They love a bit of him (Podlife)

[HangingOver]

Hello my fabulous Podsquad, here is Podcast Thread III.

For anyone that is new to this thread, it's about my rescue dog, known as Pod.

Here is thread No. 2 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/5197068-the-pod-cast?page=39&reply=141216881

And thread No 1 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/5177112-oh-my-giddy-god?page=1

for if anyone would like to go back and see how astonishingly naïve and traumatised I was by taking on a fully grown, teenaged pointy dog who seemed determined to destroy me and everything I love.

Theatrics over, here is the Pod in question (obviously I've edited the lead out - I'm not mental).

If anyone doesn't have is Insta handle and wants it, just DM me. A video of me and Pod doing yoga together will appear at some point soon.

Me and Pod just got back from an accidental 2.5 hour walk in the woods.

In the interest of positivity... High points were:

• bumped into a lovely man with two dogs and walked a way together. Let Pod off and they all tore about together having a lovely time. He's SO much better at coming back when he's with other dogs.

• Did 13500 steps

• It didn't rain

Low lights (considerably more numerous):

• retractable lead whipped me in the face on the EXACT spot I had an injection yesterday, which felt like simultaneously being burnt and punched

• got lost (even though had map)

• 54 mins added to walk because Pod would not go under a stile

• frustrated at attempts to coax under stile led to Pod biting through retractable lead

• had to cross a stream

• trousers leg got stuck folded up due to crossing said stream and stupid trouser design, leading to horrendous ten minutes period walking with blood supply being cut off to calf which feels like daggers

• realised too late slithering down side of stream (Pod incredibly agile!) accidentally leaned on poo bag which I had clipped to his training bag, poo bag burst onto coat

• INDESCRIBABLE amount of mud. Mid shin depth in places.

Finally got home and resisted urge to burn everything I was wearing, put all my clothes and Pod's coat into machine and put us both in shower (Pod disgusted and furious but at least clean).

He wolfed the remainder of his breakfast and has immediately gone to sleep. I'm soothing my poor face and Botox headache with leftover pizza and ribena.

How's your Sunday?

Oh hanging you poor thing! I hope it's a bit toastier in Cornwall than elsewhere today because all that plus the cold would have done for me! Still at least you now know about the perils of stiles! Plus his behaviour around other dogs seems to be excellent so that's a big plus.
Hope Pod is exhausted and chilled for the rest of the day.

Could Pod's daddy make a miniature stile for the garden to practice and familiarise Pod?

I once got hit in the face by someone else's retractable lead that had caught around the tree. My God it hurt. So lucky it wasn't an inch higher otherwise that would have been my glasses gone and potential eye injury. I hope you're ok now.

Ow and ew. That sounds un-fun! But the positive bits are very positive!

Oh dear, that sounds dreadful.

Hope you're feeling a bit better now, and that Pod's been tired out today and giving you peace. Is that just too optimistic?

. The whole adventure sounds horrendous.

In between the awful bits it was a hoot. I absolutely LOVE getting to the wood, putting an Audible on and just getting lost (within reason) in trees, just me and my Podpod.

He slept for two hours so did I and has already crashed out for the night, bless him 😁

Btw I meant to say is anyone on the PodSquad thread in the South West this summer??

Oh God I wish I was, @HangingOver , but Bill is about as good in the car as Pod is with stiles.

PS I'm laughing with you, not at you - I took Bill out for a walk to a new place today and complete strangers stopped to suggest I got roller skates and let him just pull me. Which wasn't the worst idea, though given the mud, skis would probably have been better. Is mud-skiing a thing?

I don't use a retractable lead due to the absolute certainty I wouldn't have any fingers left, but he nevertheless managed to loop his long line round one of my wellies and nearly upend me twice. Perhaps Pod and Bill are sharing the one brain and today it was lost in the post because it was Sunday.

@HangingOver we will be, we have family in Rock and I’m on maternity leave so planning to get down a few times and introduce our pointer puppy to Cornish beaches 😁 (though will have a toddler and newborn in tow!)

I saw the training on instagram. Excellent effort. Still think dad should build an actual stile though.

I am desperate to meet Bill 😁

It's funny isn't it, the retractable is the only reason I have any fingers, I can't get on with a normal long line at all!

Something even cuter than sleep wagging happened. He poked the tip of his tongue out and was suckling in his sleep 🥹

Aww, Pod having a baby Pod dream 😍

Our greyhounds do that sometimes, it makes me sad to think they miss their (doggy) mum 😭

That's what I scream whispered at DP... I was like "DP!! Look!! He's missing his mammy!" 🥺

Thank you for this Widldin' I'm going to try this today because he's driving me maaaaaaaaaaad

I thought of you this morning @HangingOver , well tbh it was Pod really. I was running and a van went past with Pod- trak on it. I didn't see what company it was related to but in my head, it was tracking Pods.😂

Can I tell you all about my lovely walk?

It was low tide which means BEACH! We slithered helter skelter down the rocks to the little cut of piece of beach and it was LOVELY. Pod ran round and round in huge circles and chased his ball. He's getting a LITTLE better at coming back, I think. I make sure he gets a gobfull of treats every time he checks in. He was so delighted. Then because they flexy lead has been eaten I took a chance and used the normal longline on the way back. I actually really like it! Because he'd already run his legs off he didn't dart around too much and the waterproof lead doesn't burn your hands like the fabric one does. So I just let it trail on the floor and kept one hand on it while we bimbled back, it was lovely.

I've discovered something Pod likes even more than other dogs - molehills.

How lovely! My dog loves molehills too and has been digging down into one every day this week. I keep telling her she'll get a shock if a head pops up but still she digs...

When you get the hang of the long line, they are great - but not for every walk location, every canine mood.. etc. And getting the knack is sometimes hard!

It is also something some dogs take time to understand, some dogs will grasp the concept straight away and others will immediately turn into a fish fighting on a line or take up al fresco bondage... mm.

Hurrah for a lovely walk! :D

I need to have a self-rant so you don't actually need to read this, it's just me having a word with myself.

I am not doing my Pod any favours by being such a drip. Ever since the one time I left him alone and he whinged and barked for 20 whole minutes (in spite of having been good as gold several times previously) I've vowed to go right back to basics with his alone training and I've done nearly fuck all about it. Because I am a sap and I've not brave enough to push through the discomfort of worrying about 'retraumatizing him' (someone very early on in the thread said something about that and it has completely stuck with me) in order to get him to be a happy boy who is comfortable being left alone.

Because what will end up happening is eventually a scenario will present itself where I have no choice but to leave him alone and he won't be prepared for it.

What happened this morning was I had to bring my car to the garage and it won't be ready for this afternoon so DP had to drop me off and pick me up. I took him to the field very early, and then I left 15 minutes early (because Pod reacts more to me leaving than DP) and DP left afterwards and gave him a Kong. I watched on the camera. He's never been left home alone outside the crate before. He whined four times, walked around the kitchen, nibbled his Kong, then curled up and went to sleep. He also didn't get up when we got home, just wagged from his bed. What a seriously fucking amazingly good boy. And I was there driving to the garage with my hands literally shaking, a huge lump in my throat (I'm not exaggerating, this is how much of an ass I am).

When I was a little girl I broke about ten bones (due to my disease). My brother has it too. My Ma was an anxious helicopter parent and it ruined her mental health and made me and DBro scared of everything, and we've led very safe lives as a result. I recognise this parenting style when I look at my brother with his kids, and I think this is what is happening now. I'm so scared of him being damaged that I'm not helping him.

Phewph. That went deep. I'm still not sure how I'm going to manage it but I do think that when he's sleepy, walked and fed, me and DP should start popping out for a pint of milk etc.

Not sure. But it's an important revelation. Must try harder. For Pod.

My first rescue dog of my very own ( the very very first had been my father's and I took him when Dad died) was a very cute little shaggy mongrel stray. I was a teacher and specifically wanted a mature dog that could be left, and the rescue assured me she was. She turned out to be less than a year old and very nervous.

I used the long summer holiday to get her used to being left, gradually building up the time, and it really wasn't a problem as I think the house was her security, but what I did have to do for a long time was leave her every single day. So at the weekend I'd pop out for a message or visit a friend for a coffee each day. If I did that she was fine on the Monday when I went back to work.

I was lucky in that I worked close by and could come home briefly at lunchtime, and be home again at 4pm. A neighbour also took her out mid-morning so she wasn't left too long.

Good luck with it, Hanging. Consistency is the key, I think.

By the way the vet was sure she was less than a year old and I had her for fourteen and a half years so he was right!

@HangingOver I think you are in a much better place, having had the realisation. This stuff often doesn't surface until we have another being entirely dependant on us! You can do it, it's like kids go too soft or wishy washy and they end up confused and uncertain. Give them solid boundaries and good comfort zones and they become confident and happy. Pretty sure dogs are the same (at least my father always compared having kids to training dogs, thanks Dad!).
But little and often can be the key, it's really easy to put stuff off when we hate the response (from us and them!) but you do need to push through sometimes.

I think you've done brilliantly, @HangingOver . I've still not left Bill for more than a few minutes. Every time I think he's gained enough independence that he might be okay, he goes through a really clingy period, or is suddenly frightened of hats and noises. He did well yesterday though - I left him with a sitter for an hour and he didn't bite my nose off on my return which is the first time ever 😄. So maybe I need to take a leaf out of your book and push through my anxiety a bit more.

The other thing is Hanging, that you've had so much to contend with.
I've said many times that lurcher girl was a handful, much more than I expected or had had to deal with before, so that I could only focus on certain 'challenges' at a time.
And she was four years old, long past the adolescent stage! An absolute breeze compared to Pod.

It's a sign of the great progress you've made that you can think of new approaches now.