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. 🥹

I was listening to radio 2 this week and they were talking about playing YouTube fireworks noise to desensitise your dog, starting quieter and going up, so it's not all a shock at once... Worth a try?

Fireworks was the official excuse I gave for the shitting but they don't actually start til 8 here. I think he was just really happy with his piggy.

"I'm so happy I could squit!" 😄honestly I'm killing myself laughing over here but WITH you obviously not at you. Ahem.

Oh wow laughing again! Not at you of course. Well done on handling the walk - he is so cute I bet you can’t stay mad for long.

Wormers can give them a tummy ache and, just like with my kids actually, when they have butterflies/upset tummies, they go a bit hyper. So wonder if wormer made him extra loopy on his walk and with his pig's ear?

Yep. Let's go with this explanation.

Fingers crossed for a better day tomorrow!

I once had a young deerhound, who, terrified of the turd hanging out of her bum suspended on a long blade of grass, ran full length of the garden, through the back door, kitchen, hall, up the stairs, round the bedroom, back down the stairs, wall of death round the living room, back down the hall, kitchen and back out...

Screaming like fucking banshee... and she was the size of a small horse.

The RSPCA officer sat in my living room drinking a cup of tea (following up a malicious report about some dogs I didn't even own), just stood there open mouthed...

Fortunately she had seen that my dogs were all fit and well and looked after before this event occurred and had concluded the report was clearly malicious (hence the cup of tea!).

I caught the giant hairy banshee beginning her second lap, extracted the terrifying blade of grass turd with a bit of kitchen roll and calm was instantly restored, dog back to mooching bits of biscuit from all.

Lovely RSPCA lady: 'is that noise... normal for Deerhounds?'...

Me: 'Some days... yeah.'

One day you'll be as immune to this as the rest of us loopy sighthound people... the fact you find it funny is a really promising sign!

Oh God, non-dog owners must think we're completely nuts!

You are reminding me that both the wormer and the flea/tick treatment I gave my dog the first time made her go doolally. She got a different one next time with no ill effects.

Anyway, hope today is better!

@WiddlinDiddlin please keep this anecdotes coming they are saving me 😂

With his usual intuition, trainer was right the Pod is still in his jumpy/barky mood so probably no walk today just lots of playing in the garden and enrichment activities.

Whoever invented those stuffed bones is a genius. I've taken to putting in a tiny squidge of primula and using the end of a spoon to smooth the bits of whatever crap is in there up the sides so he can reach it, which buys me a good 30 minutes of calm boi each time.

Have filled a Kong with dog food and popped it in the freezer as well which I'll test out tomorrow when I'm working.

He did a whole hour in his crate asleep yesterday so I think when we start testing him out alone he'll be okay.

If one of us gets up and leaves/goes upstairs mid-snack he doesn't even notice at present.

Last night during fireworks

@HangingOver
This boy has so much trust in you already ❤

I always walk with a tube of primula - it’s the Cheese of Calmness for when my sight hounds get jumpy

Actually that's a terrific idea, I'm stealing that

An extra tip is to take a flip top off a tube of toothpaste and put it it on the primula cheese tube. Saves worrying about the lid!

That last photo is gorgeous @HangingOver

Defo do it @HangingOver, it’s been a god send for me as one of my Pods is really anxious. And @Abbaa has a good tip above too

You guys are a MINE of helpful tips! Any more you can offer much appreciated because I went surfing for a couple of hours and DP reported Pod had been "Shoes" while I was out (as in, "I've threatened to turn him into shoes").

Things he likes:

• snuffle ball/mat
• lick mat although he gets a bit frustrated
• filled bones he ADORES, he had a new one yesterday and he was quiet for two hours
• pig/buffalo ears
• "dead animal" toys, like his crackly pheasant, especially if you tie a string to it and pull it about
• buffalo chewies
• stuffies with that thick canvas type covering on them so he can gnaw on them
• dismembering stuff

Things he gets bored of quickly:

• toys that don't squeak
• most animal chews, including his previous favourites, cow skin and pizzles.
• ball- yak chews although this might be because he has access to it all the time.

Things he has not interest in:

• rope toys
• hard chews like nylabone (that was £20 completely wasted)
• any plasticy type chews

Especially any tips for helping to get him to sleep for him naps. He's currently pacing around whining and barking. Constantly wanting to go outside just to yell at everything.

He's SO tired but it's like he has to fight it for hours before settling down and then the tiniest thing will wake him again.

When my dogs have been puppies, we have had a nap time in the middle of the day, where they went in their crates, the door was closed and I put a blanket over the top to block out the light. There was some resistance at first, but they soon learnt to settle down and go to sleep. It was the best think for manic, overtired puppies. When they woke up again, they were refreshed and all was sunshine again.

Manic is the exact word I'd use for him today. It's like he's on crack. He's asleep now, finally, but his strong preference is to sleep ON me which obviously limits what I can get done 😂

If you had just opened this thread and read this one post without following the thread you could quite easily be mistaken into thinking you're talking about a new baby and would be advised to try a sling. I did have a chuckle to myself as I imagined pod in a sling tied to your front .

Reminded me of this:
www.sadanduseless.com/avoiding-the-fine/

@HangingOver my puppy is six months old and still won't sleep on his own. He is a velcro dog and follows me from room to room. He will now go into his crate of his own accord, but he won't yet stay in it voluntarily if I'm in another room. I've decided he'll be ready when he's ready. When I know he needs to nap I take my laptop and sit on the sofa and make enough room on my lap for his squidgy little head. He usually moves to the floor after a while now. I can also sit in the kitchen and he'll rest in the bed at my feet - he had to learn that as a tiny puppy as my single red line is eating in peace.

What are you doing with him when you eat? Can you do the same when you need to work?

Picture of Bill helping me change the bedlinen 🙄

Oh hells teeth.

I've ordered 14kg of the Mature brand of his food instead of Puppy 😫

Look up 'flirt pole' no it isn't a rude thing for people... 'flirt pole dog training'... its basically a giant version of the 'thing on a string' fishing toy for cats! May meet his need for flinging himself around grabbing things without YOU being the thing that is grabbed!

The having to sleep on you will slowly alter as he gets settled and secure and so on, I fear that might be a while yet but will he settle faster if you're holding something for him to chew? Most adolescent sighthounds would be like this anyway, even without his background/prior experiences.

Definitely second Primula - also you can buy refillable tubes with the one way nozzle (like runny hunny has these days) that you can make your own disgusting spreadable lickable dog-crack for walkies/moments you want him focused on something.

Plastic pop bottles - lid off, ring off, shove dry treats inside. Collect thirty of the fuckers, fill them all, throw them in the garden. Or stuff them in a box and yeet that into the garden... 😆

Have you tried an ostrich bone from JR products? Seems to last well. Also their pate is good, but not cheap. It’s quite stiff pate, so you cut it up into smaller cubes.