9 Year Old Maltese X Afraid

[JanandTess]

Our nine year old dog Tess is waking early hours of the morning panting, shivering and barking, all with her tail waging.  She barks mainly at the dog door and then runs around the house, then back to the door and off again.  When I pick her up she wants to lick me (normally she isn't a licking dog).  I've tried to take her into bed with me but she keeps wanting to jump off and goes back to the living room where she 'guards' the dog door, barking and all the rest of it.  As soon as it is daylight she drops onto her bed and sleeps.  If I had to put a human slant on her behaviour it's as if she hears things that frighten her.

This happened for the first time 12 months ago for about 4 or 5 months, and then for no apparent reason she stopped, now at almost the same time she has started again.  We are sleep deprived and she is confused and unhappy.

We've checked around the house and can't find anything that could frighten her, there hasn't been any other animal enter by the dog door.  We have a sedative from the vet which works very well, but I don't like to give them to her every night.  I've read a number of the other posts for dogs who wake in the night and none of them exhibit the same behaviours.  If anyone can help I would be grateful.

[JanandTess]

Thanks Margot for you comments and yes you do need to see it as its happening.  We think we've covered all the things you mentioned and the fact that it happened over a period of time a year ago and then ceased and now has started again makes it even more of a complex issue.  Thank you again for taking the time to write.

[Margot49]

Sounds like odd behavior for sure and something that is hard to figure out without actually seeing it.
I would guess there is something going near that doggie door.  You have cats around the neighborhood?  I ask this because some years ago, I had a similar situation here to discover that neighborhood cats (2) were coming in my house through the doggie door at night!  
Any chance you have Possums, rats or mice around?  They are often active at night.  Even a rat or mouse under the house could be a cause.  
Just a thought.