Tuesday, January 30, 2007 | by nathan
Why I Shouldn’t Be Trusted Around Babies
Why I Shouldn’t Be Trusted Around Babies
Ever since we got Sam he has lived in my office at home. He’s such a great dog in so many ways; he came into our home and instantly knew better than to climb the stairs to the bedroom, or down into the den, where Brian’s music things - and now, my piano - are. He doesn’t go in the bathroom. So, he has the office, the living room, the dining room and the kitchen to wander around in when we’re not walking him, and he’s adjusted pretty well.
We shut him up in the office when we’re away, because of that thing where we just bought a new leather sofa and don’t want him up on it. He has food and water in there, a big of space to chill in, some toys. He has full privileges to get up on the office love seat whenever he wants. Not a lot of dogs get that. He doesn’t always love it when we put him in there, but once he gets inside and starts gnawing on his green chew toy or his bone - up on the love seat - he seems to enjoy it just fine. At night, we turn the lights out and tell him good night, and after a few minutes we can hear - plop - the sound of our dog falling asleep.
Except the past two nights, when he has kept us up whining - loudly - after we put him to bed. We’ll be in bed, asleep, then it’ll start, the sound like he’s being physically tortured or has to go to the bathroom right now - even though he just went. Brian has been the one to get out of bed, go downstairs and say, "Sam, shut up!" and he does.
Should I be worried? Should I phone the guys at Calling All Pets? Or is my dog just attention-hungry?
| Sam |
Comment by Aaron
Considering my seven years of kennel experience, I would say that your dog is looking for attention. My advice: ignore him. He will shut up eventually. If you don’t, you’re reinforcing the behavior and he will never shut up. And you’ll have one of those dogs that makes kennel people’s lives miserable. And you’ll be one of those owners that kennel people despise. Don’t tick off the kennel people. There are more of us than you realize.
31 January 2007 3:25 pm
Comment by Nate
That’s sort of what I was thinking, though my friend Burt suggested that maybe there’s a mouse or something in the office that he’s afraid of. I’ll check that out, but I’m sorta leaning toward your hypothesis, Aaron - I think he’s just wanting attention.
Burt also suggested that he might be in some kind of pain, but he seems fine all day except when we put him in his room.
1 February 2007 8:04 am