Our dog is usually such a good girl: calm, well-behaved, settling down when we ask her to. But this evening it didn't work out that way! It was the first time we had seen our friends in ages. Lockdown was easing and we were finally able to go out for a meal.
We chose the table wisely, making sure there was plenty of space and there was somewhere comfortable for her to sit. She isn't very old to be expected to sit through an evening meal. We had been for a nice walk beforehand, making sure she had had time to play and burn off some energy. We had given her a little snack before we went out, so she was not going to be pestering us because she was hungry.
She usually behaves really well. So it was completely out of character, unexpected you might say, when she didn’t settle and started seeking our attention. She began scratching at my leg and then barking. The barking went on intermittently and she started jumping up, a behaviour which we thought she had grown out of.
We tried putting her in the dog bed provided but she wouldn't rest. We even resorted to hiding treats to try to get her to go in it, but she just wouldn't settle. Our friend suggested she might want to be closer, so we moved her bed under our table and comforted her, stroked her ears, and she did finally go to sleep.
But we should have spotted the signs!
We were too focused on our own agenda and trying to avoid the embarrassment of having a badly behaved dog in public that we did not think of what she needed. She had been trying so hard to tell us her needs but we completely missed the message... until we got that message loud and clear! As we were leaving the pub, right in front of the main bar, Ottolie’s needs overcame her. She squatted and left one very big, very smelly message right there on the floor!
As parents and educators we have a lot to learn from Ottolie’s “message,” her behaviour and our responses (or lack thereof) that evening. Hopefully their behaviour is not so extreme, but however your child is behaving we need to spot the signs beneath the surface in order to support them in whatever they may be struggling with.
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