peace with pup

Back when we first got Katie, which was in '96, when we took her to puppy school we were told that it was a bad idea to let your dog on your bed because the behavioral consequences would be dire. Well, fast forward fourteen years to Ruby, our new, huge, and energetic puppy crying in her crate at too early in the morning. Nibs broke down and let her up there.

I was dubious at first, but I have to say that while she's up there, she's no worse behaved than Katie was. (We let her up there when she got so old & arthritic that she couldn't get comfortable on the floor.) I haven't noticed any difference when she's off the bed, either, mainly because when she's wound up she's a holy terror and there's no stopping her. The best way to make her behave is wear her out, and there's nothing for that like playing with another dog, preferably her size.