Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - get teenage licks right through the night!

[Bupster]

I've buckled and started the new thread - welcome to the horror of adolescence!

We had the worst night! I managed to pick up a decent plastic bed for V in the middle of Lidl (£8.99!) to go in our bedroom. We had him in with us and he did settle and go to sleep on our bed rather than his new bed which is fine, but he woke up at 3.30, I took him downstairs at 4 for a poo, then he would not settle again so I literally had 3 hours sleep. DH is a really heavy sleeper but I'm not because of DD, so I was so irritated by him. I actually get a better nights sleep on the sofa.

I have come into the office to work today so DH can deal with him instead of me.

I don't know if it will work but maybe going back to basics with getting him sleeping in his crate might work. Like when we first got him and I slept on the sofa with his crate right next to me. I am willing to try anything at this point!

I love it when they have a nice day and lull you into a false sense of security 😬

@YorkshireFelix commiserations for the terrible night. I have become such a light sleeper since having the children, the husband on the other hand can snore his way through a firework display.
I’m wondering why Vinny needs a poo that early? Could it be related to what time he’s fed? M has his tea at 6 and a part filled kong at bedtime. He usually has a poo just after breakfast. He doesn’t usually have a poo before bed.
It sounds like going back to basics might at least help you get some sleep.

@Bupster We’ve had a good morning too! Midge came back every time I called and he even chose to keep by me when off lead. I spotted a dog coming our way before he did so was able to call him back and get him on lead. Very little pulling in his usual sniffy places and lovely close walking when on the pavement. Until he saw A Cat. Then he pulled me up everyone’s drive trying to find it. I think Bill and Midge must have some sort of telepathy. Our outings seem so similar!

Glad to hear you had a good morning!

It was 4am because he refused to go before bed. He's pretty regular going in the morning, on his walk sometime between 12-2 then again in the evening. But he can be very stubborn and keep asking to go out before bed but not actually do a poo, which is frustrating! I was going to walk him round the block at 11.30pm and then thought I'd risk it which obviously didn't pay off 😬

We had a much better night.

Tried to leave him downstairs but the barking was too much and dd couldn't get to sleep and was getting upset.

So up he came into our bedroom again at around 12. He did settle after about 30 minutes this time and slept until 6! I am so exhausted because I could do with catching up on my sleep but glad he actually did a decent stint.

He was wide awake after 6 playing with a noisy crinkle toy, and all our floors are wooden so all I could hear was his claws tapping on the floor which drives me mad. I came downstairs with him at 7 and he's spent the whole time whinging to go back upstairs 🙄

So it's not back to sleeping soundly in his crate downstairs but it's better than what's been happening the past couple of weeks!

@YorkshireFelix I’m glad to hear that you had a better night. I thought I heard Midge whining last night (he does this if he has diarrhoea) and became wide awake only to realise it was my husband’s nose whistling in his sleep. It kept me awake for ages!

I want to go out but Midge is being a pain and won’t settle

My husband is a nose whistler too, it's so annoying! He's a chef and works with a lot of flour so is always congested and sneezing and it drives me up the wall. I said he needs to start wearing a face mask in the kitchen 😂

We had a chat this morning and have decided we are going to go back to basics like i mentioned before, and just take it in turns downstairs until he's settled again.

It was ok last night, but I am such a light sleeper so any movement he makes wakes me up. And I can't cope with so much dog hair upstairs! I hoover twice a day downstairs and can't manage to do that upstairs too. My allergies play up if I don't. Plus dd is getting stressed about him being up there and potentially getting into her bedroom if she forgets to close her door. She's autistic and has a lot of very precious things she's collected and it upsets her greatly if anything happens to them.

I think we just need a dog free zone, as awful as it sounds. I promise we do like him 😄

Glad you had a better night @YorkshireFelix but it’s still not ideal at all. Poor you – all of you, as it sounds like no one is very pleased, including V. There’s nothing wrong whatsoever with needing a dog-free zone, and there wouldn’t be in any circumstances. Not awful, perfectly human. I don’t have pupsy upstairs at night at all – she can go up there in the day but I need to have a portion of each 24 hours without her and I don’t love her any less for that.

@YorkshireFelix Midge isn’t allowed upstairs or on the furniture- and he doesn’t shed!

V sheds loads! I wasn't expecting so much really. I am only used to my MIL black cocker who doesn't seem to shed a lot at all. We definitely should have got a Midge instead 😄

Pupsy doesn't really shed either! Or maybe my standards are very low (possible). I genuinely notice when a Labrador has been in the house, by comparison, and it always confirms why I wouldn't have one!

Shedding can be quite dog specific, our younger one sheds far more than our older one but even then far less than others I know. It is a source of great disappointment to me that I can't fashion a whole other dog after brushing them, rarely get more than a handful.

Well, I went Fish(ing)4Dog today with my new delivery of fish sausages. Midge thought they were quite splendid and mostly came back when called. He got very excited when I was chopping them up.

I wanted to post a little video of him having fun in the frosty grass this morning but it seems that we still can’t add photos etc.

Aww I know it's sad we can't post pictures of the pups any more. If anyone is on Instagram I'd happily follow for dog updates! I already have @brushingboots on there 😄

I've put an order in with Fish4Dogs too. I signed up to the puppy club so got a puppy sample pack coming with my order too. We are going to the Millie's Wolfheart shop tomorrow as their warehouse is only 10 minutes from us so I am excited about that, which is sad 🤣

Vinny had his physio appointment tomorrow too. He limped again for about 10 seconds a few days ago, and then this morning he went down the stairs with his same back leg in the air. I am really hoping it's not something ominous but we will have to see what she says.

We've just done our first longline walk. He bites my hands when I put his harness on which is very annoying. He used to do that before too and I thought he'd have grown out of it! But we had a really good walk on the field. He was super engaged with me, did some good whistle recall (including a recall when he had set off to chase some gulls!!!!), some good sit/stays. He did get a scent at the end and ran off ahead but did come back after a few minutes of me following him.

Maybe he's trying to make up for the whole sleep thing by not being a shit today!

My Insta is the same username as on here and all are welcome!

So glad you had a lovely walk, @YorkshireFelix! That sounds much more positive. He is in there somewhere!

I would be super excited about the Millie's warehouse too haha. I've got to drive to Ripon tomorrow for work so have been looking up dog/ag shops to pop into en route there or back because I too am that sad!

Will be very intrigued to hear what the physio has to say, as I am very hot on any changes to pupsy's back end and how she moves. Dog-dad is always saying 'she's not a horse, she doesn't move like a horse' when I'm inspecting her for lameness but old habits die hard.

@YorkshireFelix I hope the physio appointment goes ok and it’s nothing serious.

When you use the longline do you hold the end or let it loose and hope you can stick your foot on it if needed?

I’ve tried recall when holding the end, but I think because he knows that he’s on lead he doesn’t really try and say hello to other dogs or crows.

I’m not brave enough yet to attempt recall around other dogs. What I need is a few dogs that I know (and have good recall/ neutral with other dogs) in an enclosed field so I can practise recall before trying the real world. I would need said dogs and field every day for the next few weeks to properly practise!

I let it loose. I absolutely hate longlines because they get wet and disgusting trailing through the grass and mud but needs must 🤢

I've also discovered if I'm wearing my wellies they don't have enough friction so sometimes it just slips right through where I'm trying to stand on it. I think @Bupster had a similar problem with one of the waterproof longlines too. Too slippy! I know it works better with my walking boots so I'll have to start wearing them.

I found it good today, as there were a couple of instances where he tried to slink off from his sit without me using his release word, and I stood on the line and it stopped him and refocussed him to sit again. Usually he would just wander off and not listen to me.

Tie a knot in it! This happened by accident I must confess, but now there's a couple of knots and even wellies work 😄

@Nella68 I'm now permanently hanging onto the end of the longline in places that are far too exciting, where he used to be able to run free, like our local common. It makes the walk a bit miserable to be honest as he yanks like mad at the beginning - he's used to having freedom there - but I can't trust him not to do a Fenton as it's all just TOO exciting. Our morning walks take us to a more enclosed area and as long as there are no other dogs in sight, or only dogs we know, I let the line trail. I take it off completely if he's playing with friends, or at our local dog park. Ours is 10m so there's quite a lot of scope for recall practice but mostly we practice when I've let it trail - the problem with the Common is it's too easy for him to get too far from me, or too distracted, to remember I exist (and it's habit for him to go a bit further from me there too).

Hopefully he can be free on Sunday with pupsy, @Bupster, and you can enjoy some hands free time!

@Bupster tying a knot in it is absolutely genius. I'd have never thought to do that!!

@YorkshireFelix our line has several knots along the length (also unintentional) but if one slips from under my welly there’s a few more chances to secure it.

I've just come across this thread! my dogs just hit 15 months, she was the dream pup! trained easily, walked by our sides 24/7 but this last week she is like a menace 😂 no more off lead as shes gone like the wond, barks at anything approaching us, and just generally a nightmare! we've always had lots of dogs she's second in the house now, as our others have all passed on but we've always had a hard work pup that's grown up into the training and calmed so we are just hoping this is a teenage phase that will pass!

edited for dog breed..... mini goldendoodle ( rescued from owner at 4 months due to neglect)

@fatandtrying (love the name)
Welcome to the adolescent dog thread. I’m a relative newbie too. I have a poodle x lab x golden who is 12 months. Sometimes he’s a dream dog, but outside he can be a real pain. He’s about 23kg so getting strong.
This thread has helped keep me sane knowing I’m not the only one!

Welcome!! You've done well to get to 15 months before hitting any craziness 😄

Have you always had similar breed dogs or different breeds?