Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - for teenage dirtbags

[Bupster]

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

@VanGoSunflowers

Ah, so glad the vets visit went well for Pablo. See, I told you he'd be a biggun; paw size is a dead giveaway! The lepto jab is a sodding pain. Brie was 14 weeks before we could get her out to socialise! Nightmare.

Hair down to arse yes, me too, even now! I'm more Oxygen Taff than Docs, they're good protection from Brie's teeth. I used to have a bike, but not any more (roads too busy here now, and I have bad vision in my right eye). My chap had a big bike, my Dad had umpteen bikes! Grew up on rock (and I'm named after a blues song that was covered by a big metal band 😊).

Maine Coons are amazing, particularly the black ones. We had a solid black boy called Bram, he was a complete headbanger! He & Algy dog used to play rough. The blues and the brown tabbies are more gentle.

Born beginning of April? Younger pup was born then in 2023 so Pablo seems to be reflecting my Facebook memories of 2 years ago :-) She had jabs this week 2 years ago

Born beginning of April? Younger pup was born then in 2023 so Pablo seems to be reflecting my Facebook memories of 2 years ago :-) She had jabs this week 2 years ago

He was the biggest in the litter, I’m secretly pleased as (for no discernible reason) I did want a big dog! When I called and asked originally they said one week for both so I’m glad I asked the vet again today! Impossible to avoid places where rats would have been I would imagine! They suggested a kennel cough vaccine as well but I said I would go and research it before deciding but it sounds like it would be a good idea?

My dad was a biker but not a stereotypical one! I only had a 125cc for a while, was going to do my full bike test but then fell pregnant with my son! I may do it at some point but I’m more risk averse since I turned 40 for some reason!

Oh you’re really selling Maine Coons to me! What a lovely combo with my boy as well. I’m not ruling out the idea of getting another dog in a few years either but I may need a bigger house 😂

Yep! 8th April! My updates may be like a little trip down memory lane for you then

I'm not always convinced about what vets say about weight or paw size. Vet said our younger one was a perfect weight when we booked her in when she was tiny for a lab and still is. Older one was over 8kg at second vaccinations and hasn't ended up a big dog.

I think the kennel cough vaccine varies @VanGoSunflowers . When we got Brie the vets said they didn't feel she needed it, so really just see what's being recommended. It can occur in clusters or be rife in one area I believe, but we were told we were okay. We don't do daycare, boarding, groomers or classes though; Brie wasn't having much close contact with other pups.

Weirdly, Brie was larger than two of the males in her litter - she and one boy were considerably bigger than the rest. She was 15kg at 12 weeks, which is ridiculous really. We're still shocked at her size; our other girls were nowhere near this big. I just hope her puppy weight won't cause joint problems as she ages.

Regarding bikes, mine was only a 185. Partner had a Triumph Trident, Dad had a few 750 - 900cc, and several trail bikes. I'm much more fearful now than I ever was. If we could live remote, we might have trail bikes, but I think our days of big road bikes are long gone.

@tizwozliz agree with you. Twatdog was amongst the smallest in the litter at only 6.7KG at 8 weeks and my vet was convinced he was always going to be tiny. But by 5 months he was about 24kg and now he's huge. Still got teeny tiny paws though.

Ah see, I'm talking shite as usual 😳Nothing new there though, really😆
🤐

😁Not true!

It could also be very breed specific as well and possibly very genetic specific? I've never known Goldies be as big as mine are at five months. At five months, twatdog was the same size/weight as a small fully grown female Goldie!

We've never done kennel cough vaccines. Older one did get kennel cough but there was loads going round and we know plenty of vaccinated dogs got it then too. It was very mild for ours, one horrible night but mostly fine after that and only treatment was some honey (I rang the vets but they said they didn't need to see her unless symptoms worsened). Worst bit was having to keep her in, lots of zoomies round the garden.

We had two petite pawed pups who ended up petite adults. This girl had monster paws, and is a hippo in white fur.
As usual, I'm generalising because, basically, I only know about one breed. So, just think, if you all had a PMD I might not be talking shite...but then again.... nah, probably still would 🤔I'm just gobby. Only a scouser can be a gobby introvert 🙄

@CoubousAndTourmalet I am gobby too so you’re in good company 😘

So essentially, I will find out how big he gets when he stops growing 😂 that suits me!

@tizwozliz glad they had a mild case of it! So essentially, dog flu?

@CoubousAndTourmalet I hope poor Brie never hears you call her a hippo! 😃

Definitely similar to flu, in that there are loads of strains and the vaccines only protect against some of them much like the human flu vaccine. And sometimes they don't prevent, just make symptoms milder.

Vinny always had big paws which people would always comment on, and I think he’s quite big for a cocker. 16kg but he is very long rather than chunky. Here’s his big paws when he was tiny!

Oh she knows. I tell her she's like Hyacinth the tutu wearing, ballet dancing Hippo from Fantasia. Her other nickname is Big Bertha. Plus Hairy Mary, Scary Mary, Briellezeebub...

She's not as chunky as she was though, she was a rather hefty dogchild.

Bill was the same as Vinny - still has huge lion paws. It’s a spaniel thing I think.

poor little bug has an infected nail bed - we’re just back from the vet with antibiotics and painkillers and he’s conked straight out. He’s been really out of sorts all day, love him, really subdued and hardly stolen anything except a bottle of shampoo and a bid for my glasses case.

Glad the vet visit went well @VanGoSunflowers Pablo is almost as big as K. She's only 7.7kg at nearly 9 months old.

I do wish all vets would give the same advice.
When I took K for her first vaccine, the vet said she wasn't even allowed in the garden before she was fully vaccinated. It was a bit late by then, as I had already had her for four days and she'd been out at least 1000 times. 😂

She then said four weeks until the second jab. I questioned that as I had only waited two weeks before. She said it was 2 to 4 weeks and she liked to wait 4. I said, "I like to wait 2." So second vaccination was at 10 weeks and 4 days and we were allowed out everywhere one week later.
I've never been told we could only do pavements for the first three weeks. What's the logic behind that? Do they think foxes/rats/unvaccinated dogs stick to wooded areas? That means it's almost a month before you can let Pablo off lead.
No one has ever advised we give the kennel cough vaccine. P caught it two years ago, but just had a bit of coughing. Like tizwozliz's dog, she was given honey and didn't need to see a vet.

Apologies for the soapbox rant. I get pissed off with useless vets. Seen far too many of them over the last four years. 🙄

@Bupster ah a tale as old as time! Month's spent wishing they would calm down and grow up and stop being irritating. Then, when they're sick, you miss their tosspotting ways! Did the vet say how long until he was better?

We call our older one fatty all the time 😀

Tosspotting ways. 😂😂😂
Poor Bill. Hope his poorly paw heals quickly. Is he on restricted exercise too?

When would you say your cockers stopped growing? I'm thinking 9 months is fully grown. K is going to be tiny at 7.7kg.
P is ideal at 12.5kg, but it's a struggle to keep weight on her. She's liver and white so everyone things she is a springer puppy.

He was lovely, @LandSharksAnonymous , he’s getting him back in Friday evening to see if there’s any improvement and if I’ve managed to get Bill to take the bloody antibiotics; if not he’ll give him a jab but so far so good. The antibiotics are five days worth so fingers crossed just a week of quiet.

Mind you, the little horror was chasing young pigeons just this morning. We ran into a friend who said her spanner caught one yesterday at the same place, ate it, then immediately threw it up mostly undigested the second they got home 🤢

Deleted because it posted twice.

We’re booked in for booster jabs in a couple of weeks and are having kennel cough. She didn’t have it as a puppy but did last year for whatever reason and so I just agreed to the same again this time. Our daycare doesn’t require it but I can’t see the harm really (though haven’t done a lot of research admittedly).

Will dig out the training bits for you, @VanGoSunflowers. Excellent that he did so well at the vets! You must be excited about getting him out and about. We got pupsy the day after she had her second jab (I think) so she went out and about more or less straight away – I’d be climbing the walls by now with a tiny bitey pup that couldn’t go outside, so fair play to you.

I have no concept of whether pupsy’s paws are the proportionate size for her or not but people always used to say they were huge when she was little. She’s now 13kg and for a cocker bitch I’d say quite tall. I am obsessed with her weight and am always convinced that she’s fat (which she is not, as she is extremely fit).

I think pupsy was fully grown at about 11 months ish, @SpanielsGalore but I forget now. Not much older than that. She had her first season at ten months and then spayed after that so it was probably around about the same time. K is going to be tiny if she doesn’t grow much more!

Gratitutious tiny pup picture from July 2023, the day she came home.