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.

Pod nearly pulled me down a hill because I was doing the same this morning.

Having a tiny wee cry upstairs. I love Pod so much but I HATE that the clothes biting is back. Every time he does it I feel like the bond between us breaks and he's back to being this huge alien that I don't understand. The last week or so I think he's done jump up and bite clothes followed by vicious leg humping every single day, more that once. Feels like we're going backwards and I feel this huge sense of failure every time he does it.

Oh Hanging, I'm so sorry you're struggling with this. You're doing so well, and there must be a way to tackle his biting 😞

I know shit-all about dog training, but I do know that you're doing your absolute best for your boy and he's loved 😍

And you are absolutely not a failure 😇 You are Pod's guardian angel.

That sounds so very hard.

I only had a fraction of the challenges you face with Pod as lurcher girl was much more mature when I got her, but I well remember after a few months thinking that she was too much for me and that if someone I knew and totally trusted like my dog walker had offered to take her permanently I'd have handed her over willingly, much as I loved her.

I don't have experience of the biting and humping but I changed my walks to be less stimulating and much less stressful. Would that help at all?

He's so lucky to have you.

Very sorry to hear that you are feeling low. You’re not a failure you are Pod’s biggest advocate. Where would he be without you? It’s just a dark moment but I do know how you feel a bit. I remember getting so angry with my pup once jumping at me and biting me that I screamed at him to just F off. He ran away all scared and I felt like the worst person in the world. But that’s all forgotten now! The bond doesn’t get broken it just gets a bit frazzled round the edges but it repairs like magic ❤️

Many years ago I had a poo withholding toddler. All he needed to do was go to the toilet ... but we had the grumps and the shouting and the refusal to go until he absolutely had to. You have my sympathy.
(Although toddlers like mine end up needing medication because they are even more determined than a teenager dog).

You are not a failure. You love him and are doing so much with him to help him learn some manners and how to behave. So many have said that the podenco breed is a challenging breed, and you’re doing this as a first-time dog owner. That’s a steep learning curve!

Contact the DogWizard trainer to come and observe Pod’s current biting and humping behaviour and see what suggestions he has. It might be time for Pod to have his baubles removed to reduce the aggression and dominance. His bone strength and health is important but so is yours.

Can DP/DH take over doing some of the walks to give you a break? Could he accompany you and be the one holding the leash so that you can walk without your body being stressed and pulled? How did the dog walker search go?

Time to share the load of Pod’s care and walks around.

Oh sweetheart. This isn't your fault, and you're not going backwards. And it's not dominance or anything like that. It's testosterone and dysregulation - he's a teenager and sometimes he just can't cope with everything and he is mucking you about because you're his person. I know it's stretching the feeling of a bond from your perspective, but it's not from his; he's expressing wild over-excitement to his favourite person in the only way he can find to say it in the moment.

I'm a beginner at this too, so take this under advisement, but there's two ways of dealing with it, I think (that don't involve chopping his bits off, which might damage his confidence, so I'd hang on to them as long as you can if you can bear it). The first way is to deal with the things that are over-exciting him, and the second is to give him different ways of expressing them. Are there particular places or things that set him off? Is he sleeping and napping? Are there any cushions he also feels a little amorous towards that you could use to redirect?

Bill gets so wildly overexcited if I come back after leaving him with anyone that I have nearly permanent bite marks on my nose, so I'm trying to find ways to get him to respond a bit more calmly - throwing treats on the floor gives me a moment or two and that might work for you (for a minute)? Salmon paste is nearly irresistible to dogs too and is very squeezy. Do you have long tough tug toys you can take out on walks?

This will pass, but believe me, I understand how endless this stuff feels in the moment x

Could you put some kind of protection on your arm, like a pot or a non poppable inflated sleeve, so that he doesn't get any enjoyment from the bite?

I am sorry you are sad and I'm sorry if my idea is stupid.

I have no advice on the biting and humping and I'm so sorry that you are upset.

I have had a thought about his late evening demon poo though.

Could it be his anal glands? Our DDog goes a bit crazy with her last poo when hers need emptying.

New to this thread (love it 🥰) so sorry if I’m a bit behind. Does Pod have his little pods still attached? If so, depending on age, it might be time to relieve him of those. I know there is some concern that it can damage confidence, but 40 + rescue dogs in, I’ve never seen that. I have however seen it massively diminish the unwanted leg/furniture/other dog/postman shagging which has been a relief with my bigger boys (being shagged and simultaneously mouthed by a 40kg dog i found actually quite disconcerting, as did my rescue Pomeranians 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️)

Read thread 1. It's worth it.

Thank you my wonderful PodSquad.

DP minded him while I went to the gym for some alone time.

That's interesting about anal glands. I hadn't thought of it because I thought scooting and biting was the main indicator of anal gland issues but I'll keep an eye out. My friends dog has terrible issues with hers.

I might have to dig out the leather jacket again as he can't do any damage when I have that on.

Pod is very down in the dumps tonight... Didn't really fancy his, admittedly early, dinner. He's sitting on his bed looking mopey. Most unusual. I will monitor closely but I suspect there will be Antics later.

On a lighter note, are any exuberant pup owners CONSTANTLY covered in mud atm? I've bloody given up, each new outfit lasts minutes before his lordship plants muddy paws on me and my trousers are constantly muddy from stomping around the countryside. Possibly designated dog trousers are in order but I worry I'd never changed out of them!

He definitely sounds out of sorts. You've done an incredible job with him. It takes so much commitment to do what you've done. You should be very proud.

I feel like I'm in constant battle with mud. Our pup fits in the sink and wears a coat so it's pretty easy to wash down her legs and tummy. I wear leggings out walking as they wash and dry easily. I try to clean the mud off my shoes in a stream but it's always creeping in. The hoover is out every day at the moment. I found it easier when it was icy.

This is the teenage thing that absolutely scuppers some folks and it is one of the reasons so many dogs land in rescue - the 'good period' followed by the 'horrific regression' that leads people not in the know, to believe that they've fucked up or the dog is an incurable twatbag.

Bit like humans, as they learn and process and habituate, the brain gets... full. A lot of learning happens when we sleep/relax and the teenage mind struggles with that, so theres things that aren't being committed to long term memory that should, things that are just being cycled round and round, and also like us, the more they learn the more they have to do, the harder things can then get... and boom, we hit the 'can't cope/won't cope' fuckwittery meltdowny behaviours.

The clothes bitey/humpy is his version of slamming doors, having thoroughly unsuitable friends and saying FUCK in front of Grandma to see what happens.

Do whatever you can to take a break, shorter walks again, quieter times, dead of night/pissing rain storm etc etc - lots more chewy/scattery stuff.

Going back to management you used a month or so back is NOT a failure, meeting his needs where they're at 'right now' is sensible, not in any way 'giving up' or losing progress you've made.

He'll get back to that, and he'll get there faster than he did last time. And he will probably regress again... and it will probably be an even smaller blip... and eventually it will be such a long time you'll really only remember what a total bell-end he was by reading these threads back.

@WiddlinDiddlin have you thought of writing a book? Seriously I can see a market for the adolescent version of Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy

Our DDog doesn't scoot either but has to have hers emptied around every 3 months.

When my DSis adopted a DHound in the Summer he was displaying a bit of odd behaviour, sounds similar to mine snx yours when they need a poo in evening. Suggested she get his checked out and they were full too.

5pm dinner, 7.30 walk and Poop ..and he's gone to bed!!

UNBELIEVABLE, JEFF!!

Hanging, how about some waterproof over trousers from an outdoor retailer? They'll look a bit naff but keep you dry.

Well done, Hanging 😎

The kind with wellies attached?? I've always wanted some of them! 😁

No bloody way!

@HangingOver Er, no! The type that ramblers wear.

Too late! I want these now 🤣

Ahhh this is the thread for me. I have a 6mth puppy that i think is a pod ❤️

Shes all legs and triangles and pointy bits