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

999 replies

YorkshireFelix · 26/11/2024 23:01

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

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Thread gallery
146
brushingboots · 12/12/2024 20:44

@PyreneanAubrie How did your session with the trainer go? Good to hear you're liking the martingale collar! Is it effectively like a slip-collar?

YorkshireFelix · 12/12/2024 20:49

I googled a martingale after you mentioned it and I can't work out what it does 😄

I am pleased to report that Vinny is back to his angel self and Saturday-Monday was just some random jekyll and hyde shit he was pulling. I am sure he will be a shit tomorrow and I'll be cursing myself for saying this!

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Bupster · 12/12/2024 20:55

Reporting in. Bill has been an absolute hooligan all day, but this evening he came home from the dog park, ate the doormat, then barged my laptop out of the way to sit on my lap and I haven't stopped laughing. He's a superstar, even if I feel like booking myself into daycare for a day off 😄

Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - Bark the Herald, furry angels sing!
Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - Bark the Herald, furry angels sing!
brushingboots · 12/12/2024 21:09

Oh @Bupster I’m so glad even if your doormat has been the victim of a drive-by chewing. Sometimes you just have to laugh and just be like them and live in the moment.

This is our current situation. It’s almost like she hasn’t been on my lap ALL day and almost as if I haven’t been working with my laptop at a bonkers angle ALL day because she insists on putting my head over half the keyboard. Now into hour eight of this or a similar position. So spoilt. Also wishing I could book myself into daycare just to get a chance to type at a conventional angle.

Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - Bark the Herald, furry angels sing!
PyreneanAubrie · 12/12/2024 22:04

@brushingboots Training session left me very deflated. Seems I'm getting everything wrong, pretty much. I use too many vocal commands, too few treats... And she's walking all over me/not listening to me. That's because she's only interested in his bag of cheese but he doesn't see it that way...
And apparently the martingale I got is too big so I've now had to order a smaller size.
Final training session won't be until second week of January but there's lots of stuff I need to work on. All suggestions welcome in regard to training I can do at home.
I'm putting her on a diet if I'm going to be stuffing treats down her gob for 18 hours a day 🙄Never done food rewards with my others...
Feel utterly clueless 😞

@YorkshireFelix
Glad lovely V is back to normal after his weekend of teenage naughtiness.

A martingale is hard to describe. It's like a fixed collar with an extra loop that the lead attaches to. The loop opens and closes to tighten like a slip lead does when the dog pulls. But it isn't harsh at all. I'll report back when the correctly sized one arrives next week. Would post a photo but there's too much fluff in the way; her collar isn't even visible any more (dreading first big moult 😱)

@Bupster
Glad Bill can still make you laugh despite it being a horribly trying day for you. I hope you both have a better night tonight.

brushingboots · 13/12/2024 14:21

Oh no @PyreneanAubrie! I know what you mean about feeling deflated after seeing a trainer and not feeling like you’re doing it right. I always feel that way after seeing our gundog trainer because I can’t ever get my hands and feet in the right place at the right time. I think using treats is much more of ‘new’ thing (am happy to be corrected!) as my trainer is pro-treat but I know a lot of old school gundog trainers aren’t, so that’s not a you thing. It’s just a different way. I am pro-treat but I use dog pate which isn’t too calorific and I’d recommend – there are loads of brands and it keeps well in fridge/freezer once open so no concerns about waste.

Don’t feel clueless! You know your dogs – think of it as your trainer giving you a different set of tools to add to the ones you’ve already got x

brushingboots · 13/12/2024 14:22

Also shout-out to any today who is feeling the impact of this tedious weather. Bumped into a friend on the walk this morning who asked me how I was, and my response was, 'my energy level is zero.' I completely blame the grey skies and absolutely no sun whatsoever. Can't even put washing out because of the splittly rain. If I didn't have pupsy today I'd not have left the house yet today and I certainly wouldn't be later on, either.

YorkshireFelix · 13/12/2024 14:29

brushingboots · 13/12/2024 14:22

Also shout-out to any today who is feeling the impact of this tedious weather. Bumped into a friend on the walk this morning who asked me how I was, and my response was, 'my energy level is zero.' I completely blame the grey skies and absolutely no sun whatsoever. Can't even put washing out because of the splittly rain. If I didn't have pupsy today I'd not have left the house yet today and I certainly wouldn't be later on, either.

It's so grey and damp isn't it!

I wasn't really up for our walk but I feel better for it. We went a different route today along the river and back down the canal and V loved it. I got him to have a splash in a stream but he wasn't too sure 😄

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PyreneanAubrie · 13/12/2024 15:28

I could say I'm old school @brushingboots but then I get accused of using dominance/pack order theory, which could not be further from the truth. I'm very gentle with my dogs. I've trained more with touch and speech, rewarding with attention, affection or play but not food. The treats are usually kept for home and given when they're being calm and quiet. Like if I'm cooking she'll get a carrot to chew or some bits of cheese.

I'm not saying training with food is wrong - it works for many people, but we've never had food focused dogs and I'd really prefer Brie not to be. A food obsessed LGD is not a good worker.

I have a month to try to figure this out. I'm really conflicted right now because if I trust my instincts regarding training Brie, there will be a divorce in this household...😠

brushingboots · 13/12/2024 15:33

@PyreneanAubrie I don't think there's anything wrong with being old school if it means being gentle! The kind of old school I object to is scruffing dogs and bonking them on the head with shotguns.

Pupsy is definitely not food focussed to the extent she often leaves her actual meals so I can't say using a few treats a day has had any impact for us at all. I just like to give her maximum strength 'yes' for getting something right when it's important she understands. But I get why people don't use food as with a hungry dog it probably has a different effect.

What does your chap think is best to do?

PyreneanAubrie · 13/12/2024 17:25

@brushingboots

He's very much "the trainer knows best" and it's getting a bit "Spaniel Man". They were laughing about me talking to her yesterday 😡 Now they're both advocating a figure of 8 headcollar that she hates (it squishes her cheeks) and a chain lead so she can't bite it. I'm saying no to both. If she can't bite the lead she'll just bite my sleeve and a chain is not the answer. That's not how I want to do it; they may as well tell me to use a prong collar for a quick fix like that big guy on YouTube does. I'll find a way round it. I have to channel her adolescent exuberance and prove I can do it on my own terms.

He'll do training with food, I won't. I've told him I won't. It bothers me when dogs are in the habit of trying to scrounge food off everyone or constantly scavenging. I'm going to be working on breaking it and undoing their work. I'll use affection, play, talk and they can diss me all they want.

I think I imagined I'd enjoy the challenge of "proper training" but in reality I hate it. You said something on the puppy thread the other day that resonated with me, about pupsy becoming the dog you wanted her to be.... I think that I know what I want from Brie, I had it with my others but now I suspect it is never going to be what any dog trainer has in mind.

I'll get there with her, I will put the work in but I just don't feel like I can stick to the rules that are being laid down. It's just who I am. Me and my chap are opposites in that regard, hence the friction 🙄

Bupster · 13/12/2024 17:27

Hi @PyreneanAubrie - dogs are so very different, aren't they? I know you've always said Brie isn't food driven, and of course none of your previous dogs have been, so it must feel quite insulting almost to be told to use it.

I do what @brushingboots does with tiny chunks of paté for outdoor work, and I've trained recall with bigger chunks (like the size of dice) of chicken and beef. I have ordinary Pooch and Mutt treatos cut up really tiny for normal training. Of course Bill is half a Lab so food is very effective with him. Paws Trading do a gourmet luxury rabbit paté that seems to be crack cocaine for dogs. Mind you, he's lying on his back right now, bollocks akimbo, sucking on a half devoured baby's dummy, so I'm not sure I should recommend anything that has worked with him...

I suppose you could try with teeny bits of dog pate just to see if it works, then fade it out once she's learned it? If she does; she might just turn her nose up then you get to be super smug 😄

On the subject of experienced dog owners: Bill is usually a miraculously self-cleaning dog, though I do sometimes have to scrape off the more congealed dots of mud. He currently has a muddy spot on his unmentionables. Do I (a) wait for him to clean it off himself or (b) see how long it takes to fall off by himself? I love my dog, but not that much 🙄

Photo of Bill's contribution to the Christmas tree. It was once a really godawful baby doll thing, I'm very grateful.

Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - Bark the Herald, furry angels sing!
Bupster · 13/12/2024 17:28

@PyreneanAubrie I think our posts crossed - I understand exactly where you're coming from. I bet in a year's time you'll be where you want to be with Brie.

brushingboots · 13/12/2024 17:29

Oh my god @Bupster that is horrifying!!

brushingboots · 13/12/2024 17:36

@PyreneanAubrie Oh nooo not Spaniel Man, that's not nice. And nor is laughing together. Nasty menfolk. Definitely hold your nerve on the figure of eight and the chain – she can't be that bad! And even if she is it's not necessary. Ugh, I'm sorry.

I think that's a good conclusion to come to, that your idea of Brie isn't necessarily a trainer's idea of Brie. And that's ok!

Right now pupsy is sitting on my shoulder like a parrot whining waiting to go out while I have a five minute lie down on the sofa after writing at the table all day. The dog I wanted her to be is currently absent...

PyreneanAubrie · 13/12/2024 18:14

Thanks @Bupster She needs work but I think I want to let her be who she is rather than trying to shape her too much into someone else's idea of a dog. I didn't think it through regarding training. I've always let them be free spirited (within reason, obviously, not to the point of being antisocial), I should have known.

I'm not totally averse to using an odd bit of food but not quite in the quantities being recommended and I draw the line at having her walk along sucking on a tube of Primula cheese like a baby with a bottle 😬Plus I do think she's still carrying too much puppy fat so we need to decrease food and increase walks in the coming weeks.

Decapitated baby doll on tree is hilariously grotesque. I almost feel that you should secrete it in your bag if you go to visit anyone over the festive season, and sneakily replace their fairy/star while their backs are turned...😆

Re the mud on Bill's bits: damp kitchen roll and a quick wipe. We've had 5 boy dogs and sometimes it has to be done.

PyreneanAubrie · 13/12/2024 18:25

@brushingboots
Made me cross, the chauvinism of them both!
I'm absolutely not using that headcollar thing or a chain. I've ordered a smaller size martingale to try, otherwise it'll just be her standard collar and the (not recommended) harness. I'll get the hang of it again, I've just got a bit run down since my mum died, need to eat more and bulk up a bit to match Brie.

Awww, no, even in parrot form she's still the dog you wanted her to be. Someday Brie will be that for me...although she hopefully won't sit on my shoulder 😨

Bupster · 13/12/2024 20:32

Bill tried the parrot thing tonight and my shoulder nearly gave way - I'm loving the image of Brie as a bird though. Like something out of the Muppets 😄

YorkshireFelix · 13/12/2024 21:09

Bupster · 13/12/2024 17:27

Hi @PyreneanAubrie - dogs are so very different, aren't they? I know you've always said Brie isn't food driven, and of course none of your previous dogs have been, so it must feel quite insulting almost to be told to use it.

I do what @brushingboots does with tiny chunks of paté for outdoor work, and I've trained recall with bigger chunks (like the size of dice) of chicken and beef. I have ordinary Pooch and Mutt treatos cut up really tiny for normal training. Of course Bill is half a Lab so food is very effective with him. Paws Trading do a gourmet luxury rabbit paté that seems to be crack cocaine for dogs. Mind you, he's lying on his back right now, bollocks akimbo, sucking on a half devoured baby's dummy, so I'm not sure I should recommend anything that has worked with him...

I suppose you could try with teeny bits of dog pate just to see if it works, then fade it out once she's learned it? If she does; she might just turn her nose up then you get to be super smug 😄

On the subject of experienced dog owners: Bill is usually a miraculously self-cleaning dog, though I do sometimes have to scrape off the more congealed dots of mud. He currently has a muddy spot on his unmentionables. Do I (a) wait for him to clean it off himself or (b) see how long it takes to fall off by himself? I love my dog, but not that much 🙄

Photo of Bill's contribution to the Christmas tree. It was once a really godawful baby doll thing, I'm very grateful.

Brilliant. Someone in the art world would pay good money for this 😂

OP posts:
PyreneanAubrie · 13/12/2024 21:25

Muppet bird dog fluffyheaded thing, just loafing.

Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - Bark the Herald, furry angels sing!
PyreneanAubrie · 13/12/2024 21:25

YorkshireFelix · 13/12/2024 21:09

Brilliant. Someone in the art world would pay good money for this 😂

You are not wrong, in fact someone probably has.

YorkshireFelix · 13/12/2024 21:43

PyreneanAubrie · 13/12/2024 21:25

Muppet bird dog fluffyheaded thing, just loafing.

What a babe 😍

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YorkshireFelix · 16/12/2024 15:26

How is everyone doing?

We've just had an awful walk! He pulled and pulled and he was fully choking himself and wheezing but didn't care. I let him off lead for a bit which was fine but then I wanted to put him back on and he got crazy zoomies and wouldn't come back to me.

Also I think he's got a bit of an upset stomach but not really sure why as nothing has changed diet wise. The past few days he's done a hard poo in the morning and evening but for some reason in the afternoon it's very runny. Any ideas what this could be? It seems odd since it's a certain time of the day!

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CaptainBeanThief · 16/12/2024 15:30

@YorkshireFelix
Aghhhh hate to be the one but... Adolescence is upon you 😐

Well I've had an interesting morning with Milos poo 💩 he had a stripey 2 toned poo this morning 🤣 if anyone was around whilst I was laughing picking it up people would have been on speed dial to 111 mental health option pronto 😬😬😬

YorkshireFelix · 16/12/2024 15:44

CaptainBeanThief · 16/12/2024 15:30

@YorkshireFelix
Aghhhh hate to be the one but... Adolescence is upon you 😐

Well I've had an interesting morning with Milos poo 💩 he had a stripey 2 toned poo this morning 🤣 if anyone was around whilst I was laughing picking it up people would have been on speed dial to 111 mental health option pronto 😬😬😬

I don't want my angel baby to become a teenager 😭😭😭

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