Our Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Adolescent Support Group)

[MonCoubousMonTourmalet]

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

Hares are definitely next level for my two. I'm not sure what it is about them, it's not just small furriness, as rabbits and squirrels don't have the same effect.

@SpanielsGalore Pupsy flushed a fox once, thinking she was another breed of my close acquaintance, but I pipped the whistle and she stopped so I don’t know what she would have done with it.

By chance a hare got up right in front of her this morning and she did go after it briefly, but after her long confinement I’m not surprised. She flushed some gorgeous partridges too in the sunflowers and stopped right on them so clearly hasn’t forgotten quite everything she’s been taught. Would have made a nice tidy shot for someone actually, were it two months later, as they were quite low.

Sylvie, off lead on the meadow, once trotted alongside a fox for a few metres, presumably thinking it was a dog. It disappeared into the wood and S came back to me. She was always off the lead but never really tried to chase anything, although I suspect her sister would have.

Brie has only seen rabbits, squirrels and deer close up. There are plenty of hares around here but she hasn't encountered any yet.

@brushingboots I thought you meant it would make a nice photograph at first. 😂 Do you take Pupsy on shoots?

P has caught two young hares and three rabbits. She's then carried them along on our walks, eating on the go. K has only managed to catch birds so far. She's wiped out the next generation of blackbirds that were stupid enough to nest at ground level down the side of the shed. And she's presented me with a duck, which I think must have been injured for her to catch it. Fortunately she was very gentle with it, so I freed it from her jaws and it waddled away.

Got to admit, as a lifelong veggie, I would not cope with all the dead stuff 😨Sorry, not sorry.

@Aubrielle It's not particularly pleasant for a meat eater either to be honest. But I used to raw feed my dogs, so any rabbit caught was a few free meals. 🙈

I suppose that's not unreasonable @SpanielsGalore . We used to feed our cats on rabbit mince, but I coped with that because I didn't have to deal with the fur or feathers aspect if you see what I mean...😬

Well after all the advice we had on here pup and I had a really good week. We worked lots on recall on long line. Random on and off lead on walks where I did allow off lead. Super high value treats (sprats).

Feels absolutely deflated that today i let him off in the field today for the first time. Its a secure field but any public can access it through a gate. It was totally empty when I let him off. Was just going to practice some recall there without the long line. I was on my own with 5 year old DS.

Literally as i unhooked the lead a couple walked in with their dog. Of course he ran off to day hello and then didn't recall.

There was no issues, he is friendly and the dog they were with was wagging its tail and sniffing but is apparently nervous. I went over straight away and leaded dog and apologised profusely that it was empty and we were just starting some training. They screamed at me and started shouting over and over again that I should have control of dog etc. Tbf don't disagree and I just apologised again, explained he was a puppy and that it was empty when I let him off. Said they could have called their dog away and he probably wouldn't have followed since he was busy staring at me calling him back and ignoring him. Must have said i was really sorry about 40 times but reiterated that they could have called their own dog away and mine was being completely friendly and just stood still and sniffed nose to nose. They just carried on a triad of abuse towards us.

I dont disagree we were 'in the wrong' but it was just such an extreme reaction. In the end I just walked away while they were still shouting at me as dog was just standing by my side on lead as was theirs (still of lead) and both dogs were completely uninterested in each other. No nervous body language that i could see.

As we walked away my 5 year old burst into tears asking why they were being horrible. I explained dog was a bit naughty by not coming back and they were cross about it. He then turned around and shouted back to them stop shouting you're making me really sad. Which tbf they did stop at that point.

We just left to go into the woods and I was so part shocked and part embarrassed I just burst into tears myself. My poor DS is so confused by it all and i just feel totally deflated by it all. Completely accept its probably my fault but just mortified how that went down.

Bumped into some regulars we see on walks and they asked why I wasn't letting dog off to play like normal and I explained and they said dont be daft this happens dogs have their own minds sometimes and it will happen occasionally but I was so emotional about it all I just didn't let him off and walked on alone.

This is not how I expected dog parenting to be. I know it's just a bad day but honestly just feel like id just rather not let him off again.

Have already cried down the phone to partner at work who has suggested we look at some group training to work on commands with distraction with a suitable group of dogs. He is going to look into it all tonight.

Just coming on here to rant really that I feel so shit after lots of positive.

@stillchasingdereksheppard Sorry you have had a bad experience, and I’m also sorry that your son had to witness it. That sounds like an extreme, over-the-top, reaction from the couple. It does frustrate me when off lead dogs (with no recall) bound over to Midge. He has been attacked 3 times by adult off lead dogs so I used to be terrified but I’ve been working on my reaction! I do have much empathy for owners with puppies/ young dogs, particularly when I can see that they are training their dogs. As your acquaintances said, these things happen. Focus on all the positive things that have happened over the last week.

I have found group classes to be good, but I would suggest that you try and find one where the dogs aren’t allowed to have a free for all play. We’re just about to start the KC silver award. There’s lots of ignoring other dogs in that!

I have had a similar, but worse, thing happen that shook my confidence. When Midge was about 10 months old he dashed over to an old man, jumped up at him (M is not a small dog) and sent him flying. The man was (rightly) furious and no matter of apology made a difference.

It did make me realise that M was not ready to be off his longline. 8 months later he’s still a work in progress as far as recall/ ignoring other dogs, but is much much better. Most of the time his longline is trailing, but when I want to practise recall I hold it so I can give it a tug if he ignores me. To be honest, it’s my security blanket. I am so paranoid about him running off and being a pest. It would be a disaster if he knocked over someone and they broke something. He’s not at all bothered by the longline and I’m getting adept at gathering it in.

@stillchasingdereksheppard I am really sorry you have had the misfortune to meet a pair of arseholes this morning. Disgusting way to behave, especially in front of a small child.
I used to have a reactive dog and it was annoying if other dogs ran up to him. But if the owner was apologetic and tried to get their dog back, then I accepted their apologies. These things happen. It's the owners who saunter over or stand at the far end of the field, repeatedly shouting their dog and waving a treat tin in the air that might have been told to 'Come and fetch your effing dog'.
I've also had an annoying dog who 'just wants to say hello', so have been on both sides of it. Fortunately, no one was as horrible about it as the people you encountered, but I know how it makes you feel bad about your dog's behaviour.
For what it's worth, their dog doesn't sound nervous if it was happy to greet your dog. All the nervous dogs I know hide behind their owners' legs. So they probably know nothing about dog behaviour and body language. And they won't be doing their own dog any favours by reacting like that.
It's horrible when a dog walk goes wrong. What should be a nice, relaxing walk becomes a stressful one. Take a few days to lick your wounds and get over it, and then chalk it up to experience and move on.
It sounds like you are doing a great job and are making good progress. Try not to let one incident spoil it for you all.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. Ling lead has arrived and we're starting small but we've done a training session in the small field out the back of the house. High value treats and now using the whistle as well and he responded well. He loved the hot dog so much it was a task to get him away from me to call him back!
He was at daycare today so had chance to reset myself and get myself feeling positive about overcoming this blip.

Twat pup is currently rolling around the lounge floor chasing his tail like a loonatic - guess hes got back in touch with his puppy self

It's good that you're sounding more positive today @stillchasingdereksheppard . I was thinking about you but I had no words of advice yesterday because I don't let my girl off the lead, so I stay out of the training talk.
I'm glad you - and pup - have had a better day. He sounds pretty happy ❤

What a rotten thing to happen. It really doesn't sound like you did anything dreadful - I have a nobhead and it means I'm careful if I enter an area where other dogs might be off lead, as you can't expect every dog - especially young ones - to have perfect recall. It's on them as much as you, and they absolutely shouldn't have kicked off the way they did. I'm so sorry.

Bill's recall vanished when he hit 7-8 months and I did have to go back to basics. I thought it would take FOREVER but actually I was able to let the line trail safely at least some of the time by the time he was a year old - though I do still have to be super-careful around swoopy birds, other dogs, and horses that might give him a dirty look 🙄

In other news, he had his behaviourist consultation today. They agreed that he probably isn't a fearful dog and his reactivity is coming from other sources, most likely frustration as a large part of it. Basically, he's a bit of a nobhead, which we knew 😄He was actually wonderful. He managed a three hour consultation without even marking anywhere, just being his bonkers affectionate self (and demonstrating his complete refusal to settle when there's any way at all to look for trouble instead). My favourite moment was when he landed on the seat of the sofa, having cleared the back of it from a standing start, and one of the behaviourists said deadpan "I can see he's quite agile". I've got a full report coming in two weeks and a list of ideas to start with but I can't be arsed to do anything tonight now but give him belly scritches and watch the Sopranos. Hope everyone else is okay.

That all sounds really good @Bupster . What a little star Bill is to cope with a 3 hour assessment! To me it sounds like good news that it's not fear - surely overexuberance will be easier to deal with than anxiety...? And hopefully he could just slowly start to calm down as he matures. I know he's between Brie & Vinny in age, so approx 16 months and, relatively speaking, they're all still babies.
I imagine the report is going to be very interesting reading, he is clearly quite a complex character, but, in my experience, they make the best dogs.

@Bupster Sounds like a positive consultation. Hopefully the ideas and training tips they give you will help Bill be less of a nob. (Sorry. Don't know what his issues are, other than being a nobhead.)

We're not long back from our evening walk. K just squatted in her bed and did a full on wee. She hasn't toiletted inside for about 7 months and always asks to go out. Is this a sign of coming into season?

Oh how annoying @SpanielsGalore ! Would this be her first season?

I'm watching Brie at the moment; previous heat started in mid March so we're definitely approaching the 6 month mark and she is being a bit picky with her food. I just hope she doesn't turn nocturnal like last time.

@Aubrielle Yes. She's 11 months old and not had one yet.
I'm a real novice when it comes to seasons, having had boys before. P has had three seasons at 15 months, 25 months and 49 months. So she's not helped. 🙄 😂

Gosh, that's a bit of an erratic cycle with P @SpanielsGalore . K is certainly in the right area age wise for her first one, I would imagine.

Brie's first season started a few days before her first birthday. I'm ashamed to say I can't remember how old our other girls were when they started, but then it was 25 years ago! Rose was very regular - 6 months, but Sylvie was closer to 8 or 9 in between.

The dog hate is getting too much. Just reported one for threatening to use Deep Heat spray in the context of off lead dogs running up to someone. No dog aggression was even mentioned, just a dislike of dogs.
Sometimes I'm glad I don't let mine off the lead.

@Aubriellethat is awful.

There is so much hate everywhere. I think people have forgotten how to deal with life / non ideal circumstances and issues without being vile.

Sorry you've had this experience. We recently had one too.

I think everyone lives in this insta world of perfection and forgets that real life happens.

Oh hell, sorry - I think my post was misleading. I was referring to a dog hate thread, not something that happened to me. I'm autistic so my wording is sometimes a bit awkward.

I'm sorry about your bad experience. I do know of a few people who have been verbally abused like you were.

The escalation in dog hate generally is worrying. I've had a few negative comments about size of dog in relation to my size, and twice had things chucked at me from a moving car. I really feel for you and others who have been on the receiving end of worse levels of abuse.

@Aubrielle I think we all need to remember that Mumsnet in general is absolutely batshit and brings out the worst of the worst people, who hide behind their keyboard and would probably never do or say these things in reality. There’s many opinions on here (not just dog related) which you’d think were very common since people spout them on every thread, and it’s things I have never ever heard or experienced in real life. It’s a small cross section of people who shout the loudest.

I know we’ve all come across some not so nice people when out and about with our dogs but thankfully it seems to be a pretty rare occurrence. I try not to read anything dog related if it’s outside of The Doghouse section because I can almost guarantee which way the thread will go…

Sorry I have been AWOL, trying to get through the last part of the summer hols! Waved dd off to her first day at secondary school today 🥲

Vinny is being his usual annoying self. Woke me up at 4am barking at something, but then he was on alert and kept randomly barking every few minutes and I was sooooooo mad about it. Ended up putting Classic FM on the telly to drown out whatever tiny noise he was reacting to.

Im very glad the holidays are over and I can get back into our usual routine. Looking forward to our normal lunchtime walks and hopefully some nice autumn weather!! I need to buy a new rain coat and probably some thermals but I am crippled by indecision. Looking at the Ridgeline Monsoon jacket as it gets recommended a lot in one of the working dog FB groups I’m in. Might be a bit too country looking for my style but I’m struggling to find anything else I like…

@stillchasingdereksheppard sorry about your experience with those awful people. Echo what everyone else has said and it sounds like a total bizarre overreaction from their part. I am glad you managed to have a more positive day afterwards. V loves a bit of hotdog, I’ve not bought any for ages so might add to my shopping list!

@Bupster the consultation sounds very positive! I bet you feel relieved that they are on the same page as you, and they dont think anything more untoward is happening with him. I think some dogs are just extremely highly strung compared to others (Lord don’t I know it 🙄) but I guess it’s the same as humans. We all have different personalities, and that’s what makes Bill so great.

My SIL looked after V for the day a couple of weekends ago and she was surprised by how utterly mental he was when they were out and about. And she’s grown up with various spaniels throughout her life. So I think I’m just unlucky 😂

You're very wise @YorkshireFelix
Because I'm fairly new to mn, and I'm anxious, I let some of this stuff bother me more than it should. I get into an endless loop of worrying 😢
@Nella68 is like you and keeps gently telling me not to venture onto the dog hate threads, but they sometimes draw me in. It's really bad, I know.

It is a mad place though. AIBU is bizarre - heated arguments about toilet brushes 😂

Just saw that your daughter has her first day at secondary school. I hope she has a great day and I'm sure she'll have a lot to tell you when she gets home! I bet we can all remember our first day at high school... I can, and mine was 50 years ago 😬

Sorry about your early morning wake up. We had one yesterday with the hedgehog again, then next doors dog was barking at an owl. Perhaps Vinny is responding to animal noise too - fox or cat maybe?

Ridgeline Monsoon looks like a good jacket and I'm sure you wouldn't need to go full on "Spaniel Woman". I'm okay for coats but I really do need to invest in a pair of waterproof trousers, I hate that cold leg feeling after peeling off wet jeans. Horrible.

@Aubrielle I understand though, it’s so easy to get sucked into those threads!

Yes we have loads of cats around here and definitely foxes so it could well have been either of those. I hate when he gets into that alert mode as you can’t snap him out of it! Thankfully the house attached to us on our bedroom side has no one living there full time at the moment as he would definitely be waking them up…

I always wear sports leggings to walk V but they are no good in the wet and cold so I need something else instead too. No idea what though! I may just embrace the full Spaniel Woman look this season 😁