Barking When Waking Up

[Padfootx13]

So this is more behavioral but I'm curious if anyone has any experience with this.

 

We find that Lupin barks about 5-6 times a week for a couple minutes at a time. We knew he would, being a galgo, and it doesn't bother us, but the circumstances when he barks are a little odd to us. It's almost always right after he wakes up and there never seems to be a reason. He will wake up from what appears to be a dead sleep and run into another room then start barking. We used to think that he heard something, but it has happened on several occasions where absolutely nothing (that we could hear) changed. We keep our window shades closed at night so he can't see out of them, and he doesn't seem to have a target that he is barking AT.

 

Is it possible he is waking up from bad dreams or nervous that he fell asleep in a room we weren't and thinks he's alone?

 

Again, it's not something that we need to fix, just something that we are curious about.

 

He is adapting QUITE well

 

[greysmom]

It might be a form of sleep startle. Can you distract him from barking if you speak to him right after he wakes up? Does he appear to be awake and aware during these episodes or just responding instinctually?

[Padfootx13]

It definitely seems more instinctual. Sometimes we are in the room with him, but most often he does it after falling asleep in a room by himself. Can they sleep startle themselves awake? It does seem to make sense, since he acts like something happened to cause him to run out of the room and start barking.

Most of the time we can calm him down with pets and talking sweetly to him but sometimes even after he's stopped he will run off and start to bark again. He does take a while to wake up completely under most normal circumstances though.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Padfootx13

[Guest Houston1219]

Sounds like doggie sleep walking! Boyfriend does the same occasionally, startles awake, does something odd, always with a sense of urgency while taking nonsense, then wakes himself up doing whatever it is, and goes back to sleep confused. Just last night, he shot up, got out of bed, and came around to my side. He got down on the floor, lifted the bed skirt, and started talking about materials and colors and tools. I guess he was planning on remodeling down there??? he does do home construction. Sometimes he won't get out of bed but will sit up and tell me to hand him tools. Very specific ones at that, but never ones that would make sense to use together. Sometimes he gets frustrated, and it's hilarious. I guess I hand him the wrong ones in his dream???