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.

Oh @BrodiePup I know.

Some people make all the training sound so easy and fun 😳but the reality isn't always like that 😩

It definitely does make a difference having a dog from working bloodlines; their instincts to do their job are always going to be much stronger and we have to learn to channel it in the right direction.

I do think it's much harder for you though, with a high energy, active breed. You need to let Brodie offload all that energy somehow while still getting him to focus on what you need from him. In a youngster that's always going to be challenging but particularly if you haven't had a dog from working bloodlines before. I think a 1-1 with a gundog trainer sounds like a brilliant idea for you at this point and, as you said, if you want to take the training further you can.

The only challenge for us is really the recall issue. PMD are not high energy but the working dogs don't work to command at all; they are just left alone to guard the flocks so that's all they know. There isn't really any "training" for that beyond chucking an 8 week puppy in with whatever it's going to guard. The guarding is never an issue for us, nor the barking. They are gently taught the basics at home; they learn what is acceptable behaviour - we have no resource guarding and they are calm quiet dogs in the house. But, recall is a struggle with all LGD.

We've had one that was 100% trustworthy off-lead and would never stray. Three of the boys could be off-lead if we were careful that the area was fenced and there was nobody around, but two of the girls, no. No way they could ever be off the lead anywhere other than our own garden (double fence with concrete posts/chain link inside, wooden panels outside). Reason? If they saw a tiny speck off in the distance, they would go to investigate. Because, in a working situation, it could be a threat. and in a dominant bitch, recall is switched off because the instinct to protect their flock (in this case, us) overrides it. So we had to lead walk for hours but they were happy girls and lived to 12 which is good for a giant breed.

Sorry for the essay 🤓😴🤐 but yes, I really have it easy with a guarding breed compared to all of you here with high energy gundog breeds that have strong prey drive. My only challenge currently is 35kg pulling on the lead but it is getting easier, and aside from that, Brie's behaviour is pretty adult, even now...

Milo has developed a whole new personality in fact I think he has taken himself off to the vets for a brain transplant he keeps taking himself off to his crate to go to SLEEP and leaving us in peace to eat our tea albeit sometimes he tries to lunge for our food.
He hates walking at night - he's cottoned on that the sooner he has a poo and wee the sooner he can go home. We have to drag him across the laminate flooring to get him out of the door 🫢

@CaptainBeanThief

Hi 🙂Was thinking about you yesterday. Hope your recovery is going well...

I still can't drive...
I was sat in the car at about 8 last night whilst my husband called at the large park with Milo and I had a panic attack and I felt like the walls were closing in. I am struggling still with that.
The insurance company has "interviewed" my mum in still waiting for them to get in touch with me ( it's routine)

@PyreneanAubrie they're all different aren't they? Even amongst the same breed. There's a new WCS pup arrived near us, 6 weeks younger than Brodie. He pulls on his lead, but not with the same brute force as B. Brodie puts every ounce of his being into pulling, my husband admitted the other day that he'd pulled him over, and he's 6'2" and 15 stone...he was off balance, but still!
It does sound like Brie is turning into a lovely young lady.

@CaptainBeanThief It really does sound like Milo is turning into an adult. You give me hope for the future!
I'm sorry you're still struggling, it's going to take some getting over. How are you physically? Are you healing?

It sounds difficult @CaptainBeanThief 😟

I do sympathise with regard to panic attacks, I've had them since I was a small child and it is terrifying because you really have no control over it.

I hope things start to improve for you soon and you can get back to enjoying walks with Milo.

@BrodiePup
Oh gosh, I hope you're not put off by your husband being pulled over; it can easily happen if they pull you off balance and I don't doubt at all that Brodie is very strong. From what you say he is a real puller and I imagine he is quite muscular under all that beautiful silky fur.

I've had a couple of close calls with Brie in recent weeks, I must admit, it'll probably happen at some point. I did once slide on my bum into a huge muddy puddle while walking Rosie 😳and I had to walk home looking as if I'd 💩my pants 😆

@PyreneanAubrie I was pleased it wasn't just me to be honest. He's ridiculously strong for his size. Brie is 3 times his size!
Sorry, but I did laugh at your post 🤣

@BrodiePup it's always sounded to me from you chatting here that you're doing all the right things! You'll likely have a fab time at your 1-1 – so much with these dogs, I find anyway, is handler error or inconsistency and it helps so much to be taught properly yourself. If your only issue is loose lead walking that's amazing at his age. I'd say that's our only issue too, though it gets better every day – but she's not on lead much and don't work on it so it's my fault!

I read all the 'what dog should we get' threads and always think, get a spaniel because they're the best – but also, definitely don't! They're not easy and it makes me so sad when I see them waiting for homes in rescue because a family clearly ill-suited to spaniel life got one. I got an email about one earlier and I wish I could rescue her and give her the skills she needs but regrettably one is ample for now.

@PyreneanAubrie I am fascinated by LGDs as before we 'met' here I'd never had any interaction with any! It's so interesting how different dogs they are to the kind of working dogs that I've always known, gundogs, and how different the training (or lack thereof) is.

Thanks @brushingboots
Livestock guarding dogs do have a different mindset, that's for sure. You need to have a very weird brain to live with them 😜

Aw, thanks for that @brushingboots it is nice to get support 😊. We're just doing our best really, we've made a gazillion mistakes along the way.
We decided to book the session as we do most of B's walks individually, and when we go together we always pick up on things that the other is doing that we're not 100% sure about. This guy is really gun dog focussed, but appreciates people having them as pets and wanting to give them happy lives. The last people we went to, even though the classes were for gun dogs as pets, were very sneery about people who chose to do so.
We actually looked into getting a rescue dog, but most of them wanted experienced people, or people who already had a dog. It is something we're considering in the future though.

@PyreneanAubrie I'm finding learning about a type of dog I know nothing about fascinating too. They really are polar opposites aren't they?
What would Brie make of a hyper little spaniel?

@BrodiePup
Brie would love Brodie and all the other pups here. She's really good around other dogs (and cats too), she loves everybody at the moment. Thankfully, all her dog experiences thus far have been very positive. She's a bit of a character though and can be a scamp with people, so while she'd be gentle with Brodie, she would more than likely try to leap all over you with a big toothy grin on her face. Despite being a "guard" dog, they are cheeky and full of fun once they get to know you. They always like to do a nose rub with people who are brave enough; sometimes it's almost a challenge - their sense of humour is evil! I love them so much ❤

@PyreneanAubrie
She sounds an absolute dream!
Wanna swap? 🤣

Random rant....
BLOODY WEATHER!

Does Tigerpup qualify for the thread? He's 13 months and my first ddog. I think he's still adolescent certainly very much a twat sometimes
Recall variable. Lunging on the lead has made a return, although not all the time. No accidents but he has started to just refuse to walk in places where's he's been quite happy to before 🙄.

Hello @TheMauveTiger 🙂
Tigerpup most definitely qualifies to be here. He looks gorgeous but I bet he's full of mischief!
Quite a few of us have similar issues with problematic lead walking on some days but not others...It does seem to be a thing that happens with older pups, and it's good to have a thread where we can compare notes and have a grumble.

Yes, it's absolutely foul here, it has just not let up at all. We're very thankful that we live up a hill!
Milady has given up on the idea of a walk and is under the table, lying on her back and snoring her head off 😴

@TheMauveTiger Tigerpup is very welcome and sounds like he'll fit in perfectly! He's a cutie 🥰

@PyreneanAubrie it's just not easing at all! Fortunately we're at the top of a hill too, I do feel for people who have more to worry about than a dog needing a pee. B missed his lunchtime pee so must be busting, I usually walk him around now and might brave a short one the next time he moves...not looking forward to it!

Marking this thread, definitely in adolescence now I think.

It's tough!!

Ooh another Cavalier 🥰

Just dropping in to say hang on in there with teenage dogs. You will definitely want to swap them for a hamster regularly, and they will drive you to the wine but consistency and training and patience and it all comes together AND they calm down!

Ours is now 3 and he's a joy. At 8 months he was a deer chasing cloth eared little shit 🤣

@SuePreemly Love it 🤣 thank you!

A Good Morning Nose Boop from the big girl 😘

@PyreneanAubrie Morning! Nose boop right back at ya 😊

My beautiful sweet girl has suddenly turned into a superbrat 👿this morning. Stroppy, barky, eating soil, chewing the kitchen mats.... It's not even a regression because she never did stroppy barking as a puppy, ever... 😕

I'm not sure whether to blame it on my husband getting an early morning train to a work conference when she's used to him working at home, or if it's down to me tempting fate by joining this thread 🤔

I am, at any rate, contemplating whether to trade her in for a hamster and a couple of gerbils. 🐹🐀🐁