That means “What time is it?” in French.
Because Arnaud is a French Poodle with a confused body clock.
Like exhausted new parents who swear their infant has days and nights reversed, Arnaud’s owners are weary of their dog’s odd perception of time.
Arnaud is five years old, yet still gets up at least twice during the night for a potty party. Once he’s awake, he insists that his owner enjoy the wee hours with him by playing tug-of-war, and then snuggling up on the sofa for a bit of Craig Ferguson.
He’s ready to greet the day at 4:30 AM, and that goes for weekends, too.
Of course, like all dogs, he is a professional napper, so HE has no trouble repeating the ordeal daily. His bleary-eyed owners are currently employed and would prefer to stay that way, so not surprisingly are in serious need of some uninterrupted sleep.
I suggested they do the following:
1. Feed Arnaud an earlier dinner, say, at 5:30 PM rather than at 7:00 PM, so he can digest (and eliminate) during the evening hours instead of at midnight.
2. Take Arnaud for the last potty break right before bedtime, at around 10:30 PM.
3. Implement a rigorous playtime session in the early evening to tire Arnaud out.
4. Not respond immediately to Arnaud’s demands to go out during the night. Make him wait 5 minutes the first night, 10 minutes the next, etc. to train his bladder – and patience – until he gives up and goes back to sleep.
5. Don’t even THINK about Tug ‘n TV Time after bedtime. Arnaud got used to having a playmate at night, and he can get UN-used to it, too. Keep everything quiet, dark, and low-key.
If you have a dog like Arnaud, train him to accommodate YOUR schedule, not the other way around.
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