Puppy survival thread! All welcome!

[VanGoSunflowers]

Running on from our last one…

I won’t tag people because I will forget someone and then feel awful 😂

@VanGoSunflowers I have to say I am very grateful Twatdog is being left alone, he really doesn't need his 'little sister' sexually harassing him. And I don't want my DDs witnessing it tbh!

@Struckbylightning quite possibly! We could make a killing if we go into the business. Sometimes mine fall asleep with parts of each other in their mouths - ears and paws seem to be a favourite.

@Aubrielle please don't feel like you have to go! I'm struggling to keep up with the conversation but don't want you to leave!

@Aubrielle I am sorry to hear about the loss of your mother, I can imagine it’s very complex if your relationship was difficult. I don’t have much experience with grief fortunately but a close friend of mine lost her mom at the start of this year and I would imagine that 12 months is a very short time in the scheme of it all ❤️
and thank you for your comments, they mean a lot!

What kind of books do you like to read?

@LandSharksAnonymous ha, the first time DS saw Pablo humping his sex dog, he fell about laughing and asked me what he was doing. I had to think on my feet (didn’t fancy explaining the birds and the bees to a 7 year old!) so I told him he was dancing with it 😂

Ok so it seems we have a bunch of entrepreneurs on this thread - we had our puppy scented fragrances idea, @Struckbylightning and her range of dog dummies and @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding with the car bin. I think if we put our heads together, we could become filthy rich and have 20 dogs each.

@VanGoSunflowers
We've realised during this course of therapy that I was a very adult child who turned into a very childlike adult. So basically emotionally I'm about 15 and I read YA fantasy and fairytales. I post on book threads here a fair bit. At the moment I am reading the Godkiller trilogy which was recommended by two mumsnetters and I'm loving it!
The art course I've enrolled on is also fairy tale and folklore. I suppose it explains why I dress a bit like a weird hybrid of Stevie Nicks and Wednesday Addams and float around with a wolf/bear like creature. In my head I live in a snowbound castle and dine with the elves.

No bad dog experiences for me, rather surprisingly, obviously there's been a few incidents of dogs having a go at ours, but I've never been bitten. Except by a ferret once, which was bloody painful!!!

Every time I say I'm buggering off, I don't, do I? Social anxiety 🙄

Oh and on the subject of "enlarged winkies" our second PMD, Magnus, had treatment for priapism 😬 I'm glad to say it was after I had moved out because he was such a big brute I don't even want to imagine what it was like for my parents having to take him to the vet with this condition 😳

@VanGoSunflowers so I am fortunate DDs are slightly older (11/12) so they have had 'the talk.' But honestly...they just don't need to see it!

Dancing!? Did your DS believe you!? 😂

You don't want twenty dogs! After about three it becomes totally unmanagable @Aubrielle and @SpanielsGalore can back me up! I freely admit the only reason mine are so well trained is they all just follow Hen around like little lost souls. DDs and I always love standing by the kitchen window in the morning and watching the gaggle of Golden's go down the garden - Hen in the lead and the rest following in a little line with their tails wagging and all trying to pretend they are not following Hen. It's like a slightly less crappy version of Snow White 😂

@Aubrielle I am the same when it comes to reading! I love a bit of YA fiction. I find 'adult' books (Mystery novels, crimes etc) really hard to get into - I do wonder if part of it is that YA fiction is more of an 'escape' which makes it a very easy read?

I know she's a rather divisive person to many these days, but honestly I think JK Rowling did so much for 'YA' fantasy fiction, although I know Harry Potter isn't technically YA fiction. Before her there really wasn't anything but she opened up a whole knew world of 'magic' because before that it was just JRR Tolkein who - whilst absolutely brilliant - is hard to read. Lots of YA fantasy authors credit her and lots of kids seem to start with HP and then dive into other works.

DD1 and I are both reading the 'Inheritance Cycle' at the moment which for me is an oldie but a goodie. I love a bit of dragons and magic 😃

Totally agree re books @LandSharksAnonymous . I used to read other genres but since Covid I can only read fantasy and I think it is the escapism factor, as you said. Also I think because the news is always so gloomy now and there seems to be conflict everywhere, we need those other worlds to retreat to.

I agree about JKR, because, whatever people think of her personal views, she did more for child literacy than any other author in living memory. That can only ever be seen as a good thing. She got books into houses that didn't have books before and that is a monumental achievement.

I love your slightly less crappy Snow White with the line of GR 😂 Clearly I was aiming for Goldilocks when I had my three and we ate a lot of porridge. But oh god no, not 20 😬 Not in the real world. I sometimes used to think it would be amazing to have one of every LGD breed, but then I realised there's over 50 of them 😨Realistically, I think my limit now is probably two. Though after yesterday's walk, quite honestly, one felt too many and I was ready to trade her in for a hamster and a couple of gerbils.

@Aubrielle I have quite an eclectic taste in books. I haven’t read for a while because I tend to devour books for months on end and then have a break from reading but I will read fiction or non-fiction. One of my favourites is a Clockwork Orange. I had never seen the film. I tried to watch it afterwards and couldn’t because in my humble opinion, Kubrick ruined book Alex for me. Burgess’ Alex had more vulnerability to him and I think it was expertly written. I also have read a few of Orwell’s but I will read books on history, art, psychology as well as fiction. I am fussy with fiction though, but fantasy books really appeal to me! I bought a copy of the Six of Crows but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. A woman who is in my team plays dungeons and dragons every week, she creates fantasy related art and goes to comic-con type festivals and I just love asking her about it all! I can get lost in fantasy worlds very easily but strangely am channelling that through gaming on my PS4 at the moment. I have always been a serial hobbyist 😂 (also, I am very glad you haven’t buggered off 😉)

I did have a moment earlier where I was imagining taking Pablo to the vets with a massive erection that wouldn’t go away but I’m pleased to report all is back to normal now 😂

@LandSharksAnonymous yes, strangely enough he believed me when I said it was dancing 😂
And yes, perhaps I don’t want 20 dogs really 😂 one is enough for me at the moment while I am still finding my feet with it all!
I completely agree on the Harry Potter thing, we are fans of HP in this house. The last day out DS and I had before pupper came along I took him to the Warner Bros studio tour as I knew we wouldn’t be able to do anything like that for a little while. We were reading how to train your dragon which we both enjoyed. We are now on to Horrible Histories which we love as well. We are reading one on WWI and I try and put on different accents such as a WWI style BBC British accent for the narrative and DS loves it 😂

My posts are soooo long today! My apologies 😂

@Aubrielle The other thread(s?) happen to be talking about gundogs because that’s what the specific conversation is at this time – not for any other reason! I think it was started up again because of another thread. I don’t post for ages at a time because I’m busy or because I don’t have anything to contribute (as per the food chat) and then someone asks me something and then we talk about spaniels for a bit. Then we don’t. Most of what most of us say has relevance and you know, because we’ve all told you, how much we have enjoyed learning about LGDs. But you do whatever is best for you.

I’m so sorry to hear about your mum and that it’s the anniversary. Much love from us to you.

@LandSharksAnonymous I'd agree. I think 3 is my limit. And some days that's two too many. 😂

I'm loving your long posts @VanGoSunflowers so don't apologise. Same goes for @LandSharksAnonymous

We've just had our main walk (we do small walk, big walk mostly) up over the higher fields today, and we saw a jay - first time we've seen one for a while. We also heard a Little Owl. On the way back we encountered two Tibetan Terriers, whose owner said "I think they're a bit scared of him because he's so big". Though in truth they didn't seem scared at all, so we suspect she was getting her excuses ready in case they reacted. Also met a GR bitch that we've met before, she & Brie calmly walked past each other. We might have to start putting a pink bow in Brie's hair, I think 😏

Poor baby really had it rough on the road section, tractor with trailer pulled up alongside us at the junction then we turned the corner only to be faced by a massive tipper truck heading down the hill. She's such a quiet little soul and she still struggles with big noisy vehicles, no matter how hard we try, it is still an issue for her. I just wish we could take her to live in the middle of nowhere and get her some sheep to guard.

@Aubrielle please forgive me if I’m speaking out of line but an adult like child who turned into a childlike adult who dresses like Wednesday Addams, has social anxiety and enjoys fantasy… have you considered autism? And I say that as an autistic person who is all of the above and more!

@Aubrielle @VanGoSunflowers glad I'm not the only one who can separate what she's done from writing from her views! But she has honestly done so much for literature. DH read the HP books to DDs every night (via Skype and then Zoom) during one of his postings and it's definitely that which got them into reading.

@Aubrielle I would definitely take the line of Golden Retrievers over the crappy Snow White any day (it's actually a banned film in my house - I just hate the plot). I'm sure you wouldn't really trade in Brie...would you!? Perhaps just loan her out for an extended period 😁

Sorry to hear about your mum - I completely missed that in your earlier post as I was speed-reading! ❤

Could you perhaps get Brie some Goldies to guard? They seem to like her and visa versa...I have three you can borrow (not Hen or Pen - I'm keeping the good ones!) 😂

@VanGoSunflowers We've never been to WBs! I really want to go (for me, not even for DDs which I am sure makes me a terrible mother) but DDs literally cannot spend more than about an hour together before they argue. We'd get there and have to leave again because one would have upset the other!

Bless your DS for being so young that he believed it was dancing! I miss that age. Now allI have is pre-teenage angst and both complaining about the other. 😁

@SpanielsGalore I know what you mean!!! If one of them isn't getting into trouble, the others will be. It's worse than children.

Yes @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding , we strongly suspect I'm ND but they only assess kids here, so it hasn't really been confirmed, although my GP who has known me a long time more or less gave me a yes several years ago. Everything would fit, I was always socially awkward, bookish, I have a lot of sensory issues, chronic anxiety and I don't cope well with change. I do feel as if I've spent much of my life masking and being somebody I'm not, just to survive.
I do think it's probably obvious from the way I speak and react here.

I have two autistic cousins - both older than me and both male, but in the 1970's nobody looked for it in girls so they just thought I was bookish and quiet. We only started to wonder when I was in my forties and more women were being assessed for, at that time, Aspergers, although I know that name has now been discredited.
You're obviously a lot younger than me, so I hope you've had an easier time in being assessed and supported, now that people are more enlightened.

@AubrielleYou may not be interested in seeking a diagnosis (although for me it was very affirming) but you can go through the Right to Choose pathway via the NHS, as it bypasses being put on the waitlist for assessment directly through the NHS, or in your case would bypass being told no because you’re not under 18. Your GP has to refer you to your chosen private provider, as long as they accept RTC referrals. I was diagnosed by Axia in Chester, who mostly specialise in diagnosing girls/women and the whole process took 4 months from me first approaching the GP to my official diagnosis. I was so impressed with them that I paid for my dd to be assessed by them too (she was refused to be put on the waiting list by CAMHS due to ‘lack of evidence’ which is absolute rubbish 🙄). They were fantastic and I can’t recommend them enough.

It wasn't a complaint or a criticism about the gundog or training talk @brushingboots , sometimes I enjoy reading it. But for the last few days I haven't felt comfortable. I think partly because I managed to offend both Bupster and SpanielsGalore with a comment about antisocial behaviour in relation to a toy dog. My words so often fail to come across as I intend. I always think it's a good thing I'm not a writer, because nobody would ever be able to make head nor tail of anything I said 🙄

As regards my mum - thank you. And thank you @LandSharksAnonymous and @VanGoSunflowers I've lost both my parents within the last 5 years, and I'm an only child, so it hasn't been easy processing all that grief, plus the sudden loss of Algy dog in between. I had hoped we were entering a more settled period after we got Brie, but this summer has been a bit rubbish for me health wise, so it's an ongoing battle at the moment.

I wasn't offended! I'm almost impossible to offend. I'm ND too - ADHD - I walk around with my foot in my mouth half the time. Someone once said (obviously I've forgotten who) that the lovely thing about ADHD is you can never hold a grudge - not because you're noble, but because you keep forgetting what you're meant to be cross about. But I wasn't cross in the first place, I kept meaning to post and tell you I just found your perspective interesting, but (obviously) I forgot 🙄

Thanks @YorkshireFelix , that's really helpful!
I tried to push for support a few years ago because felt some official confirmation would be reassuring, but my GP said he felt there was nothing to gain from it.
I'm 61 now, so I just don't know, but I'll definitely give it some consideration.
I'm glad it worked out for you and your daughter, and you feel that going through the assessment process was worth it.

Oh god, @Bupster , that's me. Every time I open my mouth I offend or annoy somebody. I even get on my own nerves most of the time.
I'm sure I come across as opinionated but am always filled with self doubt about everything. Completely neurotic.
But I'm glad we're okay and I didn't upset you 😊
Hope lovely Bill is doing okay with his nest building and quiet contemplation.

Let me know if you want any more info about the process as I have researched to the nth degree (thanks autism!!) so know a hell of a lot about it. There is always a question about what benefit it would really have if you’ve lived your life for X amount of years. I felt the same way, but I have found it very useful to know and it’s helped me give myself some grace and forgiveness for a lot of things I’ve struggled with in life.

My favourite thing was when I was diagnosed, and I told my Dad, who is VERY obviously autistic but has no idea, and he went ‘well I do all of those things and there’s nowt wrong with me!’ 🤣

Oh I love that response from your dad @YorkshireFelix ❤
My dad was pretty much the same (as are his two nephews) but he hated labels so he would have told me none of it mattered.

Thank you. And yes, that's a good point - I think the forgiveness for never quite fitting in would be helpful and give me some comfort as I approach my old age.

@YorkshireFelix haha that’s my dad exactly!

@Aubrielle I think we have a built in autism radar so I’m sure you’re not that obvious and if you are, who cares! It wasn’t a difficult process, just a verrrrry long wait. I wish I’d done the right to choose thing but they lied and said it would be a 6 month wait which I was OK with, then a 16 month wait which o was annoyed about and it was actually longer than that 😡.

Back to dogs, Rory has eaten half a tub of Nutella tonight. I don’t even know how he got hold of it! I rang the vet support number through his insurance and they said it should be OK as there is not much chocolate in Nutella but he might get diarrhoea due to the fat and sugar content. It’s a learning curve as Billy wouldn’t even eat a biscuit that had been in a tin that had previously contained chocolate biscuits but Rory will eat anything.

That must have been a worrying moment with the nutella @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding , but it's good that the vets were reassuring. I hope you won't have too much of a disturbed night with Rory's tum.

I'm still imagining I might not get far with an assessment, on account of my age, but I'll give it some thought.

@Aubrielle My brother was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 58 and said it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
And I wasn't offended either. I thought we were having a discussion about what constitutes as aggression in dogs. I did apologise for misunderstanding your post.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding I hope Rory is OK and doesn't have you up in the night with an upset stomach.

@Aubrielle @SpanielsGalore thanks, so far he’s been a little hyper probably because of the sugar but now he’s gone to sleep. I made him forgo his bed time biscuit as he’d had enough sugar, so he wasn’t best pleased about that. It turns out DS is responsible for leaving it out on the kitchen table, it’s usually in the cupboard and Rory is a little pest for getting on the table!

Rory doesn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects from his Nutella adventure! Apart from drinking a little more last night and needing a wee at 4:40 (it’s always 4:40 on the dot if he gets up in the night!), his morning poo (again regular as clockwork) was totally normal and he is his normal self.

Glad that Rory is none the worse for his pilfered treat! @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding