Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Why are kids and puppies full of beans just before bedtime?

Hmmm?

Enquiring minds need to know.

Floyd The Horse has just started barking at me today.
At the vet he got a pig's ear which he was scared of, it made a funny noise when it scraped across the floor. He barked at it and jumped and pounced around it. Then he'd get close and it'd scrape along the tiles and he'd jump back and bark at it.

Just now he's been barking at me to play with him. Prancing around and barking at me!

It's bedtime, puppy!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah true. We say its because we haven't tired them out with enough activity during the day, but that's just to maintain the illusion that we're in control. Because you can have them hopping around all day and at bedtime still so hyped it seems they'll go on forever.

Old shoe to chew on?

kae said...

Hi Bruce
Yes, I think you're right. Illusory control.

No old shoe, bad habit - they don't know the diff between an old one and a good one. He's got plenty of rawhide chews and and old toothbrush and an icecream container lid to chew on. He KNOWS it's bedtime, I take him out for a pre bed wee and he starts to do the prancing, jumping thing. At bedtime I just want to go to bed.

Because my back's mucking up and I'm home at the moment it's not so bad. I'm also on painkillers which seem to just make my head all "fizz-pop", if you get that. The pain is still there, but the head don't really care. Sleep'd be good.

kc said...

When it's kitties, we call it the Evening Crazies. With children & pups, I think it's a ploy to get s'more time to play with you & avoid bedtime. Cuz Life is so much FUN for them, dontchaknow?

Started physical therapy again this week...hip/back are better but got a headache...maybe not enough caffeine!

kae said...

psst, kc, I have drugs...

I have a disc thing in the small of my back and shoulder problems from whiplash. Sometimes it doesn't take much at all to flare it up.

kc said...

I'm avoiding stronger stuff unless absolutely necessary, Kae. I don't like being stupid, & they all hit me so HARD. Chemically-induced Alzeimers & the effects last longer than I can afford.

Sciatica (smacked my tailbone into the pavement, also always had standing jobs or jobs where I lifted more than I 'should') is generally treatable with anti-inflammatories & stretching & massage. Couple weeks of this I'll be good as new & it won't flair again till Christmas, probably. Hubby blames packin' the pixie around, forgetting we've gone through this same routine at least 3 other times.

kae said...

Hi kc
Yeah, I hate taking the drugs, problem is that I have asthma - I'd prefer to just take nurofen, but because of the asthma I shouldn't. If the asthma's under control I'll sneak a couple of nurofen, but it's been playing up all year this year.
Nurofen works on the pain, panadol etc doesn't.

kc said...

By the way, what do you take - translated to Yank, if you know? I'm either sensitive or allergic to the stuff my doc says would work best.

Better Living Through Chemistry - hormones, enzymes, NSAIDs, stuff to keep my fragile bones from breaking & cholesterol-reducers.

Hell, I don't need a puppy, I need a MEDIC!

kae said...

ha!
You mean aside from hypertension drug (metaprolol) and diruetic (indapamide hemihydrate), & anti SVT drug (flecainide acetate)?

The prescribed painkiller is tramadol hydrochloride, but my preferred - but not with asthma, is nurofen (which I think you have over there anyway).

kae said...

My cholesterol is fine - yippeee. I had it tested a few months ago, a proper fasting test. The SVT is from an extra electrical pathway in my heart. I had an ablation (they burn the nerves on the extra pathway) a few years ago, but they only have 4 hours to do it (you're under light radiation so they can see where the device is, etc, while they map the electrical pathways in the heart, and you can only have 4 hours of that radiation in any session, with a year's break in between if you need it again).
The doctor ran out of time. He told me at a later appointment that the pathway was in an awkward place in the heart to reach and he could try to do the same thing again, or he could do a trans-septal puncture to reach the spot. Look it up. It's dangerous. It's all dangerous!
Anyhoo, the SVT is another reason that I don't want asthma playing up, the reliever can trigger the SVT. Heart rate normally is about 71 beats per min. I've had mine up to over 221. It's uncomfortable.
It can happen if I get tired, too. Or drink too much tea or coffee.

Yeah, you know you're getting old when any drugs you take regularly are keeping you going, as opposed to for "recreational purposes"*.

*disclaimer - that's a joke. I don't take any illegal drugs.

Anonymous said...

Was going to say, Fizz Pop, sounds like Tramadol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramadol

I was on Tramadol 3 years ago for bad leg pain. I would lie down flat, eyes closed, (leg elevated) but mind awake all night due to the Tramadol - Fizz Pop Whirr...

What I did was burn 8 hour mp3 cds, put on headphones and listen thru the night. One thing which saved my sanity was finding downloads of favourite old albums, deleted or rare. There's a forum still with some of these. Any old unavailable 60's 70's Oz lps you're looking for, try here:

http://pub44.bravenet.com/forum/3725630012/

Some discussion about erecting a statue of Bon Scott too. !.

kae said...

Hi Bruce
I think that's the same. But it just makes me a bit giddy and sleepy. Pain's still there, but I don't care.
Would be better if I could just go to sleep, but with the puppy I have to stay awake...

I can take Polaramine, no probs, but can't take sudafed, keeps me awake forever!

mythusmage said...

For hypertension I take Toprol.

For puppies who'd rather ignore bed time, I recommend establishing a bed time ritual. Start an hour before Death to Footwear's bed time with a bit of play. Speak softly and gently, and let him sit with you or on your lap. Chew toys are vital. His adult teeth are coming in after all, and he does need to exercise his jaws.

Considering how smart Mr. Let's Round Up the Dust Bunnies appears to be, if you're consistent it shouldn't take him long to learn that this is quiet time. A time to be with mommy, to wind down at the end of the day. That soon it will be bed time.

Sounds to me like he doesn't want you to leave. Teach him that you'll be there when he needs you, and that it's safe, and his bedtime antics should cease in time.

Either that, or he sleeps with you. When you have a small child life is a continuing round of making adjustments you swore you'd never make.

kae said...

Hi Mythus
My hypertension tabs are calcium blockers(?), which also lower the heart rate. This helps with the SVT.

Now, about the pup. He's paper trained. Once a day. Other times he does the tiles... just did it now. Sometimes he sits at the door, but he won't make noise.
Until it's bedtime!

He's too cute.

Now, we must go to bed. He knows it's bedtime, that's when he gets wuffy.

Nite.

kae said...

Oh, and death to footwear knows footwear's out of bounds.
And power cords.

But I still have to watch him.
He's got plenty of rawhide chew thingies and stuff to chew. He needs that, but I'd rather give him the right things to chew than get him into the bad habit of chewing shoes etc.

Now, must go horizontal!

kc said...

Training a pup to bedtime sounds EXACTLY like training a toddler! And just like a toddler/child/grownup, just because he KNOWS about power cords & shoes doesn't mean he'll stay away from 'em if you're not vigilant.

So many similarities...especially the FUN!