Spend sleepless hours, composing posts to Champdogs?

I have just had a h**l of a night - hot for a start - so all the windows in the house were left open, and all internal doors, to enable a nice cool breeze to (hopefully) waft through - in the winter we have howling gales if so much as ONE internal door is open :D )

So, that meant that the girls, Vinnie and Loki, decided that they wanted to sleep with us, and that the best possible place, on such a hot night would, of course, be, the bottom of our bed - and of course, that was over an hour after we had gone to bed.  Eventually, managed to persuade them both that they ought to sleep on the floor, and they settled down quite nicely - however discovered that Vinnie has a really ripe SNORE!

1.45.a.m. - barking from the kennels.   Oh dear - Mrs Fox/Mr Badger ?   Turn on CCTV - no nothing happening.   Tawny owl is hunting & screaming around - but why is Freya barking?    Turn over, hopefully, she'll stop.   2.15am - no she hasn't stopped - but we haven't got burglars, have we - (oh yes please, Mr Burglar, please take that black lab - 3rd kennel in - key in the door ;) ) - again check CCTV - nothing :(

Now I do have a problem with going out to the dogs when they are barking, and I have this discussion regularly with a friend who kennels her dogs.  She has close neighbours, so the minute her dogs bark, she is down there, with bones/kongs/treats, in order to keep them quiet.   I feel that this just "rewards" the barking behaviour, so I don't do this - our nearest neighbour is almost half a mile away, so it's not that we're going to be really annoying them - their dogs can sometimes have a barking session & set ours off, as well, but not tonight.    So, obviously, I find my dressing gown & slippers, get up, go down & outside.    Of course, this starts ALL of them off - Thor & Gypsy grumpily from their beds, and Beau all happy - can I come out to play - huh - can I - huh?    Madam Freya is sitting there - nose in air ......howling at the moon .

So, I gave them 5 minutes in the garden, checked water bowls, then tucked Thor, Gypsy & Beau back in bed, brought Freya inside into the Utility Room (remember, Vinnie & Loki are in our bedroom) - and went back to bed.   Of course, before getting back into bed, had to turf Loki out!

Couldn't sleep then - so I'm sure I composed this posting in my head before I actually GOT to sleep.   And I've got to go to work today (only 2 mondays to go :D :D :D ).

Freya, of course, is sleeping the sleep of the "righteous" in the utility room - she's been out for a walk, and gone straight back in there - for two pins, I'd stay at home and wake HER up every half hour or so :D :D :D

Margot

Oh Margot I am so glad it isn't just me who had a disturbed night.

Mine are in kennels too and a recent pattern of not sleeping well has meant that I hear them when they bark which they do on occasion.

I know just what you mean about rewarding barking and I am very reluctant to do so.  I'd compiled several champdog posts in my mind and some would have prompted replies involving the unmentionable collars I am sure!!  Anyhow, it was lovely outside at 3am, even the frog who was hopping about the patio causing the barking thought so (he wasn't the slightest bit crazy OR making an awful ringtone noise).  I let the dogs out for a wee and went back to bed; they were most put out but were quiet.  By 4am the dawn chorus had started in ernest and I still couldn't sleep but the barking started again.  It was definitely an "I can see something" woof and so I looked out the window but couldn't see anything.  Bark, bark, bark continued and fearing reprisals from neighbours went down again; this time Mrs Tiggywinkle was going for a dawn stroll.  She was huge (so probably a he) and I picked him up and hid him under a neighbours hedge with firm reprimands for causing the chaos.

By this time I couldn't sleep so planted some bedding plants around the pond to replace the ones removed by youngest pup.  I replaced the fencing and went to bed again.  It didn't work, I couldn't sleep. They had their walk at 6am and it was lovely out because of low cloud which will surely burn off by 9am. Currently sat in the garden with laptop and 'spaniel slippers' (one on each foot and one filling gap in between).  I've got a busy day ahead and want to do nothing more than sit in a deckchair under the shade.

PS any suggestings for stopping barking welcome!

Margot you aren't alone..............

Had a very sleepless night and feel like a bear with a sore head today.
Wobetide anyone that tries to get narky with me today.....I'll bite their head off. (grrr)
Yes I've got work too...sigh.

I've slept the last 3 nights downstairs with my 'girls' as the oldest had a spay and partial mammary gland removal
on Friday. So I wanted to make sure she was ok etc. Plus if you try and shut the other two away from her
they create merry hell. So in order to keep the peace so to speak I've been downstairs 'supervising'.

What with the dogs and youngest dog playing chase the youngest cat round the room and vice versa plus the heat it has not
been a successful night for trying to sleep...

I can sympathise with you greatly!!
Here's for a good nights sleep soon.