How to tone down the Protector of the Night?

[erniesmom]

Ernie, now 8 months old , has a HUGE personality. Meaning that he thinks it is up to him to take on the world. He is usually just the defender of the neighborhood(barking at every single sound outside but now he is the protector of the night. He is getting up 3-4 times and just doing his fierce barking and growling at nothing. It is scaring the crap out of me when he does it as I am in a sound sleep and he is on my head. Any advice on how to get him to stop? I grab him and just cuddle him to hold him down and he goes back to bed until he hears the dust settle again and then he does it again. Are a lot of bullies protectors like this??? On a happy note....he has only had one accident in the house in five weeks. He still gives me absolutely no signal, I just let him out every couple hours. at this point...whatever works!

 

[BrooklynStar]

Lol, my bully was like this too at one point. He would hear some one outside or next door and bark at all hours of the night. I would get up and firmly say to him, "No bark" several times and stare him down. If i sensed another bark coming I would do the, "Eh Eh Eh" noise I make and he would stop. Eventually he figured out that waking us in the middle of the night was not copesetic, lol. Now, he only barks if some one rings the bell or knocks on the door. Otherwise he's pretty quiet.

This is rather subjective though. I know several dog owners that like their dog barking at every outside noise, it makes them feel secure. Conversly, I know others that don't want them barking at all.

 

[DudleysMom]

Dudley doesn't bark at night, unless it's really a NOISE, and I'm okay with that...but he is the Lord Protector of me, the house, the neighborhood. Anyone walking down the street is to be feared and barked at visciously! The UPS or FEDEX delivery people -- and their trucks -- apparently are despicable interlopers who must be taught not to enter the sacred confines of the neighborhood...he's awful. I'm mortified when we are outside. I have no solution for you...or for me!