Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - welcome to the teenage wasteland

[Bupster]

Buckled (under instruction 😄)

Hands down the most difficult aspect of dog ownership for me is having to engage with strangers. I know I'm mentioned before that I'm socially anxious, but I've never said how bad...suffice to say I can't use public transport, go to the theatre or eat out etc. It's like a catch-22 because without a dog I barely leave the house at all, they are my therapy, but then sometimes I'm so completely overwhelmed by people wanting to ask about the dog/dogs, that I come home in tears. We tend to stick to quiet places but in a touristy village, during summer, it's hard. If we can conquer Brie's car anxiety we'll start going up onto the moors. I know she lacks socialisation because of my issues, but I've done the best I can. It's an ongoing battle for both of us.

@SpanielsGalore no judgment from me on the littermates thing! It's one of those things I think people have become wiser to in recent years - like health scores have increased in importance after the issues with GSDs back legs...
The thing is, littermates can work wonderfully and I know people who have made it work and their dogs are best friends and still love others and are happy and well-adjusted, but it can be very hard work and is probably more 'dog' than most dog owners could cope with!

Sorry that your walk last night was such a nightmare. It's so frustrating when they all go loopy - because the minute you've managed to get one back to being a reasonable member of society, the others all let you down.

@YorkshireFelix @CoubousAndTourmalet @VanGoSunflowers at this point I am just stealing everyone else's dogs in exchange for Twatdog and possibly Satan (although DMum would need to be consulted on whether Satan can be part of the exchange). 😃God I really do love Twatdog, but he's such hard work. I woke up this morning to him looming over me, drooling on my face and grinning pointlessly at me. So, up I got. I fed him, watered him, let him in the garden. And he wanted nothing. So I got back onto the mattress, and he followed me - and when I settled back down he loomed over me again, grinning. I am genuinely convinced at this point the only reason he is halfway trained is because his one braincell tells him to do what the others do, and thus he is trained because they are trained.

Tbh it sounds like most of us (including @Bupster) are more social for having dogs in our lives. As you say, I feel far more plugged into the community because of the dogs - without them I'd probably spend most of my time curtain-twitching at the neighbours. Great news that Bill's evening walk was better though - he's definitely growing up!

@SpanielsGalore oh god that does sound like a nightmare. I don’t know how you manage multiples! I struggle enough with just one!

@LandSharksAnonymous Twatdog sounds like such a character. It sounds like him and Bill were definitely cut from the same cloth 😄 Vinny’s morning routine is to burrow right under the covers and lick the back of my knees which grosses me out so much but it keeps him quiet so I just let him get on with it…

We've done littermate cats twice; the boy pair were best friends, the girl pair despised each other and spent 12 years avoiding being in the same room together. I don't think I'd do it with dogs, but a 4 month gap between our half sisters worked very well for us.

I also feel that Bill and Twatdog may be soulmates 😄

Today I'd like dogs that sense when I'm ill and act accordingly!

@YorkshireFelix This feels like a very odd question to ask...but how long does he lick the backs of your knees for!? Also 'Character' feels like the polite way of saying 'massive knob' (which is very accurate).

But 100% agree that Bill and Twatdog are soulmates @Bupster There's a certain knobbiness to both of them, isn't there? Perhaps that why I like Bill so much - he's a smaller, less-hairy soft-eared version of the knobhead I know and love 😁

@CoubousAndTourmalet 12 years is a long time to despise each other! I know it's not remotely amusing, but I feel like only cats are capable of that level of stubbornness?

@tizwozliz Sorry to hear you're not feeling well! Sofa, blanket, ferrero rochers, and one of those ball launchers (one day won't hurt their legs) seems like it's called for. How manic are the dogs being? 😞

They're needy rather than manic - think crying at the top of the stairs at 5am because my partner and I are sleeping in separate rooms!

Actually that's unfair, youngster is an angel (aside from wanting to sit on me when I'm already running a fever), older one is a pain in the bum.

I really feel for you, @CoubousAndTourmalet . I'm a notorious extravert and love that Bill gives me an excuse to talk to strangers, but my best friend is entirely the opposite, and she also really struggles to get out of the house sometimes - and her dog is the one thing that can get her to do it some days. I've also had times when I've been deep in a hole and struggled to do anything at all. I have a Fitbit, and it's quite extraordinary to look at my step count from last year - virtually nothing at all in the early months, when I happened to be in a hole, then I get Bill in late June, and every single month it increases until it hits my current average of 20,000 ish.

Don't think btw that means that we're wildly athletic - I met Bill's half-brother last week, who's a full WCS, and his owner runs with him most days. Today I spent an hour at lunchtime with Bill mooching round the cemetery. I spent a full 18 minutes of that watching him chew a stick. Every now and then he’d get up and wiggle delightedly to show me what a good stick it was, and what a clever boy he was to chew it, and I'd agree that he was, then he’d move off about a metre and lie down again to chew it a bit more. I couldn’t think of a single place I’d rather have been, but athletic we were not.

@LandSharksAnonymous he is so soft-headed and sweet-looking that even when I'm trying to get him to just sit and watch people and dogs and not engage, he still makes strangers smile and want to talk to us. Obviously they've not actually met him, or they'd be doing the opposite. As we walked home at lunchtime he was pulling to get into the pub and a bloke outside it explained he'd been blowing kisses to him 🙄

Picture's from earlier in the week, just in case anyone felt the need to see a squidgy little menace chewing a stick.

@LandSharksAnonymous The girl cats genuinely loathed each other. My cousin joked that they were like her and her sister, only they've despised each other for 50 years 😆

I'm pleased to say that in our family, it was my parents that drew the short straw and got the Knobheaded Twatdog, Magnus, a PMD of great stature, but, seemingly, a brain the size of a pea. He really was hard work.

Sorry you're feeling rotten @tizwozliz , I hope you make a speedy recovery.

@LandSharksAnonymousonly for about 60 seconds and then I fall asleep again 😂

@tizwozliz oh nooo I hope you’re feeling better soon. I was ill at the end of last year for what felt like forever and having to do the usual dog things every day was grim, so I feel for you!

We just had quite a nice walk. I have been working really hard on whistle recall and stop whistle and he did a few good ones in the woods (after running about like a maniac for the first 20 minutes), and quite a bit of off lead heel walking.

We met two humongous sheepdogs, they were like old English sheepdogs on steroids. Absolutely gorgeous but V was terrified of them and hid behind my legs then his his scared howly bark. I am sure the owners said they were some type Hungarian sheepdog? Anyway they were massive and I loved them but Vinny not so much!!

Thanks @Bupster As with your friend, I do need a dog to give me a reason to get out but sometimes it's a struggle. Brie does have her little fan club locally, of mostly elderly folk, some of whom have known us and our dogs for 30 years, so I do make an effort to chat with them. At weekends there's an influx of visitors to the village though, and that's when the social anxiety really kicks in 😨

You & Bill are so perfectly matched and it's wonderful that he's changed your life for the better. He is clearly just as endearing in real life as he looks on his photos ❤

Ummmm. Interesting @YorkshireFelix were they corded? There is a gigantic Hungarian LGD called the Komondor. A very rare beast indeed.

Glad you had a good walk, aside from V being intimidated by the monster dogs!

They weren’t, they had quite long fur but it was a bit shaggy. I googled when I got home and I am sure they definitely said Komondor Hungarian Sheepdog because I remember the first word being something I didn’t recognise. Is it possible that they are brushed out so they don’t dreadlock? They are probably the biggest dogs I’ve ever seen, definitely around waist height or bigger on me I think. They were both so playful and friendly.

I've never known of them not being corded @YorkshireFelix , we have seen them at shows. So either these were young ones, or they've been clipped to stop the dreadlocks forming. I'd guess that if you want them to live as a house pet, clipping would make life easier. When they're fully corded they do look gigantic, and can also be quite smelly. They are lovely dogs - all the LGD breeds are, and I'm not the least bit biased... 😉 I'm glad you liked them.

I will ask if I see them again. They definitely live locally as I’ve seen them both in the woods before, a few months ago (the woman said the younger one was 8 months at the time) and again walking by the main road. I definitely see the appeal of having a large dog!! Totally glorious. I will sound like such an expert if I ask if they are LGD’s 🤓

I presume they are just not fully corded yet then @YorkshireFelix . It is a fascinating breed. There are some videos on YouTube and The Girl With The Dogs has also been brave enough to groom a couple of them!
Size wise they are probably similar to Brie 😊

@tizwozliz oh I'm sorry ❤Really hope you feel better soon!

@Bupster Obviously they've not actually met him, or they'd be doing the opposite - I could 100% say this about twatdog! People always say 'oh isn't he lovely' 'isn't he so sweet' and I always think 'you wouldn't say this if you knew him. You'd be running away. Far. Far. Away.'

@CoubousAndTourmalet bless Magnus. At least that's not a problem you have with Brie!

@YorkshireFelix okay 30 seconds isn't so bad! I had images of it going on for hours 😄

Puppies are currently all asleep. The girls and DDs are are cuddled on the sofa, and twatdog is with me on the love seat. We don't really fit because one of us has a big bum, and the other one is currently more oreo than person, but it does make all the twatty behaviour he exhibits worth it when he cuddles up with his head on my chest, just sighs in contentment and falls asleep.

@brushingboots just want to say thank you for the post on the first page, I have been reading and re reading it and putting it into practice. Really helpful to have all that information in one post- please can it be added to the next thread.

@IchLiebeDeutscheSchaferhunde My pleasure! Very glad it's proving useful. I've made a Google Doc with it all in here too in case that's easier, but I will redo it on the new thread when it comes too.

I hadn't seen that link thanks.

I've changed a bit- I use a Sit/Wait command when I expect the sit to be held, I've been working up slowly but today was the first time I've really pushed it as I needed him to sit whilst I went out of sight for a real reason (rather than just training) I had to really keep on top of my emotions as I came back around the corner to see him still sat there as I was so proud.

@IchLiebeDeutscheSchaferhunde excellent! It is so rewarding when it pays off!

Vincenzo came to live with us a year ago today! Here he is on his first day at home with his most prized possession (the only toy he has never destroyed 🙃)

Ah what a sweetheart! Happy Gotcha Day 😍@YorkshireFelix

@YorkshireFelix He looks like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth 😍