I'll be the first to admit that I am overly attached to our little furry live-in. I have more than once (ok, millions of times) referred to her as my "daughter" and of course it was I who encouraged her to start sleeping with me as soon as she was potty trained, over three years ago. Apparently I've been too lenient with my standards of co-habitation and the time has come for me to prioritize and take one of the last steps in preparing for our true, human daughter (cover your ears, Stella). I do not plan on making this bedding-in mistake again, but there will be times when the baby will be in our bed and when she is, it will be best if she isn't lying in dog hair or getting stepped all over by the pup. So, last Monday, after her being in the kennel all weekend, we decided to "get tough" and order her "down" to the ottoman at the foot of the bed each time she jumped up and tried to snuggle in. After sending her "down" we praised her and gave her a little treat. She probably did this 30 times, leaving us both exhausted the next day. The next night was a little better and she was exponentially better the following nights. In fact, being nearly 9 months pregnant, I was up more than she was. So, I'm thinking, 'what a smart, easy dog,' until the past two nights (!). For whatever reason, she has begun testing us and two nights ago it felt like we were starting all over. Or, maybe she's just trying to prepare me for not getting any sleep?
Oh, and don't feel bad for the exiled pup, she is lying on a thick pad of comforter and blankets and this is already one of her favorite day-time napping spots.
No comments:
Post a Comment