Off Switch

What is this off switch thing you speak of?

Seriously though, Zora has never really had an off switch. Someone sitting on the sofa is basically her on switch. It take at least half and hour to an hour to get her to lie down when I want to hang out on the couch. Before then though you generally have a nose on your laptop, in you your book or in your face. Then comes the toy bringing, then comes the chewing (I swear that dog is actually a beaver) and nudging and then comes the barking. At some point she will lay down though.

When she was younger we had to make her sleep (she's more uncontrolable when she's tired) as in putting her in her crate in a dark room for an hour or so. She would NOT settle down on her own - she was always GO GO GO GO!

We are trying to teach her an off switch - it has worked brilliantly (not). Maybe she'll get it some day. But, it's just how she is.

Zane came with an off switch. As a puppy he didn't need to be crated, the first night he slept on my pillow. Unless you grab a leash or walk towards an outside door, he could probably sleep all day.

Abby was 50\50 as a youngster. She would get the zoomies really bad between the ages of 1-4yrs and appeared to mature and now will sleep most of the day.

Deputy came to me as an adult, so I have no idea. He has the temperament of a LGD, so I think that helps some.

Kieber, that depends. If I haven't exercised him, he becomes the dog from hell. It doesn't help that my dad had taught him to whine.

I had to develop Gabby's "on switch" because her "off switch" came at 100%.

I don't think I saw Bailey sleep consistently out of her crate until she was 10. She wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't have said she has an "off switch" naturally.

I keep forgetting to take advantage of Squash's instant off-switch - just put a sweater on him. He loathes them and forgets how to live with one on.

All of my dogs have a pretty good off-switch.

Oz is an 11 year old beagle so I mean, it's sort of a given.

Cobain is pretty good for the most part, except at home in the evening where he will continually whine and bug to play fetch.

Rigby is great, if I'm not actively interacting with her she will find her own thing which is usually sleeping. She is very quick to jump up if something peaks the interest of the other dogs though. She pretty well came to us like this.

Ruby is hit or miss. She does spend a lot of time sleeping, but throughout the day she will come and punch me insisting that we play her weird games.

Both have a very good off switch. They are never really "on" except when I encourage them to be. They make pretty good pillows and foot warmers.

Frodo came with one.

Siri's came once I tethered her to me for a couple of weeks

This is Watson. He sleeps for pretty much the entire day and is such a good boy, but he can be a PITA for a couple hours every evening. When he was younger I wanted to strangle him about 3 hours out of every day, but now I only want to strangle him a couple nights a week, so that's progress.

I don't know if I could deal with a dog any busier than he is. Being busy and self-entertaining is fine, but getting into everything and whining at me gets old after an hour or two. One reason I got a Welshie over a Brittany is that they are known for having good off switches.

Watson can be so nuts at training facilities that I've had multiple trainers ask me "does he ever sleep at home?" I don't think they believe me when I say he really does sleep all the time, even as a puppy.

Eve came with one. As a puppy she could self-soothe quite well, I could give her something to chew or ask her to settle down on her own and she would. If she wouldn't settle on her own, she'd settle once crated.

She's still pretty good. A little more annoying with the shoving of toys into laps, but that's my boyfriend's fault for always throwing them.

Mine are chill all day because of our work schedules. We worked really, really hard with Rhys when he was a puppy teaching him to settle. Now both of mine don't really get riled up until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. It's great. They are really accustomed to most of our activity being in the late afternoons and evenings.

Henry only needs to be told to 'lay down' and he'll chill out no matter what.