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’ve just got back from the physio appointment. The lady was soooo nice and knowledgeable. She had a good examine of him and did loads of different exercises, and she thinks he has a bit of damage to his cruciate ligament. She said we have done right to get it checked out and catch it early so it doesn’t cause problems further down the line. She said she sees so many spaniels with ligament damage as they are really prone to it.

He’s going to have laser sessions with her for 6 weeks, which she thinks will improve it a lot then re-assess after that. I also have to keep him on lead for all of his walks until the sessions are finished, so that is going to be interesting!

I am very pleased because she said he’s well trained for his age and she can see I have put in a lot of work with him!! So that is nice. She also said she thinks he would be amazing for doing agility so maybe catch me on Crufts in a couple of years time 🤣

we've had all sorts of breeds as I'm the crazy lady who takes in neglected dogs! although I have slowed down over the years as I'm getting a bit old for loads of dogs lol growing up we always had collies and we've always had a collie around up until last September! honestly when we rescued this pup I kept taking her to the vets thinking she had so much wrong with her because she was so chilled and sleepy! this phase has definitely out done any puppy stage I've ever been through 😂 she's unruly and at times a little embarrassing!!!

@YorkshireFelix that’s good that it’s been caught early. Does it explain the sleep disturbances?
You will have plenty of time to practise loose lead walking!
Thumbs up for the well trained dog. My ambition is for someone to say that to me 😀

@fatandtrying you have my emapathy with the unruliness. Midge had been pretty good today until we got near our house and a couple of friends waved from over the road. I then became a kangaroo wrangler. It was very embarrassing!

@Nella68 I didn't even think to ask about the sleep actually! I will ask her when he goes for his first laser appointment.

I'm going to have to do some brain games with him in the house to tire him out a bit I think. The trainer we used did a video about 'shaping' recently which is really interesting, so I think I might explore that a bit more as it will make him have to think a lot!

She also recommended buying a raised food and water bowl for him as it reduces strain on their joints from having to bend down to eat. My mum does this for her greyhound but I didn't really think it was necessary since he's not very big, but she said it makes a difference in the long run.

Just to counter balance the well trained comment, we went to the Millies Wolfheart shop and he was absolutely mental in there. Then at Pets at Home he peed on the floor, and he's just somehow managed to bite a chunk off of his plastic bed?! Lord give me strength...

Raised bowls raise the risk of bloat, I don't know if that's an issue for spaniels.

I think because she's always been an angel, and it came out of no where it's shocked us a bit 😂on the plus side just been for a nice relaxed walk and no incidents

Yes I've heard this before but looked into the study and it shows an increased risk in large and giant breed dogs, but doesn't really touch upon the main factors which can contribute to bloat (i.e eating too fast/too much/exercise before or after eating) so I am not particularly convinced by the science to be honest. And the paper came out 25 years ago. I'm surprised there's not been any more recent research done.

I do think it's more common in larger breeds. Google suggests spaniels aren't at huge risk of bloat, but obviously it's not unheard of.

It was actually Brie's dog Mum (I can't tag her for some reason, not sure if she's here any more!) who mentioned bloat recently and I'd not heard a huge amount about it before so I went into mad research mode. And since then I've been super cautious of exercise and feeding times as I had no idea it could cause an issue!

Massive news here! (not massive at all). I've finally found a chew that lasts Bill more than three minutes that he doesn't even want me to hold the end of! It's a bag of beef pizzles from Paws Trading. I'd heard they were stinky but these don't smell at all, and he's been going at it all on his own for 16 solid minutes so far.

Can't tell you how glorious this is. Bill has a frankly hilarious but quite exhausting routine when I pick him up from daycare. He comes home, spends five minutes actively looking for trouble (raiding my bag for the car keys, stealing my slippers, my hat, gloves, remote control if it's within reach, etc etc). Then he spends five minutes racing around the house with his stuffed duck. Then he insists we go upstairs to the study (the room the puppy was not going to be allowed in, that was never puppy-proofed, that's clearly now his room) where he gets into his enormous bed he never sleeps in and writhes around on his back making a noise I can only describe as 'rowr'. He barks a bit, lies on his side digging, and burrows into my armpit (I'm required to make as much physical contact as possible, scritching him all over and rubbing his belly and telling him what a good boy he is). When he's finished with this, he shakes himself all over, heads downstairs for dinner (mine for preference), then whines for chews/treatos until I work out that what he actually wants is a poo. We head up to the park in the dark, where he attempts to disappear under a hedge, collects treasure (rocks), and finally has a poo just before my feet fall off. Then we go home, he hunts for trouble again (I have muddy footprints all over the sofa to see exactly where he's looked) and I have to hold one end of about nine different chews until one of us gets fed up and he finally falls asleep.

In short, the discovery of a treat that has now lasted him 23 minutes without my intervention is like stumbling on the holy grail, or the fountain of youth, or the peach tree guarded by the Monkey King.

Can you tell it's been a long week?

😂😂😂😂😂😂

I am exhausted just reading that. He cracks me up. We bought some disgustingly stinky beef things today but V wolfed it down in 30 seconds flat, so I'll definitely look those up.

My puppy sitter says of all the dogs she looks after he's the most likely to actually be a very small person in a dog suit.

A whole 50 minutes in the end! Though in the end I had to hold one end, as it were. And he's only just gone to sleep - which means I might be allowed to lie in till 7am*! Oh frabjous day!!

*there is zero chance of this

Pizzles are also v popular here, and JR does some odourless ones which I can confirm do not smell at all. We have had some marvellously stinky pizzles. Pupsy likes calf and goat pizzles as well as the regular ones you find which I think are beef?

Best not to think too hard about what they are, or rather, were...

@Bupster 50 minutes is excellent! What marvellous value for money and his efforts!

I miss the days that a lamb braid would last 20 minutes. I don't think we have anything that will last longer than 5 minutes.

A pizzle just sounds so whimsical doesn't it. I definitely won't think about what they are...

Sorry it is me and the non-sleeping devil dog again...

So we've been trying putting him in his crate right next to the sofa where we are sleeping and it's just not working. This is what we did when we first got him, then gradually moved away and it worked like a charm. He will happily nap in his crate with the door closed in the daytime. On Friday he even walked himself into there of his own accord and had a long nap which he never does!!

DH has slept with him the past few nights then I did last night. As soon as DH went upstairs he was so stressed and wouldn't settle - just pacing around whining and barking for a solid hour even though I was there with him.

I don't know what to do any more! We are both exhausted and my patience is wearing very thin. I was thinking of posting on one of the cocker spaniel FB groups for advice but I know for a fact I'll just get a load of 'leave him to cry it out' comments which I absolutely cannot do because of the neighbours. He is REALLY fucking loud when he gets going!!

Sorry I know you've all given me lots of support with this already so I'm not expecting any more advice at all. I am just soooooooooo tired and fed up.

Is there any chance there may be a dog in season nearby?

Honestly I have no idea, but none of my neighbours close by have dogs. There's a gorgeous Irish setter up the road but I'm pretty sure it's male.

I have been doing lots of googling and found a few reddit threads from people who have had similar issues around this age, so I am still sure it must be a shit adolescent development thing!

I just don't know what to try at this point. My DH suggested having him stay at MIL's house for a week with her two spaniels. They sleep in the utility room and MIL's hearing isn't great so she isn't bothered by any howling. They also have a detached house so no neighbours to disturb. But I'm not sure it's a good idea. They have a big field the dogs run around on but since V is on lead walks only due to his injury, I don't think it will work. Plus he will still have 'company' but in the form of other dogs so not sure it will even help anyway.

@YorkshireFelix I’m sorry to hear that sleep is still a problem.

What is he like if you go up to bed and your husband is downstairs? Is it specifically related to him leaving?

If it is him leaving can you do the door is a bore thing/ flitting in and out so he realises he comes back. You’ve not mentioned what he’s like when your husband leaves in the daytime, so might not be that.

Do you give him something to lick when he goes to bed? We give Midge a frozen Kong which takes him a while to lick while we escape upstairs. I like to think it settles him down.

Sorry I can’t think of anything else.

Ahhh @YorkshireFelix I am sorry. How incredibly frustrating. I agree that those groups will tell you to let him cry it out and honestly that’s probably what I’d do too, but I haven’t got neighbour concerns in the same way.

Which location is now best for everyone, sleep-wise – him upstairs with you? (Excluding the hair issue, and you also, quite reasonably, not wanting him there.)

Just trying to puzzle it out – has nothing changed about the evenings that could have triggered it?

Thank you, I appreciate you all trying to help me!

@Nella68 he does the same when it's my (blissful) turn to sleep upstairs too. So I don't think it's specifically related to him. He's not bothered when DH leaves for work etc, and he is completely fine being left in the daytime. So it's a nighttime specific thing which makes it even stranger... He gets bored of a Kong but loves those stinky hooves so I might fill one and put it in the freezer to give him at bedtime. It's worth a try!

@brushingboots Nothing has changed in the evening, which is why I'm so puzzled. Having him upstairs didn't work as he doesn't settle at all in our room and I wake up every time he moves about with his annoying little claws tap tapping on the floor. I don't know if we should just try again though.

Also we've tried having the tv on and classical music as background noise which doesn't make a difference either.

Forgot to say @brushingboots id absolutely leave him to cry it out if we could. I'd try anything at this point as it's been well over 2 weeks now.

@YorkshireFelix How well do you get on with the neighbours? Do you think a bottle of something, ear plugs and advance warning would be possible- that they might have a few unsettled nights but you’re working on the long term gain?

I think we could broach it with them, but my only other issue is my dd who is 11. She is autistic and struggles to sleep at night as it is, so that's another thing to consider. We tried to leave him barking a few nights ago and she was so stressed and upset because of the noise and it was just awful. She has noise cancelling ear plugs but can't tolerate wearing them.

Sorry I really appreciate everyone's suggestions, I know it sounds like I'm being awkward!

@YorkshireFelix I can't remember how old he is, but it's really normal apparently for adolescent dogs to have a crisis in confidence. Did you say he had some pain too or am I getting confused?

I know you don't want him in the bedroom long term, but it sounds like you all desperately need some sleep. Would it be possible to come up with a plan that involves him sleeping with you in the bedroom for a few weeks and then moving the bed closer to the door and into the hallway/landing, then back downstairs?

Do you have any rugs you could put down in the short term, to stop the noise from the wooden floor? You could keep any loud toys downstairs. I sleep with brown noise playing which screens out street noise but still lets me hear Bill if there's something he really needs me for.

I know there's all kinds of problems with hair, and not wanting him up there, but from everything you say, he really desperately wants to be with all of you right now and is struggling. He probably won't be struggling forever.

I'm saying this having had a wonderful walk with @brushingboots today bookmarked by two frankly horrendous car journeys. He is just not coping. Like you and sleeping, I know he needs to be able to do this eventually - but he doesn't need lots of long journeys right now, when he's not managing them at all, and it's just causing both of us godawful stress. For the moment, I'm going to go back to 10-20 minutes in the car at a time, as we can't avoid those for daycare, and maybe one or two trips of similar length or shorter in the week. I really want to push it faster (and I'm sure you do too) to get him back to where he was at his best, but today showed me that I absolutely can't. I have to go at his pace 🙁