Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - welcome to the teenage wasteland

[Bupster]

Buckled (under instruction 😄)

@YorkshireFelix Ok so deafness is the thing then – and that's nothing more than teenage dog syndrome, like you say. But it can be overcome, and not just in time.

Just thinking about what I'd do and what I do do – I guess you 'just' need to pre-empt the action. We used to have a problem with partridges in a particular field where she pegged one there at about five months old and didn't forget it for about a year. It was a nightmare and I used to walk a mile around sometimes to avoid it because she would see that hedge and switch her ears off. I know a lot of wisdom says to run after them but I never did and still don't because I felt that would exacerbate the issue and I could never catch her anyway.

Ultimately what worked was working with her and letting her slightly free hunt but on my terms. When she was headed partridge-ways I'd encourage some nice heeling or even just her being nearby and being rewarded for that – even if that meant being on the lead a bit to start with or taking a long time doing off lead heel to make progress. Then when we were physically close enough to the exciting bit we'd do it together. I didn't actually go into the hedge but I'd be alongside her giving her direction while she had her nose down to show her, using hand signals and my turn whistle and it meant that she asked permission to do it. It didn't take long before she was actively asking me to go off and I stopped joining in so much because I knew she'd cover the ground and then carry on with me.

Yes, it's different because the land is different and I could also see the birds usually but I wonder if you can do some tiny exercises that just set him up nicely to do the thing he wants but without it stressing you out.

I know you feel you have a point to prove but he's a lovely boy and you shouldn't feel that way – you're doing a smashing job. If anyone ever makes you feel like that they're not worth listening to x

Really, it's absurd that we all feel we have a point to prove about being a responsible owner, when the ones who aren't literally don't seem to have a care in the world...

Both of mine buggered off in the woods yesterday. I say buggered off. They were frantically running around in circles in a cluster of trees about ten feet in front of me. Completely deaf and ignoring the whistle. There must have been something very exciting in there. K did look at me at one point and consider coming to me, but then she looked at her sister and decided it was more fun to chase after her instead.
And P is 4 years old, so she should know better. 🙄

Just seen the forecast for Friday, Saturday, Sunday 😱

@brushingboots thank you, you do always give the best advice! I did think to myself afterwards that I probably shouldn’t have let him off lead but then he would just drag me around the field instead because it’s too distracting for him to do anything else. Which is why I’m thinking I should just avoid it completely but then that’s not really teaching him or me anything is it!

@CoubousAndTourmalet ha I did think that as I was writing my post! Why do I give such a shit when other dog owners absolutely do not care about their dogs behaviour?!

@YorkshireFelix I hope it's helpful! It's hard without being there but I can completely visualise what he's doing.

My philosophy is that you should always give them the chance to learn, even if they mess up, so alas I fear you need to face it rather than avoid. It's similar, I guess, to when you hear of people who don't let their dogs off the lead EVER (not talking about @CoubousAndTourmalet, I mean people with labs and spaniels etc) because they didn't do it young enough and then by the time they did it was too late and their dog was a menace and they had to work even harder than if they'd just been brave to start with. I'm sure lots of trainers would disagree but I don't see how they can learn not to chase rabbits etc – in a safe, controlled environment – if they never meet any.

Just to say @YorkshireFelix I agree with @CoubousAndTourmalet - you’re being harsh on yourself.

Even with the best, well trained dog (thinking of my Hen) there are days when training goes out the window - she’ll refuse to sit before she’s fed, or she won’t come on a walk. People don’t mind because she’s clearly old, but she’s still being disobedient and naughty.

Training isn’t linear - particularly with gun dogs. It’s more like the Grand Canyon and the Mariana Trench tbh. Some days you’re on massive highs, and you own the perfect dog, and other days you’re watching your dog bound off into the distance wondering what you did wrong.

@YorkshireFelix - I’ve just come back from the beginner’s agility class. For once Midge was a star- he waited, followed instructions etc and didn’t run off. Most of the other dogs (who are usually impeccably behaved and make M look like a delinquent) went rogue doing zoomies around the field and evading capture. Next week, I’m sure the roles will be reversed. They’re still young.

At least we are making the effort to have polite responsive dogs. There are many owners around here who make absolutely no effort to train at all and have hooligans.

I’ve got my KC bronze assessment in a couple of weeks- I have done very little practice as we’ve been away, so I just hope he doesn’t show me up!

In fairness, @Nella68 , I never stop trying to train Bill and he's still a nobhead hooligan.

Here's the little horror helping to make the bed. Then we went for a 20 minute walk to the end of the road so he could have a poo, in which he barked his head off at two random strangers and a harmless cockerpoo thing, and then had to leap up at me for reassurance about the scary cockerpoo (who hadn't even raised a hackle) and managed to nearly break my nose by muzzle bumping me. I love him but Christ he's hard work some days.

Thank you everyone, you’re all so kind!

@Nella68 good job Midge! I hope next time Vinny is a star pupil and someone else gets their turn of being a maniac.

Hey @Bupster it’s a good thing they are cute isn’t it…

Good Morning 😊
Drizzly here again.

Difficult walk last night and I'm pondering whether I fall into the category of can't be bothered to train/hooligan dog. The grass on the meadow is now so tall that Brie has turned into Tigger and is going "boing, bounce, boing bounce", leaping about across the field, with the lead firmly clamped between her teeth, leaving me with little option but to follow.

Pavement walking, good as gold, trots nicely alongside us. Get her on the field and the switch flips to "arsing" mode. Aside from restricting her to only road walks forever more I don't know what the answer is.

But anyway, this is adolescence, so complete solidarity with you @Bupster and @YorkshireFelix . It's bloody hard.

I've done a u-turn on the Millies Wolfheart kibble. I got that one wrong. The big, frequent, stinky poo continued so we've concluded it must be the trays of Forthglade and Lifestage, not the kibble. Sorry MW, it seems I maligned you.

Is it the forthglade complete food you use @CoubousAndTourmalet ?

I find any complete wet food has an impact on volume and smell (absolute worst was the sensitive royal canin they gave pup post spay). Day to day we use the forthglade 90% just meat as a topper which doesn't seem to have the same effect.

No @tizwozliz , the wet food trays. I've never used the Forthglade dry. She was on Purina & Calibra kibble as a pup, but we're now on Essentials & MW.

I don't use meat trays every day, she gets some dry kibble days in between, but she's been having Forthglade & Lifestage as a topper. I suspect the culprit could be turkey - two of our previous PMD couldn't tolerate it either, which is partly why we always opt for lamb kibble.

By forthglade complete I meant the complete wet trays, versus the meat trays which aren't a complete food

@CoubousAndTourmalet My pair do the Tigger boing bounce through the long grass too. As they're small, they completely disappear and a head pops up every now and again. It's like a large scale Whack A Mole game. 😂
Fortunately they are off lead, so I'm not dragged around by them. That must be a nightmare.
I really should practise loose lead walking more, but they are very rarely on them.

Can you use a long line with Brie? Although I think you have said she can't wear a harness, so the answer is probably no.

@CoubousAndTourmalet I think it’s them not us! I am wishing away the next few months in the hope that V will grow out of some of his behaviours and mature a bit. He decided to lunge at me ‘play biting’ this morning when I was trying to get ready, and I couldn’t get him to stop and ended up crying!! He usually just lays on the bed and waits for me to be ready to go downstairs and set up for work so god knows what got into him.

The lead biting/jumping this must be awful, especially since you can’t just have her off lead like @SpanielsGalore said. The long grass must just be so exciting to her and pushes her over the edge. Sorry I don’t know what the answer is either but share your frustration!!

@YorkshireFelix You know the solution to your problem? A second dog. 😂 V would have someone else to attack then.
I think K would be a nightmare if she didn't have the others to occupy her. They work as a tag team, and take it in turns to play with her.

All the meat trays seem to say complete, as far as I can see... But over time she's had the just meat, the grain free and the ones with rice. We haven't given her the family lunch/stew ones.

She also has the Lifestage trays from Jollyes.

Because of the weather hotting up I'm going to do just kibble over the weekend, no wet meat trays, so that should confirm the MW question at least.

This is not what I need to hear right now 😂😂😂

I do feel like I spend quite a bit of time being another dog to Bill - playing, being company when he rests, etc. etc. When he goes to his 'satellite carer' rather than his daycare HQ, he spends all day with an older female dog and they nap together, walk together (like they're glued sometimes) and I'm certain she helps him self-regulate, as he's so calm and happy when he comes home.

I wanted him to be social with other dogs as I knew he had to go to daycare, and board at times, as my family's a long way from me. So it's also important to me that he has free play time with friends outside daycare too, and that's why I've been going to the dog park - probably much more than I should, but given what a nobhead he is right now, it feels even more important that he has positive social encounters with familiar dogs, especially other entire males. There's no way I could have another dog (tempting as it is when he's not being a nob).

@YorkshireFelix I'm with you in wishing these months away. Bill is just so highly strung at the moment. I feel like it can't be much fun being him, even if it feels huge fun at times - much like being a teenager yourself, you only realise after it's done and you're grown up how exhausting it all was.

Thanks @SpanielsGalore and @YorkshireFelix
The Tigger bouncing is very funny in a way, but awfully hard to control on an uneven surface. I do have a long line and harness but just envisage her doing zoomies around me, and me ending up like Frodo Baggins cocooned in the cobweb...😨

Yes, second dog definitely. We all need a second dog asap.

Now can somebody convince my partner of this please...?

This is what we use (and just lamb, just beef etc.)

https://forthglade.com/products/just-duck-natural-wet-dog-food-395g

Complementary rather than complete but as we just use it as a topper it's fine for us.

@Bupster Glued together like this?

She's only had the 90% one in lamb @tizwozliz , not the other flavours. She seemed okay with that and the one with rice, although she didn't get along with the grain free turkey one.

They do have a lot of sensitivities; as I said earlier, we've had 2 no turkey and another that didn't get along with fish, despite salmon allegedly being suitable for sensitive digestion.

I'll just see how it goes. Trial and error.

where did you get this photo of me and Vinny in bed every night 🤣