The Sleeping and Waking Patterns of Dogs and Kids!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

 

I was thinking today about the differences in my two dogs and how they remind me of my two daughters, especially in how they sleep. Fudge is my dog that likes her sleep. I really think she would be content to sleep all day and she would never get up early. She reminds me of my oldest daughter.  It used to drive me nuts when my daughter had to be up at a certain time, because she would set her alarm clock and when it went off at the designated time, proceed to hit her snooze button about fifty times.  By the time she finally got up, everyone else was wide awake and I was usually hoarse from screaming that if I heard that alarm one more time I was coming into her room with a hammer.

 

Fudge wakes up slowly. She likes to stretch and meander down the steps and out for her first potty break. She is not too keen on Vern body blocking her every step trying to get her to notice him. Vern wakes up happy every single day and wants to share his happiness. Fudge wants to go back to sleep, just like my daughter. I once got my oldest daughter a summer job at the place where I worked. Big mistake!  I wake up like Vern. I like to talk and sing on the way to work. This is not a good combination if the other occupant in the vehicle wants absolute silence so she can extend her sleep time and is really not that friendly until mid-afternoon. Who knew she didn’t want to put her hands up in the air until she reached over and slammed the radio off?

 

Somehow, I must have forgotten the one perk to my job was that it got me away from two bored teenagers.  Needless to say, it was a long summer, and I asked myself every single time she walked by me at work and said, "This job sucks. Thanks a lot, mom!" why I was such a glutton for punishment.  Usually, by 9 am she was at my desk wanting to know when her lunch break started or several times a day she approached me and wondered out loud how I was able to land the worst job in the world.  I finally told her I had my application in for a street walking position, but it turns out, I didn’t have enough pairs of short shorts and the hours were bad, so I took this job instead. She, in turn, told me I was disgusting, but I did not see her again for the rest of the day. Unless you have had a teenage daughter, please don’t judge me, and try to understand that sometimes it comes down to survival of the fittest between mother and child.  We also found out that you can love someone, but not want to see her first thing in the morning.  Maybe this is how Fudge feels about Vern every morning.

 

Vern is not only an early riser; he is a night owl too.  Every morning when I get up, I can tell by the bones he has lined up on the living room floor, that he did not spend the entire night sleeping. He is a busy boy at night. My husband and I are used to falling asleep to the sounds of Vern squeaking his toys out in the living room. He also likes to do what I like to call walk bys. He likes to come into our room periodically and walk by my side of the bed and then walk by my husband’s side of the bed.  I guess he wants to make sure we are still where he left us or maybe see if anyone is in the mood for a late night game of chase. Every time he swings by, he is just as happy to see us as the last time. Sometimes, he sleeps for a while and other times he remembers he has a date with a stuffie out in the living room.  Usually, on date night, it does not end well for the stuffie.

 

This night owl part of Vern is exactly like my youngest daughter.  Both of them seem to come alive when the lights go out.  For years, our youngest has driven us nuts at bedtime. As soon as we wanted to go to sleep, she was either clomping up and down the halls like the Chucky doll sporting a new pair of clogs, slamming doors, running water in the bathroom, or wanting to talk to us about a problem she was having.  The problem is she has always loved those darn Hallmark movies and shows like Little House on the Prairie with the perfect families.  I think she thought we were just waiting in our bedroom like Ma and Pa Ingalls hoping at the end of a long day that one of our children still needed to suck some more of the life out of us.

 

In reality, we were listening for any angry footsteps headed our way and praying they went by our closed door and fumbling to get the lights turned out, just in case.  A couple of times as we pretended to be asleep, she would open the door and declare, “I’m not an idiot,” and proceed to walk in and jump on our bed.  Once, when both girls barged in without knocking, I told them they were lucky their dad and I were not having sex and they laughed so hard I thought they might wet our bed. I think one of them said, “old people don’t have sex!”  Now, years later, we listen for Vern’s dog tags coming our way and hope he settles down before he gets to our room.  If by chance, he has to go out, my husband and I start playing the “wait and see who can pretend to be asleep the best,” game. We got really good at that game when our children were little.  

 

So, what does all this mean?  At this point, I have been a mother and dog owner so long, who knows if I am making any sense. It is clear, though, that kids and dogs come with their own personalities. Some things you can teach and train, but whether or not you are a morning person or a night owl is just something you are wired with from day one, in my opinion. Just like I can't change the fact that I have big feet, I also can't change the fact that I get up at the crack of dawn even on vacation or that my oldest daughter thinks breakfast is at 2 pm when she is home for the holidays. Now, I have two dogs that are as different as night and day and the universe has confirmed, yet again, that what makes my life so interesting and fun is the people and animals I have encountered along the way. No two have been alike. I like that some things never change.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Again, great blog!  When you describe Fudge & Vern - this is JUST LIKE Bexter & Maggie.  Bexter is like Fudge.  He loves his sleep.  He is not a morning dog.  He stretches slowly and is half out of it when I take him potty in the morning.  He does his "business" and then goes right back down to bed.  Life is great with Bexter on the weekends!  Then...we got Maggie.  I great dog & I love her dearly, but OMD!  I was not used to the leaning over all the way onto the bed because she is so tall & swatting me with her big paw.  She is a light sleeper.  I hear her chewing on bones at night & moving positions a million times.  I try to hold MY morning potty break as long as I can until I almost pee my pants because I know that if I get up, Maggie will jump up, sprint to the door, make a million circles around & around & basically buck like a bronco.  She is happy happy happy in the mornings.  Her tail is wagging so hair it beats the wall.  I sometimes worry that in her frenzied state, she'll trample little Bexter who is still lying down in the same position basically trying to ignore the racket!  Now I totally understand!  Maggie is JUST LIKE your Vern!  Oh boy!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

LIsa, Hurry back...I like when you make my head swell :)

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Oh man, I really loved this one. Fudge and Daisy are cyber sisters for sure - along with my DD that makes 3.

Enjoyed wholeheartedly as usual.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Elizabeth!!

[Elizabeth & Cooper]

Fantastic blog! Thanks for sharing and for the laugh! So interesting how each pup has it's own distinct personality and patterns.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Donna, You lucked out with both dog and child :)

[Donna K & Quincy]

Laurie, you are so right to celebrate the differences that make everyone unique. If we were all the same life would be so boring. Since I have only one child and one doodle I can only say they are both perfect sleepers.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jennifer, I told my DD you said she is not as funny as me. Uh oh, now you have gone and done it....LOL!!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

F, Loved the joke and your comment. I laughed out loud :)

Jennifer, No grandchildren YET. Just two grand dogs. It will be fun when it happens, except she lives across the country.

Sue, Your Bella sounds like our Vern. Fudge was so much easier in the sleep department. I keep hoping Vern gets better as he ages. Loved your description about your kid's sleeping patterns.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

My kids are very different as well, but then they are a boy and a girl, so I would expect some of that. Our two slept differently too however it was more the technique and positions that made them unique. She always had to have her "pillow" that mommy made her (still does),another one at her back, rolled up in a ball on her side, had to have the light on, no noise, had to have her feet out of the covers and please no one dare touch her to wake her up! The lightest touch would send her bolting upright and ready to strike.

 Our son could sleep on the floor in whatever position he landed and you could shake him till the windows rattled and he'd barely wake up!  I think they are both still the same way, but they are their spouses problems now but I don't ask!

As for the dogs,  having only had one dog in my whole life before Bella, which is Murphy, I thought all dogs do what he does. Crash at 7:30 pm and not wake up or hardly move till we get up in the morning, around 5-6.am He has done that since he was a puppy and I remember telling the breeder that he is SO my dog to sleep so well.

Next, enter Bella!  She will keep going as long as someone is up and will move around from dog bed, to floor ,to our bed, to dog bed, to door, to back to floor, to back to bed to check to see if we are really sleeping, to dog bed, to back to check again in case one of us woke up....and this goes on all night. She is good at jumping right over Murphy who is laying oh so peacefully at the foot of our bed, so that's good. What's not good is she misses him but usually manages to pounce on a leg or tummy or chest or some other more sensitive part of a human body. We sleep under a pile of pillows to protect the delicate areas.

She does lay down if we tell her, but most nights I'm still trying to play dead so she will get bored and get back off the bed. She does eventually stay pretty quiet until we get up, but the least little movement from one of us she hops right up to lay down right near, or it's more like ON us, lest we decide to roll over and dare to go back to sleep. And ofcourse, since we are all awake anyway, well, let me just keep nudging mommy;s hand so she will rub my head or belly.

Yes they are all so very different. Viva la' difference.