Dog barks at 4am until I move to the couch
Our German shepherd mix, Margot, starts barking around 4am each morning until my husband or I move to the couch. It’s getting to the point where we might make her sleep in the garage but I would like to explore other options first. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Other things to know:
-We have had Margot for over 8 months
-We currently have 3 other dogs, one of which is a foster
-Margot does not have separation anxiety when we leave the house
-When Margot came to us, she spent most of her time in the bottom corner of our fenced in yard and we would corral her up each night. She usually still requires a treat to make it over the door threshold each time she comes in from outside
-She is scared of men and leaves the couch when my husband comes to sit. When I am sitting, she will occupy the other end of the couch but prefers not to be too close to me
-It took her many months to accept meals from my husband. She would wait until I got home to eat
-She loves hiking and the dog park and is good at recall. She is her most normal when doing either of these activities
-It doesn’t matter if I move to the couch or my husband moves to the couch, this causes her to stop barking until around 6am which I assume is when she is hungry
-We value our sleep more than the average humans. Please help us make Margot understand