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!

I was thinking of starting a sort of parallel thread-within-a-thread of terrible adolescent dog stories. My hairdresser yesterday told me he had a one-year-old Hungarian Vizla waiting upstairs. The other week he went to take a shower and she ate the armchair. I told this story to a colleague who has a year-old Lab, and he said that yesterday she ate her own collar, while she was wearing it.

@Bupster
I hope you weren't offended by my comment earlier. It was meant in jest because everything I've said for the past 15+ months was meant to advise people not to sound a know it all or anything.

Not even slightly, @CaptainBeanThief xx it’s always been clear to me that’s why you post 😊

Dear god. I feel very lucky that the only thing that has been destroyed in this house, that did not already belong to the dog, is a fabric doorstop that we left in the room overnight with pupsy on her first night here.

All those with spaniels, what size harnesses are we using? Milo is 14kg and has always used small, still is a small. Vet said his weight and body condition is spot on and perfect but he's never progressed to a size M and I find it weird 🫨😂

@CaptainBeanThief Vinny wears a M. The last time we had him weighed in Dec he was 16kg so he's probably more now (I should get him weighed again!!)

@YorkshireFelix
Milo is very stocky massive chest but skinny/lean, he isnt bony or anything he has never ever got above 14 kg. The vet said he must stay at the same weight now anyway but I just can't understand how he can wear the same size harnesses as a shit zu 😂😂😂😂

@CaptainBeanThief I haven't used a harness except on the odd longline occasion for about a year! We have a Perfect Fit for when we do use it and the parts are in various sizes – I think XS and S. She's about 12.5kg.

Bill’s a chonk, he’s still roughly spaniel sized if the spaniel ate another spaniel, but he’s now on Perfect Fit M-L-M (the large is the band going round his chest). But spaniels and harnesses are really varied in size. My brother’s dog is half shitzu and is the size of a squirrel, I didn’t even know you could get harnesses that small.

@Bupster
Size of a squirrel 😂😂😂😂

If a spaniel ate another spaniel 😂😂😂

There's a black cocker girl who we see on walks and she's only 4 weeks younger than Vinny and genuinely looks the same size as when we got him at 8 weeks old. Also she trots along so nicely on the lead it makes me sick with envy.

We’re off to see a lady tomorrow who is a licensed home boarder. She had 2 dogs similar to M so understands the grooming etc.

Fingers crossed that we like her!

That is promising!! Hope it goes well.

@YorkshireFelix thanks. I just hope Midge doesn’t disgrace himself or us!

Good luck @Nella68 and lovely M! x

Sleeping beauty never fails to make my heart melt until he does something to annoy me like eat cat shit

Well, we had the meet and greet with the dog boarder. She was lovely, has a couple of dogs of her own but also takes up to 4 other dogs. Her dogs were very excitable and barky and I’m worried they would be a bad influence! She’s still an option but Midge would need to be castrated/ have the implant to go there.

I was hoping to leave castration as long as possible but it looks like we’ll have to go down the chemical route just before he’s 18 months.

The other option is a local train and board. Midge went there last time we went to France and he was quite happy there but it’s twice the price. He wouldn’t have the bad doggies to lead him astray. The board and train chap’s dogs are impeccably mannered!

Glad it went well, @Nella68 ! Does he need to have his man-dangles removed for the place he went before? If so, I'd be inclined to save up for the other place, just because you know he's good there already, and you'd save the price of castration (or delay it at any rate).

We are super-lucky with our daycare - not only do they do overnights (though it books up months in advance) but he doesn't need to have his bits chopped - in fact, when he was being a barky bollock balloon the other week I had a chat to the woman who runs it and she said she'd far rather wrangle and separate six entire dogs than have any of them have their apricots diced earlier than two years (she didn't say apricots, she's not that ridiculous). I don't know when I want Bill done, but it's nice not to have the extra pressure.

Id never ever get a male dog done before 2 ( or ever if you can help it) it depleats testosterone too early and can cause a whole host of issues with dogs bones/joints.

@CaptainBeanThief I know- that’s my dilemma, particularly as Midge is a large dog and takes longer to mature.

I need to check about the other place, he’s suggested the implant but didn’t say yes or no as to if it’s needed for M to go there.

Phew, have just heard back from trainer, M doesn’t need to be neutered, so that swings it for me. I think he is used to working with dogs that have fear based behaviour problems that are exacerbated by neutering.

I know it's double the price but he sounds like a great option if you can afford it.

Is it normal for a dog to suddenly start barking? Pup was out in the hall earlier when DS19 and his girlfriend came in. He knows GF very well, wasn't trying to eat or sleep but barked and growled at them for 30 seconds. Then later he did it again with DD9, barked at her too though he was being fed when she came in. Totally out of character as normally he is annoyingly submissive to everyone.

How old is he, @Goneback2school ? Dogs go through several fear stages - they're often called secondary fear periods, but it's a bit of a misnomer as I think there's four in total (one when they're tiny). I think Bill's just come through his third. They can get really easily spooked by mad things like balloons and binbags. But adolescent dogs can also have swings in confidence on a daily basis because their hormones are all over the place, so he might just have got a bit spooked by a shadow and that set him up to bark again later.

Check his body language - I've found Bill looks quite conflicted when he's spooked, he barks, but his tail often wags too and he wants to get closer but is super wary.

As ever, this thread is making me feel a zillion times better. Betty has also transformed from eager-to-please if chaotic little pup to a long-legged ball of stubborn energy overnight and phew, it’s exhausting. Not helped by the fact that she’s gone from happily sleeping 10.30-8am in her crate (in our room) to waking up at 4am frantically woofing and scrabbling to get out. She does seem to need a wee as she goes instantly and she will then go back to bed for a couple of hours, but the disturbed night is hitting us both hard – this is why we didn’t have another baby! 🤣

On the bright side she was star pupil at puppy class yesterday so that made a nice change as usually she’s the worst one there! Taking her to visit family today – fingers crossed she behaves…