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!

@brushingboots I didn't realise is was Charlie you had interviewed!! SWOON.

@Nella68 I’m sure Midge would qualify and Charlie is lovely! We talked about residential training the other day when I interviewed him – I think it can be pretty transformational.

Whereabouts are you roughly? Mordor is a long way from me but I’d love to go up with pupsy, though I doubt he’d approve of how feral she is. There’s another trainer who I’d really recommend for resi training who is in County Durham if that’s nearer you than Charlie is in Perth. She’s superb, her own dogs are frankly extraordinary, and she does far more than just gundog work.

@YorkshireFelix Yeah! In the last month I've interviewed about eight gundog trainers for different pieces so it's been information overload here too haha

@YorkshireFelix
He's a cavapoo. Never had any issues until just before Christmas. I've fallen down a rabbit hole of websites talking about raw and homemade foods. I'm sure I'll regret that!

@brushingboots I’m near Birmingham so a long way from both!

@Nella68 Ahhh! There is a guy on one of the working cocker groups who seems to be a magician – Gary Marriott at Brackenvale Gundogs. I'm pretty sure he does residential training and on the cocker group people can't get enough of him so might be worth investigating. He's in/near Leicester, LE8.

I’m actually only a couple of hours from Perth but probably can’t afford Charlie

@brushingboots ooh who is the one in Co Durham? That's where my in-laws are.

Ahh what a lovely update @Bupster! He is a star ⭐️

@YorkshireFelix Natasha Surtees at Wildnook! She is super and also does a great YouTube channel vlogging her dog life and taking them out picking up etc

Thanks tor the new thread @Bupster.
I've been reading through the thread a bit at a time but haven't got round to posting.
I would also love @brushingboots to do your own training thread, you've loads of good advice and write it down in such a good explanatory way!
I've been practicing sit/stay too @YorkshireFelix while we're out, Max gets too excited sometimes to wait when i throw the dummy so will bolt off to retrieve it. But reading these maybe i am trying to push/rush him.

here he is, hes 10 months now.

God he's absolutely gorgeous

aw thankyou @Bupster. It's a good job he is cos he's a pain in the arse sometimes 😂

Can I join in please? My little horror is 10.5 months old and is driving me insane some days. We've just started using a long line because his recall is very much on his terms 🙄 some days he is soooo good, others i am so embarrassed to be out with him. He was bullet proof until recently. I'd love for him to sit and stay until released, for him to come back when he's nicked someone's tennis ball and it would be amazing if he would settle in a pub or cafe but maybe im hoping for too much too soon. I worry I've missed the sweet spot for training these.
Pic for tax

Beautiful pup @lookwhatyoumademedoo , such a sweet face.

He's gorgeous, my pups brother was this colour

God I could have written this! Welcome to the horrors.

If it makes everyone feel better, I just posted on FB that I'd had a nice day with himself, and my friend responded: "I washed and dried dog beds today. I’m now re-washing as [teenage rescue dog horror] literally just stood in front of me and wee’d all over said beds. Wtf is wrong with him"

Obviously I offered deep sympathy and didn't laugh at all.

Oh my gosh, does the thread need renaming? It's fast becoming Spaniel World!

Your boy is gorgeous too @memememe

@lookwhatyoumademedoo Such a lovely boy! He’s doing so well. You too are v kind. I will consider…

@memememe Welcome! Another black spaniel – perfect! I am biased but they are the best. You haven’t missed the sweet spot – he’s just going through a classic teenage phase and he’ll come back to you (literally). Steadiness comes with time (and maturity) so give yourself a break about that, and I say the more practice he gets in the pub the better (ha ha). Returning tax, ft a recent find.

For all my talk about pupsy being (genuinely) steady, this afternoon we did a very basic sit stay/dummy chuck/go back in the garden, where we do it every day, and she just ran in merrily without a care in the world, despite knowing what to do, despite hearing me say ‘sit’. And all because, I suspect, I chucked it in a different direction. I reckon half the village heard me shout ‘oi!’

I don't know if I am in the right place or if pup is still a bit young- 6 months old next week. He's another spaniel- a Springer and I'm looking for some advice. He is very nervous walking out around our quiet village. Tail tucked, pulling fit to choke himself the works. Yesterday he tried to bolt while I was picking up his poop so that he knocked me flat on my bum on the footpath. During the week the only time we can really attempt a walk is when it's dark and I'm trying to work on his heel walking. Some times have been better than others but he often will not accept treats because he is so spooked. Should I persevere with it to try ease the anxiety or give up and work on the heel walking/ training in our garden? Any advice much appreciated.

@lookwhatyoumademedoo he is gorgeous!!!

@memememe welcome! Mine is also a black spaniel 😄 He's only just turned 7 months so we're a bit behind you but he is definitely turning into a teenage twat. I fear we have many more months of it to come.

Thanks everyone, reading this gives me hope!

Oh bless him. Sorry I don't have much advice! My MIL has a springer and he's quite nervous too. Beautiful dogs though, I would love one.

Hopefully someone else can help a bit more than I can.

@Goneback2school Welcome! All spaniels (and other dogs too, ha ha @CoubousAndTourmalet, it is a silent takeover) always welcome.

Ahhh, the poor baby. Bless him. What is he nervous about, how does it manifest, and how do you react to his fear? I haven't any first-hand experience with nervousness, but I think in your position I would be trying to tackle one thing at a time. So, I guess, start with getting him to walk confidently first so he is happy enough to accept rewards, and then I’d work on loose lead walking out and about as you can fix that once you have a chilled dog. To me having a chilled, confident dog would be more important than one that walks nicely if he’s genuinely scared, which it sounds like he is. Definitely, if you have the energy, work on heeling at home in a place where he's not scared, but I would prioritise getting him to feel happy away from home as a sad spaniel is a very sad thing indeed.