Has anybody heard of a dog being afraid of the dark? My four month old Lab is fine in the dark if somebody is with him but if you leave him on his own with the lights off he just crys and crys, If you leave him alone with the light on he is fine on his own, he will go to sleep and you won't hear a peep all night. Is there anyway to change this or should we just accept it and leave the light on to keep him happy. :)

To be honest I have never heard of this before.

How long have you had him for?
Has he done this the whole time you have had him?

Would you be able to invest in a children's night light?
You can get battery operated ones or ones that plug into the wall, they would cost you a lot less to run than leaving the light on and hopefully it will keep the pup happy.

You would be surprised what some animals are afraid of.. we had a horse that was afraid of the dark... we actually ran a plug near his stall door (door was made of open fencing so he could see out) and kept a night light plugged in (one of the ones that only turns on once it's a specific darkness out) and it helped him.. have you thought about trying a nightlight in the room the dog sleeps in.. That may be enough to calm him and allow him to sleep without worrying about kitties attacking him in the dark LOL (sorry that's the only thing I could imagine them thinking in the dark.. "hmm.. where are those ninja kitties" ) :D

Great minds do think alike...



I hope the nightlight idea helps

The night light is a great idea and if for some reason you can sneak and turn it off when he's sleeping then maybe he'll get weaned off it, also a radio or something that makes him not feel like he's completely alone might help. Good luck! :)

Thanks for all the advice peeps! We have had ben from 8weeks old and he usually sleeps with me at night, but due to some new work commitments I am occasionally away some nights, and it was my mum who noticed the light making a difference! Apart from the dark he is as good as gold on his own! Anyway I will try for a night light, the radio thing doesn't make any difference but thanks for that suggestion, and if all else fails it doesn't matter that much that the light stays on. I was more curious as to if this was a common thing! Thanks again guys :)

I just assumed they were scared of the dark or couldn't really see. I have always left a light on if we were gone at night and we have a motion sensor light outside for when they go out at night. Who wants to be alone in the dark unless you are a kitty.:eek:

I thought you may all enjoy some pictures of my Boy :) Thanks again xxxx

Leave the light on, Leave the light on.:D

Thanks for the pics!

Oh my gosh, he is so gorgeous!
Those sad puppy eyes :)

Do come back and let us know how it goes, if it doesn't work we might be able to come up with some other ideas for you.

Lol Dahlia, mine don't care that much about the dark, I let them out for their wee before bed and they tear outside before I turn the outside light on :rolleyes: