Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - for teenage dirtbags

[Bupster]

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

I think Bill at 23kg is just about as big as this terraced house can cope with. I can still lift him up if he needs to lick the postman on the nose, but I can't carry him any distance any more. If I ever get a bigger dog I'll need to get a bigger house first I think. And a shorter postman.

I have to confess, I am struggling to lift Penny at the moment - but carrying 11 pups does seem to have added a fair bit of chonk to her!

I am conscious about my dogs weight and them hurting themselves and being (quite frankly) buggered on walks as I do a lot of remote walks with them. That being said, if I got hurt they’d just leave me there so…

But, my worries could also just be my ‘mum’ worries creeping in ATM and making me a paranoid mutter. I’m turning into a bit of a helicopter dog-parent atm (I literally stood behind Pen this morning, watching as she ate and then followed her into the garden to watch her wee). I’d say I need a hobby…but this is my hobby 😫

I do get it regarding bigger dogs not being practical. I was trying to be light-hearted and humorous about it with the husband carrying comment, but clearly I failed miserably😞

Yes, we do walk in remote woodland, yes we do walk on the moors, no I cannot lift my dog. But I wouldn't be able to lift and carry her if she was a GSD or a large Labrador so the fact that she's a giant is not that significant.

I'm sorry @SpanielsGalore that you have had to carry an injured dog. We have also had to lift a comatose Pyrenean into the boot of the car so I know it is not easy. Some vets will come out for dog emergencies with large or giant breeds; we called the vet out for Finn, when he went into status epilepticus at home, and he sadly had to be put to sleep.
So no, I do not take my choice of dog lightly (no pun intended there) and I have always given careful consideration to the practicalities of dog ownership. When there comes a point that I feel I can no longer cope with this breed, I will make other choices.

@CoubousAndTourmalet you didn't fail! I didn't take it that way anyway x

@LandSharksAnonymous when is she due?

As a number of people here know I am quite prone to falling over on walks and every time I do pupsy just stands there waggling her bum in my face. Not sure she'd be any help whatsoever if I actually couldn't get up. I fear I'd be waiting a long time for a farmer, or as this morning's walk proved, the RAF, to rescue me.

11 puppies sounds terrifying and I'm assuming you wont be able to sleep for weeks! I know you've done it before, but still, the stress must be immense in the initial days.
I'm slightly envious because I would have loved the experience of getting to watch the development of these tiny things from birth to 8 or 9 weeks old...❤Yet, at the same time I can imagine how completely consuming and exhausting it must be.
The worst part for me would be vetting prospective owners; my people skills are non-existent and nobody would ever be good enough. Plus of course, I would have to keep every boy puppy in case he turned out to be the one who stole my heart!
But joking aside, it must be bloody amazing and I hope that all goes smoothly for you and the lovely Penny. And I know you wont be able to share pics but I hope you will at least let us know that Mama & babies are doing well. Once you get a spare minute to come on here that is...

@CoubousAndTourmalet Sorry. It's sometimes difficult to interpret intention in written comments. I should have said if it was the ex falling in the woods, I'd leave him there.
I agree as regards size - once you are over spaniel size, you may as well get a Great Dane. 😃
I'm also one of those hapless owners who has been pulled over by a cocker spaniel. I honestly shouldn't be trusted with anything bigger. 😂

@LandSharksAnonymous You mean following your dogs outside to watch them toilet isn't normal? 😳

@SpanielsGalore well if you're doing it...maybe it is normal 😄It would certainly make me feel less bonkers about the whole thing.

@brushingboots she's due in 3-4(ish) weeks. I imagine it'll be a shorter pregnancy this time simply because of how many pups there are, so I'm guessing closer to the 3ish mark!

@CoubousAndTourmalet thank you! I've actually asked DM to move back in for a month (at least) given how big the litter is so I'll have lots of support. You'd have thought I'd announced that I was pregnant from the reaction I received. I've got to be honest, in 12(ish) weeks, I'm going to be practically throwing the pups at their new families. Everyone always says 'how can you stand to say goodbye to them,' and the answer is always 'easily.' The first 5 weeks are bliss. And I love everything about raising them. After that, when they get their teeth, it becomes less like a dream and more like torture. Then from week 12 - 20 I wonder why I kept one. Then I vow never to do it again. Then in 2.5 years, I'll repeat the same cycle because I never learn...

But I will still be around - mostly because I won't be sleeping 😃I'll just make even less sense than normal on any threads I contribute on.

We had a much better walk this evening. Still loads of people around, dogs running loose all over the field but I felt more in control. I had her on the EzyDog Checkmate collar, which is a webbing martingale, and a 6 foot lead. I did put the double up collar on her for back-up, and because it has her ID tag on, but I walked her on the martingale.
We really took our time, she mooched and sniffed a lot. We saw a couple of little roe deer, as we almost always do.

It's a relief to get a successful field walk under my belt, after three anxious outings when I felt fearful of not having full control. I hope that I'm over my wobble, but we shall see in the coming days.

She only had one arsey lead-grabbing moment tonight, and I barked "NO" so loudly that it actually seemed to shock her. I do hate myself for it, but she held my hand a bit on the way back so I think all is forgiven.

Glad you had a more relaxing walk @CoubousAndTourmalet . It's horrible when walks are stressful.
And don't hate yourself for barking no at her. I am all for positive, reward based training, but sometimes they just have to be told and your fear makes it come out sterner than usual. My 'leave it' is often quite harsh sounding if it's something I really don't want them to get.

Thanks @SpanielsGalore

I absolutely agree on the positive training. I'm generally full of praise and affection, so I think that's why it shocked her that I was stern. I have rarely ever been cross with her, because, on the whole, she's very good and doesn't need much correction. I'm sure I haven't "cured" her lead biting habit, there's still a long way to go, but it gave a bit of welcome respite last night, and we managed a nice calm walk.

@CoubousAndTourmalet that sounds like a much more positive walk! I totally get the anxiety thing after some not so good walks. When we went back to allowing V off lead after his physio sessions my nervous system was shot!! But gradually after a few ‘good’ walks it got better and better, and I’m back to enjoying walking him again. It is hard and you have so much to contend with, but I am sure with time she will keep improving.

Just a girl and her football

It's difficult, isn't it @YorkshireFelix , when you hit a little bump in the road and it knocks you off course a bit? I also find that when I'm anxious or tense, Brie definitely picks up on that and it puts her on edge too. Our mantra moving forward needs to be CALM. That's what I have to try to focus on.

BTW sorry to see that Vinny has had an injury issue. I hope that he's doing well now...

Beautiful photo @tizwozliz

Urg, saw a rat in the garden yesterday while Bill was at daycare. The street sewers were cleaned a few days ago and he's been going nuts at the skirting boards. I think they flushed it out and it found its way out through the drain in our yard where some idiot cut a hole in the iron cover years ago to allow access for a downspout. He's making me feel miles less anxious about it though, as when he came home he could tell me it wasn't in the house and hadn't been in the garden since I saw it (I cleared all the junk out that it could shelter in, and hosed down the gravel too). This morning he did say it was in the garden overnight and had been in and out of the drain, so I've blocked the gap with wire wool and put some planks over the drain and weighted them down with bags of sand so hopefully it'll get bored of not being able to get in and out and will fuck off. God, I hate them. I had a mouse infestation in my last flat which was just horrifying, hence still having a surprising amount of wire wool to hand.

Honestly if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be posting here (I mean, obviously, but you know what I mean) because I'd still be too freaked out, I'd probably just be sitting in my car, rocking.

In terms of actual gundog training, I ordered the reluctant retriever dummy and a tennis ball from Field and Fireside and WOW. He'd been doing really well at his first short marked retrieves this week anyway; today, for the first time since he was a puppy, he brought the ball back to hand from an informal retrieve. Still working on getting him to bring the dummy back as he's convinced he can open the Velcro pocket himself and help himself to the treatos you can hide in it. 😄

@Bupster EUGH that would also freak me out!! I have only seen one once in our yard and it’s when we’d had loads of rain and I’ve never seen one again. We had mice a couple of years ago and I hated it. I’m glad Bill is making you feel better about it! He is very clever.

also amazing re the retrieving stuff. I’ve not done anything like that with Vinny yet and I feel so behind. I don’t even know where to start to be honest - I find it a bit overwhelming. I was planning on signing up to the next beginner gundog course from the trainer we used when he was little but have missed the boat so will have to wait until the next one in the summer.

@YorkshireFelix I didn't know where to start either. I joined the Ladies Working Dog Group several months ago, and the first video on building a bubble was horrifying, we were so far from managing anything like it, I just dismissed it. But we've been having a 1-1 session with a trainer and she's been great at just getting me to focus on small things - we were no good at shaping a hold, but I'd done loads of work on sit/stays and it turns out he can sit and wait for me to throw a ball or a dummy, and not run for it till I tell him. Which opens up all kinds of fun things when we're out to keep him engaged with me, like throwing a rabbit ball into long grass (though alas poor rabbit ball, he's eaten it). For the first time in months I can see a time where I might be able to let him off the long line again. Not near swallows though. Or cats.

I had been meaning to ask what you thought about LWDG as I remembered you’d mentioned joining a while back. I think sit/stay and not run straight after whatever I throw is the first thing we need to work on. @brushingboots gave me some good advice on how to do it a while ago, which I obviously haven’t put into action yet 😂 In normal circumstances he will sit until I use his release cue, but as soon as a retrieve is involved he can’t contain himself!!

I personally don't get on with LWDG, somehow it's the wrong approach for me and I can't bear group classes of any variety, dog or not. 1-1s with my trainer have always worked well for me but now I sort of work it out for myself having got a good basis and a list of things that I want to build up to. Plus I do interview a lot of gundog trainers for work so I am constantly seeking informal advice from people I couldn't afford to go to myself.

We can do some little exercises tomorrow, @YorkshireFelix!

Also swallows are fair game, the swoopy sods. They never get them. Cats, less so. We are not good with cats either but rarely see them.

Yeah maybe I should try a 1-1 too. I think the same, having a good basis to build on, would probably work better for me. @brushingboots I am PRAYING he will be on his best behaviour tomorrow 😂

I can usually recall Vinny from chasing a bird, but he still goes to chase them in the first place. Weirdly he doesn’t chase the bunnies we encounter on the field though!

To be honest, YF, I struggled with it a bit at first - and still - as it's very video-based and I'm not a fan of watching videos unless they're demonstrating something - lots of these are panels or discussions. But in combination with a couple of the gundog and other training books I'm reading, like Mission Control, and Control Unleashed, and the 1-1 training, and some of the guides in DTAS and a WCS group on FB, I feel like I've got a vague direction now - and the LWDG is really useful as a library, as there's always some discussion somewhere of what you're trying to do, and if not you can just ask.

I'm going to keep working on us hunting together when we're on fun walks on the Common - this is a big deal as a couple of months ago I didn't really understand what that meant, within the scope of what we were able to do. I've got some rabbit scent to put on his tennis ball or dummy if they're not exciting enough; for our normal morning walks I'm going to keep doing informal retrieves to hand, and marked retrieves at a longer distance where I don't really mind if he brings them to hand or not; and some steadiness work; and I've got a square of astroturf and a square of decking to put together to make a place mat, though I've not worked out where I'm going to try to use it yet! Then in our evening walks I'll keep working on him disengaging from dogs and squirrels. I'm not sure I've got any end game in view, but it's a direction.

I think sit/stay and not run straight after whatever I throw is the first thing we need to work on. gave me some good advice on how to do it a while ago, which I obviously haven’t put into action yet 😂 In normal circumstances he will sit until I use his release cue, but as soon as a retrieve is involved he can’t contain himself!!

Remember these things are very situational too. It's entirely normal that something they can do in one situation is beyond them if they're in a slightly more exciting environment or something more exciting is happening. I can throw dummies over the head of my two, I can sit them down in the woods or on a field and walk and hide balls for them to find but I can't get the younger one to sit at the start of a hoopers course for love nor money.

I had a one to one with my oldest after many group classes and it put me off doing any more formal gundog training ever again!

@Bupster what’s with the wire wool and vermin? Midge found a baby rat a couple of weeks ago- it wasn’t very well so I managed to persuade my husband to dispatch it!

I’ve got 3 group classes on the go (my name was on the waiting lists and happened to come to the top at the same time!)
I’m quite enjoying the classes- it makes me realise that M is turning the corner from the class hooligan to teacher’s pet. I had a moment of utter smugness last night when M did a perfect job of sitting and waiting to go through a gate. It took one chap forever to get his pup to sit, let alone stay. That was us a couple of months ago. Now I’ve said it, it’ll probably be us next week…

I had a one to one with my oldest after many group classes and it put me off doing any more formal gundog training ever again!

It's funny, my trainer isn't a specialised gundog trainer, but has a young spaniel who is doing gundog training, and that's worked out perfectly for us - so much of what Bill needs is help (for me) around engagement and giving him jobs to do. Because she's not a specialist there's no set direction in which we have to go regarding his capacity to be a gundog, though I'd like to keep going, as it's helping our relationship loads. But I'm hoping we're also going to do some scent work and some agility bits. If he ever stops barking at other entire males we could join group classes, but in the meantime this is perfect for me; I no longer feel stuck or going backwards.