Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - Bark the Herald, furry angels sing!

[YorkshireFelix]

New thread to get us through the festive season! Angelic and naughty teenage pups all welcome

If I picked a breed for looks I would have a Chow or an Afghan Hound or a very high maintenance Maltese with a bow in its hair 😄

Haha she is not defective @PyreneanAubrie! That is funny though, the guard dog without a bark.

We do all have to start somewhere and you can't learn if you never get a chance to try. I was prepared for the demands of a WCS because I had grown up with working dogs around me but as I said the other day I also pledged to the breeder and to the tiny pup we brought home that I would try my best, never give up on her, and give her the very best possible life I could. The breeder was happy for her to work or not work though she'd love to see her working one day. She just wanted her bitch's pups to be happy and loved and given what they needed in life and I know I've achieved that at least. I absolutely bow to your years of experience, and @LibisMum, too.

@YorkshireFelix 100000pc agree. My 'mad' spaniel is currently between my legs on the sofa while I pray for our trees in this bloody horrible weather. (And my future self as we will have to go out in it again later.)

Ooooh, if I picked for looks I'd have an Irish Wolfhound, Scottish Deerhound, a Landseer Newfoundland, a Leonberger or a Sarplaninac. And possibly a Spanish Mastiff. Oh and a Bouvier...

Clearly if I chose for looks I'd have about 10 dogs that weren't a Pyrenean, so it's probably just as well my choice is character based.

I personally think you should get them all. I'm sure Brie would love some playmates 😁😁😁

I've come to the point where I honestly don't think it matters what breed people get, as long as they're prepared to learn what the dog needs and meet those needs. The trouble comes when they don't or can't do that. I know border collies who get driven to a park twice a day to chase a ball for half an hour.

This is where I think I was a bit of an idiot getting Bill - I've kept to my promises to him (though I've got quite a few still on the list) but I really didn't have any idea what doing that would entail. For a start we've been out twice in this already, will have to go out again for a late night poo, and will be going out in the morning with @brushingboots 😁

(he's delighted, mind. Picture below was before it even got windy)

PS @PyreneanAubrie I also think you should get one of each to keep Brie company 😄

Totally agree with this!

Also I bet he had a ball splashing around in that. Vinny hasn't found his love of water yet but I am sure it will come at some point.

We've been to visit my parents today and Vinny was so naughty all day!! They have a rescue greyhound who is so chilled and uninterested in everything so their house is very much not set up for a visiting puppy. They have so much STUFF plus all the Christmas decs out and it was just pure chaos. He did a poo on the floor as soon as we arrived and a wee on the rug later on! Even though he's not had an accident indoors for weeks. Then just kept finding random things to nick/chew/run around with and he just would not relax at all. I know it's because he was in a new exciting place but my god, it was like he'd had a personality transplant! I am exhausted now 😅

Oh @YorkshireFelix, that sounds both funny and excruciating! How did your parents respond?

If it makes you feel better, I do these lists from time to time.

Things Bill stole between 8am and 12 noon today:

One bottle of aftersun lotion
The entire bag of treatos from my dressing gown pocket
A child's dummy (found on the pavement, not nicked off the child, though I wouldn't put it past him)
The bathmat
A clean sock, while I was putting it on
My slippers (obvs)

The dummy is his new treasure and he just now insisted on carrying it with him up to the dog park in a howling gale to have a poo.

OMG @Bupster😂😂😂Bill has surpassed even himself with this.

@YorkshireFelix Sounds like classic puppy in a new place situation! I remember getting really pathetically upset once (though not at her, just with the general situation) when pupsy, aged about the same I think, had a wee on the floor in my parents’ kitchen, in full view of everyone. She hadn’t had an accident inside for so long, but I just put it down to a different place and me being distracted and on edge. Bless him. It won’t have hindered his progress at all.

Just in case you were worried (lol) that my life wasn't enough like a wholesome children's book, on our walk tonight, on which we saw precisely zero people or dogs owing to the weather, suddenly out of nowhere an otter ran across our path! Pupsy didn't see it but once it had slipped into the river she certainly smelt it, and went absolutely wild tracking its scent. It went from Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day to Winds in the Willows extremely quickly!

Oh my god @Bupster, a dummy! Hahaha, his little face! 10/10 for Bill.

@YorkshireFelix
I am shocked at the angelic Vinny blotting his copybook today! I could say he has now earned his place in the adolescent thread 😈 However, the poor babe was probably just a bit overexcited. It happens and I'm sure he'll be back to good behaviour tomorrow.
I hope you had a lovely day with your folks anyway.

The dummy 😂😂😂😂 incredible work!

Ok that does make me feel better, thank you @Bupster (and also @brushingboots with your pupsy peeing on the floor story!). My parents didn't give a shit as they know he's a puppy but I just wanted to show off how good he is. He was also sick on their rug which was nice. He's only ever been sick once before! My poor dad cleaned it up...

Thank you, it was nice to see them. The drive wasn't too bad either, I was really worried about the wind. I can't believe Vinny's halo finally slipped. Maybe this is his true self 🤣

There's been a murder. RIP squeaky dinosaur, you will be sorely missed.

😳

OMG. Sweet gorgeous little Vinny is now officially a teenage hooligan 😆

He's never destroyed a toy before! And he's just pulled the seal off the back door too which is now flapping around, and he keeps ringing the bells to go outside and be a shit. What is happening 🤣🤣🤣

@YorkshireFelix

I presume it's full-on adolescence 😉

Seriously, it's hard. I don't like it.

I know I said I don't remember my others going through adolescence at all, but Brie now has me wondering if 6 months to 18 months was just so traumatic that I've completely blocked it out...😨

Gosh 6-18 months is a long time isn't it!

Surely he can't have turned 6 months yesterday and decided that is the day to become a teenager 😄 I was hoping we would get a few weeks of niceness first. I'm going to try and take him on a decent walk today and see if that helps as he didn't really get one yesterday as we were travelling.

Also he was sick again twice this morning so maybe there's something going on there. He seems completely fine in himself so I'm just going to keep an eye on him.

@PyreneanAubrie I forgot to say I bought some bitter apple spray after I remembered you mentioned it ages and ages ago. I've just sprayed it on a wooden chest he won't leave alone, and he licked it then shook his head and walked off!!

@YorkshireFelix Hahaha! We had to retire the squeaky dinosaurs to coat pockets only after a similar incident occurred. It's lucky they're £1!

@YorkshireFelix
Awww, poor lad. I wonder if he's got a virus like Bill, Milo & Brie have all had. Hope he's better soon, and back to his normal good behaviour.

Bitter apple is certainly worth a try, I hope you find it works. It does seem to need reapplying quite frequently though.

I hope you have a lovely walk. We'll be off out in a while too.

One and a half wet spaniels this morning! I even wore wellies not crocs this morning to see @Bupster, much needed. Now retired to the sofa and a heated blanket as said wellies have a leak and my feet are freezing.

Two fab pups! I bet they had a great time.

I cut our walk a bit short because it started raining and it was freezing cold icy rain. Back home to get the fire on now 🥶