Sleep training

While Steve and I wound up being happy we had signed up for the four-day Libertopia festival this past weekend, three days was enough for us. I'm sure it was enough for Dionne too. But I'm thrilled to report that she accompanied us everywhere at the festival, and her conduct throughout was impeccable. This included a full seven hours of having to lie quietly in lecture halls.

To behave well under such circumstances, a dog needs to be able to settle down and sleep. Sleeping is almost never Dionne's default mode when she could be doing anything else. But clearly, she's learning to do it when she has to.

As Dionne's capacity to zonk out has grown, Steve also has grown increasingly confident about her ability to go 9-10 hours at night without needing to toilet. I can't remember the last time she had an accident in her kennel (once we got through the first week or two). But for many months, we were ever so careful to take her out for one last toileting opportunity at the last moment possible -- typically when Steve leaves his office around 10-10:30 to go to bed. But he says now if he takes the dogs out at 9, as he did last night, and tries to take them out again at 10 or 10:30, they have to be dragged out and then they just stand and stare at him sleepily.

Small reminders that we are all continuing to progress.

This was last night, when then canine crew was down for the count.