Our Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Adolescent Support Group)

[MonCoubousMonTourmalet]

Okay folks, let's head into late summer/autumn.

My summer will be very late when it eventually arrives.

Tagging regulars

@Bupster @brushingboots @IchLiebeDeutscheSchaferhunde @LandSharksAnonymous @Nella68 @SpanielsGalore @VanGoSunflowers @YorkshireFelix

Sorry to those I've missed, will try to add....

And...I forgot to change my name back but never mind.

Place-marking! Thanks @MonCoubousMonTourmalet!

Not anything to do with adolescent dogs but Hen went to the vet this morning as I was a bit worried about her breath (it smells a bit funky and I thought she was getting an infection). Turns out there was just a bit of bone stuck between two teeth and it had rotted. But the vet gave her a quick once over anyway and said she was the healthiest example of a senior Goldie he had ever seen - great heartbeat, not arthritic, bright eyed, coat still in good condition, not fat. I know most of it is luck and genetics, and very little is due to my ownership (other than the not being fat), but I puffed up like a peacock. I do worry about her as she's an old girl now, so it was lovely to hear how healthy she was - even if I already think she's healthy and definitely set my mind at ease a bit (I had a bit of puppy guilt for making her deal with a litter when she's so old - even if she seemed supremely unconcerned by the entire thing).

You're not missing much @SpanielsGalore - it reached 31c here yesterday and Milady de Winter (aka Brie) was not happy 😬

Awww, glad to hear that nothing was wrong @LandSharksAnonymous and that Hen had a nice little MOT. Wow - great comments from your vet, that must feel amazing! So many dogs, but particularly gundog breeds, just look really overweight and unfit by middle-age, so kudos to you for keeping your matriarch in such great shape.

Whoop 🙌 hello everyone.

@LandSharksAnonymous For what it’s worth, in my humble opinion, I think you deserve to be proud and I personally think it has a lot to do with how well you look after her ❤️

waves from beneath of a list of Jockey Club members

Hope Pupsy is recovering well @brushingboots and that you aren't too frustrated with regard to the walks.

Oh shit! How d'you change a thread title? I put Group instead of Thread 😩😂😳What an idiot. Should have waited for a grown-up to do it properly 🤓

We are a support group. ❤️ Leave it be.

@MonCoubousMonTourmalet it's true - gundogs seem to be the worst for being fat as they age! Part of it is because they do tend to need so much exercise when they're young, and thus get fed more, and then they get older but still get fed the same... But, retrievers are particularly bad as they're such little pigs. I've always been so conscious of it with mine, in part because you really can't over-exercise them when they're young - so you have to start off being restrictive on treats, and I tend to just stick with it.

@VanGoSunflowers thank you! It was really lovely to hear. 😊

@brushingboots echoing others, how is pupsy?!

Agree with @SpanielsGalore - this definitely feels like a support group! Thanks for starting the new thread x

Bill's at daycare today so I'm spending the day dazzling myself with how much work I used to be able to do 😄

My favourite picture of him from this week attached to cheer you all up

Thanks Bill! I just choked on my tea.

How does he manage to look like a cartoon character here? Amazing catch with that photo though @Bupster

(Thank you for being polite about my embarrassing thread title) Thanks to @SpanielsGalore also. I shall leave it be and say no more about it.

@MonCoubousMonTourmalet thank you for tagging me. I might have lost you!
The children are missing M but I’m quite enjoying the break. It’s like having another toddler when we’re somewhere new, and I don’t miss those days of human toddlers!

I'm glad you're enjoying your holiday @Nella68

I know what you mean, holidaying with a dog really isn't easy. I'm sure Midge will be doing fine, but you'll definitely get a good welcome when you arrive home.

Hi all, I’ve been slightly absent for a few days but just caught up!

It was my birthday at the weekend so we went up on the moor above Howarth for a walk and V had the time of his life. Lots of heather to frolic through and a few little ponds to plodge in. It was lovely and only 20 minutes from us so I must take him up there again! I’ve never actually taken him up on the moor right by where we live because I’ve been too worried about him running off (no idea why as it’s not like he has form for it!) so I feel a lot more confident that I can take him up there on my own too. He was so well behaved off-lead (not so much when we had to put him on lead to get back to the car…)

We had week 4 of gundog class on Tuesday and some people were on holiday and one dog in season so there was only us and the older lab. V did ‘okay’ but I did a bit shit to be honest. I struggle with the sequence of some of the exercises sometimes, which I think is an autistic processing thing, so I need to practice a lot. He is very much uninterested in retrieving a dummy, which I totally get because they are boring as hell.

Also trainer thinks I need to be more assertive/forceful with him, which I 100% agree with, as he just does as he pleases a lot of the time. I wish I’d done things differently with him from a younger age as I let him get away with too much, but you live and learn!

The lady with the lab told me she thought I was doing a great job with him and that I’m very patient which was nice! Her dog is 4 and an angel, and she said there’s no way she could have done the course at Vinny’s age so it made me feel a bit better about how much of a shit he can be.

Here he is basking in his natural habitat on my birthday 🌞

Happy Belated Birthday @YorkshireFelix
Vinny really looks to be in his element up on the moors ❤

I completely understand the autistic processing issue. I used to get very confused at dog shows and I was never entirely confident that I knew what was expected of me. I think where you feel conscious that others are watching, it can be very hard. It was nice of the other owner to give you encouragement and tell you how well Vinny is doing.

You're probably being a little hard on yourself. But that said, if I could go back to last year I would do everything differently with Brie....
I think once we've got to know and understand our pup, it is all too tempting to focus on what we could have/should have done better. But really, at the time we did what we felt was right. All we can do now is focus on the areas that we're less happy with (for me that's socialisation).

Vinny looks well, and very happy and is clearly having a lot of fun learning to be a gundog so I think you should give yourself more credit for that x

@YorkshireFelix happy belated birthday! ❤️

I don't blame Vinny for finding it boring - I would as well! Tbh he sounds like such a dream most of the time that you've definitely be doing lots of things right! I always think I've done things wrong when I've raised a puppy (god only knows I don't think I did anything right with Twatty)...but really as long as they're healthy and happy and (mostly) listen then you've done everything right! It's always nice to get complimented on your dog though!

@Bupster Oh Bill! Even in photos like that he looks handsome! How happy was he when you collected him!?

@YorkshireFelix Bill finds dummies super boring too. The one thing I've found that he does go nuts for is a Kong Airdog thing - it's like a skipping rope handle covered in tennis ball felt attached to a short bit of nylon rope - you can fling it, play tug with it, or run around like a loony with it in your mouth like a dummy. Real dummies he holds like cigars, if he deigns to pick them up at all.

@LandSharksAnonymous he was at his satellite carer's today and she very bravely took him to a local park with a lake in it, and even though she didn't let him jump in it, he was sufficiently knackered that he only spent five minutes licking my face and my nose is still attached.

I've found a way of keeping him quiet in the car on the way home too - I've unzipped the back seat cover to give him access to the front, and lengthened his headrest harness thingy, so he can now rest on the centre console with the aircon blowing directly on his belly and can lick my ear for comfort 🙄

cross-posting from the other thread - this is how I go to sleep...

You are the exact opposite of an idiot and I very much like your thread title ❤️

Thanks all, you are all very kind. He is testing my patience at the minute and I feel a bit useless but I know he’s alright really. I’m taking my slip lead to our next class and the trainer is going to show me how to use it, as she’s said especially in a training situation he needs to learn it’s not acceptable to pull me to sniff and piss about constantly and not listen. Currently at training he’s on his flat collar and lead and I am constantly dragging him back into position to engage with me, which feels a bit relentless as we barely get any actual training done. I know many people don’t agree with giving them a quick pop on a slip lead as I guess it’s classed as an aversive tool, but I’m willing to give it a go, as she said he will get the message very quickly.

In more positive news, we just bumped into DD’s friend and their dog (collie x golden retriever which is an interesting mix but he is absolutely stunning!) and Vinny wasn’t sure at first since he’s a bit younger and in your face, and did tell him off a couple of times. But then after a bit Vinny came round and initiated a nice little play session and they played chase nicely for a while. It’s only the third time he’s ever played with another dog, so it was nice to see!

I like the thread title too 😄

Also if anyone has opinions on the slip lead thing I am very open to be told otherwise! Our trainer is great and I really like her, and she said it’s very much up to me as some people disagree with it, but she said if he was her dog it’s what she would do.

@YorkshireFelix Happy belated Birthday. It looks lovely up on the moors. ❤️
Since you asked, I dislike slip leads. They are aversive training tools. The dogs learn quickly, because it hurts. I refused to use one when I went to gundog classes. I think I have said before, the trainer did a 'pop' on the lead to a GSP. It was far from gentle and if he'd have done it to my dog I would have punched him in the face.
Mine wear harnesses on walks. P used to have a collar, but she lost it in the woods one day. K has never had one.

@Bupster That first photo of Bill is so funny. 😂

If you don't fancy a slip lead because of the tightening aspect @YorkshireFelix the other option is a martingale or half check. It allows the collar to tighten to a certain point, so you can give that gentle jerk upwards, to get their attention, but it never feels as if you're choking them.
It has proved to be the answer for us with Brie and her big fat neck.
We use the Ezy Dog Checkmate
https://ezydog.co.uk/products/checkmate-training-collar?srsltid=AfmBOoorla3QnN_CHnZd0tVOFp_sw1zT1GpAvtuQQhx5JwMllp2z09hp

I use the checkmate with harness as back up but my partner just walks her on the checkmate alone and thinks it gives good close control without making her gasp. You might find it for a better price on Ebay or Amazon - ours came from Ebay.

Obviously there are other similar collars, or you may actually find you can get along with a slip lead and are happy to use it. But this seems to be a good compromise between slip lead and fixed collar.

It's lovely to hear that Vinny had a happy play session with another dog, that sounds like a really positive thing for him and for you.

@YorkshireFelix another happy birthday wish from me! Sorry, I was going to post that straight after my last one but I got jumped on by an excited dog 😂