Beyond Adolescence - a thread to chat about grown up dogs, cake and anything else, excluding coffee.

[SpanielsGalore]

Not going to tag everyone as I don't know who wants to join. Welcome everyone. 😁

I have had two roofers here this morning. After the initial barking at heads appearing over the ridge, the dogs have been so good. They've sat in the garden and watched them working. Greeted them every time they came into the garden and didn't once try to bolt out of the gate. I heard one of the men telling them to 'stay' as he struggled through the gate with a bucket full of water, and then telling them they were 'good dogs'.
They've just finished and as they were leaving one commented on how calm my dogs are and not like 'normal spaniels'. See. Not all working cockers are 'high on crack' and 'manic'. 😇😇😇

Beautiful weather here today. 🌞 I unexpectedly got my car back yesterday. 🥳
Off to the woods to walk the adolescent nutter until she collapses in a heap. 😂

As a non gundog owner I'm finding the differences between working type and show type fascinating @Silverbirchleaf . I've learned so much from this these threads. I can now actually tell the difference with Labs and Cockers thanks to the expertise of @brushingboots and @SpanielsGalore . With GR I suspect I'm only seeing show type here @LandSharksAnonymous and they're mostly cream ones of late.

In my breed there isn't so much a distinction between work and show, as the French dogs being slightly taller and leggier than the often chunkier American Great Pyrenees. Almost all would be expected to be able to work to some extent though, unless they're a crossbreed.

Aaaagh! You're a wicked woman @SpanielsGalore , it's our dream location but my chap's office base is Liverpool 😭😭😭
The price is insane compared to property here.

(If anyone would like to buy it and rent it out to a sixtyish woman with a giant dog please let me know 😁 Good references can be provided).

Is the headless dog included in the sale @SpanielsGalore ...?

😂😂
I'd spend most of my days sitting in the conservatory admiring the view. 💖
When we were looking at relocating, it was a toss up between Cornwall and Scotland. The difference in property prices was a big factor in the decision. There's a 2 bed house for £95k in the same area. But I didn't link that one as it doesn't have the same Wow factor.

God, it's so frustrating @SpanielsGalore I could cry. I think my anxiety would disappear overnight if I had that view, and just imagine how Brie would love it there. She'd be a proper mountain dog.

Catching up! Pupsy is £38/month with Petplan now, it went up recently. Think that’s for £7k and lifetime cover too. Amazing how different the costs are geographically but it seems to be the same with car insurance as when we moved up here from London the premium on my truck almost halved.

Today it is very bright and sunny here so I put washing on before I walked and got home and put it out which is very pleasing. I love nothing more than to start the weekend with empty washing baskets. My toxic trait (as the kids say?) is to run around the house looking for washing to do if the sun is so much as half out. I think it stems from a decade of living in flats without a garden and therefore without a washing line.

I am so pleased to hear that I am officially a dry robe dupe influencer, @SpanielsGalore, @LandSharksAnonymous! I was going to wear mine yesterday but it was still a bit warm for it so I went in a Barbour and then the rain stopped anyway so I was pleased and not too sweaty. They are quite toasty warm which we will all appreciate in the coming months! There’s a thread going about them on here and I had a look earlier to see people recommending other ‘actual dog walking versions’ which are… £190! Noooope. Not paying nearly £200 to look like a walrus. ~£50 to look like a walrus is fine, but not £200.

I would love to move to Sutherland @CoubousAndTourmaIet – I just did a piece about a guy who has bought an estate up there and frankly it sounds like heaven. As he said, it’s at ‘the end of the end of the end of the road’. Sounds great to me. Gosh, @SpanielsGalore that is even better value for money than where we are, the least fashionable place in the world!

@brushingboots Just had an update to say my coat is being delivered today, not tomorrow, so I will be wearing it later, as the weather is miserable here. That's assuming it fits. It's turned chilly up here too (9°), so I'll appreciate the warmth.

Car insurance - when we moved up here, mine and DS's went down and ex-OHs went up. Don't know if that meant his car was more likely to be stolen up here or what.
I recently renewed DS's for him. (Because despite being in the Army, he hasn't learnt to 'adult' yet.) I got a quote for him living and keeping his car in secure barracks and it was X amount. I then got a quote for him living in his flat in Aberdeen, but still keeping his car at the barracks and it was nearly £300 cheaper. Not sure how that works! Somehow being a homeowner made him more responsible. 🤷‍♀️

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Sorry. 🙈 Could you move up here when your DP retires? That's what we did. I've been up here for 8 years now and never regretted it once.

I would hope we can @SpanielsGalore , but he's a few years younger than me 🙈I know, embarrassing, I have a toyboy 😳
So, it might be a few years, and I'll probably be too old 😞
The brainwashing about a second dog hasn't worked (yet) so I doubt house brainwashing would either, but I'm not giving up on the dream just yet.

@Silverbirchleaf that makes sense - much leaner!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Yep! Mostly show. Twatdog and my bunch are about the closest to 'working' I've seen on mumsnet but they're not working...I just work them/worked them. I've been thinking of taking Eris with me next time Twatdog and I go out - but she's still inordinately fascinated by the odd winky (just not Twatdog's, thank goodness) and the last thing I want is for her to be chasing down all the boy dogs.

Perhaps you should focus on the house and then, when he firmly puts his foot down, go back to a second dog? Convince him it's a reasonable compromise.

@brushingboots location and age are definitely the two biggest factors (other than the obvious - medical history and breed). Satan, when she was with her fosterer, was only about £50 a month. When DMumtook her on, and we're in the South, it shot up to £78.

Who on earth is paying £200 for one of these costs!? I struggled with £48. Incredible really. Pet insurance? No problem. Cake? No problem. Coffee? No problem. More dogs? No problem. A coat to keep those I love warm in winter? A problem. 😂

I hate the term English labs, mostly because it's often used by Americans who insist show type labs should be hideously overweight. I keep having to block them coming up on my Instagram feed.

In the UK generally show type labs are taller and heavier than working types, the same as golden retrievers. What Americans call American labs are more likely to be taller but leaner than what they call English labs.

@tizwozliz The show labs I meet are all hideously over weight.
We met a group of dogs containing both types last week. The show lab must have been twice the weight of the working one. It's very sad.

My coat has arrived. It's not as long as I thought it would be, so there might be a slight gap between my coat and wellies. I may be regretting going for pink. 🙈 😂 At least I'll be seen in the dark.

We haven't been out yet today. It's very windy and has been lashing it down on and off all day. I'd usually go to the woods for a bit of shelter, but neither cocker can go off lead, so it would be a bit of a pain and not worth the drive.
I'll walk them round the village in a bit. I'll dig out P's waterproof coat in an attempt to keep her bodysuit dry. I bought it after she had first knee operation and we were doing 10 minute on lead walks in similar conditions.

We've just got out between showers, timed it perfectly because the rain started again just as we were unlacing our walking boots.
Not much of the lead ragging today, because she was too busy watching a horse being ridden across the middle of the big field. Didn't encounter any dogs close up, so a fairly uneventful walk.

She's a stubborn little bugger and hands down the biggest hooligan of all on the fields, but her pavement walking was flawless again this afternoon. I've never been a fan of harnesses, but the Haqihana has me completely converted and I think she'll be getting another one as her Christmas present.

I’m in south. Maybe that’s why my premium is higher ( plus have top cover).

The views from that cottage is gorgeous, even with the headless dog.

The weather is awful here again. 7° but strong winds make it feel like 2°. My car said it was 0° down the sea front and is giving out an ice warning. Plus heavy showers of rain and hail stones.
Managed to get the cockers out for a quick half hour walk. P was awful and pulled and lunged all over the place and kept walking on her hind legs. K was off lead as we had the place to ourselves, and ran her heart out.
Very pleased to say, the new coat withstood the elements. I only wore a vest top underneath it and I was nice and warm and dry. Although my hands were bloody freezing and my face didn't appreciate the needle sharp rain.
Think it's safe to say we're going to be seen on a dark night. 😂

5 degrees here and strong winds, but thankfully no rain or hail. Think they've already started talking about snow for you @SpanielsGalore 😮

Brie was completely loopy today, very pully, presumably it must have been the wind spooking her. Thankfully it was fairly quiet on the field.

Glad your new coat was a success. I was frozen in my wax jacket, because it's a short, snug one. I wished I'd put the Seasalt coat on today.

Here it was nice in the sun, but the wind was chilly.

@SpanielsGalore that picture reminds me, anyone got any good recommendations for a waterproof coat for a dog? Bill's winter coat doesn't seem to be coming in the same way as it did last year - he's still as soft as velvet and I'm thinking he might struggle a bit more when it gets very cold and wet. A lot of what's on the market seems to be quite insulated - he's such an active dog I don't want him getting overheated either.

I've been struck by some kind of stomach bug; honestly never had anything quite so rotten as this. Without giving too much information, Immodium isn't touching it and it's grim. Poor pup doesn't know what to make of it, though he is liking me getting into bed with him for a nap every hour or so. Still managed over 20,000 steps today - the joys of a dog that won't poo in the yard (I nearly did 😆).

And happy clocks go back day to those who celebrate. To the rest of us, here's to 5:20am tomorrow 🙄

That sounds rough @Bupster , I hope you feel better soon.

@Bupster P's is an aniMate coat - waterproof, windproof and breathable according to the label. I just bought whatever the local pet shop had that fit her to be honest, but it seems to do the job. I got it when she was restricted to short on lead walks after her knee operation and I didn't think she was moving enough to keep warm. She wore it today to keep the bloody body suit dry.
I hope it's a 24 hour bug and you feel better tomorrow. It sounds awful.

Good morning 🙂

We had the first hard frost here this morning and it's feeling very chilly. I had expected Brie to be thrown by the clocks changing and wake early, but in the end I was the one that got up first, in need of a cuppa.
Rain is forecast for late morning here, so might be an early walk. The cows and calves are in the higher fields which is a bit restricting for us, as it's usually our weekend route to avoid the tourists, but hopefully if we get out soon it'll be quiet.

Hope you all have a good day x

It looks like we might have had a frost at home judging by the weather station but it's much warmer here 13/14 degrees. Very changeable though, rain, wind and sun on rotation. Girls slept until 7 this morning so no issue with the clock change here.

Lovely by the sea this morning.

Can't advise on a coats, ours have never appeared to need them.

Looks absolutely beautiful there @tizwozliz

What a lovely photo @tizwozliz .

We’ve never bothered with coats either, but apparently labs have double coats. When it’s absolutely hammering down with rain, and Steeldog looks at me with those ‘remind me why we’re walking in this weather’ eyes, I have to remind him he’s a rufty- tutfy Labrador.

@tizwozliz Looks lovely over there.

Cold and wet day here, but at least the wind has died down.
We walked for an hour in the rain and pleased to say both P's coat and mine kept us warm and dry.
And P walked much better on lead today, so it must have been the winds sending her loopy yesterday.
How's Brie been today, @CoubousAndTourmaIet ?

The dogs don't usually wear coats on walks, as they run enough to keep warm and it would be a hazard with them charging through trees, bushes and undergrowth. But when P has been post op and restricted to on lead exercise, I worry she'll be cold.
They both have jumpers/coats to put on after a walk though, as once they stop running they start to shiver.

I have removed the body suit a day early. Absolutely bloody sick of it. Plus it's dirty and damp. The wound looks healed to me, so hopefully she'll leave it alone.
She obsessed with licking her rear end though, so don't know if that's a problem now. Probably needs some fresh air to get to it. Vets in the morning, so they can check her out then.

Brie was fine on this morning's walk @SpanielsGalore until we were on our way back and there was a man outside the Post Office with a black roan cocker spaniel 😨 Miss Stupidhead went into full on demented puppy mode and almost pulled me over in her desperation to make friends. It was so embarrassing, I had to apologise and it's really knocked my confidence, because I now look like a clueless owner that can't control their dog.

We are mystified. She walks past every other dog fine, be it GSD, Dobe, Lab, Goldie, toy breed, whatever, she's calm, but she sees a cocker (of any colour) and goes loopy. Her only doggy "friend" who lives on our street is a beagle, so the CS obsession is baffling. She has no interest in cockerpoos, which we see a lot of, it has to be pure cocker. Sends her mental with excitement. It's very strange. Her breeder definitely didn't have one either so we cannot fathom it but she absolutely loves them and wants to be friends. She is completely bonkers that girl.

Anyway, it was nice while it lasted but I'm about to trade her in for a Westie.

Needless to say we have no experience of dog coats, so I have nothing constructive to contribute there. I did christen my own new Seasalt Plant Hunter and even needed the hood up this morning, so I think I've decided against a Dryrobe and shall happily remain a Seasalt frump 😁 I'm glad your own Dryrobe dupe is keeping you warm and dry though.

I'm sure P will be very happy to be free of that bodysuit. I hope the vets visit goes well and that she will get the all clear.