100 puppies and never have I had one like her. She would whine and bark. Eventually she stopped and would consistently sleep thru the night and never ask to get up.
This is a tough issue and I can only throw out ideas. I think I would try manipulating his feeding schedule for times of the day where he's not going to be so demanding, maybe increase his evening portion and try a different crate location where he can't hear you.
If he's better in some areas of the house I'd move his crate and I would only let him out when he's quiet and been quiet for an extended time.
I bred Malinois for many years and one pup I kept back for myself got me up every single night at around 1-2 AM to go out to pee until she was 9 months old. I have probably crated trained over 100 puppies and never have I had one like her. She would whine and bark. Eventually she stopped and would consistently sleep thru the night and never ask to get up.
This is a tough issue and I can only throw out ideas. I think I would try manipulating his feeding schedule for times of the day where he's not going to be so demanding, maybe increase his evening portion and try a different crate location where he can't hear you.
User Response:
Thanks for getting back to me, Cindy! I will try changing up his feeding schedule like you suggest. Last night I fed him a larger meal closer to bed time and put his crate in the quietest part of the house and he slept like a log. He gets training and exercise throughout the day, every day. We do obedience, play to increase engagement and drive (now increasing tug since he has lost all of his baby teeth), and tracking. Tracking is his favorite.
Thank you for helping me see him as an individual with slightly different needs than my other dogs. Your story about your 1 in a 100 puppy helped me see that my pup just needs a different schedule that addresses his needs.
Cindy's Answer:
You're welcome, good luck with your pup!
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