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.

Oh no @HangingOver that sucks. I hope that the ice and rest is enough to help you feel better. That’s great that Pod was a good boy when home alone. Can you get a dog Walker or a trusted friend to walk Pod while DP is away?

Hope your knee recovers soon Hanging.

3.5 hours Home Alone and no destruction or upset is excellent! Though agree would be good if you can find someone else to walk him for a few days so you can rest your leg.

Hope to hear soon that you’re on the mend Hanging.

Oh bloody hell, that sounds painful!!

I've never met any living being for whom needing a shit is an international crisis.

Pod's "need a poop" routine is well established by now, it in involves pacing, dancing, howling and constantly asking to go in the garden and then not doing anything.

Pod, however, has also very recently decided he's too fancy to shit on his own doorstep, and favours using the local grass rather than his own back garden. This was fine at 10pm last night, after which he immediately came home and curled up into the tiniest prawn shape and went to sleep.

It's much less good at 4am. And like everything with Pod, the right thing to do only presents itself as glaringly obvious after trying the wrong thing for nearly an hour and getting frustrated with eachother. So whinybum starts up at 4am on the nose, and after 45 mins of leading him round and round the garden like a teddybear I put my coat over my PJs and took him round the block, which produced a massive poo within five minutes.

I've no idea why he's starting pooing overnight again. He's not sick either, maybe I'm feeding him too much.

Anyway Pod is a prawn again and I'm going to try to snatch another hours sleep if I ever warm up. He did give me and lovely smooch and try to climb on my lap which was quite sweet.

Bum still excruciating (mine).

I remember the round and round the garden malarky from a previous pointy dog (The Orange Dog, part saluki, part who the hell knows what, possibly greyhound, possibly velociraptor)...

She'd trundle around, sniff every spot, half squat then NOPE, ABORT MISSION... trundle round...

I once in total desperation, sleep deprivation and raging flu, yelled at her FOR GODS SAKE JUST FUCKING SHIT YOU CONTRARY TWATBAG.

She ignored me for three days straight, I felt so so guilty.

Anyway it turned out we had to keep the grass shorter, and hose off any residue of poo/pee daily. So i bought a mower and a hose and had an outside tap fitted to ensure that the garden was exactly to Madam L'Orange's requirements.

My pup won’t poo in the garden anymore either. He’s a guide dog in training so that’s even worse as he’s supposed to poo in a particular spot but has instead decided the whole garden is a no poo zone. What can you do? They can be stubborn creatures. Mine just looks at me curiously while I repeat the “busy busy” mantra as if wondering if I’ve lost my mind.

The 4am poo sounds a pain though. Maybe try feeding him earlier in the day? Or feeding him bigger portions at breakfast than dinner? I don’t know… hope he grows out of it.

My precious little princeling has had a lovely forest walk with his buddies and is now curled up in the sun catching up on his sleep. I have been up since 4 and by the time I finish work he will be up and bouncing again. Considering a dangerous fourth coffee 🤣

I came through to poo and sick on the floor this morning. I had failed to put away a fortunately smallish bag of food into the storage tin so during the night she ate at least a day's rations then got rid of it all from her system.

My punishment for being absentminded.

Dpup has also decided not to poo or pee in the garden any more. I was expecting it as last dog (same breed) was exactly the same. Last dog would deign to poo in the garden in the middle of the night though - but only after at least 10 minutes of running up and down the drive followed by another 10 minutes of running round and round the garden to find exactly the right place. Strange things dogs.

Urgh I'm in so much paaaaaaain.

Pod had regressed a bit in the past few days with the clothes biting so I'm covered in bruises again. Every time I need to leap out of his way I jar my poor pelvis again and pain shoots through me. Walking him is so difficult too although DP is picking up the slack.

Hope you all have a lovely restful Easter with your hounds.

Ooof.. its like they KNOW (they probably do..)... Mine have some uncanny ability to stamp on the bit of me thats ouchy. Even the wobbly ancient one this morning managed to get out of his donut bed on our bed, navigate two other sleeping dogs and DP's legs, to come over to me and stamp on my hip.

All is currently quiet, they've had beef tracheas from a new store abcdogtreats.co.uk and our delivery of doggy snacks arrived today! Beef tracheas are gross but they are snoozing after a lengthy munching session.

Nice, after yesterdays shenanigans, the Stick Dog stole a tray of dips, and shared it with the LWBHound. Seems that guacamole does not agree with either, both heaved it up on the carpet later and neither can just stand and spew in one place, they have to 'walk n' hawk'... arseholes.

Found out tomorrows shift is double time. Nicely nicely :D Might help cover my latest art materials addiction... soft pastel (those things are EYEWATERING and you need LOADS).

Hope you feel better soon Hanging. I'm going away for Easter weekend and just realised the doodle dog's packing list is longer than mine...!

Sorry you're having such a painful time, Hanging. It must be excruciating.

Lurcher girl hasn't recovered from her self-inflicted digestive upset. It's a worry as she's going to kennels on Sunday as I'm going away for a few days.
I got her checked at the vets today just in case but there's nothing much wrong. If all else fails I'll have to delay going away for a day or two but it shouldn't come to that.

Sorry to hear you are still suffering, Hanging 😔💐

Hopefully Pod will realise that his mum needs some rest and he stops the biting business 🙏

This dog is driving me to tears tonight. He's been doing his "I need a poo" nonsense for two hours but he will not bloody go, not in the garden or on a walk. He's not straining or anything, he just won't go. He's just shouting at me and biting my clothes.

Can you not put him in a different room and ignore his demands? Seems like he is after your attention and needs to learn that he can’t behave like this. No biting. No barking for the toilet and then refusing to go.

Poor you, it does sound incredibly trying - especially with your injury. I guess your dog is picking up on a change in your behaviour/routine and doesn’t understand it. Hope things get better soon!

I really hate ignoring him when he's wound up. Anyway he scratches the walls plus we live in a semi so it's not fair on the neighbours to let him shout his head off. He did eventually stop in return for many many scritches. I've cheered myself up by asking AI what he'd look like as a human.

See I would been 1000% fine with this if he didn't also shout his head off. 🤣 In fact I'd get him a giant dog flap so he could just sort himself out.

Have spoken to my Pod pals about this and we all agree the Dog Behaviour Profile online that describes Pods as "quiet, rarely barking" is absolutely bollocks. He started barking at water yesterday.

I’m just imagining that dog whisperer guy on TV - can’t remember his name. Hard to ignore your dog and of course, never for long - but the minute Pod bites/barks, out the door. Then back in when he’s calm, big words of praise and affection, then out again the minute he bites - and so on… until the penny (bonio?) drops.

Of course, completely easy to say and a million times harder to do. And I’ve been there with the neighbours and my barking beast … very difficult when the walls are thin!

Human Pod has a look of Adrien Brody!

I do still put a door between us when he bites. The barking is a bit more nuanced... He DOES bark for attention sometimes which I sort of dismiss but he's normally totally sparko by 9pm so to be up and making chaos at 11.30 make me want to at least attempt soothing him because he's obviously got himself worked up about something. Doesn't always work lol

Ahh the 'somethings wrong but I can't tell you what it is so the best option is to be an absolute utter dickhead until either you guess correctly or I collapse'...

This is likely related to some sort of discomfort + teenage hormone flare and will grit your teeth, cross your fingers, spit in your hat pass...

Revisit last meal, last chew, last toilet trip times to see if things have slipped a bit and he's gone back to needing a poo at a time he feels isn't acceptable? Glug of something lubricating in his dinner perhaps (olive oil... not WD40)...

@PhoenixFlight You're describing a time out - I use them verrrrrry occasionally, but only where the dog absolutely 100% knows what he should be doing, and it is 100% a 'trying my luck, as I think this behaviour works' thing, not a 'I might be in discomfort/upset' thing.

If we try this where the dog does not know what to do (and I'll bet my hat Pod doesn't and its a very nice hat indeed) and does have some underlying reason - so this would cause frustration and frustration + Pod = bitings and more stress.

Thats not to say sticking a door between you to stop yourself getting mullered isn't right - it might well be necessary but it isn't a training solution to fix the problem, its a 'right now' solution to avoid the mullering.

You are, as usual, 600% correct Widdlin.

The little princeling played with his friends on both walks today, had a bath and a small amount of cheese. A lot less biting and barking tonight. He's snuggled up listening to the rain and smells like a delicious biscuit.

Why is it the pets that drive you crackers are also the ones that have a masterful, butter wouldn’t melt, you cant deny me anything look!

Oh Pod you handsome conundrum you! :)