Adolescent Dog Survival...Sharing Tips & Tails

[BrodiePup]

Moving on from the puppy survival thread, this is for anyone with a hormonal teenager 🤪

Brodie is just over 7 months now, and is a fun loving pup who is (mostly) a pleasure to be around. My main issue is still walking him which can either be almost a pleasure, or like having a Tasmanian Devil doing breast stroke and bunny hopping down the road 😡. There seems to be no reason for which dog gets attached to the end of the lead, but at least it shows he can do it if he's in the mood!

We've also had our first proper tummy upset this week 🤢 no doubt due to some rubbish he picked up and swallowed before I spotted it. Thankfully it seems to have passed now.

@BrodiePup sitting watching cats is excellent – I wish we had that! She thinks that all cats want to be friends which they obviously do not.

Have a super time at the coast – lucky B!

@LemonPalmz thank you so much, I will just have to grit my teeth and do it. I just know he will protest bark at first and it makes me cringe! My poor neighbours...

@cavalierchaos I really hope it helps. Sounds very hard. I really struggle with other problems with LemonDog so I definately don't know all the answers.
TBH the reason I prioritise quietness for my neighbour's so highly is more selfish than selfless. Yes, I do really care about my neighbour's peace and quiet when I stop to think about it. But my main motivation is that I know if Lemon Dog caused my neighbours noise problems it would ultimately cause me problems - of not feeling comfortable in my own home; not feeling comfortable going out without Dog (lest he bark home alone); and I'd fear that the repercussions of any potential complaints about his barking could become utterly heartbreaking for us if I my circumstances changed and I couldn't afford to move (as many people simply can't). So I prioritise keeping him quiet for me and him mostly.
Lemon Dog is naturally quiet anyway and I can't take much credit for that (he has many other problems instead!). I went to see 4 litters before I saw his litter. His litter was the only one (and the only dog parents) who at 8 weeks old didn't make one single woof or whine between them during my ling visits which was one of the (many) reasons I chose his litter. I chose him from the litter because I just liked the blighter the best.
Cavaliers seem like truly lovely little dogs. Good luck!

Pupdate from us:

We have the opposite issue from excitable barking - we have a silent guard dog 😆She is exceptionally quiet, rarely barks or whines aside from asking to go out for toileting. We're also in terraced housing with neighbours all around so I understand the worries of @Cavalierchaos but @LemonPalmz has clearly also had to put in a lot of work on this score and her ideas are helpful, so hopefully there are ways around it. I do think I'm getting off lightly with my girl; our previous pup was much more of a barker whereas Brie is more like our first boy, very calm and watchful. At home she has always been good, but out and about, less so...

We still have lead pulling, lead biting, sleeve grabbing and jumping up but we haven't called in a trainer (yet) or gone to classes because we know that 99% of trainers would take issue with the fact that we don't let Brie off the lead. She is way too independent minded for us to risk it and she isn't food driven so all our walking has to be on the lead. Yes @brushingboots , it is bloody hard but that's the way it is.

At approaching 7 months we're just getting to the point where the cuteness is diminishing and people are noticeably less inclined to want to cuddle her. Obviously she has no concept of her own size, she's mentally still a puppy with puppy traits but we have to be mindful of her size with regard to her greeting people. Another reason for not letting her off the lead in public. She is very amiable and we trust her 100% as regards showing no aggression to dogs or people, but she's massive so the rules have to be different. Bit sad in some ways tbh 😞

@PyreneanAubrie Will she ever be able to go off lead/have your others? As we've said before it's so interesting to learn more about breeds that we're unfamiliar with. I was out walking with a friend this week and it was interesting just to watch how my spaniel operates so differently to her JRT – just a totally different attitude to life, with a different purpose. It fascinates me to compare them and observe the way they approach the world.

If we ever bump into you I will certainly want to cuddle her, however old she is – on her terms! (As per the 'touching' thread..!)

This morning's walk was less of a walk and more of a swim – it is so wet and the river crossing we usually use was flooded so it was literally a bridge too far, which is fitting, given pupsy is named after that real life bridge!

@brushingboots yes, definitely, with regard to the different breeds - the dog park Bill goes to is a constant education. There's an Akita puppy who is never off the lead while other dogs are there, because he desperately wants to play, but he's 45kg and he just sits on other dogs (Bill always goes over to lick his muzzle and be sat on 🙄). Then there are Labrador puppies, some of whom are just demented, even at a year old - they're like furry missiles and they body slam. Bill's bestie is a Lab but not quite so physical, so he's happier playing with her as other Labs his own age have now outgrown him and he gets a bit worried by them. Then there's the spaniels and cockerpoos - they all chase and bark, with a bit of rolling around, but not quite the cannonball/sumo wrestling of the Labs. The collies either ball chase or try to herd the kids in the playpark next door - and only if they have nothing to play with or herd will they run around too. JRTs don't give a shit for you, your dog, or anything except their own ball; and the whippet/lurchers run like the wind but often aren't allowed off lead because the fences are low.

Mind you, even having a shortarse doesn't always save you from escape artistry - the little sod spotted a cat the other day and managed to squeeze through the gap between the fence and the gate. I don't know which of the three of us had the biggest heart attack. Hoping it was just an OMG moment and not the beginning of adolescent brain fade - his recall was great today so fingers crossed.

We have a common fairly near and he can be let off lead there which is just a joy for him. But you do need recall as obviously other dogs are there (and may not have the manners of those that go to our little dog park, which is largely frequented, for obvious reasons, by very social dogs). There are also horses, so Bill goes back on lead or I pick up his long line when we're close enough for him to get curious.

I really, really need to work on his lead walking though. He pulls like a train when he's keen to get somewhere, and I've let it go, because it's not on every walk, but now the surfaces are slippery he's a menace...

@brushingboots
We only had one (female) who was 100% trustworthy off lead; she was aloof to the point of rudeness and had little interest in people or dogs so she never strayed far from our side. Two of the boys could be off lead if we were very careful that there were no people around. We've had three that could never, ever be off the lead anywhere because they were escape artists and would jump a fence to go and investigate a speck in the distance. We suspect that, unfortunately, will likely be the case with Brie because she's very independent minded.

We've definitely found that the more intelligent ones are harder to teach recall to, which is odd because it seems it should be the opposite... but clever LGD always think they know better than you do and have a bit of a "f**k you" attitude. Brie's breeder told us when B was 5 weeks old and we had the choice of her or her sister, "this one is highly intelligent" and, oddly, our vet said the same to us when Brie was 16 weeks... She is a funny one. She's like an old soul.

There seem to be more dog fields springing up so if we can find one in the area with high enough fences we might be able to let Brie run, which would be nice. That's another reason we'd like a second dog before too long, so they could play together.

Does your girl like water or did she have no choice on your walk? I never know if it's quite normal for a dog to walk around puddles or not... I'm just thinking that maybe gundog breeds like water. I agree with you that the differences between breeds or types are fascinating and since coming to The Doghouse I have realised how little I know about training dogs. I'm learning stuff every day.

@PyreneanAubrie Ahh, that’s so interesting! How tall is she – kind of greyhound sized? Honestly I’m dying to meet her haha. She sounds like such a little love.

Pupsy loves water, though it took her about a year to embrace swimming properly, and now she absolutely loves it. She’s pretty trustworthy along river banks because she’s too scared to jump into the unknown without just cause, but give her a lake and she’ll be right in. We are yet to go to the beach though and that may be a whole different ballgame.

This was her expression when she got back in the car this morning – shivering, poor thing! She went straight in the bath, didn't pass go, didn't collect £200.

@Bupster How does he get on with the horse poo down there? I had trouble with it when she was little as she thought it was super delicious, but I now use it to proof her ‘leave’ and it works like magic.

I’ve never met an Akita – 45kg as a puppy! That is a whole other world that I can’t comprehend.

We have trouble with cats which really distresses me as I’d love to have one (were it not for the anxiety I know I’d feel about having an outdoor cat), but she hasn’t had enough proper exposure to any and so thinks they’re for chasing. It’s just embarrassing when we see one if she’s on a lead – she’s like a dog possessed.

I never know if it's quite normal for a dog to walk around puddles or not

Ours both love water, but will often choose to walk round puddles if possible, unless they want a drink from them. They'd never choose to get in a puddle and lay down or wallow in it which I know some retrievers like to do.

@brushingboots

Awww, the little sweetheart - she looks chilled to the bone. Oh, beach is going to be interesting for her, isn't it? Algy went in the sea up to his knuckles at Lytham (so yeah. approx 2 inches maybe, but no more!). None of ours has ever wanted to swim, even Sylvie when she was off lead and came upon Labs and Spaniels in the reservoir, she wouldn't go near the water.

How tall is Brie? Currently about 27" at the shoulder so yep, kind of greyhound height but obviously more bulky. I could show you one of my others for size; I think I'm bundled up enough for it not to be too outing as a photo... for reference I'm 5'3"...

@brushingboots He usually responds to 'leave it' but I have occasionally had to physically lift all 19.5kg of him out of a pile of poo of about the same weight😄

Philip the Akita was at the dog park again tonight. Bill was exhausted, but still ran over, licked his muzzle, got sat on, wriggled out and went back and did the same again 🙄Does anyone remember the kid's book Flat Stanley?

Yes @Bupster , I do. Flat Stanley was mentioned often in our house when I was a kid!

I can't help chuckling at your tales of Philip the Akita, he sounds quite entertaining 😆

I'll try to get a picture next time. Bless him, he'd love to play properly, but they just daren't let him off-lead. There's a little JRT/corgi cross three weeks younger than Bill, who also loves to get sat on, that I'm not sure Philip entirely recognises as a dog. In fairness Benjy is closer to one of those gremlins who've been doused in water after midnight.

@Bupster Philip!! What a superb name. I love a dog with a human name. We have a friend with a pointer called Steve and it makes me laugh every time.

@PyreneanAubrie Wow, so big – about your hip height?! And as you say, bigger still than a grey because of the width. I know you say you don't 'train' them per se but achieving happy, healthy, well-balanced dogs at that size is frankly amazing.

Pupsy just barked all the way through supper, ignoring the stuffed hoof I had lovingly prepared. So, so tiresome.

@brushingboots Bill is wildly over-tired and is currently trying to chew the feet off the box the DVD is sat on. He has been grumbling loudly and relentlessly for a whole hour now because I won't keep shovelling stinky bully spaghetti into his face. The only thing preventing him being sold for kebabs is that the grumbling is so strangely articulate and therefore very funny.

Scary moment on walk today - two off lead big dogs (looked like staffies/XL bullies-not sure) causing trouble. They were pelting around, knocked a little girl over, lunging at surrounding dogs. One came for my pup but got tangled in the flexi lead (ha) so I picked mine up (getting my jumper all muddy). Nobody was hurt but it all happened fast. The owners were swearing at passers-by who were telling them to put their dogs on leads.

I tried giving a chew to pup as we left the house, but it didn't work. I went back in and closed the door about 5 times but each time he still barked and a neighbour walking past commented that he'd "found his voice". Then I gave up. It is just soooo embarrassing!

Puppy tax

@Cavalierchaos That must've been scary! It's one of my greatest fears since getting B. My mum was in a similar situation many years ago and picked her cavalier up, she got badly bitten on her upper arm. The police told her it was a silly thing to do, but I would do exactly the same. It's a natural instinct to protect isn't it?
I'm sorry you're still struggling with the barking, fingers crossed it will pass.
With a cute face like that I could forgive anything 🥰

So glad you're okay, @Cavalierchaos . That really frightens me too - Bill's doing so well but it only takes one scary experience to knock them off track. I would absolutely have picked him up and he weighs a bastard ton.

I also worry about him and smaller puppies - he can be quite overwhelming if they're shy and don't want to play, and that must be scary to the pups.

Sorry @Cavalierchaos , that must have been a horrible experience for you and your pup. I hope that it won't dent your confidence.

I must admit that although my puppy is big, I am terrified of off-the-lead dogs rushing up to us, because I wouldn't be able to pick her up and I don't think she would defend herself.

I regularly curse off-lead dogs running up to us as ours is still very much in training. Over a month ago he lunged to play/chase an off-lead dog that had come over to investigate us, yanking me over and fracturing my knee.

Oh @DoggoQuestions that's not good. I hope you're recovering.

I think all of us experience issues with uncontrolled dogs/clueless owners at times. It does seem to have become a worsening problem over the last few years.

@DoggoQuestions Ouch! That's really not good. I hope you're on the mend.

Took B to the beach today, he was tearing around in sheer puppy bliss, minding his own business. He just ignores other dogs, when another dog came pelting from a long way away, rolled him and grabbed his throat 😡.
Stupid owner eventually got to us with gushing apologies...it's not bloody good enough! Fortunately B wasn't hurt and is so chilled out that he didn't seem bothered. You don't know what to do...get involved and get bitten? When they're rolling you can't even get your boot in, in case you catch your own dog.
If B was remotely snappy, he would be muzzled or never let loose.
It totally pisses me off!