Our dog Ally has a lot of behaviors I enjoy, and one of my favorites is how she sleeps with the boys in their room. If she was allowed to, she would join them in bed. Apparently her previous owners permitted her to sleep in bed with them, which, according to one of the Town Lake adoption counselors, sent Ally mixed signals and can cause a dog like her to be anxious.
We have, indeed, caught her sleeping on beds and sofas on a few occasions (see photo), spreading her fur and odor in rather unpleasant fashion. We shoo her off and inform her she is a bad dog. She lowers her head and wags her tail close to the ground, as if to say, "I know I'm bad....but you still love me, don't you?"
My theories about why she sleeps in the room with the kids are the following:
She sees herself as their equal in the pack hierarchy. They are her brothers. She is one of the kids.
She likes the sound of their breathing and, like Jackson, she's comforted by the knowledge she's not alone.
She has somehow recognized that Diego and Jackson are the smallest and most vulnerable members of our pack and it is her job to serve as their protector. Cesar Millan would like two of the three, but he'd school me on the truth, I'm sure.
Any way you look at it, I think it's the cutest thing I've seen in a while -- the image of this animal, who just one week ago was one of four hundred other dogs, barking and baking in 100+-degree heat, now lying on the carpeted floor between my sons' beds, sleeping in the air-conditioned comfort of my home.
i have 4 dogs Dan, i've actually always owned dogs, mostly big ones, but now i have 4 shitzu/apso mix's who are just as important as my kids. she sleeps with them because she does see herself as a sibling, a big sister who has to look after her little ones.. I suggest waterless spray on dog shampoo. it smells great and keeps their hair really nice... Please dont tell her she's a bad dog, they understand what we say and it hurts their feelings, when reprimand mine i say "thats not good" or "thats not nice" or "your not allowed" they get it, trust me, sometimes better than human kids :)
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Liz. Thank you!
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