08/23/2026
Oh, we sabotage this time and time again.
They've been moving, sniffing, watching, exploring. Maybe they've seen another dog, chased a ball, played with a friend or blasted around a field at warp speed factor 10.
Then we walk through the front door.
“Right, time for you to rest.”
But their body and brain may still be catching up with everything that just happened. And then we make it even harder.
We want them to rest, but we're still active.
We potter around.
Call back that friend.
Make something to eat.
Have a cuppa.
Read something or watch something.
Their eyes can be following our every move.
That true, restorative rest and sleep can be much harder to come by if we're plodding about, eating that sandwich or ringing that person.
Some dogs can be absolutely glued to our movements.
The next one is another biggie.
Where is their bed?
Why do we expect them to sleep, yet do everything around them that makes that pretty much impossible?
How much traffic goes past it?
Do the kids play three feet away?
Are they watching everything happening outside?
Does somebody pat them every time they walk past?
Is the cat always disturbing them?
Is the room simply too warm?
Good rest, real rest, doesn't need much.
But it's rarely about “just exercise”
What’s the one thing most likely to interrupt your dog’s rest?
