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.

I know this isn't the right place to post medical stuff, and I'm ringing the vet's first thing tomorrow, but has anyone seen anything similar to this bent nail? He was running around and digging quite happily this morning. I noticed that the nail was slightly askew maybe a few days ago, then when I tried to touch the nail to clip it today he whined like I was really hurting him (I immediately stopped, obvs). This evening he was subdued and limping very slightly at the park (but he's also very tired tonight). He's still acting largely as if he's fine, but now I'm aware of it, he's definitely slightly favouring that leg. How guilty should I be feeling that it was someone else that pointed out the limp, and that I didn't spot it immediately it was injured and take it seriously? I'm going with full 100% overwhelming all-consuming guilt right now obviously.

@Bupster Hi, they're a worry aren't they? I would say it looks something sore rather than serious. I've not seen it in a dog, but one of our cats who was a bit of a scrapper sometimes pulled claws. We used leucillin, definitely worth keeping in, it sterilises, soothes, heals etc. I wouldn't mess with it until it's grown a little.
Definitely speak to your vet, who will no doubt suggest a consultation, antibiotics etc etc, but maybe worth it for peace of mind?
Have you got video vet advice with your insurance?
I am absolutely no expert, just wanted to reply x

@Bupster No guilt parties here, ma'am! As you say, he was fine earlier, and limps can come and go, especially on uneven ground, so please do not beat yourself up!

Can't say I've any experience here – can only echo @BrodiePup's suggestion of a bottle of Leucillin. We have a pet plan thingy with the vet for basically unlimited consultations plus jabs/flea/wormer etc – if you've got the same/similar, it's probably worth a trip in if only so that if it happens again you know what to do next time.

While I'm here I'd just like to say what beautiful toes Bill has. He has clearly inherited the lab toe setup rather than the grinchy spaniel one.

@BrodiePup Sorry to hear about your horrid beach encounter! Aren't people just absolutely dreadful?! Seems to have been a weekend of it, what with @Cavalierchaos's encounter too.

Sometimes I wonder whether the general standard of dog ownership is actually diminishing, or is it just because I read and watch so much more about it all? (And pupsy is by no means perfect, hence my reading/watching!)

My pup just weed on my boyfriend's gym equipment... First 'accident' in two months, but it doesn't seem like an accident when you make the effort to cock your leg up against something!

Also, I thought my dog was 10 months old this weekend - he was born on the 12th January, and when I count it on the calendar it works out at 10 months. Except the vets' system says he's just over 9 months, and this random calculator online says he's 9 months too.

I'm so confused!

Also yes, what is up with these irresponsible owners! I'm glad my pup is small enought that I can pick it up. I'd rather I got bitten than him!

OMG @BrodiePup 😧how horrible. I hope Brodie is okay. Some people are just in denial about their own dogs these days. I hope it won't spoil your holiday...

@Bupster Ouch! Poor Bill. That must be painful. Hope your vet can help.

Thanks everyone, he's fine. Nothing bothers him...so far...
It just annoys the hell out of me. It's one thing I didn't consider when I decided to get a dog after so many years, I actually think it would've put me off. The standard of dog ownership has gone...erm...to the dogs 🤣
The amount of times you read that the dog is awful on a lead, it has no recall, so all the poor owner can do is take it to the park and let it off...WTF!?
Grrr, will stop being so ranty now 😊

@Cavalierchaos B was born on 20th of February, he's 8 months old today.
Your pup is just over a month older, so 9 months and a week or there abouts.

@BrodiePup I am SO angry for you and Brodie! Is he ok? This is why dogs go from really happy brought up properly and then it takes ONE aggressive dog to attack and then can ruin a pups life!
I'm really struggling with Milo and daily life at the moment. I am so detached from him.
My husband just took him to the local place where we go - he ran off didn't come back for about 30 minutes running back to him then running off. I just can't cope at the moment and I'm really down and depressed.

@CaptainBeanThief

Sorry you're feeling low. Wish there was something I could do... xxx

We got our pup at 8 months. He's a year next week and has gone from a nervous, trembling wreck, not house trained, not used to a lead or being outside to a semi-calm and well-behaved (ish) dog.

But he still jumps, pulls and recall only works if no distractions, so we keep him on lead, pull him in tight if we see a cat/fox/off-lead dog, and practice recall in a private field.

He's our first so it's not like we've got tonnes of experience. Just enough common sense to know not to let an untrained dog loose!

He is a big boy though. Most untrained dogs/dim owners do seem to be smaller breeds because they're treated like babies instead.

V sorry to hear how you’re feeling @CaptainBeanThief. What’s Milo’s problem with the running off? Can we help from afar? (From one Spaniel Woman to another x)

@CaptainBeanThief Aw thank you! He's absolutely fine, I think it's me who's most annoyed.
I'm sorry you're feeling so rotten, hopefully it'll pass soon and Milo will start behaving himself. They all have days when they're complete monsters.
Sending hugs x

@DoggoQuestions Bless you for giving him a loving home, it sounds like you're doing an excellent job.

@brushingboots
I don't know.
He only seems to do this to my husband. He wouldn't dare to me. He takes the piss out of my husband and I'm feeling really down because my husband has a new job so I have had to do 99% of EVERYTHING!!
He has his moments off lead but never like that, but then I don't understand why my husband let him off when he knows he gets stressed with him off lead 😡
I am just feeling so down and depressed recently like I am such a failure. I can't do anything right and I am sick of it :-(
X

@CaptainBeanThief
Oi! You supported me through the summer as a fellow cocker Mum, you gave me some great advice and genuinely made me laugh out loud at times with your messages. You absolutely did something right then, and a huge help when I was thoroughly fed up.

From the little I know you've had a shit year being poorly, and then the car theft. I'm not surprised it's all caught up with you. The extra pressure of your husbands new job has come at a bad time, but these things usually do.
Cut yourself some slack and take care xx

Look for a local private dog-walking field. They're only about £10 an hour (and we're near London). Much less stressful to practice off-lead training.

@CaptainBeanThief Hope you're okay. It sounds like you've had a lot of overwhelming things all at once, which includes Milo. Spaniels are not always comforting dogs when you're struggling, are they, especially when they're young?

Bill's only got any recall at all because I've taken him to fairly safe spaces on a long line so I can pick it up if he doesn't respond. I also take super treats for recall - so chopped up braising steak, or chicken, or great big lumps of pork chop. He knows that recall means stuff he doesn't get at any other time. I still think if he got a nose on a really exciting scent, or if he was on the chase, I'd have no hope though - it's his half-a-spaniel brain, you can almost hear it clunk in and the ears close down. But yesterday he came back to the whistle from over 100m away (and about 5 metres from some large horses) in high winds when he couldn't hear me calling so we've got some progress despite his new hormones.

He's not limping this morning, but I'm going to ring the vet's anyway about that damaged nail as I think it probably needs clipping away, and if it's causing him pain then it might need some sedation or something to do that. He's off to daycare HQ for the day - wish all of us luck as the prospect is making me a nervous wreck.

@CaptainBeanThief You are not a failure! By all accounts you’ve had an awful lot on and still do have so give yourself a break, for a start. And you know you can whinge here if you need to. I hear you with 99pc of everything – same here too, and dog dad is away now for six days which is just great. Or as I described it to him earlier, 12 dog walks.

I’ve recommended it before and I’ll recommend it again – Pets at Home’s £1 squeaky dinosaur for recall backup, if your husband is having the piss taken out of him by M.

@Bupster your recall snacks sound amazing! I reckon I'd recall for steak. Makes my pheasant pate look a bit rubbish. Glad to hear Bill wasn't limping this morning and I'm SURE you'll have got through the daycare drop-off just fine this morning and that he'll have had an ace time.

Those ears!!

@brushingboots I was an anxious wreck all day and he was apparently absolutely fine, despite greeting me like I'd safely returned through a live volcano. I mean, I know they have to say they've been fine, or you'd never go back, but I totally believe it. He's apparently now besties with a 13-year-old border terrier called Gary. I have a video.

He wanted to go up to the dog park when we got back but for not much more than a wee, even though his favourite older dogs were there (he hero-worships bigger, older dogs, it's very sweet - one is an ancient and venerable 15 and can barely see, but is genuinely happy for Bill to lick him enthusiastically on the nose).

His dodgy nail looks to be coming completely off. I'm still taking him into the vet's tomorrow as it can't be okay for the quick to be exposed like that? Don't know whether that was making him a bit wary of the dog park or he's just exhausted - he's been out cold since he got back.

I would also recall for steak btw.

@Purplecatshopaholic opening doors is going to be fun!!! Bill worked out how to open zips at 12 weeks old. I realised when I left a cool bag by the door ready for the car, and saw him trotting through the house with an entire block of cheddar in his mouth 😄One of many reasons I didn't bother trying to keep him in a fabric travel crate after that.

Best life 🤎

Just got back from emergency vets after Bill threw up eight times tonight - nothing left inside him by the end, poor bug. By the time we'd got there, he'd stopped puking, but started farting spectacularly. They gave them one of those awful anti-sickness jabs that hurts - it was horrible. He's so exhausted now he hasn't even whined for food. He's fast asleep next to me and I'm checking his breathing every five seconds.

@Bupster ddog had
to have one of those jabs when he was 3-4 months old. He kept eating the vomit every time he threw up. I had to try and get in there quick to mop it up before he slurped it back up. He wasnt sick again after the injection so hopefully it will be the same for your dog. I couldn’t help thinking I wish we could have those jabs too (I think he caught norovirus from me). Hope he’s better soon