Still at It

Petey is still waking us me up  multiple times per night to go out or get in the bed with us.  John has tried talking to him.  As silly as it sounds, sometimes that seems to help.  Or at least it has helped enough times that we think it is worth a try.  It didn't work this time.  Then I remembered that in the Bible it says that man should have dominion over the animals, so I read that to him.  Still didn't work.  So, now I continue to be sleep deprived because this dog is becoming nocturnal and wants company.

The other night Petey was trying to wake John up.  He was on John's side of the bed scratching.  Or at least I'm guessing that is what was happening.  Being unsuccessful at waking John up the typical way he flung himself in to the side of the bed, shaking the whole bed.  It is amazing what a little 12 pound dog can do.  The jolt woke me right up.  BUT, since he was not trying to wake me up, I didn't move.  I was glad John had finally rotated to the top of the order and would once again be on nighttime duty.

As a lay there as still and quiet as possible, I heard Petey go in to the bathroom and get a drink.  The bathroom floor is tile and he does not try to be quiet with his walking or drinking.  After he finished drinking, I heard him clicking around on the tile and then the very distinct sound of water running.  Since Petey does not have thumbs, I was pretty sure he hadn't turned the water on, but was peeing in the bathroom floor.

I stayed put a while longer but then the guilt overcame me and I decided to clean up the pee.  I had this idea that John would get up in the night and step in it causing a much worse ruckus than me just simply cleaning it up right then.  I got the flashlight and crept in to the bathroom to do my penance.  Only there was no pee.  I couldn't find it anywhere.

Of course, me getting out of bed signaled to Petey that I was up for his benefit.  I let him out doubting that he really needed to pee but was unsure since I didn't find any in the house.  Often when he goes out at night and does not need to pee, he stays out a long time just milling around.  He peed, so it was a quick trip.

Once I returned to the bedroom I looked for pee but still didn't find any.  I got back in the bed alone since Petey had opted to stay in the living room.  Just about the time I got settled, he realized that we were in the bed all warm and cozy and he was not.  He decided to join us.  So, I got up again and put him in the bed again.

The next morning, I warned John about the mystery pee but he didn't find any either.  As I was getting dressed I began to wonder if I'd hallucinated the whole thing.  I sat down to put my shoes on when I saw the puddle.  It was at the foot of the bed, right in John's path around the bed.  I don't know how he missed it.

Now, the bedroom is carpeted so it wasn't so much a puddle as it was a dark area.  Petey must have come out of the bathroom but I didn't realize it.  Neither John nor I peed at the foot of the bed in the floor.  I cleaned it up and Petey walked in just as I was finishing.  I explained to him that he should have peed in the bathroom not on the carpet.  He looked right at me and peed. Right there, right then, he peed!

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Whoever said that old dogs can't learn new tricks never met Petey.  He may resist change that he doesn't like but he is quite adaptable in those situations that he likes.  For instance, he adapted quite well when I (Lori) started working from home.  More company=good thing for Pete.  So, he can be a very quick study when he likes the change.

The latest example happened with my mother stayed with us.  She'd been hospitalized and needed to recover here for a few weeks.  The first night she was here, we put Petey in the bed with us so that he would not bother her.  He wasn't so sure about her.  He wasn't aggressive towards her, but she was in his place on the couch.  This required him to pace around the house. We weren't sure how he'd react when she stayed all night.  Let me state now, that closing doors is not an option with Pete.  That is like an engraved invitation to enter.  He will not rest until the door is opened. 

We thought Petey would sleep with us and all would be well.  Petey did sleep with us for a few hours.  Then he got up.  He needed to patrol the house.  He spent the rest of the night, while he wasn't patrolling on a blanket beside the bed.  Mama said he came in an looked at her a time or two but never bothered her, of course we weren't aware of this until the next day.

In the wee hours of the morning he got a very bad itch.  He had to scratch and gnaw repeatedly at the offending area.  I was concerned that he'd wake up the entire household, so I got up and put him back in the bed with us.  That calmed his itch and everyone went back to sleep.

The next night, Petey was happy that the three of us were all in the bed together once again.  And in the wee morning hours when the bad itch started, I put him back in the bed.  That was all it took.  Ever since that time Petey has started the night with us and finished it with us.  Never mind that my mother has gone home.

In fact, Petey pretty much comes and goes as he pleases during the night.  He isn't a bad sleeping companion once he gets settled.  There are two issues associated with this new trick Petey has learned:

• First Petey can't get in the bed by himself.  He has decided that I am the person to get up and put him in the bed.  He's figured out how to get down most of the time without my help.  I often don't even wake up.  This wouldn't be so bad if it was at bedtime and very early in the morning, but it has morphed in to three or four times a night.

• Second, and much worse, I've become night time potty patrol!  I guess he figures since he wakes me up to put him in the bed; he should wake me for bathroom time too.

This has got to stop. I need my rest.  I'll have to teach Petey yet another trick.  Sleeping alone, in the floor.