Three dogs are pets, four are a pack. I’ve always loved to have three dogs, it seems just right for me, even in a small farmhouse. They work things out and figure things out.
Since we got Zinnia a new dog bed I’ve been carefully studying the sleeping habits of dogs. They move around a lot, I’ve learned, and most often end up sleeping in every bed at least once. No bed hogs here in the peaceable kingdom.
One thing I’ve noticed at night is that the dogs seem to have a secret signal they send to one another that tells them it’s time to go to sleep. I’ve been watching this and keep track of the time: it’s 8 p.m., almost on the dot.
After that, they no longer come rushing into the kitchen when they hear the refrigerator open. They stop playing, they stop chewing, they each find a bed, and curl up for the night as if there is a secret monitor in their heads.
Every time I check back, I find that the teach has moved as if they are plotting together or moving in sync. I have no explanation. I’ll keep an eye on this, I never noticed it before.
I think Bud is the Sleep Master, he’s giving out the signals that get the others to move. That’s my theory at the moment.
For my boys…one corgi, one border collie the magic time is 7:00. I’ve tried to extend them out, thinking they’ll get me up too early to go outside but nope they go through till I get up at 5:30. No matter where they are at 7:00 they both come, sit and stare at me which means one more time to go outside then they head to their crates. You could set your watch by them.
I love this picture of the 3 Amigos in their beds. Zinnia and Bud especially look so comfy. Interesting your observation about their bedtime being 8 PM. My little 14 year old Zoey does the same thing. I usually watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, and she sits beside me in the recliner, but the minute it is over she heads for the front door to go out, and then she wants to go to bed. Of course I’m not ready to go to bed, but she runs down the hall and climbs her little steps up onto my bed and settles right down for the night. I’m glad to know other dogs have that magic bedtime too.
“Three dogs are pets, four are a pack.” don’t look now, but you’re the pack leader… #4
…and all three are rotated counterclockwise! hmmm
Some years ago we had 3 dogs: 2 Norwegian Elkhounds and an Afghan hound. The Afghan was not our first but a rescue dog given to us by our vet when our 1st Afghan had to be put to sleep ( old age and recurring cancer) This 2nd Afghan was possibly brain-damaged after starvation from babyhood by ignorant owners who had fed him 2 tiny cans of dog food daily and wondered why he got so thin and sick,
Anyway he was a sweetheart but very very dim. Finally, after about a year, but our male elkhound decided he had had enough of him and started a serious fight. Unfortunately my husband, the pack leader, was away. I put my two very young children up on the dining room table and picked up a chair to separate the dogs. I was becoming successful when the Elkhound, Vikna, mistakenly bit my big toe. I howled with pain and the fight ended immediately. Vikna was horrified at what he had done. He fell flat on his stomach, whining, and I had to comfort him. Meanwhile the Afghan, Beau–usually called Booby,
ran to our third dog to be comforted.
When husband returned we took the two fighters to the vet as there was quite a lot of blood. The vet discovered all the blood was Beau’s– he needed some stitches in the neck. The vet said that the 2 dogs should now be separated permanently as this would probably happen again. By some great good luck an electrical wires inspector was there and said that he would love to have the Afghan so we gave Beau to him on the spot, warning him of the dog’s history.
We visited Beau and his new home a week later and his new owners adored him. Just one little incident–he had snatched and eaten 2 steaks from their kitchen counter. Their previous dog had been a daschund!
Our one cat has a hidden wrist watch! He arrives to sleep on my reclining chair at 9:30 p.m. promptly ,which is my usual bedtime. He sits on the arm of the chair and meows at me in a very peremptory way.