quark Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 We recently adopted a doxie mix from a shelter. We try to involve him as much as possible in our daily activities (we stay home quite a bit) but the little guy inevitably ends up spending a lot of his day (about 16 hours the last time we counted) sleeping in his crate/ bed or lazing about in the small amount of sun we get every morning (it's a cold winter in our normally sunny climate). This is despite our being home. We are just intense learners and like having our learning time. Is it normal for a dog to sleep so much? He's full-grown, about 4 years old and is healthy and happy overall. How do other homeschoolers here cope with pets and busy learning schedules? ETA: we walk him every day for about 40-45 minutes and he loves that. Can't think of anything else I should be doing to keep him occupied. We have heard that the local dog park is not very safe for pets or kids so I don't bring him there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 My dogs sleep a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Yep, sounds about right. I have a Pug and a Shar-pei and both of them spend most of their time sleeping by our feet or on the couch next to us (they are both laying on the couch with me now snoring as loud as hibernating bears) They do get some time outside or the kids will take them for a walk, but in the grand scheme of things dogs don't "need to be doing" something all the time. Our cat is much the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 My dogs sleep a lot too...inside one and the three outside ones...They like to play and then they sleep...and then they'll walk around and sleep some more, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Mine is asleep on the couch as we speak. :) He does sleep a lot. Every once in a while he gets up, gets a drink, maybe goes outside or plays with a toy or chews on a bone, then he gets back up on the couch. He'll watch the TV if I have it on (seriously, although he does show preferences to certain programming, LOL), and then he dozes back off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 My dog has her own chair in the classroom. She's usually snoring by lunch. If she's being disruptive she goes to the bedroom, where she also has a chair. She's a 8 year old lab and has slowed down only in recent months. We don't have a fenced yard and she's more of an inside dog anyway. She likes to sit on the deck when it's warmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Jed is still young (19 months). He sleeps (near us on the floor, couch, or chair), plays (fetch, tug of war), goes outside, runs crazy laps, sleeps (near us on the floor, couch, or chair), chews on a bone, follows us around, and sleeps (near us on the floor, couch, or chair). My boys teach him commands, but that's sporadic. He never sleeps in his crate, and he's always near us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Our dog (Anatolian Shepherd/Lab mix) is pretty active. He's constantly asking to go outside, where he "patrols" the property, chases squirrels, runs laps, and just hangs out. Even in our current weather (it's about 4 degrees outside). When he's inside, he likes to play with the kids and the kittens. Even so, he probably naps about 3-4 hours a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 My old Border Collie sleeps. Dd's English Springer Spaniel either gets a walk twice a day or goes on the treadmill. Dd also does some obedience and agility practice with him most days. The rest of the time he whines at squirrels out the window, begs to go out, finally settles down to gaze up at Dd or gives up and sleeps. Ds's Cocker Spaniel looks for opportunities.... to grab food (especially chocolate--which he overdosed on 2 years ago and ended up needing emergency veterinary attention), get into the trash, run out the kitchen gate and head for the cat's food, or follow the springer out back to chase squirrels and see if he can injure himself in the brush again. (He's injured his eye and a nail so far this year and currently has a skin infection.) Be thankful if your dog sleeps! Ds tries to fit in some obedience and agility with the cocker too, though lately he's getting quite a bit of exercise just from going to the vet! As I'm typing, I'm thinking..hmm...he needs some treadmill time too! Oh! I forgot to mention other favorite pastimes....barking at the kids who walk by and my personal favorite, howling at police, fire, and ambulance sirens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 My dog has her own chair in the classroom. She's usually snoring by lunch. If she's being disruptive she goes to the bedroom, where she also has a chair. She's a 8 year old lab and has slowed down only in recent months. We don't have a fenced yard and she's more of an inside dog anyway. She likes to sit on the deck when it's warmer. You mean like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Bark at the wind. And squirrels. And rain. And leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briansmama Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Our lab mix is 2 and she sleeps a lot too, but prefers to be near us. She's not allowed upstairs, where our school room is, but she sleeps on the couch downstairs and wags her tail when she hears us come down. She has a burst of energy for about an hour a day, usually before dinnertime, and that's about it for her. We are very grateful she's such a mellow dog. She was a pretty mellow puppy too, but seems to be even re so with each passing day. She's very affectionate and likes to cuddle too, in between naps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Our grown dogs (5 and 6) are reaching the point where they lay around without getting into trouble. We just added a pair of puppies, and they alternating running around and sleeping. I make a point of taking them out to burn off some steam at least once or twice a day, but the big dogs by themselves have turned into a pair of couch potatoes. I should amend that statement, since they've been a bit more active since the new puppies came home. I do try to have them sleeping out with us instead of in their crates, but I always crate everyone if we have people coming into the house or we're cooking and eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Dogs are crepuscular, meaning they are usually active at dawn and dusk and sleep pretty much the rest of the time. My dog walks with me for an hour or so each morning, but then just drowses at my feet or near me unless she rouses herself to follow me into another room. When I run teens around throughout the day, she frequently likes to come with us in the car. However, even then, she usually just settles down and naps in the back seat while we drive. She perks up again in the evening, and often has a hysterical burst of energetic play sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 pm when no sock is safe. Otherwise, she's usually sleeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 He likes to sit on the couch looking out the window. Otherwise, sleeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 She moves around a lot to just sleep by my feet. I have a bed for her under my desk and one in my room. My dd would love to have another for her in my craft room, but that is crazy! She is barking right now at the UPS guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 She does a lot of sleeping. She's 6 but her behaviour hasn't changed in the last four years. Husband took her for an hour's walk at 9 this morning, then she was at home alone from 11 to 4. She was sitting on the window sill when I got back - it's my usual time and she was looking out for me. She jumped down ,said hello, then went and lay in her basket. I walked her from 5 to 5.30, then brought her home. She's 'talked' to us a few times this evening, but she's spent a lot of time lying around/sleeping. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Our dog is really active, and doesn't sleep a ton, but he is only 11 months old so still a puppy. He spends his days laying in front of the space heater, chewing on chewies, asking to go out to potty every two seconds, playing with the cat, playing with his toys, just generally running around and being cute. He kind of cycles through the things he does on a regular basis and is REALLY good at keeping himself entertained, but he has a TON of toys and chewies. He also sleeps in the sun on the back of the sofa (we call him our solar powered puppy! lol) and on a blanket next to me on the sofa, but usually only when I'm sitting there with him. He follows me everywhere, so wherever I go, he goes. If I go to the bathroom, he is right there...if I go to the bedroom to fold laundry, he's sitting next to me. The only time he is really in his crate is when we are unable to supervise him (if we are in the shower after DS goes to bed, for example) or if we leave the house. Otherwise he has free reign. My parents have an older golden retriever, and he sleeps almost all day long. He has some periods of play, but not much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 He'll watch the TV if I have it on (seriously, although he does show preferences to certain programming, LOL), and then he dozes back off. LOL, ours doesn't seem to like most shows but was quite entranced by Dr Who on Netflix last night! Be thankful if your dog sleeps! Phew! Good to hear that. So sorry about all those worrying incidents! We hope to teach him to walk on the treadmill too some time. Dogs are crepuscular, meaning they are usually active at dawn and dusk and sleep pretty much the rest of the time...She perks up again in the evening, and often has a hysterical burst of energetic play sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 pm when no sock is safe. Otherwise, she's usually sleeping. This sounds extremely familiar! Thanks Jenny. Good to know. He's always most active at 6am when he needs to go out (and I desperately need to go back to bed...not a morning person!). My thanks to everyone for answering my question so quickly! We've taught him some commands and he really picks them up quickly. His favorite time of the day is walk-time in the afternoon and when DH gets home from work in the evening so they can do their little welcome dance (serious!) together. But he seems to really love his crate at other times. We might have made it a little too comfy by putting an ortho-foam bed in there (and playing lots of light jazz music while we're learning lol). Thanks again! ETA: forgot to add that crate is left open for him. We only latch the door at night, if we have guests who are averse to dogs or if we need to leave him home during grocery trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Mine secretly monitors my activities. She always knows where I am and what I am doing. If I am in the bathroom she is on the other side of the door. If I'm napping she's watching. If I put on outside shoes or pick up my purse she's on alert. And if I notice that she's watching me she gets embarrassed and denies it. Truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Mine secretly monitors my activities. She always knows where I am and what I am doing. If I am in the bathroom she is on the other side of the door. If I'm napping she's watching. If I put on outside shoes or pick up my purse she's on alert. And if I notice that she's watching me she gets embarrassed and denies it. Truth. I believe you! Mine does the same, esp. during our bathroom visits and even tries to peek under the door. I've seen his little snout poking under the door almost every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 We have three shelties. Their day looks something like this: Eat, potty, nap. [bark, play, bark, potty, bark, nap.] Repeat until dinner. Eat, bark, walk, bark, sleep. They seem pretty happy with their schedule! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 My 12 year old Brittany sleeps most of the day. The one year old Shih Tzu is usually following me around or sitting on my lap. Or chasing the cats . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Mine sits on top of me or my feet demanding to be petted. When I tell her that she is not neglected and ignored she gets her feelings hurt and goes and begs DS to pet her. When she not doing either of those things she is laying on the floor acting like we neglect her becasue we DARED to do something other than pet her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 We have a 5 year old Australian Shepherd mix. She anxiously waits for 7am as that is when we head out to the barn. She plays with the barn cat, mills around with the horses, heads on down the trail to see the neighbor's dogs, chases a few squirrels and then plays with the cat some more under my feet while I finish chores. If she is lucky she finds a nice fresh pile of poop to roll in or sample Then on a "good" day we go walking for 1/2-1 hour with a friend of mine. Ideally she is off leash to smell all the smells there are to smell, chase numerous more squirrels, etc. Then she lays around the house and follows me around until early afternoon when she goes with me out to the barn. We might follow along with us on a trail ride or comes along if we trailer the horses to some trails. Otherwise it is more poop piles to find, the cat to play with and chase (but the cat rules the roost). She then lays around until evening when we once again head out to do night chores. She goes exploring, finds more squirrels, digs holes where there might be something interesting, etc. She LOVES to ride in the car now and we have to be very careful as she will jump in and head to the seat in the far back of the van on the oppostie side so it is hard to get her out. She does not bark. Honestly, she might bark 1-2 times a month so if she barks we really pay attention. In the house she plays with the house cats and tries to get the cat food if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 They go out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and sleep in between. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Mine secretly monitors my activities. She always knows where I am and what I am doing. If I am in the bathroom she is on the other side of the door. If I'm napping she's watching. If I put on outside shoes or pick up my purse she's on alert. And if I notice that she's watching me she gets embarrassed and denies it. Truth. I love this! :laugh: My little dog does the same. She's my first little dog, and I don't know if it's her size or breeds (pound puppy with dachshund, scruffy terrier of some sort, maybe chihuahua thrown in there), but she follows me with her eyes if I stay close, and jumps down to trot after me if I start leaving the room. She goes in the car with me for almost all errands, sits on my lap at home, paws at me to play with her or pet her, sleeps between my dh and me, gets very excited to go on walks or, most especially, to get in her bag. She loves her bag. A dog that likes being on the go! Basically, she spends her life on me, next to me, or following me. I'm thankful she's mellow at only 15 months, and when she wants to play we just throw her toys across the room. Ten minutes of that and she's ready to lay down and chew. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Our lab is 4 and all she does is sleep. My DH is her "person" and so she literally lays by the door and waits for him most of the 10 hours he is gone. We take her outside with us if we go out, but I have to actually make her. She's fat and lazy :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzymom Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 My dog (who is 1) takes approximately 237 naps each day. Between naps, she will go on walks, play in the yard, or bring you her favorite ball to throw until your arm falls off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Mine secretly monitors my activities. She always knows where I am and what I am doing. If I am in the bathroom she is on the other side of the door. If I'm napping she's watching. If I put on outside shoes or pick up my purse she's on alert. And if I notice that she's watching me she gets embarrassed and denies it. Truth. My shar-pei is like this. We got her about 9 months ago as a rescue (she's almost 4 years old now) and she's really glommed onto me. If I'm out my kids tell me she just stares out the windows looking for me. She would go everywhere with me if she could. When I teach the kids she's always under my desk, when I'm watching tv she's right next to me. She has to be touching me if I'm in the house. I'm accidentally smacked her with a door more times than I can count because she's trying to follow me in the bathroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 She was sitting on the window sill when I got back - it's my usual time and she was looking out for me. Laura I have the cutest picture of her in the window sill. She is one of the reasons I finally got a little dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Ours, a Brittany, sleeps a lot. She just turned 9. She still plays a lot if someone will get her toy out and throw it or play tug o war with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 If we are home my dog likes the "out and in" game. It goes something like this: Dog: Stand at the door to the yard looking pathetic. Me: I let him outside Dog: After a few minutes it is cold out here. I want to go back in. Knock at door. Me: Let the dog in. Dog: 5 minutes in the house. It must be warmer out now (or stopped raining). Stand pathetically at the door until I let him out. If he is not doing that he is sleeping on his blanket on the couch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailey Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 If we are home my dog likes the "out and in" game. It goes something like this: Dog: Stand at the door to the yard looking pathetic. Me: I let him outside Dog: After a few minutes it is cold out here. I want to go back in. Knock at door. Me: Let the dog in. Dog: 5 minutes in the house. It must be warmer out now (or stopped raining). Stand pathetically at the door until I let him out. If he is not doing that he is sleeping on his blanket on the couch. This is our dog as well, except she looks out the window when she's inside and goes to the door every time a car goes by or someone walks past the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Bark at the wind. And squirrels. And rain. And leaves. That's ours. Well, when she's not napping. Mostly, she sleeps - on the couch, on a chair, on the floor, behind the couch on the kids' beanbags. Then she'll climb up on the back of the recliner to nap next to the window where she wakes periodically to bark at a tree. Or a leaf. Or a squirrel. And then lick the glass. This has been her daily schedule of events for 13+ years (other than going outside and doing the same in the fresh air). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 My Maltese/Yorkie mix (13 years) follows me around or dozes most of the day until the work is done. She then plays and chases the chihuahua around before returning to her prone position. The chihuahua glues herself to my lap or crawls up under Joy's sweatshirt to snooze and keep warm during school hours. The rest of the time she is her obnoxious little self, getting into everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeTea Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Oh, I'm glad to hear of all the snoozing going on by so many dogs! I was about to post a similar question to the OP, because I've been thrown off by how much our newly adopted dog can sleep. Our only other dog has been gone for a couple of years, but even as a senior citizen, ol' Buddy was way more active than our new Sophie, aka Miss Lazy Bones. Maybe it's the difference in breeds?? Sophie's a 3 year old lab/corgi (?) mix. She spends some time fetching her tennis ball and sniffing rabbit trails in the morning, and again in the late afternoon. She takes a couple of short walks. She may or may not decide to follow the cats for a few minutes when they walk past her in the house. She comes looking for a rub or a pet or even a short wrestling session a couple times a day. Other than that, the girl is sleeping at our feet or in a sunny spot close by all day long. We laughed today when she was dreaming and doing the barking-in-her-sleep thing right underneath us at the desk. Our laughter never even woke her up. Another time she was wagging her tail in her sleep. Sophie's one content, sweet girl. Can't imagine why she was given up because she's pure joy as far as we're concerned. (But, yes, I had concerns she would be bored while we were doing school. Guess not!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 My dog needs about 12 hours of sleep each day to fuel his neurosis. I swear he's part cat. When he's not asleep, he barking at he UPS guy and the mailman, freaking out if people walk up our street, howling with sirens, chasing the squirells outside, dodging scary situations (like if someone walks in the room while he's eating. He runs), checking up on everyone every few minutes if we're in different rooms. Right now he's sleeping in a living room chair. He wakes up every twenty minutes, sighs that we're still awake, and goes back to sleep. He won't rest for the night until we're all sleeping upstairs . . . then he'll sleep up there. Sooooo many things to worry about! So little time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 I swear he's part cat. Golly! Mine thinks he's part cat too. He purrs when we give him petting sessions. He's part Doxie so there's lots of him to pet when we rub him from head to foot and he gets all grunty and purry and stretches his alreay long body longer. I suspect he is having an identity crisis. One time, my son was feeding him and he emitted a sound very similar to a "baa"! Maybe he thinks he's part sheep or goat too. Referring to BridgeTea's post, I wonder whether rescues sleep more when first adopted. Could it be a coping mechanism? We are so happy to see him warming up to us now. He was so scrawny, scared and anxious when he first came to us. Now he's a regular little monster and craves attention. When he's not asleep that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 My dog needs about 12 hours of sleep each day to fuel his neurosis. I swear he's part cat. When he's not asleep, he barking at he UPS guy and the mailman, freaking out if people walk up our street, howling with sirens, chasing the squirells outside, dodging scary situations (like if someone walks in the room while he's eating. He runs), checking up on everyone every few minutes if we're in different rooms. Right now he's sleeping in a living room chair. He wakes up every twenty minutes, sighs that we're still awake, and goes back to sleep. He won't rest for the night until we're all sleeping upstairs . . . then he'll sleep up there. Sooooo many things to worry about! So little time! You made me laugh out loud at the "dodging scary situations" and "things to worry about and so litte time". Hilarious!! And so my dog, too. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 The Great Dane spends most of her time trying to find things she can shred. The Cockers spend their time emptying the bedroom garbage cans, playing fetch with whoever will throw the toy, and barking at nothing so the other dogs will run to look and then they steal all the toys/bully sticks. The pit bull and border collie cross sleep all day and cuddle in the evenings. The younger dogs get a training session with me twice a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Mostly our dog spends the day going from the couch to the chair to the window to bark and back to the couch. Goes out a couple times a day to check on the chickens and bark at the coyotes but mostly is a certified American Pillow Hound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devan Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Our dog is 8 and she spends most of her day either sitting at our feet or sleeping in her bed. On warm days she goes outside and lays in the sun and chews on sticks, hunts for moles, and eats grass. When it's cold/rainy, she sleeps most of the day. She's always up for playing when offered though. She loves tug of war and loves to chase/race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Aidan spends his mornings sleeping and following me around as I do chores. He especially loves going to the basement when I do laundry. He has toys and chewies hidden all over the place down there. He mostly changes their hiding places and reburies them. When he decides to bury a toy in DD's dance pad, he does it by taking a paper towel or washcloth and placing it over the item. He patrols the windows to check whether the neighbor's cat has arrived. Often he comes to get me so we can watch for the cat together. Several times a day, he goes outside to patrol and sniff the porch in case the cat has been here and he missed her. He whacks me with toys when he wants to play. He redistributes any shoes he finds lying around, removes all the decorative pillows from the couch, removes the cushions from the furniture, and moves around the living room without ever having his feet touch the floor. He helps me make the bed. He can remove the quilt, comforter, blanket and top sheet from our king-sized bed in one minute. He gets into mischief when I am doing paperwork or talking on the phone. Sometimes he opens the doors on the Billy bookcases I use as pantry closets, and removes boxes of food. Sometimes he removes my hanging files from the file cart and empties them. Sometimes he grabs a bill I'm writing a check for and takes off with it. He can quickly open any box UPS delivers by grabbing the tape at one end and removing it. I let him open the boxes of books, but not boxes that contain fun things like kitchen utensils or computer parts that he will run off with. On rainy days when the ground is muddy, he enjoys playing in the mud. When he's done, he is covered in tiny, twisted dreaklocks of mud. On snowy days, he is covered in little, icy snowballs. On hot summer days, he is soaking wet. During every season except winter, when the cows are kept elsewhere, he likes to watch the 100 dairy cows across the street parade to their pasture. He barks at them, and some of them stop to stare at him and hold up the line. In the summer, he drags his agility-type tunnel to his pool, and runs through it and leaps into the water, over and over again. About twice a week, he play bows and barks at machinery like the vacuum cleaner, carpet cleaner, riding lawn mower. He expects them to roar and move so he can chase them. Of course, with the riding mower, he is outside in his fenced area, and it is parked on the lawn. He loves to watch tractors go by and to watch the farmer across the street plow his fields and otherwise use farm equipment. At 3:20 pm every day, he watches for school buses and goes nuts (Wheaten greetin') when the kids come home. If they leave their backpacks downstairs, he unzips and empties them. If they leave project materials on the dining room table, he puts all that stuff on the floor. He buries mechanical pencils in the couch. When I fix dinner, he lies in front of the stove. I use the back burners only because of that dog. He relaxes in the evening when the chances of him being able to grab food off the counter are nil, until he decides it is time for us to go to bed. This is when I groom or comb him. He barks at every wild animal out there, and often I take an LED flashlight and we find the animal (usually deer across the street in the field). He sleeps in my closet, surrounded by his things, on a thick memory foam pad that is heaped with blankets and bed pillows he dragged in there. He used to enjoy removing the tassels from DH's loafers, but he has run out of loafers. If I don't go to bed when he decides it is time, he gets a second burst of energy until I go to bed in self-defense. He is an interesting, high maintenance dog, and I absolutely adore him. His New Year's resolution is to learn how to unlock his crate from the inside. DS2 thinks he is working on learning to open the kitchen cabinets and drawers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 my dog piglet begs for food & sleeps - those are her two main jobs. the other dog tootsie follows my every footstep. even in the shower, she sits patiently at the shower door waiting for me. if they aren't doing the above, they are outside having a barking war at the fence with the neighbor's dogs or chasing a lizard or squirrel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Word for the day--"Crepuscular." THanks, Jenny! Riley (Golden Ret) sleeps a lot. He is 10. If I'm home, he follows me around the house, lying down every time I sit somewhere. He has a crate and uses it as his den, often sleeping in there. He also likes to lay in fron of the window/sliding door and watch the birds and squirrels while I'm on the computer. As far as toys, he likes to find biscuits and other treats tied in a bandana or a sock, or lick a frozen stuffed Kong or shank bone. He loves to go on walks, but sadly, like the cobbler's kids who have no shoes, he only gets a true walk a couple of times a week (I'm a dog walker). Our yard is really 40 acres of church land, so he can go out and explore if he wants to, but he really only stays in the non-wooded part of the yard most of the time. He gets the mail and our dd from the bus each day when I'm home at that time, so he does go out several times a day. Right now I have a doggie client visiting--he's a busy little thing, and I really notice the difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 My dog gets up around 7 and goes for a walk. Then she has zoomies around the house and tries to eat everyone's breakfast off the kitchen counter while we are getting it ready. This morning she ate an egg shell. By 8am I have locked her in her crate and by 8:01 she has broken out. By now I have given up and gone to take a shower. She will then sleep at my son's feet while he does school till around noon. Out for another walk, snack break, waiting patiently for my son to feed her part of his lunch, lots of chasing after toys (you have to play with her, she has never played well alone) and then back to napping. We usually head out to the gym/activity around 2:30-3 and get home between 6-7. Dinner for all of us, more zoomies around the house and lots of toy throwing. By 8-8:30 she has actually laid in one spot for longer than 10 seconds and I creep off to another room and hope she has not noticed. My dog is exhausting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windmillmarie Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 This post makes me want a dog. We are waiting until we no longer have an infant in the house, which is good because I have to pay an extra $50 per month to have one pet in this particular rental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I love this! :laugh: My little dog does the same. She's my first little dog, and I don't know if it's her size or breeds (pound puppy with dachshund, scruffy terrier of some sort, maybe chihuahua thrown in there), but she follows me with her eyes if I stay close, and jumps down to trot after me if I start leaving the room. She goes in the car with me for almost all errands, sits on my lap at home, paws at me to play with her or pet her, sleeps between my dh and me, gets very excited to go on walks or, most especially, to get in her bag. She loves her bag. A dog that likes being on the go! Basically, she spends her life on me, next to me, or following me. I'm thankful she's mellow at only 15 months, and when she wants to play we just throw her toys across the room. Ten minutes of that and she's ready to lay down and chew. :) Our German Shepherd does this. I am sitting at the dining room table and just now had to push him off my lap. Now he's on the loveseat and kind of staring forlornly in my direction. I have a great big hairy shadow. :tongue_smilie: But he's still got some "puppy cute" about him at 22 months. Or maybe it's just the eyes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey Mom Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 13 year old lab sleeps most of her day away. When she's not sleeping, she's searching for morsels of food, waiting for an opportunity to get into the trash (any trash can will do), or hanging out on her bed in DS9's room. 5 year old english mastiff spends his days following me around the house. When he sleeps, it's within 3 feet of me at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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