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August 25, 2004
Early AM Run
After what seemed like a very long night (after girls night etc)...my two dogs, Xander and Cosmo, kept me up all night. Cosmo--the whippet sleeps in the bed every night and Xander the boarder collie hangs out on the floor guarding us...however if I sleep on the outside of the bed (not the wall side) Xander constantly comes over , licks my face, tries to jump in and squeeze next to me in bed, with my husband, Cosmo and me...it gets pretty crowded....! Well last night...Little Cosmo whined sooooo much. She's a very calm, quite good good whippet. However when she does communicate verbally with us...she's persistent and doesn't like to give in. So if she wants water or if she'd like to go outside...she'll just sit by that respective door and whine---wait awhile---whine---wait awhile....until someone (usually me) helps her out. Well--last night---she was whining and whining b/c she wanted to leave the bedroom and who knows--get some water--maybe some food, maybe she had to go to the restroom--I don't know I can't read her mind... But the thing that got me going was my new "policy". I've decided Cosmo can wait...i shouldn't cater to her wishes at 3 in the morning. She's crated during the day and she can probably hold it if she has to go to the bathroom...I've just started to get the impression that sometimes she must take advantage of me. She knows I know she's incredibly sweet and cute...so it's hard to say No to such a good good dog...but I've decided she's 2 now and she can make it through the night without me. Well--I tried... I didn't let her out of the room. When she crawled out of the covers and ran to the door to whine I got up and put her back in bed --at least 3 or 4 times. Then finally I put her in her crate She hates that especially if we are so close to her (she's fine when she knows we're not home...)....so anyhow I put her in the crate...and for at least 2 hours she was quiet.... & then she starts whining again....between 4 and 5:20 she whined once every 5 minutes....and I just couldn't fall asleep or ignore it...and i didn't want to crack and let her out. Luckily (?) I was getting up at 5:20 and I finally let her out. She wanted a little drink of WATER!!!! Can you b elieve that? She's pretty spoiled. We'll see how this training goes the next few days...but I 'm so tired today---I may not be able to keep up with little Cosmo through the night...I have to remind myself...for her it's no big deal--she sleeps most of the day anyway... Ahhhh- we'll see...
and then Xander too last night was crazy ...he kept squeezing in and jumping up on the bed next to me. A piece of me likes it...b/c for the first 8 months of his life...he was extremely independent and never sat next to us --- so he'd come out of his shell so to speak.... but b/c he's such an alert dog...it's no fun having him snuggle up to you in the middle of the night only to be awoken by a deep fierce voice and a wagging tale....b/c Xander heard something out in the backyard---who know what it is...my dad would probably say....Liz--for christ sake he can probably sense the mouse 5 miles down the road taking a crap..! i would n't go that far...but he is pretty vigilent.
Oh well--needless to say I'm pretty blasted today.
I met some friends at 5:45 for an 8 (62 mins) mile run. I was tired but really glad to be out of the dog house for awhile. We ran nice and easy and talked the entire way.
Phew!!!
More later
Posted by liz at August 25, 2004 12:51 PM
Comments
Hey! Your running sounds great, on the dog thing... I have a border collie who used to do the same middle-of-the-night whining thing. I talked to a dog trainer about it and here's what he told me: When dogs are used to getting what they want in the middle of the night, taking those things away cold turkey could lead to disaster (messes on the floor, incessant whining, etc.). He said, instead, reward with a treat and verbal praise when you feed/water/let your dog out to go to the bathroom after they do it, to let them know they are doing the right thing at the right time. When they "ask" for something at the wrong time, let them do it, but don't give them any reward (don't scold them either). The lack of reward evidently serves as reprimand. The trainer told me that in smart (adult, puppies are another story) dogs like border collies (and I think whippets are right up there in intelligence), it should only take a few nights to cure the problem. Sure enough, my dog June was sleeping through the night almost instantly. Problem solved. Perhaps this will help! Meghan
Posted by: Meghan at August 25, 2004 02:42 PM
Meghan
Thanks so much... This is GRRRRREAT . I am VERY anxious to try this!!!!!!!!
Liz
Posted by: Liz at August 25, 2004 05:28 PM
Hi Liz! Argh.. your night sounds so rough! I remember dog sitting for Cosmo and Xander and some nights were rough. I remember you suggesting that Cosmo might be taking advantage of me. Offering the dog rewards for going to the bathroom would be great. I hope that strategy works. Your impression of Xander was right on. I hoep you can get to bed early tonight. Thanks for the detailed summary of your night. I felt for you. I hope you, Cosmo, Xander, and Carl sleep peacefully tonight! Best, Mary
Posted by: Mary at August 25, 2004 08:34 PM