Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - welcome to the teenage wasteland

[Bupster]

Buckled (under instruction 😄)

@abracadabra1980 they can get huge! Hen (my eldest) is 40kg at the moment. But she is older, so a bit chunky. The problem with them
is they’re deceptively strong…one of my friends has a Bernese and even though her girl weighs more, my boy is definitely much stronger than her. Your Newfie is lovely 😍she doesn’t look small!

@SpanielsGalore sounds like you’ve got a good set up for her to still get good exercise!

It’s a nightmare isn’t it? Hen keeps up on the first walk, but she usually skips the midday walk now and then in the evening does her own walk - usually with one of my DDs - and then meets us at the car at the end. I worry more about Hen on walks than any of the others, simply because she is an older woman now. I spend more time watching her than any other dogs (which probably explains twatdogs terrible training).

We did a mix of on lead walks (some on a long line) avoiding very busy places and anywhere where we might encounter dogs off lead, and hiring fields and extra activity in the garden. We did less with little pup as she is not a terror on restricted exercise and was a bit more subdued during the whole time anyway.

Pavement walks only during the standing/flagging phase.

Older pup had a lot more interest when little one was in season even though they were walked separately.

@SpanielsGalore the number of people who bring bitches coming or out of season to our tiny, off-lead local dog park astounds me. Even if they are 'safe' from pregnancy, the park has many, many entire males as it's the kind of place people bring their puppies and young dogs for fairly safe socialisation and exercise. On any one day when we were going there regularly during school term, there could be three or four entire males of a range of ages, which is just asking for trouble for the bitch and the rest of the dogs.

Bill, God love him, has more than once recalled to whistle away from a bitch coming into/out of season, which astounds me every time. He's struggling more than usual with entire males, so I suppose I'm really alert to the risks and we're not spending much time there at the moment.

@SpanielsGalore mental that people would allow their in season bitches to interact before knowing what your dogs are!! That is bonkers.

Having had pupsy spayed I'm glad I'll not have to deal with it again for a while. Friends of ours have just got a (gorgeous) cocker pup bitch to go with their intact male cocker. Not sure what they're planning to do when she comes into season.

@tizwozliz The only time I have seen P get arsey with another dog was when he kept trying to sniff her bits when N was in season.
I think mine will be the opposite to yours. P is a very easy dog and is content with whatever exercise she gets. I can't see K being the same.

@LandSharksAnonymous N could barely walk when she came to me, but with weight loss and proper medical care she can now manage about 25 minutes. So I've been taking all three out together for a quick run and swim in the evenings. Last night though, she only managed 10 minutes before reverting to a very, very slow plod. I'll give her a couple of rest days and see if that helps.
And while I'm watching N struggle back to the car, K disappears after the ducks.
How old is Hen? N has just turned 10, but hasn't had an easy life.

@Bupster It seems to be the thing now. I used to be on a springer FB page and the amount of people who carried on walking as normal throughout the season was shocking. They thought entire males weren't their problem. I was nervous walking P on day 24 and I think it's all over by then. She's my first bitch and only had two, so I'm not very knowledgeable in that area.

@brushingboots One woman was so busy collecting things on the beach, she didn't notice her bitch was playing with my dog for a good few minutes. Fortunately he'd been neutered.
Your friends will be in for a fun time. I had my sprocker neutered as soon as I got a bitch.

I will probably get P spayed after this season. I was going to do it after her second one, but the vet advised against it at the time. It coincided with her knee surgery and they said the trauma of two surgeries would be too much to put her body through at the same time.

@SpanielsGalore Hen is (just turned) 13, Clem is 10 ( 11 soon), Pen is five (6 soon) and Twatdog is 2 (3 soon ) 😊Hen’s a very old woman by Goldie standards but still pretty fit.

K is just living her best life 😁Oh poor N! 😔How did you rescue her? Was it via Spaniel Aid? It’s where DMum got Satan from and I found them to be really great

@LandSharksAnonymous I volunteer for a Scottish rescue. N came as a foster, but it was decided her health issues made her unsuitable for rehoming. So she will stay with me as a permanent foster for as long as we can keep her comfortable. Fortunately she has fitted in really well wih my pair. K in particular has given N a new lease of life. This is N.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19Zu3F8c9a/

And yes. K definitely lives life to the full. 😂

Oh my gosh she is sooooo sweet 😭😭😭😭

I tried for ages to adopt via Spaniel Aid before we got V but it was just too competitive and we never got anywhere.

Your two (and the new puppy!) are gorgeous!

@SpanielsGalore Bless her!! And what a gorgeous name too, love that.

I know I'm having a tough time emotionally when I go on the Spaniel Aid website to torture myself looking at all the dogs that need homes. I'd love to foster but I don't think I'd be able to let them go again and I'd end up with a house full of dogs. Nor do I have any experience with genuinely 'difficult' dogs so they wouldn't want me anyway.

@SpanielsGalore oh she is beautiful! I see what you mean about the weight though. Poor thing.

@brushingboots@YorkshireFelix DMum and I spend hours on SA, even though neither of us are in a position to foster or adopt. She had never experienced ‘difficult’ dogs before she adopted Satan, but Satan had been up for months before she put in the application. From what they said, Satan had almost no interest so when she applied they took more of a chance than they otherwise would have.

I think if she had gone for a young/less troubled dog she’d have gotten nowhere. But no one wanted an older dog who had lots of health issues and almost every behavioural issue going. More fool them tbh. I think Satans troubled past is probably why she adores my parents so much. If I was to adopt, I’d probably go for a dog with issues - but with all my Goldies and Dds it’s just not possible to do that.

Trying to catch up, had an offline day yesterday because of anxiety. Just quietly sat with my head in a book all day, to recharge.

With our in season bitches we have always tended to put them in the car and drive a couple of miles up to the moor. Our garden is too small for them to exercise adequately for anything longer than the odd day or two spent at home for weather related reasons. We wouldn't generally walk from home with them in full season, although being at the edge of the village, we do have quick and easy access to large fields. We generally try to be considerate towards the local dog people though.

@abracadabra1980
I daresay you are correct that behaviourists don't go hands on with the dog, it's probably perfectly normal for them not to handle a dog while assessing them for issues. But last week still felt oddly negative.
Maybe it's me, maybe I am just getting it 100% wrong, I'm not a people person so maybe I expected the wrong things. But just something positive or warm would have been nice even if it was just along the lines of "flippin heck, she's a big girl". But, like I said, maybe it's me. The only positive comment was about the new harness, so maybe I did make one correct choice after all...

Anyway, we're moving on from it. We'll work on the anxiety ourselves.

e went up the moor on Saturday with dog guard back in. Brie met a big brown dog called Bill - I think he was a Huntaway, very friendly dog but she was terrified cos he was big. Although yep, a lot smaller than her. Brie imagines herself as Beagle size so anything bigger than a small Lab is scary 🙄

Thanks everyone. ❤
She really is a sweetheart. She's small for a springer and is now an ideal 17.4kg. Her movement has improved so much in the last six months, but we have to be careful not to overdo things.
The first eight days were difficult and I had a few "What have I done?" moments. K was a very annoying 14 week old puppy, as P had never put her in her place. And N was very stressed and suffering with chronic pain. But on day 9 it all clicked into place and they've been firm friends ever since.

@brushingboots You don't need experience of difficult dogs to foster. Not all dogs coming into rescue have behavioural issues. Plus you can say what you feel you can manage. I said I couldn't have a dog with SA as I live alone and I would need to leave them home alone occasionally.
It's in my contract that I can't keep the first three dogs I foster, so I thought I was saved from keeping any. Then fell at the first hurdle. 😂

@abracadabra1980
I hadn't realised your Newfoundland is a Landseer ❤ I so love Landseer Newfs! When we were dogless I asked my chap if we could have one, but he said it was a Pyrie or nothing!

Regarding an in season bitch living with entire male; we survived it but it totally depends on the dog.

Our older male lived with two unspayed bitches for 6 years. Generally we'd send him or a girl on holiday to my parents house for about 10 days, because he'd get very vocal during part of their season.

The much younger dog was a lot easier and we managed at home, just by keeping him in a separate room. Yes, it's a pain having to do it but if you're organised, and are careful about not leaving doors open, it can be done. It helps to have some sort of a kennel space for their garden time.

There’s a couple of unspayed bitches at agility, both are due in season. The class instructor has said to bring them along when in season. The dogs are all kept on lead/ behind a fence when not on the equipment so they will be able to be kept apart. I can’t help worrying for the two intact males- M went loopy when I had been in contact with a dog with anal gland problems so I imagine he’ll be very unsettled. I’m hoping they’ll be in season when we’re on holiday!

Mine aren't off the lead in public, as is the case with the vast majority of PMD in the UK. It's for their own safety. It isn't "sad" and it's not a MN thread.

But maybe it is a cue for me to leave.

@CoubousAndTourmalet Well this was sad because clearly the couple had done NO training with their dog and he deserves better quite frankly. She even admitted that, and I found it sad.

Me feeling sad about a poorly-trained dog has no bearing on you, baby Brie, or any other LGD whatsoever who have a completely different set of circumstances and instincts. If I saw you or any other PMD owner out with their dog in public I'd feel nothing but absolute awe at you being able to manage it because I've learnt so much about them from you.

That's ridiculous! What happens when it's the intact males turns to do agility? Mine would have been straight over to the fence and not concentrating on the lesson at all.
I'd be really annoyed if my lesson was ruined and money wasted by someone bringing an in season bitch.

@SpanielsGalore The instructor has said they just need to get used to ignoring them. I can’t see that happening; however I can see him jumping the fence!

I know nothing about PMDs. Why are most kept on lead? Genuine question, not a criticism.

My brother has Siberian huskies and they as a breed are rarely off lead, as allegedly they can't be taught recall.

I do think it's sad for dogs that need to run to never be off lead. I met a woman with a springer, who was always on lead as he eat stuff and had needed two operations to remove stones from his stomach. The owner wouldn't muzzle him, because she was worried people would think he was viscious.

My sprocker had Pica and multiple allergies, so was always muzzled. I can only remember one person asking me if he had issues with some dogs, as he happily played with their two cockers. Everyone else took one look at a spaniel in a muzzle and said, "Eats things?"

What a dickhead!

M is rarely off his long line. I would like his recall to be instant but despite practising it daily it’s still very hit and miss. With his long line he tends to stick around me but if he is with no lead he’ll roam quite far.
He does come back but it’s very much in his own time and he’ll have a few sniffs on the way or he’ll come tearing back just to swerve at the last second.
I’m obviously doing something wrong!
The long line is my security blanket.

@Nella68 I think longlines are different to being on a short lead. I've used longlines for dogs whose recall isn't consistent. They're particularly handy for on the beach, when I could stamp on the end and then reel them in.