Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - for teenage dirtbags

[Bupster]

I've buckled again, I can't take the pressure of being on page 40 😄

They seem to be an all year round thing up here now. I got two off the puppy in January.
They're harder to spot on black dogs. I found puppy's as I was stroking her and felt a lump. Then lifted her ears up and found a few more.
The one advantage of having white dogs is that I can see ticks crawling across them and pick them off before they bite.

Reddish ticks show up quite well on mine, I've managed to catch a couple before they've attached in the past. We're normally fairly safe between October and April, and then normally might get one or 2 the whole summer. I think we've had 5 or 6 across both dogs this year.

Throwback photo, to mark one year this weekend since Brie came to live with us.
8 weeks old on pic ❤

Aww how lovely 💕

Look at that little face. 💖

Bog lady is back. On this morning's walk I was fishing a big branch out of the river that was blocking the weir, walked it up the bank, sort of pushed it away from me, and... slid back down the back into the river. Absolutely covered in mud – hands, face, feet, hair. 10/10 for bog lady effort.

They do say no good deed goes unpunished. 😂

I know we joke that training is an ongoing process...but if anyone wants to swap their beautiful dogs for twatdog, I could be seriously tempted. I might even pay someone to take him.

We saw a puppy Goldie on our walk this morning. My girls just walked (or waddled) past. Twatdog? No. He had to say hello. So we checked, and the owner was very happy for him to say hello (probably because all the girls had been so polite in walking past that the owner thought twatdog was a safe bet). I was so surprised; they had a lovely game and he was so gentle and sweet and he booped the baby girl (13 weeks old) on the nose. And I thought, 'oh, my worries about June have been for nothing, it's all going to be fine. He's going to love the puppies when they come and be so gentle with them. He's growing up."

Then he peed on her.😫

Oh noooo I bet you were mortified! I was just reading your post thinking ‘what’s the problem, it sounds like he’s been great!’ until I got to the last line 😂

We spent a couple of days at my in-laws over the bank holiday. Had a panicked phone call just as we were about to set off with MIL saying young adult niece has just turned up with a cocker puppy she bought on a whim!! A Pets4Homes job unfortunately, and turned up with him on Sunday night with absolutely nothing apart from a box of weetabix which the pup had been fed on 🥴 He is ‘merle’ colouring so technically not a bonafide cocker spaniel in the eyes of KC, and that can come with its own health issues but I kept my mouth shut because what’s done is done.

Anyway, despite all of this he is very cute and gorgeous and Vinny played with him!! He was so patient with a jumpy barky small puppy and was very gentle and had lots of fun. He also had fun with the resident old man cocker and younger springer MIL has. I think he was sad to come home!

Wish I’d got a photo of them all together.

Cute puppy. Be interesting to see what he grows into. (Unless the breeder has described him as merle because it attracts more money.)

There were Merle puppies advertised near me a few months ago. The mother was obviously a cross breed, despite the claims she was a pedigree KC registered cocker. It was the pointy high set ears that gave it away. 🙄

Sorry. I sounded very cynical there.

Yes apparently Merle ‘cockers’ are the new in fashion thing 🥴 I saw a picture of the Dad and he looked Lemon from the photo, but she kept saying he was Tricolour which I don’t think is right. The Mum looked a bit of a mix of colours too and I think she was suppose to be Merle but maybe she was actually the Tricolour one as that would make more sense. But they both definitely looked like cockers. He’s a confident little thing so I’m sure he will be fine. I am just so wary about these things. I had a conversation with @brushingboots the other week about how I can’t comprehend just buying a puppy on a whim. It totally goes against my nature!!

Apparently the Merle colouring comes from crossing with a collie or daschund down the line which is why they can’t be classed as full cocker spaniel. But it’s a recessive gene and the problems mostly occur when you cross two Merle’s - most pups end up deaf and blind 🙁

Absolutely wild that she just got a puppy, @YorkshireFelix!! And that he came with Weetabix! He is extremely cute though.

The Merle thing is concerning because, as you say, there's a blind/deaf element. I don't know that much about it beyond the heated discussions I've lurked on on the various WCS Facebook groups, but all things considered, it doesn't seem like good news.

Our friends in the village have just got another cocker puppy to join their (quite anti-social adult cocker) and I am broody, but there is no way we are going down that path again for a bit. Tonight someone rang me while I was training pupsy and I had to talk for a bit and she proved what a good girl she is because she just carried on doing her drills even while I was talking a load of nonsense to someone else, and watching my hands instead. This stage of her is the best. I just want puppy cuddles and their lovely smell.

And that @LandSharksAnonymous is why I will always have bitches! Poor you. But he'll be fine, as will your pups.

That's awful. Poor puppies. And no doubt sold at a premium, because of the 'rare' colour.

I'm sorry @LandSharksAnonymous , I realise that your experience was hugely embarrassing, but I did laugh. Anyone who's ever had multiple dogs can relate to this in one way or another. One of our girls, Rosie, was great at showing us up.
I hope the expectant mother (Penny?) is doing well. She must be rather big by now I would imagine!

@YorkshireFelix Poor little pup. The pigment doesn't look great so it'll probably need sunscreen on hot days. The situation is similar in Pyreneans; it is never advised to mate two pure white Pyreneans (unless you're really clued up on bloodlines and know that their parents are heavily marked). The pure white strains in the past have been known to suffer deafness and eye problems. We have always opted for the coloured dogs, known in the breed as 'Blaireau'. Some people think the pure white ones are prettier, but you really do need to watch the pigment, because if they're too pink it can make their skin very sensitive.

@brushingboots
If you never have a boy dog you are missing out on so much love. We honestly never had an issue with any of our boys peeing where they shouldn't or being oversexed and they were all intact. Truly. We've had two weeing, humping females, but our boys have been model citizens! Tempting fate here, no doubt - next boy will be a swine!!!
Very very broody for a puppy at the moment myself. Someone I follow on Insta has just got a Dane baby, and I'm quite jealous of them having his velvety soft ears to sniff. Trying hard to persuade my chap that Brie needs a companion asap...

@YorkshireFelix I am still embarrassed - and walked a different way this morning!

@brushingboots definitely! That being said, I have found twatdog to be a bit more loyal and softer than the girls who definitely tend to be a bit more independent most of the time! But that may just be my dogs…

And on the subject of Merles, DMs adopted girl is apparently a ‘Merle’ - she was black, brown and golden when she first came home. She’s now pretty much golden - no black or brown left. So even if you are buying a dog for these fancy (often puppy farmed) colours, the colour fades… But as you say @YorkshireFelix , what’s done is done but it’s always horrible/frustrating to see impulse dog purchases. Hopefully the puppy won’t have any issues though!

@CoubousAndTourmalet like a bowling ball with legs. I’ve moved a spare mattress downstairs as it’s better if she doesn’t try and climb the stairs. So Pen and I are sleeping there every night whilst the rest of the rabble sleep upstairs…on my bed. Twatface occasionally comes to find us, but Pen is getting a bit grumpy with him (not the other two, just him) so he’s sticking clear. He is, as he proved yesterday, a massive idiot though - so I can’t say I blame her!

I had a very confused dog here yesterday. I had been to visit a friend with 2 castrated males who were rolling on my lap etc. I got home and Midge was all over me; whining and licking my arm; following me; mounting me, and could not settle. I had to have a shower and complete change of clothes. Turns out the 2 dogs have anal gland problems. I had read that this can confuse intact males into thinking there is a bitch on heat. It was awful. Thankfully he seems to be back to normal today!

@CoubousAndTourmalet I’d not thought of that element! He has a super light pink nose and light eyes. Not sure if pink nose will change as he gets older. Also I think Brie needs a companion 😏

What a strange experience @Nella68 It's good to hear that Midge is back to normal.
I haven't come across this theory about anal gland smell before, they generally have a slightly fishy odour, so it's not implausible. It is a damned nuisance when your dog won't leave you alone though so I do sympathise.

Awww, poor little mite. He'll have sensitive eyes and nose in strong sunlight. Cute as he is, it may turn out to be not such a great impulse decision.

Thanks for the agree on a second dog 😁 Cousins are visiting in a couple of weeks, so I've told them that I'm working on the brainwashing gentle persuasion...😉

My eldest cocker had a bit of pink on her nose at 8 weeks, but it's all brown now. Hopefully puppy's nose will change colour too.

Sorry @LandSharksAnonymous I did laugh at your story. It reminded me of when I met up with a friend for a dog walk. My boy sniffed her and then cocked his leg and weed up her. Fortunately she was wearing wellies, so not too much damage done. 😂

My girl has just made a complete spectacle of herself 🙄
Alternatively, I suppose I could refer to her as Briespectacled... 😆

@CoubousAndTourmalet how can one dog be so majestic? That is genuinely the only way to describe Brie. 😍