Of a night we place our pups in kennels that are off ground. Tonight they were barking, after about 10 minutes I decided to go and investigate, something was not right. Being late at night I donned a headlamp and ventured out into the dark. After admonishing them for their barking I noticed something long and black in the distance, just within the range of my headlamp. Sure enough it was a snake, it slithered off into the bush. When I went out to look I knew something was out there as a German Shepherd does not bark without reason, I suppose the surprise was that it was a snake.
However, as soon as I saw it, it all made sense. Snakes have a particular and strong smell that dogs can readily detect. So if your Shepherd is barking at night be careful as it just might be a very deadly unwelcome guest, take care and listen to your dog.