Our Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Adolescent Support Group)

[MonCoubousMonTourmalet]

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

@Flowerfusion remind me how old she is? Vinny is still mouthy sometimes at 15 months. It is when he is over stimulated/excited and it’s always hands and arms. I have noticed recently that he’s not doing it quite as much so I think he’s slowly growing out of it. I was so worried at one point thinking he was just plain aggressive, because I thought he would have grown out of it much earlier, but was reassured here that it’s very normal for some dogs. He only does it to us too.

My dd is 11 and is pretty mature but still needs reminding to watch her body language and how she deals with him, especially when he’s in a bitey mood. If he’s bothering her she will sometimes forget and just push him away but I have tried to drill into her that this will make him worse, but obviously in the moment it’s a natural reaction for her. I can imagine it’s so difficult with younger kids.

@YorkshireFelix she’s 8 months, so still a baby.

She was honestly a dream until about 6 months and then suddenly went off her food and it’s kinda been slow downhill from there.

Second stair gate is now up across the kitchen so will see how that goes!

@Flowerfusion at that age my pup used to be very different with both of my children. He didn’t really mouth my daughter or us (he did before he lost his puppy teeth). With my son he turned into a wild child- nipping his clothes etc. It made my son retreat from him which in turn made it worse as pup saw him as the most exciting person ever and every time he ventured in the room he would be ‘attacked’. It was a bit of a vicious circle. The advice from the trainer was to remove pup from the room if he started getting razzed up, shut the door for 3 seconds and then let him back in. That really helped as pup soon learnt that biting = removal.
He’s absolutely fine with my son now.

That’s interesting @Nella68. was it your eldest or youngest?

Once we’ve worked out the pain issue it will be interesting to see what behaviours we are left with!

Glad that they are okay together now. How old was your pup when this was going on?

@Flowerfusion they’re twins but my daughter has been much more hands on from the start; helping with training, feeding, grooming, walking etc. Her brother would be desperate for interaction but had a tendency to get into Midge’s space when he was sleeping etc. rather than building up a relationship through the things my daughter was doing (she became much less exciting as a result). I would say the nipping stopped at 9 months ish, but it’s hard to remember an exact time.

Hope you’re all keeping dry today!

I have been enjoying my new waterproof. Vinny isn’t very keen on the wind and we keep getting power cuts so loads of house alarms going off too which freak him out a bit.

Had an extremely lovely walk with @brushingboots yesterday and we were v lucky with the weather. Pupsy kept stopping and watching Vinny when he was going too far into the bushes like he was a naughty boy which made me laugh 😄

Sounds like a lovely walk @YorkshireFelix It's good to hear that Pupsy was keeping a watchful eye on naughty Vinny 💕

Blowing a hoolie here too and we've had power blips all morning, so filled two flasks with boiling water in case it goes off. We can at least make a drink.

Glad you are loving your gorgeous new coat.
I'm feeling rather smug today after snagging a Seasalt Plant Hunter coat for £32 from their outlet shop. The label says £160! Not quite the street cred of Didriksons I know, but I'm an oldie, so it'll do me fine for walks with Brie. Might give it an outing later.

Spot the dog (when the photo is approved)
This is what M thinks of the wind and the rain. He’s taken himself off to his crate. I had a spell where I couldn’t find him- he’s usually on the kitchen or living room floor. I thought I’d forgotten to let him back in from the garden and started to worry when he wasn’t there either. Fortunately he was all snuggled up in his crate and I had walked straight past him several times!

@YorkshireFelix it’s a good job the weather was good for you yesterday. I wonder what Vinny would make of Midge- they’d probably disappear into the bushes together!

@Aubrielle I do love a bargain!

@YorkshireFelix
Sorry. I've come back to say I wasn't suggesting Vinny is naughty at all, but it was from Pupsy's perspective, kind of, as in her being a mature lady. Apologies if it came out wrong as per🙄

Also there is a lot more chat on the other thread than this one now, they were discussing Didrikson & Dry Robe coats earlier x

@Aubriellehaha he IS naughty but I understood what you meant 😄 £32 is an absolute bargain, you must be thrilled!

@Nella68 aww bless Midge, he has got the right idea. What is his coat like when it gets wet? Does it take ages to dry?

It was truly an excellent walk with @YorkshireFelix who is a wonderful person <3

V does not care for Pupsy's games. She does a very sweet pouncing thing – that she does to all her dog friends – where if they're being called out of a bush, say, she will lie in wait and gently tackle them on their exit for holding us up, and V just does not want to join in, bless him. But if the goal is neutrality then they've got it – neutral to other dogs, each other and all small children on wobbly bikes!

@YorkshireFelix he takes ages to dry as he doesn’t have a double coat. My nephew’s German Shepherd shakes and is dry almost straight away. Midge had a very fetching equafleece last winter; that reminds me, I must dig it out and see if it still fits. That was amazing in keeping him dry. I could squeeze the water out of the garment and Midge would be lovely and dry (apart from his feet and head).

@brushingboots I would love to live close enough to join you on a walk!

It all sounds very harmonious @brushingboots , even if Vinny doesn't want to play. It must be lovely to have a friend with a commitment to the same breed (or half breed, in the case of Bill). I'm glad you have that bond. It's a wonderful thing.

@brushingboots I took this photo the other day because I thought you might like it but kept forgetting to post it so, here you go…

Looking forward to getting in to this once Pablo has finished it 😂

@VanGoSunflowers you have a pup with good taste!

@Nella68 and an above average reading age 😂

Can any of you recommend a decent pair of waterproof trousers please? Preferably some that would go over leggings.

@brushingboots @Bupster @SpanielsGalore @tizwozliz @YorkshireFelix

You're all outdoorsy. Any ideas?

Just feels like it might be a piddly wet winter.

He's just trying to work out if he's related to the minor royals and would thus be entitled to live in a stately home and be fed steak on a silver platter.

(Brie says "Nah, Pabs, you're much better off staying put, mate; the toffs would just shove you in the boot room overnight, there'd be no squishy pillow and early morning cuddles...")

Sorry, don't generally wear waterproofs (top or bottoms) for dog walking.

Even in the very wet winters we've had, I generally manage to dodge the worst showers as I can be flexible over walk timings and find softshells are enough. I prefer the risk of things soaking through over boil in the bag. 😀

Okay, thanks anyway @tizwozliz

Ahhhh @VanGoSunflowers this is amazing!! Thank you! It is a mighty tome, so godspeed, and I really hope you enjoy it!

@Aubrielle I don’t wear waterproofs either, I just get wet! Dog-dad likes Decathlon activity trousers which make me want to die slightly but he really does like them so if I was looking for some that’s probably where I’d look to start with.

For riding I have a pair of long chaps – might not be quite what you’re after but they’re incredibly warm and cosy. You just have to accept that you’ll look like a cowboy. They’re ancient but were probably from Dublin and there are loads on other brands on the market.

Thanks @brushingboots , I guess I'll just carry on as before with wet jeans then, but at least the new coat is longer so it covers my knees.

Can't see me wearing chaps at my age, unless I was actually riding, but I confess I'm more comfortable with motorbikes than horses 😁

@brushingboots Im looking forward to getting in to it! Feels like the perfect autumn read!

@Aubrielle he is probably looking for examples to give me as to how I can make his life more comfortable than it already is 😂