Telling a four year old it's bed time isn't the easiest task.
Many parents will have been there as a tantrum ensues when it's time for them to head upstairs.
And it turns out that Dalmatians are no different - as Marshall's owners have discovered.
When the yawns come out and he's told it's time for him to head off he lets out a hilarious series of moans and groans in protest, The Mirror reports.
In what has become a nightly ritual for owners Pete and Ruth Hodges, when he's told it's bedtime, he has a good grumble about it – albeit to no avail.
Pete, 55, said Marshall has always been a very reactive boy.
He was first adopted by the loving family, from Medway in Kent, when he was two years old.
And he's proved a talkative pooch, as shown in this amusing clip.
Pete said: “Most things become a conversation and he enjoys making us laugh.
"He will also talk when we are telling him to sit and be good. It’s just his way of being part of the family.”
In the video, despite clearly being tired, Marshall tries to tell Pete and Ruth that he doesn’t want to go to bed yet.
Ruth tells Marshall “It’s bedtime” and he begins whining and moaning.
Mid-conversation, Marshall yawns and eventually he gives in and gets up.
Pete said: “I think he just likes being with us. He is a spotty shadow if one of us leaves the room in the evening.”
After a dramatic and very funny few minutes every night, Marshall goes off to bed and sleeps right through the night like a good boy.
