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

You have bucket loads of empathy @pyreneanaubrie x

I really don't think I do 😔I never knew it could be like that.
I'm so sorry.

Dear all,
I'm not on any form of social media and these lovely puppy and adolescent dog forums had never posted on any forum. I made an exception for these truly lovely ones! It's been so lovely 'meeting' everyone. But it's making me feel uneasy posting so much about myself and Lemondog in a way Im not used to and I can't explain logically. I've therefore decided to close my Mumsnet account (with immediate effect) at least for now and go back to lurking. I will miss you all but please know that I sincerely wish you all the very, very best with your lovely pups. You got this!! Best wishes to one and all! ♡♡♡ xxx

We were talking about coats and boots on here a couple of weeks ago and I said there was a coat I wanted.... I've just got it in the sale and I'm sending it back. It's supposedly a warm, winter waterproof but it just felt too flimsy to stand up to the rigours of Brie jumping up, and also, the pockets were pathetic.

I suspect I'm just going to have to get a longer wax jacket because nothing else feels sturdy enough. I'll size up to a 16 and wear about 27 layers under it... Was frozen standing around on the dog field the other day.

Any jacket recommendations please? Durable fabric, good pockets. Could go up to £200. Not padded cos I'm a little scrawny old crone.

I'm sorry @LemonPalmTrees I understand how you feel. It's why I don't do facebook.
I wish you and Lemondog well.
You will be missed xxx

@pyreneanaubrie my last message crossed with your second to last one, couldn't leave on that note. You are amazing. You've replied with so much empathy to me and to others countless times. The only thing I would change about you if I could would be for you to know it! You and Brie have been my favorites (don't tell the others ;-)
Its hard online because we can only see what others tell us to a large degree.
Im really off this time ♡♡♡ very best wishes to one and all! xxx

Thank you, lovely. It's mutual. You know if you ever decide to come back you can pm me for my email if you'd prefer to chat away from MN. Same goes for others.
Take care of yourself and your darling boy xxx

@LemonPalmTrees We will miss you but completely understand! You know where we are if you want to come back (and my username on here is the same as it is elsewhere so you'll always be able to find me). Keep it up with your lovely boy xxx

@PyreneanAubrie I keep seeing friends recommend Ridgeline coats – might be worth a look? And Didriksons as well – you might find some good prices this week too. I am a Barbour girl though and can’t be moved from them like the contrary Mary that I am. I’ve never found a coat that does everything I need a Barbour to do so I’ve given up looking. I always wear old men’s ones and they have never ever let me down – worth looking on eBay/Vinted. Last week in the snow I was wearing a vest, t-shirt, fleece, gilet and a Barbour and was toasty warm on top – plus a snood!

And re the above – v kind of you to say I’m a natural but I definitely wasn’t when we first got pupsy! She is my first dog as an adult and I found it extraordinarily hard. I’m not exaggerating on the puppy thread about my experience at all, it was hell. But I really do genuinely believe that we wouldn’t have the relationship we have now without that because I appreciate her so much. I think I am reasonably good at it now and I was always good with other people’s dogs, having grown up with them and also always treating them like horses – my preferred animal – but I really, really struggled having a tiny puppy for the first time. I won’t next time! But she nearly broke me, properly.

Chuckling at your Pyreneans in a Fabia! That’s like the popes in a Volkswagen joke. I took the pupsy out in the big car this morning in the ice which was... fun. Not.

You’re plenty empathetic, don’t worry at all xxx

Thanks @brushingboots I'll have a look around the better outdoor shops but I suspect that, like you, I'll more than likely end up just ordering another wax jacket with slightly more sweater room. I think it's probably the only thing that'll stand up to Brie's jaws and claws.

I wasn't joking about 3 PMD in a Fabia. We once had a terrible drive up to Cumbria with three of them, one of which was carsick, plus we had a crate containing an enormous, stinky, pooping Maine Coon. Most horrendous journey of our lives and it seemed to take forever😬

I'm not a natural dog person. I never had anything to do with dogs as a kid; we were a cat family, we got the first PMD when I was 13 but she was officially a guard dog for the family business, second one when I was 26, but again it was my Dad's dog, so I was 31 and living away from home before I reared a pup by myself. Then when he was 4, we got two girls at the same time (well, 4 months apart). Since then, two more boys. Brie is the first pup that my chap has co-reared, because he was in an office full-time when we had the other pups (he is now wfh since covid). He has said he doesn't know how I managed three by myself. I really have no idea, I don't remember it being difficult though. Sometimes I think I must have sleepwalked my way through those years... I'm no superwoman, that's for sure; perhaps I was really just too knackered to be stressed...🤔

@PyreneanAubrie I didn't realise you had three at the same time!!! That is incredible.

@LemonPalmTrees not sure if you will see this but just want to thank you for your lovely comments recently. You've made such a great contribution to this group and you will be missed! Wishing you the best ❤️

I'm all the way in South America (puppy is French) so ultimately getting UK recognition doesn't affect me, I just really want to see them at Crufts. You should definitely go watch the World Championships. I attended in 2022 when it happened in Brazil and it was brilliant! Massively different from the local, 200 max dog shows we have as a standard. YouTube channel p1 dog shows has live streamed most of World and Euro Dog Shows, if you're curious.
Yeah, she's a blue merle. It's funny because Blue merle is the most desired colour (because it's the classic look) but I love reds so much more. It just happened that the show prospect in that litter was blue.

This thread has taken a very international turn, with @MooseBeTimeForSnow in Canada and @BlueberryPup in South America! How amazing. And to think we were thinking we (mostly) all lived within a two-hour drive haha.

Here’s Rundle at 10 weeks, just before we picked him up from the breeder. And now. He’s certainly not a mini and I’m not sure he’s going to be a small standard at this rate!

Waves to @BlueberryPup

Oh wow, I can't believe the space he takes ! I love when they stretch out. Blueberry is more of a "flop against the wall" dog. She's also so far following her breeder's predictions of being a medium mini. I'm a bit obsessed with it and measure and weight her every week. Following some formulas I saw breeders talking about, I expect she'll mature at 39cm or 15 3/8 in (I never know which measurements you brits use!).
Sorry, I get terribly carried away. More on topic of teenage shenanigans, Blueberry is getting clever and cleverer at hiding whatever is in her mouth. Today I got some things hidden between her teeth and lips! Goal for next week is to get her more used to her crate, she hasn't used it since crossing the ocean but she will need to use it next weekend and of course dummy me didn't want to push Blueberry too far with the crate like I did with her nail trimming.

Blueberry and Rundle are both stunning!

Our breeder said he will reach maximum height at 8 months, which is what will determine whether he’s registered as a mini or a standard. He’ll continue to “fill out” after that.

Mum was a red and dad a blue merle. If there had been a red merle female in the litter, she would have been first pick to the breeder. There was a red merle, but a male.

Awww, she's beautiful @BlueberryPup .

Sorry, I presumed you were UK when you mentioned the Kennel Club. Still, it would be lovely to see the breed recognised here.

My husband has been to three World Shows and one European, as well as the French Pyrenean Club show in the Pyrenees, just as a spectator, to do photo and video. I don't go; I won't kennel the dogs, but I am trying to persuade him to go to the Helsinki show anyway.

I hope you will let us know how Blueberry gets on at her first show...

The MAS is recognised by the AKC and ASDR. Here’s a shot of the litter. Such a variation! R is the one next to the black tri.

We had three together for many years @YorkshireFelix
First older boy with the two half-sisters, then later, a couple of years after our old male died, we got a male pup. Since then we've just had one - Algy first, now Brie.
Photo of three snoozing together, when Sylvie was a youngster.

Amazing. I've just shown my Sylvie this photo and she has died and gone to fluffy dog heaven 🤣

@MooseBeTimeForSnow is yours ASDR registered, then? Because you mention size determining the breed. Mine's mother is a red merle and the father is a black tri. I am happy enough with her carrying red, because the genetics I was after rarely produces red.

@PyreneanAubrie haha, no worries! I mentioned the Kennel Club because this is a British site, after all. And some people go "well, if it isn't recognized by my registry, it's not a real breed".
I will happily share about her first show, I keep telling myself it doesn't matter in the long run but I'm so nervous about it, I'm terrified it will be hugely stressful for her. BUT during lunch Blueberry stayed a full 4 minutes in her crate, which I guess is a great start. If she stays even 30 minutes without wining during the show, I'll be happy, and I'm not against giving her all sorts of frozen treats to keep her nice and cooled (we hit 35 degrees today, and she isn't happy about it!).

Just realised the litter picture isn’t showing. Here’s a different one. R is right in the middle.

@PyreneanAubrie So many legs! Where does one begin and the other end, etc. If you told me they were all goldies there I'd believe you – until they all stood up!