Part of fixing Lilly’s nighttime anxiety behaviors at home required restructuring our evenings to prevent any conflict over coming inside and to encourage her to remain in the social areas of the house instead of hiding. Rather than confronting the issues head-on, we’re basically creating new routines aimed at helping her relax (with the help of the meds, of course). In the month or so since the consult, we can practically tell time based on Lilly’s location and body posture.
6:00 pm — in living room, playing with food-stuffed toy
7:00 pm — asleep in master bedroom alone (curled up or sacked out flat on side)
** This doesn’t count as hiding, see explanation here.
8:00 pm — asleep on couch next to one of us (belly up, front paws hanging in mid-air, rear legs splayed in entirely unlady-like fashion).
9:00 pm — atop one of us … usually Tom … (half asleep, half cuddling)
9:30 pm — staring at us or puppy treat jar in ploy to get a snack and go to her crate (She essentially tells us when she’s ready for bed.)
The first few nights we noticed the pattern, we just laughed, but now we check the clock to see just how accurate Lilly is. And, with a 10-15 minute margin of error, this is Lilly’s new nighttime routine.
Since we provide the toys and invite the couch visits and cuddling, such comforting contact is NOT categorized as Attention Seeking Behavior. She can kiss, cuddle, and fuss on us as long as we invite it. It’s only the times when she bugs us because she’s upset or bored that she gets ignored.
Dogs are definitely in tune to a schedule. Without being told, Kelly waits at the front door at 5:30 every day, awaiting my husband’s return from work. But she doesn’t do this on weekends! As for bedtime, I usually work on the computer just before bed, and then I shut it down. When she hears the funny little chimes sound as the computer shuts off, she runs to the back door because she knows that she’s going to be let out the last time before bed.