Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - welcome to the teenage wasteland

[Bupster]

Buckled (under instruction 😄)

😂😂😂😂
Pleased to say she sleeps curled up next to me at night, rather than trying to smoother me in my sleep.

@SpanielsGalore That's amazing. Regard for personal space = zero!

@brushingboots I wasn't kidding when I said she is lacking in social graces. 😂

She's really ramped up the lead biting and I'm hurting all over 😭She's doing this pulling backwards head shaking thing and jumping/twizzling. Just bonkers. Never known a more bonkers dog in my life. Would be very funny I suppose, if she wasn't 50kg but I just feel bloody old and knackered. got a headache from crying tonight.

10.30 pm and now my sodding ndn is vacuuming! WTF?

Losing the plot today, seriously. Just ignore me folks x

@CoubousAndTourmalet ugh gosh I am so sorry! Can your DH take over walking her for a bit to give you a break? I know he works so may not be possible. I think any of us would feel the same too!

Normally he does the morning walk, but he's got a bad neck at the moment so most of the walking is falling to me with him there for back up.
I honestly thought she would have grown out of it by now but it's ramped up so much lately with this jumping backwards head shaking like a cartoon dog. She's so calm and mature and sensible at home, but on the lead she's loopy 😵

No idea what the answer is. Just got to keep battling on I suppose.
That Westie suggestion was looking appealing today though 😉

Hi 👋

May I join this thread, we have a sprocker spaniel, we adopted him about year ago and he'll be 2 in October. We love him dearly but he can be a bit of a dickhead at times 🙈 especially when we sit down and he'll bark at us consistently, we can not work out what he wants at all and we've tried allsorts 😬

@Moon30 Welcome! There are a few spaniels here so you're in good company.

When does he do it/what have you tried and ruled out? For my (working cocker) girlie, barking for no apparent reason – when she's been fed, toileted etc – just means she's tired. It doesn't happen so much now as she self-regulates and but if she's ever barking and I can't figure out what's up, it usually means that she's tired and wants to be given permission to sleep.

@CoubousAndTourmalet no advice because I am rubbish but sending solidarity ❤️

Hello and welcome to the madhouse😃

If your dog is a bit bonkers you're in the right place. You've also entered spaniel world (kinda) so you'll fit in well.
Sorry I can't make any helpful suggestions about the barking because I have the opposite problem (a silent guard dog), but hopefully someone here can empathise with your issue.

@CoubousAndTourmalet I know we have discussed many, many times the differences between our girls and their temperaments but I remain in awe of you walking such an enormous dog on the lead all the time, mental biting and head shaking or not! Don't be so hard on yourself, or her – but mostly yourself. No more tears! Much love from us both x

Thanks @VanGoSunflowers and @brushingboots
❤

@CoubousAndTourmalet as one of my fellow rebel girls, I know you’ve got this! Sometimes, we need to fall apart a little… and then we pick ourselves up and carry on. That, my friend, is resilience x

Awww, thank you both. Funny dog this one, definitely our most challenging.

Hated myself for getting cross with her today @brushingboots I shouted "enough!" at Brian Blessed decibel levels, and I so rarely raise my voice to her. She, of course, thinks it's all hilarious fun. Just wish I could let her off for a good run, but she's way too curious about people and dogs at the moment.

You're right @VanGoSunflowers this rebel crone girl will get back in the saddle tomorrow and give it another go. Trouble is that Brie is such a rebel girl herself, that we're sort of having a battle of wills every time we step onto the field 😬So far I'd say she has the upper hand...

@CoubousAndTourmalet sorry to hear yesterday was rotten! How is she doing today? And how are you? Do PMDs stay puppies longer (like labs and Goldies who can often not calm down until they’re 6/7/8) or are they quick to grow up?

Hen caught the neighbours cat last night (no damage done, except to the cats ego) and now she’s sitting on the little hill in the garden again, on watch, hoping to catch it again. Thankfully neighbour was very understanding (even called Hen a good girl) but I’m still mortified.

@CoubousAndTourmalet I’m sorry you are having rubbish walks. A few months ago I went through a similar thing. Midge would go crazy, jumping up and biting me, ragging the lead etc. It hurt, I was covered in bruises, and I dreaded every walk. The worst and most dangerous was when it happened in the middle of crossing a busy road. Midge is probably half Brie’s size so I can only imagine how much harder Brie can pull and tug.

After one particularly brutal assault I sat in the middle of the park and sobbed. At that point I hated him and could quite happily have left him there. I found it was when he was overstimulated, I guess it’s a bit like a small child having a meltdown; they just don’t know how to cope with their emotions.

The behaviour stopped by itself. As I recall, the only thing I did was to carry a tug toy in my pocket to whip out and shove in his mouth and he could rag that instead of me. He rarely does it now, and if he does it stops when I turn my back and cross my arms.

@LandSharksAnonymous Midge hates cats and we are surrounded by them. He’ll try and catch them, unsuccessfully so far. My sister’s greyhound caught and killed a neighbour’s cat but I don’t think M has quite the speed. My worry is that he’ll have his eyes scratched if he manages to corner one!

Oh, gosh, that's a worry regarding the cat @LandSharksAnonymous 😬I would expect most cats to put up a good fight if cornered by a dog, but I suppose it depends on the cat's age and strength. Hopefully it'll learn to be wary...

My chap has had Brie out early, though it was down the village, around the cricket pitch not onto the big meadow. Whether she'll get another walk will depend what the temperature is this evening. It's currently 15c, but they're forecasting 24 for us today.

Yes, PMD are puppies for a long time, which is why the lead biting is so frustrating; I'm beginning to imagine she'll still be doing it at 3 or 4. I could try a behaviourist or trainer, but as it's absolutely 100% rough play, not any sort of stress/adhd type thing, I doubt they'll offer a solution other than a soft muzzle, which I don't want to do. It is pure mischief; she switches it on and off, gives me side eye and play growling. She's not even really overexcited - she never barks. Its all just "come on, Mum, let's play" and I feel bad that I'm not up to it. I swear she thinks she's large cat/small dog size like - yup - a Westie 😆

It's as @Bupster said the other day, you end up becoming a dog yourself, to fulfill that need for company, which is where I think a second dog would help. If they can run around in the garden or on the local secure dog field, it would take a lot of the pressure off me when it comes to lead walking. Unfortunately my partner is feeling the opposite and digging his heels in at the moment.

Thanks @Nella68
It sounds as if you went through exactly the same and I'm glad that Midge has grown out of it. Yes, my arms are covered in scratches and bruises too and the owner of Brie's litter sister has told me she has this problem also. It's just rough play, but of late, Brie has really ramped it up and it is a struggle.

I do carry a small tug rope (£1 Pets At Home) to shove in Brie's mouth and it used to work, up to a point, but now she just drops it on the ground. I've already lost a couple of them in the long grass on the meadow. Food treats (suggested by dog trainer) only distracted her for a fraction of a second and felt like a reward for silly behaviour so I pretty much ignored his advice. Although, of course, he told me my timing was wrong 🙄

It's an ongoing process trying to adapt and counter her silliness. I honestly thought she would have grown out of it by now, but it may be something we just have to live with. Hopefully my physio is correct that I'll slowly strengthen up again; they did compliment me on my toned arms and shoulders at least 😁

@Nella68 I thought the same thing last night! Was terrified the cat might hurt Hen (and shocked at how she caught it - she’s an old girl now, but then so is the cat). But Hen dropped the cat and it just sat there, bold as brass, as though it hadn’t just been in Hens jaws! So it got scooped up and carried back to the neighbours house by me. It’s currently on our garage room watching me watching it. I’m half convinced it enjoyed its experience yesterday!

@CoubousAndTourmalet it almost makes it worse, doesn’t it? The fact it’s not deliberate mischief it’s just ‘come play with me, please.’ Because you want to be annoyed but you can’t and loads of other people don’t get that big dogs are just babies forever. Twatdog gets the glint and barks when he switches into play mode, and he’ll do it anywhere. Sometimes I despair, but these are the quirks we love…right?!?! (Trying to convince myself)

@CoubousAndTourmalet Sorry you're having a hard time walking Brie. I have absolutely no advice to offer - you know your breed inside out and I know spaniels.
I can understand your partner's hesitation to add a second when walking one is difficult at the moment. But it's a few months away etc, so hopefully Brie will have settled a little and he'll change his mind. 🤞

@LandSharksAnonymous Catching ND's cat is quite a feat. Glad it wasn't injured and that your neighbour was understanding. Although I kind of think if it's in your garden, it's not your fault. Hopefully it's learnt it's lesson and will stay away in future.

@Moon30 Welcome. I used to have a sprocker spaniel. Unfortunately he had a lot of health issues and was extremely hard work. I said a few days ago, if I hadn't have been his third home, I would have cheerfully handed him back during his adolescent phase. He used to bark for hours at a time, as he constantly wanted feeding. Some days he would start ten minutes after a meal and he had four a day. When does your dog bark? Is it just in the evenings when you have all settled or is it throughout the day?

That's supposed to say 'a few months away yet'. No idea where the 'etc' came from. I'll blame autocorrect.

Omg catching the cat @LandSharksAnonymous!! I am actually very impressed that the cat was released then just sat there like nothing had happened. We have LOADS of cats in our village. It’s all very compact Victorian terraces so a high density of people in a small area and everyone seems to have a cat. There’s one of our neighbours cats which comes and sits nonchalantly in our front garden and I swear she does it to taunt Vinny from the window!

@CoubousAndTourmalet it’s a shame Brie’s sister doesn’t live closer so you could get them together for a run about. Double trouble 😄

@SpanielsGalore sadly not! It’s already back… Thankfully it doesn’t do its business in the garden!

Your two are so lovely 🥰 wish mine would cuddle like that but even in winter they get too hot! Tbh I can’t even get more than two in a photo without significant effort

@YorkshireFelix My back door is all glass. NDN's cat used to sit on the doorstep staring in at my dogs. They'd be going mental, and it would just sit there winding them up.

@LandSharksAnonymous It's always been my dream that I would have two dogs that would cuddle up together. It's taken 20 years and six dogs to get there. 😂
That's my foster dog, being squashed by K.
P doesn't do cuddles. She'll get up and walk away if anyone tries to sleep with her. So it was nice for K (and me) when N joined us. She had P to play with and N to snuggle up to.
This is as close as P gets to cuddles.