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

As far as I can tell, the working dog food we feed is identical to the regular stuff, just has the word working on the packaging and is cheaper 😀

We had an awesome day at the beach yesterday. The one downside to where we live is any beach is a bit of a trek. Keeping my fingers cross for a snowy walk in the morning.

No snow here yet but it's cold and the girl is lying outside again. If we win the lottery I'm buying some land and a flock of sheep for her. We went to visit the Shetland sheep today, they now seem to recognise her and two of them come to say hello. Today she was very calm with them. Must try to get a photo.

@CoubousAndTourmalet that is sooo sweet. Please try and get a picture! No snow here either but it's due to start soon. I'm secretly hoping there's a lot so DH doesn't open the restaurant tomorrow and we can have a snow day off together 😁

We took V to the beach over Christmas and he loved it. Would love to live closer to the coast too!

@YorkshireFelix honestly it took me forever to figure it out because she was quite underweight for a while, and I was obsessed with getting the calorie count right! It isn't as straightforward as 'wet dry' food as there isn't a calorie rating on the packet to go off, so in the end I just went with roughly half and half, bit more meat to biscuits and it seems to work ok. A lot of people don't mix kibble and raw so the raw groups don't help. I checked it was ok with the vet when she had her jabs in the summer and she was very positive about it so I'm happy. When she's done a bit more exercise I get her a bit more, and less when she's had a more chilled day.

Last time it snowed I was adamant that it wouldn't here and then we had loads so I reckon if I presume we'll be overrun then there will be none! I hope...

@YorkshireFelix @brushingboots I tied myself in knots for ages trying to work out exactly what I should be feeding him. In the end I basically feed him as much of the kibble as he'll tolerate and the canned stuff I adjust for exercise levels. If his poo gets sloppy I look at how much extra protein he's getting in treatos etc. I might have a look at that DAF food though - he's bound to go off the Lily's Kitchen sooner or later and I'm fed up of stockpiling food he won't eat!

He's wuffling in his sleep right now, it's the sweetest sound. How can they be such hard work and so completely, overwhelmingly lovable at the same time?

@Bupster It really is good! There are loads of flavours too so you can figure out what they like best. There are some fab stockists near you too so it's not a challenge to get either.

Ahhh I love the wuffling, which is the perfect word for what they do!

Millie's sent me some info when I emailed them a while back about mixed feeding and they said half and half but that related to their own wet food you can buy. But I'm sure it's pretty much 100% meat so surely the same theory must apply! I think I might order from DAF and give it a try.

The sleep woofs are possibly my favourite part of having a dog!

We were feeding Rundle purely on raw for a while, but he got bored as the manufacturer only did one puppy variety. It came in 1lb blocks and the feeding amount was a percentage of weight.

We’ve gone back to raw in the am and kibble in the pm to stop him getting bored. Our local pet store is very helpful and we now have him on adult raw, with lots more options including bison, venison and duck. The adult is also ground a bit more coarsely, which is fine as he has all his adult teeth and is over 40lb.

Walks are limited at the moment as it is v.cold here. It was -39 with the wind chill yesterday.

When you see a PMD in snow you realise they aren't actually white but a creamy beige ❤

She is loving it!

-39 blows my tiny mind!! I cannot even fathom it!

Gorgeous!! You are right, she is lovely and creamy. She looks like she was born to be frolicking in the snow!

@CoubousAndTourmalet awww! Proper snow and a lovely girlie in the snow.

As much hoped for we have only slush and I am not complaining. Still absolutely freezing though.

@MooseBeTimeForSnow I realise complaining about it being -1 is very silly indeed when it's -39 for you! That is extraordinary. I can't imagine it at all. Bless Rundle in that weather.

We have 12cm here apparently. About to take V out to play!

I popped on at the start of this thread to introduce myself and Midge, then disappeared!

There’s been a bit of snow where I am but it’s melting fast. When it snowed in November it was a nightmare for poor Midge- the fur around his feet attracted little hard balls of snow and ice which must have been very uncomfortable. This time his feet just got wet.

I’ve been following the tales of jumping up and lead biting with interest; Midge went through a dreadful phase a month or so ago where he would bite my hands and arms on a walk, leaving me with bruises and very little desire to take him out. I dreaded walks. Fingers crossed, he hasn’t ‘attacked’ me now for about 3 weeks, so I’m hoping this was just a phase- walks are much more pleasant! @CoubousAndTourmalet I’m sure it’s a phase with Brie too. Midge is 11 months old so a bit ahead of Brie.

Recall is dreadful at the moment. He’s fine if it’s just him and me but he gets very distracted if dogs come up to him and tempt him away. The other dogs always seem to follow their owners and mine just trots along with them! How on earth am I supposed to make myself more interesting than other dogs? I find that he’s being put back on the lead quite often when dogs are nearby.
I had a moment of worry today when he disappeared over the brow of a hill with my friend’s dog and I lost sight of him. There were loads of kids on sledges so I was a bit worried about these. I was rather relieved when he appeared back and was obviously looking for me. I think I need to start playing hide and seek!

@thewalrus - the comment about twins made me chuckle, I had the very same. At 18 months it was extra hard with mine wanting to run in different directions!

Feeling like death warmed up today, and can report that Bill is the world's worst nurse. Any advice for dealing with a furry idiot when you've got a lurgy?

Thank you @Nella68 , that is reassuring and I'm glad to hear that Midge has stopped misbehaving on a walk, at least in regard to the hand biting. Recall is another matter entirely and one which I am not qualified to comment upon, except to say that from this thread, it seems pretty normal for the older pups to have a tendency to lose focus...

Oh no @Bupster - not another lurgy 😧Shame on Bill for not looking after you properly! Can said furry idiot be distracted with treats or toys of some sort while you have some rest? I hope you feel better soon x

Hello again, @Nella68! Remind me what breed Midge is? Such a gorgeous name!

I did try lying down but he was outraged 😄. So I’m going for drugs-and-playing-games 🙄

@brushingboots he’s a Labrador/ golden retriever/ poodle mix. I’m almost scared to mention his mix as this sort of dog seems to be seriously frowned upon by most of the doghouse posters. You all seem to be supportive so I feel braver posting here!

He’s not so much of a midge now- just measured him and he’s 60cm at the shoulders! It does mean I can stroke his head whilst standing.