For the love of Pod

[HangingOver]

All aboard Podsquad, it's Pod thread number 4.

In case you were wondering:

• What is this (surprisingly) long-running thread about? A unique lunatic rescue Podenco, known as Pod. Featuring his pals, Stanley, GentleHowl, BabyPod, GentleBounce, Fastest and Princess and many more.
• What makes you so special that you get your own thread? See above

Seriously, if anyone is considering getting a teenage/rescued/sight-hound/Podenco/all of the above and has NO idea what they're doing, please enjoy the previous instalments from the day we brought him home, to now, six months later. Posts will oscillate wildly from euphoric to mental breakdown and back again.

Here is thread No. 3 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/thedoghouse/5248472-they-love-a-bit-of-him-podlife?page=1

Here is thread No. 2 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/thedoghouse/5197068-the-pod-cast?page=39&reply=141216881

And thread No. 1 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/thedoghouse/5177112-oh-my-giddy-god?page=1

Pic of the handsome prick in question.

I suspect the random reactivity is trigger stacking.

He's used up more of his chill to handle whatever, this, that, the other thing.. and so he hits his threshold without you realising and then the next thing - whatever the fuck it is - sends him over the top.

You will struggle to spot a pattern as to what it is sets him off because there isn't one, s'not really about the thing itself its about alllllllll the other things before.

Very very super duper mega common in teenagers with unfinished brains, extra brain weasels and so on.

Do all the stuff you're doing - trying to reduce stress, build confidence, be lovely etc etc... it'll pass. And he will get better at telling you where he is at on his 0 to Mad as a Bag of Frogs scale too.

if it helps, here are things that Bill shouted at today:
his nemesis, a spaniel
a tall bin man
two men carrying an oven
a goth wearing headphones
a scary motorbike cover

things he didn't shout at because he was too busy trying to eat them:
cats
squirrels
crows
my nose

He's been at daycare all day, so all this borking has been squeezed into the morning walk and his final poo/mooch. There are days when I can see the adult dog he'll become, and days when (as someone said on the adolescent thread) it's like wrangling a kangaroo. Or flying a hairy kite. If the kite was also a kangaroo, with teeth, that barked really really loudly.

The more I hear about Bill, the more I think he and Pod are kindred spirits.

I did wonder about that but I then can't explain why the four dogs we saw afterwards he barely looked at! Weirdo dog.

He’s certainly mastered the ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ look, hasn’t he!

I remember when lurcher girl in her early days reacted badly to a dog being walked past us by a rather fierce woman, well known for her very strict management of a local pub.

‘THAT IS NOT A NICE DOG!’ she declared. I resisted the temptation to reply, ‘Well at least she has a nice owner’.

RUDE

I had moved my dog over on to the grassy area away from the path, and she was sitting, not lunging but barking. If everyone had to walk a fearful rescue dog for a week they would be more understanding!

Dogs do so well to adapt to us and our homes.

They do. Being through rescue kennels and moving into an unknown house must be really difficult to process, and having to learn the new rules. Dogs are great.

Maybe he threw all his fucks at the dog he lost his shit at... and was then totally out of fucks for the next four.

I try not to ponder the machinations of the teenage canine brain tooooo hard, its a rabbit hole you can absolutely get lost in.

That said I am about to sign up for Sarah Fishers ACE course on adolescent twatdogs for a bit of CPD (thats not what she's titled it... ive just forgotten the proper course title!)... so down the rabbithole I gooooooooooo!

Boooooo. Pupdate.

Dickhead hound has had me up twice a night for the past two nights. In my sleep deprived fortieth lap of the garden at 3am he eventually pooped, after which I immediately dug out a Giardia test and took a torch into the garden like a mad scientist, with Pod looking on amazed.

Surprise sur-fucking-prise it was positive, so this weekend is cancelled as kennels won't have him and I wouldn't want to leave him when he's poorly anyway. My date with the delicious Brandon Boyd will have to wait. Gutted.

My poor boy is snuggled up on the sofa looking very miserable. 😔

See, this is why you have to be in charge of naming everything.

Oh how absolutely rubbish, I'm really sorry.

Oh no, that’s rotten luck. ☹️

If they need someone to live demo twatbaggery Pod will happily come along. He'll eat all the parcels and bit the instructor.

Bill is also on offer as a twatdog. He'll shout all through it and then chase a squirrel up a tree while still attached to the instructor. It'll be fun.

I'm sorry poor Pod is in the wars again 🤒

It shows the connection between the two of you, your spidey senses were telling you he wasn't being himself and the test proved you right 😞

Get well soon, little man 🙂

Yeah, he doesn't WANT to wake up at 2am to shit because he always goes straight back to bed afterwards. What I can't excuse however is him trying to tear my PJ bottoms off me in a fit of high spirits post-shit.

Ohhhhhhh, post poop euphoria is not what you want at 2am!!

Bloody giardia it is SUCH a twat to get rid of :(

I love the video you uploaded on IG with RAtM as the soundtrack. It's a perfect match.

Evening from Lake Giardia.

Pod woke me up crying to go out at midnight.

Total time spent walking round the garden/the streets: almost 90 mins.

Total time Pod has spent pooping 0.

The second he gets back in, he cries and barks to go out again. Almost immediately we go out, he wants to go back in again. I could actually screeeeeeeeam.

On the plus side, I've done half my daily step count already and it's only 2am.

I got so worried I took him to the out of hours vets in the end, whereupon he immediately wagged happily and charmed everyone. They checked him all over and he is absolutely fine. Just very aggy and his bum glands were full again. He's got pain relief which I think is what he needed. I am tirrrrred but 9000 steps before morning ain't bad.

Poor you and poor Pod. Stupid poo issues. Maybe ask the vet about a short course of anti inflammatory medication or antibiotics for his glands? My parents’ small dog needed regular anal gland expressing, and the best they ever were was after antibiotics or prednisone for other issues.

Is he getting reinfected with giardia at doggy daycare or is it just really hard to fully cure it once a dog is infected?

Much sympathy. Hope you get some rest today.

Maybe he is mistaking the feeling of his glands being full for needing to poop?

I don't know if that could happen, but hopefully he'll feel better now he's got pain relief ( and hopefully let you get some rest 🙏 ).