Changing the Rules

I think I have created a monster. Well, not really, but I can say that I allowed Morey to develop a new habit that I am not too fond of. Once again, it is completely my fault for not nipping it in the bud the first time it happened. What is the new habit?

My bed is the only furniture Morey is allowed on and it is by invitation only. I usually invite him up when it's time for bed or if I'm having a lazy afternoon or evening and watching a movie or reading in my bed. But, Morey has to wait for an invitation and he has always been good at respecting that rule. Until recently.

One night after a late rugby practice, I got out of the shower to find that Morey had already jumped up on the bed and had gone to sleep. I was faced with a decision. Should I wake him up and make him get off the bed, since I hadn't invited him up, or should I let a sleeping dog lie? I decided to do the latter which opened the door to a whole new setup when it comes to Morey and the bed. Now, he thinks nothing of jumping up on the bed whenever he wants to. In fact, at about 8pm, he will get up from his dog bed in the living room and go jump up on the bed! There are several downsides to this (the reasons I established the "by invitation only" rule in the first place).

I sometimes use my bed as a "dumping ground". Meaning at any given time there may be clothes, books, papers, etc. on my bed that preferably need to avoid being smashed or covered with dog hair. Morey likes to use things for pillows so now anything on the bed is subject to a a nice layer of yellow hair. It hasn't rained for such a long time that I have kind of forgotten what rain+dirt+dog equals. Today I was reminded that it equals a muddy mess. I left Morey at home while I went to rugby practice and in order to protect my bed, I just closed the door to my room.

I take full responsibility for allowing Morey to change the rules. It seemed like such an innocent exception to make one time, but from there it was a slippery slope. I am once again reminded of the need for consistency, consistency, consistency when it comes to dog training.