Coupla dogs ago we had a Border Collie that doubled as an alarm clock -- replete with snoze alarm. Every 15 min. she'd let out one little bare audible (how she knew what volume to use we'll never know) bark until we got up to let her out.

She was the only one we could leave outside on her own without concern. When she was done, she's always come back up on the porch and wait by the door. Sometimes she'd want to come in right away; other times she'd want to stay out for a while, catching some air or sunshine. When she was ready, same thing -- one little bark every few minutes -- until someone let her in.

Current furface's day isn't right until he's had a proper "hello" (cuddle) from mom & dad, with exactly one little piece of kibble from each. It continually amazes DW that that one little piece, after eating a whole bowl of the exact same thing for breakfast, could be so important and meaningful to starting his day right. After that he can settle in for his "big snooze" until whenever...

Rituals.

Doc