The Pod-cast

[HangingOver]

Hello PodSquad,

Thank you for being on this crazy ride with us.

Here's the OG thread if anyone wants to go back and laugh at how staggeringly naive I was adopting my first rescue pup: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/5177112-oh-my-giddy-god?page=1

Could someone please explain who this dog is in my house and what they've done with Pod? Because he's been absolutely angelic today. Truly a wonderful, wonderful dog and even coped with my DF and DPs pal coming over for Sunday dinner and sitting up getting merry on red wine.

Or perhaps the collective will on MN have given me a SERIOUSLY needed good day. What a star. 🥹

Aww @HangingOver, Pod looks so lovely.

Sadly Pod's three day streak of good behaviour is well and truly over but it was lovely while it lasted. Today is all about the Bork. Bork inside. Bork outside. Bork at birdies. Bork at sticks. Bork at cattos. Bork at Mum. Bork at door (both closed and open). Bork at Absolutely Nothing At All.

However his calm few days had allowed me to deal with it a lot better than before. I've only shouted "CEASE AND BLOODY WELL DESIST YOU PODFACED BASTARD!" once.

Cats really are Pod's kryptonite. It's really hard when he gets himself into a state where I have zero bargaining chips. Once he gets the death-glaze of feline blood-lust in his eyes, no treato is yummy enough to stop him lepping about like a kangaroo on crystal meth. It's like he goes blind and deaf.

Send help!

Pod and Hanging x

A family can come in all shapes and sizes. Your boy may have 4 legs and ears that'd make Spok jealous but it's obvious he's in his very own, very caring family now 😎
I'm so very glad he found you 💐

Crikey.

Sounds.... Gosh.

Since he's still settling in, I wonder if there is anything the vet could help with... Is there an equivalent of chamomile tea (or something) for dogs that could take his 'a lot' down a level while he learns and adapts into the wunderhound he will be with his consistent care, training and love? 🤔

OMG, cross posted!

As a mum of 2 greyhounds, I feel your pain re. Cats!

Whyyyy must all our neighbours keep multiple, wandering , thick-as-a-brick cats!

We have several that frequented our garden once. I gave them all names.

NDNXCatto (long story) - elderly, cranky, timid, basically used to live with us, moved out in disgust when we went to Australia for the winter last year.

Nightlife: Huge black fluffy thing with no meow, lazy but intimidatingly large

Tiger: fat marmalade tabby with inexplicable hanging tummy, could probably take Pod in a fight

Socks: belongs to herovertheback, tabby with white feet. I loath herovertheback and Socks. I used to have rabbits and Socks terrorised them, the little shit.

I'm not saying I want Pod to eat any cats but if I had a choice it would definitely be Socks.

Lol, welcome to Pod Life op
PS wait until he sees a squirrel..

"I'm not saying I want Pod to eat any cats but if I had a choice it would definitely be Socks."

Evil cackle 😈😈

Ahhhhh yes. When we moved in (at the time with a deerhound, a little lurcher, a terrier, a pretend terrier and a saluki x afghan 'longdog')... it took an astonishingly long time for local cats to realise they really did need to fuck the fuck off and not play Russian Roulette on the fence tops, or come in for a shit.

We had a ridiculous process of sliding out the door without dogs to go and yell in the yard 'all cats fuck off now'... and then let dogs out. At least one semi-feral twat-cat would lurk under the passionflower smugly believing himself to be invisible and/or totally protected, and then panic and hit the levitation mode at the last second. This led two of the more persistent and less bright dogs to be CONVINCED that passionflowers produce high velocity cats, so much shouting at foliage...

Fingers x the Bork Mode is de-activated soon and you figure out what got it activated so you can avoid that in future!

To be fair, Socks sounds like he's got it coming...

Say hello to Pod, or should we say rabbits revenge 😆

OMG - the cat thing😨

Much as I love The Tales of Pod and his funny quirks, I am filled with admiration for all those of you that cope with high prey drive dogs.
I'm at the other end of the spectrum, with dogs and cats that happily snuggle up to sleep together.
Have to say, I'm now glad my cats are indoor cats. Not saying this in a bad way -
I shall continue to follow The Adventures of Pod and try to overlook the cat thing...😬

I love the recent Pod photos. You can really see what a big character he is! I had a dog who was a huge character. He drove me round the bend sometimes, but I loved him so much. I was crushed when he died after 13 years together.

@WiddlinDiddlin that made me snort. I wish you could meet Pod I think you'd like him.

Don't worry, I think Pods zoomies and constant shouting has been enough to stop them using my garden as a cut through.

Me and Pod are snuggled on the eaten sofa. He's having a LONG overdue nap and I'm trying to sleep off my Botox headache.

I do love him, I think he's gorgeous and you are doing an amazing job! Yay for naptimes! I hope your head eases.

So many legs.

You have made an error, @HangingOver , and accidentally rehomed an octopus.

With my pup I've managed to calm down his reaction to dogs, birds, squirrels etc very slightly by stepping on his longline, saying brightly 'did you see a bird?' and shoving a treato in his mouth so he has to turn his head to take it. Of course he then tries to run for it but I'm stood on his lead, so. This only works from a distance at first - but he's better with dogs than anything else and that was the most important thing. I'm not trying to stop him from ever going after a bird - he's a gundog - but eventually I'd like him to check in with me beforehand to get permission to chase. Might something like that work? not sure where you'd get a stooge cat to practice though 😄

We also mistakenly adopted a bag of elbows instead of a dog. It’s easily done!

Oh, I've so loved reading your Pod journey <3 He's a gorgeous and very lucky boy. That he's already sleeping on you seems a massive sign of trust and feeling settled, just lovely. I don't know much about podencos but most sighthounds and lurchers do eventually chill out, so hoping he will too. My lurcher x has a very high prey drive and cats simply don't come into our garden anymore or even cross the fences. She also still very occasionally does the jumping up at me and mouthing, I definitely see it as play and overexcitement rather than aggression, but with these long-legged dogs it really is too much. She did it LOADS as a puppy and it got me so down at times, I understand why you will occasionally feel defeated by it. Certain clothes were a trigger. My dressing gown, long woolly cardigans, fluffy slippers, would (and still occasionally do) set her off. Very annoying in winter!

I’ve been following along @HangingOver and just wanted to say you are doing a marvellous job.
Pod will have more good days over time, we had our rescue for 15 years (not a pod) but it took a really long time for him to settle. I remember one particular episode when the window cleaners came and he ripped
our sofa to shreds and the tv off the cabinet.I almost killed him 😂
After 12 months, he was a different dog and it was like he had always been with us.
Trust takes time.

Oh I do love my wonderful PodSquad.

Just had another call with the trainer. He suggested the door/wall/cupboard scratches might be because his nails are a bit long and suggested a gentle Podicure...

He's having a podi-pedi

I suspect that the good days are an indicator of who he'll be when he's grown up and lost his teenage twat tendencies (or most of them anyway).

I wish I could, I came so damn close to applying for him but I do not think he'd like my house full of reprobates and I'm fairly sure they'd be annoyed at him and it wouldn't have been fair as much as his bat-eared brindleyblackandtan deliciousness appealed to me!

I shall continue to enjoy his adventures as long as you want to post about them!

Anytime you need 'stories of pointy dogs being total wankers' to make you feel better, just yell. I have many!

Pod's Borking Campaign continues in earnest.

Sometimes I can accurately determine whether it's boredom, stress, overtiredness... but sometimes I swear he just enjoys it. He'll stand in the garden with his tail up, slightly wagging, ears pricked, staring straight at me and merrily yelling at the top of his voice. I think it was a bit much for DP today (who is going through a horribly stressful time with work/money and needs sympathy).

I totally underestimated the effect all of this would have on my body. Even though he's only 23kg walking him twice a day and managing his pulling/occasional lunges has completely ruined my lower back and pelvis, even though I'm really strong and fit (probably due to aforementioned musuclarskelital/connective tissue disorder).

We did some scent work today, at trainer's suggestion. He was surprisingly bad at it, for a Warren Hound. So I made a nice easy version where I took all his toys out the box, spread them out and hid a treat under every one. Suspect he may be a halfwit though as, even though he saw me do this, he still missed quite a lot of them.

Due to having to keep Pod quiet because of DPs Very Important Calls this morning he's now had so much pate his poops have turned into stinky splats. No part is pick-up-able. Blergh!

Sorry, @HangingOver , I'm sure I should know this - what are you using to walk him? Since I stuck my hooligan on a training line that clips to the chest and back, his pulling hurts a lot less - he's still pulling but just more manageably!