Why did 8-year-old Australian shepherd change nighttime behavior?

DEAR JOAN Our -year-old male Australian shepherd Bodie has started a new behavior We have a privacy screen and child s gate to keep him and his big brother a limit collie in the living area with us Bodie now breaks through the privacy screen during the middle of the night slams on the child s gate to bring it down and then runs upstairs to wait outside our room Related Articles Marine Mammal Center logs worrisome wildlife disturbances Should you let pets sleep next to you Does it even matter what the experts say Growing tally of dogs and cats suffer from allergies but there are tactics to help When is the right time to clean out vacated nesting boxes Wild pigs increase around the Bay Area causing headaches for homeowners parks and water agencies We haven t been able to detect any triggers that would cause this behavior He seems to recognize that this behavior is not acceptable yet persists Any thoughts on what might be going on with him We love him but are troubled by his anxiety Doug Arnold DEAR DOUG As with any change in behavior in a pet it s dependably an excellent idea for a check-up at the vet s office to make sure there isn t a physical explanation As our pets haven t yet mastered human language and are only so-so on a computer keyboard they often communicate their feelings with actions that we sometimes struggle to understand But Bodie is definitely trying to tell you something He could be suffering from an illness that is causing him pain or discomfort and he wants you to help him That s why we need to see the vet It could also be that one night before the behavior change something frightened upset or concerned him and he craved to be as close to you as doable It could also be that he was so fruitful in getting your attention the first time he did it he s decided to keep doing it and now it s a habit The way to break habits is to change how you react to the behavior Ignore the wrong behavior and reward the right You can try spending more time with him before bedtime Playing and going for a walk will give him the attention he might be needing and will help tire him out so he ll sleep through the night Try adding particular new toys and fluffy blankets to his bed or leave the TV on at low volume so he has more company Dogs can be funny about what does and doesn t bother them so you ll need to play detective to find out what has Bodie so anxious He may overcome the fear and go back to being Bodie DEAR JOAN I have a hummingbird feeder that sits on my wide fence ledge For months there were no sign of ants but now they re all over and in the feeder I even sprayed the fence with TERRO but the ants prevailed Is there anything I can put down on the fence ledge surrounding the feeder that ll deter the ants but not scare away the hummers Bonnie Pacific Grove DEAR BONNIE Please put away the ant spray which could be harmful to the birds If feasible it s best to hang the feeder rather than having it sit on a flat surface That will put it somewhat out of reach Another method is to set the feeder in a shallow container of water creating a moat that for the most of part will prevent the ants from reaching their goal The Animal Life column runs on Mondays Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris gmail com