Posted by: "Tammy Kinkade" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
What do you do about a dog that won't sleep through the night? Samson has
been giving me fits about getting up in the middle of the night to potty.
(He's 6 months old and perfectly capable of holding it!) Last night was the
worst - after staying up 'til 1:00 a.m. just to watch the Raiders get beat
in overtime, Samson decided he needed up at 1:15 - just as I was dozing off.
I got up, got dressed and took him out. He peed normally and pooped just a
little. I put him back in his crate and went back to sleep (or so I
thought). 30 minutes later, he was up again, whining and banging on his
crate. I got up AGAIN and took him out - he just tinkled a little bit and
sniffed the air a lot. I put him back in his crate, told him very sternly
to go back to sleep and got back into bed. 15 minutes later he was at it
again.
By now I figured I'd better get up with him and let Dave try to get some
sleep before he had to be up for work. I took Samson out into the living
room and he jumped on the couch and laid down. I laid down at the other end
with my legs resting on him and we both dozed off and on 'til about 3:30
a.m. He'd doze for awhile, then want to chew on the pillow, then doze...you
get the picture. Finally I dragged this really huge doggy pillow I made for
him back into the bedroom and put it in the bottom of his crate and made him
go in and go to bed. He was quiet 'til Dave got up to go to work.
Now, most nights aren't like last night - but I might get to sleep through
the night just one night a week. I've tried ignoring him, but I'm such a
light sleeper that it's just been easier to take him out and get it over
with so I can go back to sleep sooner. And...I start a new job next Monday
and don't want to continue this sleep deprivation now that I'm going back to
work. It's not been terribly bad since I've been home, but last nights 4
hours of sleep was ridiculous. And I still don't know what the problem was.
He didn't seem sick or hurting or anything - he just didn't want to be
asleep for some reason.
Now what???
Sleep deprived...again...
Tammy Kinkade
Defiance, Ohio
w/Hoss, Samson & Pooh
