Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - for teenage dirtbags

[Bupster]

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

@LandSharksAnonymous I think I watched one video of the trainer mentioned earlier and was shocked at the attitude.
Many "experts" are just clueless, but some are dangerous.

I'm at odds again with some training advice. That being the idea of handing out treats for strangers to feed to your dog as part of its socialisation. I'm a bit of a weirdo, admittedly, but I don't like the idea of my dog being given food by other people... I'd rather my dogs only took food from me...

Also just been told the Weimaraner is now a guarding breed - I had no idea! It looks like nobody has told The Kennel Club though... 😏
Still, I'd better start training my LGD to be a gundog before she's out of a job...😉

Good morning all!

Im in awe of how you can tell a good trainer from a bad but I guess it’s experience? I watched so many training videos on YouTube and they all seem so confident about what they’re saying! I guess you don’t need to have any kind of qualification to call yourself a dog trainer on YouTube do you? Or a canine behavioural specialist- I’ve seen that one too but is it even a thing?

Pupper has levelled up again this morning! Brilliant nights’ sleep for him and was really affectionate this morning and engaged.

I was guilty the other day of throwing a handful of kibble on the lawn to keep him busy while I put the vac round 😂

Beautiful photo @VanGoSunflowers ❤

I'm old school. I'd never heard of scatter feeding until about 6 months ago on another thread here. Then the dog trainer scattered stuff in our garden (and after he left, I picked it up and binned it 😆)
If I'm honest, it gives me total paranoia about my dog being poisoned by scavenging on a walk. But when I said that on MN once, I was told in no uncertain terms that I know nothing about dog training, which, I admit is true. So it must be just a me thing.... I don't know... I'm sure it's fine... I'm just a neurotic person. Over protective dogmother, because of losing my previous two prematurely...

Sorry.

I feel that I'm giving too many opinions about stuff that I'm not qualified to understand or talk about.

🤐

@VanGoSunflowers it's not necessarily the scatter feeding that I have an issue with...it's that very often people use those methods but don't engage with their dog in any meaningful way (training, gundog work etc). Everything in moderation, is my (personal) view.

There's nothing inherently wrong with scatter feeding or using a kong, or a lick matt - but every day? I've probably become more entrenched in my thinking as we often see posters (and you will too if you stick around long enough) who say their dog is badly behaved, or aggressive, or does X or Y and when you probe deeper...it turns out their 'training' and 'engagement' with their dog is literally giving it a Kong or scatter feeding once or twice a day. And that is not stimulating your dog. It might work every now and then, but it's not mental stimulation in the way many seem to think it is...and social media does (ironically) take most of the blame for that.

I do also come down on @CoubousAndTourmalet side in that, personally, I don't want my dogs taking food from others or looking around on the ground for food - if only because, as Goldies, they're prone to being fat little gits that will scrounge anything!

Absolutely nothing wrong with that @VanGoSunflowers .
This is where what works for one, doesn't work for others. But neither are wrong. IMO
My dogs get a daily treat. Variety being the spice of life, they have tripe sticks, hairy rabbit ears, tendons, tracheas, pizzles, licky mats, fish skins etc. I will also throw a couple of handfuls of kibble on the lawn every now and again for them to sniff out. Oh. I also have a snuffle mat, treat dispensing toys and a Nina Ottoson puzzle. Haven't used those last ones for a while though.
My dog behaviourist friend (a proper one with real qualifications) would call all these things enrichment. My dogs enjoy it and don't get hyped up by any of them. When the 3 year old needed laser therapy treatment at the vets, she had a licky mat smeared in pate to distract her. Puppy gets to lick squirty cheese out of a tube whilst I get ticks off her head. I also found licky mats useful for distracting a dog whilst I groomed him.
I think it only becomes a problem when people think throwing a few treats at a dog is a replacement for spending time with them.
How to tell a shit trainer? In my book, anyone who uses aversive training methods and tools. People who set dogs up to fail, so they can be 'corrected' or punished. (One of the local 'trainers' does pack walks and talks about the dogs needing corrections to be able to mix with the group. No. The dog isn't comfortable in the group and shouldn't be forced to walk with others.) People who still talk about pack theory and say you need to dominate your dog and show him who's boss. And anyone who calls themselves a Whisperer. 😂

@CoubousAndTourmalet The very first trainer/behaviourist I ever saw told me never to allow other people to give my dog treats. He was nervous of people. She said letting other people treat him would make him feel conflicted to approach strangers when he really didn't want to. Most other people's advice at the time was to get all and sundry to treat your nervous dog, so they saw strangers as a good thing. But A) other dogs mugging you for treats on a walk is annoying and B) I'd rather them not approach strangers and be willing to go off with them for a piece of sausage.
We're all entitled to our opinions. I have no qualifications. I do have years of experience owning dogs with behavioural issues, so have learnt bits along the way. My first dog taught me more about dogs and dog behaviour than if I had owned a 'normal' dog.

@LandSharksAnonymous I take treats to training classes, but have never heard of taking Kongs before. That's ridiculous. One of the points of the classes was teaching the puppy how to settle.
I read the other day that GRs are a higher energy dog than a cocker spaniel and need loads more exercise. So you must really have your hands full. 😁

@CoubousAndTourmalet that makes a lot of sense though, I guess it’s down to what we’ve been saying about certain things working for certain dogs AND their owners. What would the benefit of scatter feeding for Brie be in any case?

I was talking to my friends about their rescue greyhound over the weekend and they said “we never did any training with her, maybe we should have done when we first got her” and in my very humble opinion, they already had a dog with impeccable manners and no problem behaviour- other than being a little skittish in crowded places which they managed by not taking her to crowded places and it worked for them. So what training would she have needed?

Im very much enjoying my new house set up. Working downstairs in the living room and pupper has taken himself on to the sofa to nap while I work 😊

Oooh please don’t apologise! I love hearing about everyone’s experiences and things they do with their dogs. I find it fascinating! The main thing I see is owners here working with their dogs and not against them. You’re all different people with different dogs and doing what works best for you but the main thing you all seem to have in common is how much you love them!

@SpanielsGalore The benefit of so many is they tire each other out! But yes they are very energetic although mine are particularly bad, even though they are show line and not working. It's a good two hours a day and it's running the whole time.

I often think Goldies are just bigger Cocker Spaniels - intelligent, energetic, big cuddle monsters and very loyal. I have to say, if I ever stop owning Goldies I'll be straight there finding a Cocker Spaniel. I always give them side-eye when I see them on walks. I have a particular soft spot for little black ones...

@LandSharksAnonymous I'll post my 9 month old down to you. She's only 7.5kg, so will be an eternal puppy. 😁
I love GRs. I grew up with one. He was two days younger than me. And I agree. I have always considered them to be bigger spaniels. The only thing that stops me from getting one is their size and being able to manage in an emergency. My eldest was saying the other day when he's next in a position to get a dog, it will be a GR.

Thanks all,
You are a lovely bunch.

Feeling tired and emotional today. Just been crying over the epilepsy thread because that's what took our Finn at 4 years old...😢Horrible, cruel condition.

Only had a couple of hours sleep last night, because Brie woke me at 2am wanting to go out and see the hedgehog. It lives in the garden behind ours, and I leave leftover cat and dog food on the side path for it. Brie sleeps near an open window so she hears it snuffling about.

After that, my head was just filled with worry. I ended up cooking porridge at 4am, so I'm almost as sleep deprived as LandSharksAnonymous today!

Combination of not much exercise over the last week, being super windy and flushing a hare has not made for a relaxing walk today!

My nobhead woke me by barking in my ear at 4am so feeling fairly strung out myself...

Regarding scatter feeding, as several of you have said, it's really down to the dog.

Bill struggles to settle on his own - he could do it as a puppy but has struggled since adolescence, and needs my help to regulate; and, because he's working lines, when his levels of arousal go up, they can go stratospheric, so I'll take anything that can help him slow down, like sniffing, shredding, licking etc. And he loves hunting and sniffing. So usually at least once a day I'll either build him a game from recycling, or I'll use a Nina Ottoson game, or I'll do a licky mat. They also have the advantage that when he's being a diva about eating his food, he'll still eat his kibble from out of a bloody toilet roll - and even his flea and worm tablets, which he won't touch otherwise.

I don't have a lawn but I'd totally scatter treats for Bill if I did. We play find it all around the house with treats, and I use it to distract him from other dogs sometimes when we're out, etc. It's a fun reward for a sit/stay if we're training, too. I'm also very happy for him to take treats from other dog owners - I really needed him to be at least passably sociable when he was tiny as I knew he would go to daycare, and if I couldn't talk to other dog owners I wouldn't talk to anyone some days.

But again, this is all about me responding to him - he's not always an easy dog, he's got big feelings, and he needs a lot of me and some help sometimes to manage the world. Mind you, so do I 😄

PS if I got another dog I'd definitely be looking at a GR - hard to believe one could be more demented than Bill and every GR I know is a wiggler, which is absolutely heart-melting.

That is so funny as my boss at work has just got a second miniature schnauzer puppy (very cute!!) and I was saying I saw a giant schnauzer for the first time recently. Then I said they should make a giant cocker spaniel, but actually that’s just a golden retriever 😂

I’d defo have a Goldie if I was having a second dog and had a big enough house. I love them. My dd’s friend has one who is 6 months older than V and he is just gorgeous and so happy. Otherwise it would be a springer!

@Bupster All of my current dogs take treats from strangers. Usually people I have stopped to chat to who ask if they can give them a treat. But they don't mug people for treats, like some dogs I meet who head straight for my coat pocket and try to help themselves. But they are all friendly, sociable dogs. My nervous dog would have bitten the hand that was trying to feed him.

I guess really what it comes down to is my low energy, low metabolism dog compared to all your high energy, active, working gundogs, as to how much stimulus is needed. Work for mine is patrolling the boundary then lying down to watch the sheep (well, cats and people in her case...).

Important lesson learned for me and the lazy one x

I feel Brie is my spirit animal.

There are many days I'd love to have a Brie! My God 😍

On the upside, he is absolutely hilarious. Yesterday he stole three loo rolls while I was on the loo and unable to give chase. And then stole the treats bag, which thankfully he can't open. So he waits for me to give chase, and if I don't, he brings it back, outraged, and plonks it in my hand, and waits for a treat 😄

@SpanielsGalore Swaps? You can have twatdog and I'll take your 9 month old 😃

@YorkshireFelix they don't actually need huge houses! I've sold to people in two bed mid-terraces before, just of course if your house is smaller you have to really commit to the exercise regime. Not that I am trying to persuade you....

@Bupster sounds like Bill is trying to train you 😃

Some days the training definitely feels mutual 😄

Which reminds me that Bill does get worked/trained pretty much every morning without fail, so that's another bit of context; I sort of agree about those dogs that have 93 Kongs but get a 20 minute walk in the morning and are then stuck inside on their own all day.

I'm currently listening to a talk by Denise Fenzi about young working/sports dogs and it's making me feel a lot more sane. I have a horrible habit of comparing Bill to his friends, most of whom are normal family dogs, and one is a trainee assistance dog, so of course he seems clinically insane by comparison at least some of the time.

Just had a horrible walk. Well the first hour or so was good. Then puppy K came running over to me, frantically turning from side to side looking at her rear end. She had a couple of green looking insect things on her. I brushed them off and one promptly jumped/flew on my leg and either bit or stung me. Whichever it was, it bloody hurt! In knocking it off me, it went back onto K. Got it off her again and made a run for it. Then the 3 year old P started looking frantically at both her sides, so they must have got her too. We headed back towards the car and I think K went into shock. Her tail was tucked right under, she was heaving a bit and then she lay down and wouldn't move. So again, I had to carry her back to the car. We detoured to the vets on the way home, but she perked up a little bit there, so we didn't see a vet. She helped herself to a treat instead.
Home now and they are both sleeping it off. P kept licking her sides, so they must hurt. There is a red swollen two inch round patch on my leg, which I have iced. It's still painful. I was only stung/bitten once. Poor K was got multiple times and she's a lot smaller than me.
Photo of poor puppy lying down in the woods for sympathy.

@SpanielsGalore oh no! Do you know what it was?! Are you/puppsies okay now?

@Bupster he’ll get there! I always compare twatdog to Pen (then feel bloody awful but I am sure she wasn’t as bad as him). But they’re all different and some just take a bit longer than others!

I have to repot some dahlias this morning as he thought pulling them out and running around the garden with the limp plants in his mouth was a thrilling evening treat last night. Tried to call him in, and he just ran off with the zoomies! Wanker. I felt awful - 11pm at night and I’m running around in my pyjamas screaming his name and he’s barking his head off! So I slammed the door shut on him (metaphorically) and then he started barking to be let in. So I opened it. And off he ran again. We went through that debacle about it six times. In the end I set Hen on him (she’s a good girl), and she got him back inside.

Morning all!

@SpanielsGalore i really hope you’re all ok! That sounds horrendous - I think I would have had a total melt down!

@LandSharksAnonymous that sounds like the perfect game you definitely want to be playing pre bed time! I love hearing about the dynamic between pen and twatdog (am I allowed to call him that? 😂)

@Bupster do you have the same routine of working/training bill? May I ask what sort of stuff you do with him please? We are still doing the same sit/lie down/stay thing a few times a day as we are complete novices but the training aspect has always interested me! Especially as pupper is part working line lab I think he will need the extra stimulation?

@CoubousAndTourmalet hope you slept better last night?

I had a difficult day with Pablo yesterday- he was really fighting sleep most of the day for some reason and he really is a different puppy when he is tired! Tasmanian bitey devil! I thought he had settled down at one point to sleep for the evening but woke up 20 mins later for another round of it..: I’ve never seen him so hyper! We are both very tired this morning 🤦‍♀️

We're all OK now. The dogs came home and slept for a couple of hours and then perked up. I think P was only stung/bitten twice. K definitely bore the brunt of it, as there were a couple on her for a good while.
No idea what it was. I have googled but nothing looks right. Viscious little bastards though.

@LandSharksAnonymous Do you still want to swap twatdog? 😂 (We know he's your favourite really. 💖)

@VanGoSunflowers Hope you have a better day today. An overtired puppy is usually a biting nightmare.