Listening to your Dog
Over the past month David has decided that he needed to sleep on my bed. Eqaulity of all dogs and all that jazz.
It wasn't fair that he had to sleep on the floor, while Bubbles and Texas got an entire.bed to themselves. (They are gracious enough to share it with me as well) So he began to stage a protest in the form of leaping on the bed at every chance he could get.
He never attempted to get on any other furniture, but my bed, and only if I was on it.
We've gone through stages: putting him back off the bed with little to no acknowledgement. Teaching him "off" (which turned into an chain behavior of jump on, mom says off, get rewarded..so we backed off that). I decided to change the consequences to having to sleep on tie-down if he attempted to get onto the bed. He wasn't too happy about that, but it was worth attempted to get on the bed again...
At 11-months, I honestly just attributed his behavior to a teen thing, that we're just going to have to ride out.
Then I moved his bed.
I was frustrated one night, and decided to move his bed closer to mine. I climbed wearily back in bed, turning in time to see David twirl around on his bed, and lay down with a sigh.
*raises eye brows*
The next night, I'd moved his bed back to the corner (aka out of the way). He started to position himself for the spring, but a hand, palm facing outwards stopped him quickly, and he started pacing like a caged lion.
What in the world is going on? He's showing great self restraint in not attempting the bed jump, but why won't he just lay down?
Oh! The bed.
I got up and grabbed the dog bed, drug to my bedside, and within seconds David was out like a light.
I wonder why he's decided he needs to be right there, his bed has been in the same place for the last six months (relatively same place anyways..) and he's not had an issue until a couple of weeks ago.
These are the times when I wish he could talk. English I mean.
It wasn't fair that he had to sleep on the floor, while Bubbles and Texas got an entire.bed to themselves. (They are gracious enough to share it with me as well) So he began to stage a protest in the form of leaping on the bed at every chance he could get.
He never attempted to get on any other furniture, but my bed, and only if I was on it.
 |
| David happily sleeping on his bed, beside mine. |
At 11-months, I honestly just attributed his behavior to a teen thing, that we're just going to have to ride out.
Then I moved his bed.
I was frustrated one night, and decided to move his bed closer to mine. I climbed wearily back in bed, turning in time to see David twirl around on his bed, and lay down with a sigh.
*raises eye brows*
The next night, I'd moved his bed back to the corner (aka out of the way). He started to position himself for the spring, but a hand, palm facing outwards stopped him quickly, and he started pacing like a caged lion.
What in the world is going on? He's showing great self restraint in not attempting the bed jump, but why won't he just lay down?
Oh! The bed.
I got up and grabbed the dog bed, drug to my bedside, and within seconds David was out like a light.
I wonder why he's decided he needs to be right there, his bed has been in the same place for the last six months (relatively same place anyways..) and he's not had an issue until a couple of weeks ago.
These are the times when I wish he could talk. English I mean.
Comments
I'm glad that "bed closer" helped.
Sam
http://howsamseesit.blogspot.com/