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. 😂

Get well soon everyone.

Just got back from dog agilty. Good fun, but hard work. That is, hard work for me. It’s amazing how the position of your arm and/or leg can greatly alter the course the dog takes.

Really mild here and was just wearing a long sleeve tshirt.

@Silverbirchleaf I did agility with P for a short while. She was way better at it than I was. 😂 We had to give up when her luxating patellas were diagnosed. It probably explained why she kept stopping on the A frame. Poor thing.
I'd like to do it with K, but I need to find a new trainer. The previous one switched to hoopers.

@SpanielsGalore I’m always apologising to Steeldog for getting it wrong!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet so sorry Brie is suffering. How is she this morning? Did she sleep okay, or did she keep you up? Mine can sometimes get a bit restless at night if they're in season...

@SpanielsGalore the 'old girls' (Hen and Clem) go in the estate with DH, or in my parents estate with Satan if DH isn't in country. Usually with one DD. Then Twatdog and Pen come with me and whichever DD has decided to suffer through hours of ABBA 😀I can just about squeeze all four into the SUV but to go on holiday it's not really reasonable as DDs end up arguing the whole time and the dogs need so much stuff that it's particularly comfortable. My parents are huge fans of Norfolk so we always try and go at a similar time.

I know what you mean. The estate is lovely...but I go out in it maybe one a month, if that. And it is simply because as lovely as it is, it's not as nice to drive or as smooth.

Ohh poor P! She really is in the wars, isn't she? It could be anal glands, even without the scooting. It could also be the cold weather starting to sink in? I think luxating patella can be much worse in the cold? Poor P though and poor you!

You will both be pleased to note the crusty-ness of the wart has been clipped off! She had indeed knocked it which meant it was bleeding under and a bit yellowy. No medication needed, just salt water bathing. Goldens are really prone to warts and skin growths - but honestly every time I see one my heart just sinks because even though the main cancers they're prone to aren't ones that come with lumps and bumps, I still panic. We'll leave the rest of the wart on though. It's not malignant and it's not causing her discomfort.😊

Beautiful morning here, but it won't last long. It's due to rain all weekend and all next week. But I guess at least that means my dog walks will be quiet...

She's okay @LandSharksAnonymous , we gave her a short walk yesterday afternoon and she did a lot of arsey lead biting antics so clearly she's not feeling that bad 🙄 She slept through from 11 until 7 as normal.

Glad Hen's wart is okay(ish) and won't cause issues long term.

Your dual car travel makes sense. We could just about squeeze 3 PMD into the Fabia for the odd short journey, but we never went on holiday. After we were down to two we could manage to go and stay with my folks in Cumbria, but we did need a roofbox for our own stuff.

Allegedly dry for us today so we'll get out pre-lunch, but the week ahead looks showery again.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet oh that's good if she's up to being a bit of a pest! 😀

The compromises we make for dogs, eh? I can't imagine trying to squeeze 3PMD into either of my cars! I would much rather go on holiday in one car, but it is just so much easier with two. My dream is to retire to Norfolk and then I won't need a car as I can just walk everywhere to dog walk 😍

@LandSharksAnonymous As requested, from last week sometime!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Glad Brie is feeling a bit better. Hopefully the rest of her season will be plain sailing.

@LandSharksAnonymous I was thinking since DDs weren't going on holiday, you'd take one car. But thinking about it, it would be a bit of a squash for five dogs for a long journey.
How is TD with the car now? Is he still on the back seat or is he braving the boot again?

I think maybe it is P's anal glands. A couple of times her rear end and upper tail have been a bit dirty. It looks similar to when the pyometra started, so it's possibly a discharge from her glands. It doesn't smell though and she isn't scooting.
When a previous dog had infected anal glands the smell was horrendous. A cross between fish and rancid meat. The vet had to switch consulting rooms after emptying them. 🤮
I'll take her to the vets tomorrow to get them checked. Not something I fancy doing myself.

In other news, I ripped the sleeve of my new coat on barbed wire yesterday. 😭 It's the tiniest of tears, but all the more annoying because I thought "I better not rip my coat on that" and then did.

@brushingboots I had forgotten just how tiny she is. And so beautiful. I do love a LBC 😍

@SpanielsGalore yep! Even without DDs, it's two cars if there's more than one adult. I've taken them all away before in just the SUV, but I only had a small holdall for my stuff and then their stuff was crammed under the seat 😳

Twatdog is still going onto the backseat. I don't want to risk trying to force him into the boot and him having a moment and regressing. But he is happily jumping in and out, so although it's not ideal it's not the end of the world.

Oh gosh that sounds vile 🤮 I guess if it is anal glands, at least P isn't stinky...thank heaven for small mercies. Although poor P going back to the vets.

Sorry about your coat! Is it noticeable? Or just knowing that it's there is enough to be irritating?

I am still considering buying one of the Regatta ones for myself but I don't want MIL or DMum to see me wearing it (and in my head the second I wear it, they'll pop out the bushes or something) and decide they want to get one for themselves when I've already got them one each for Christmas.

Your longing for Norfolk sounds much like my yearning for the Western Highlands @LandSharksAnonymous . Maybe someday...

Lovely pic of Pupsy @brushingboots , she looks very sweet.

I hope you can get P's anal glands properly emptied @SpanielsGalore poor girl is having such a rough time lately.
How frustrating ripping your new coat. All too easily done with barbed wire, no matter how many times you tell yourself to be careful. I hope it's still wearable.

We had a good walk this morning but got absolutely drenched! I was in my lightweight wax, not the hooded waterproof. It probably serves me right for trusting the BBC/Met Office forecast 🙄

There were loads of dogs out - no less than 6 different doodles, two cockers and a male black Lab that was, horrifyingly, being walked alongside a busy road off the lead with the owner glued to his phone 😨 It worried me because I felt if the dog got a whiff of Brie he might put himself in danger. The owner seemed completely oblivious to anything around him.

Brie seems fine, she walked at a nice brisk pace on the road section today, though hyper sniffy on the fields.

Lovely photo. We have a problem with Steeldog and the car. Once in, Jumps straight out again. Was okay in the past, then got spooked by something. Tried everything.

@LandSharksAnonymous Have you had problems with your dog and the car? I have seriously thought of applying for ‘The Dog House ‘ but wouldn’t be able to get him there!

(I’m using a behaviourist at the moment but slow progress).

@Silverbirchleaf One of mine developed a fear of the car after lots of trips to the vets. It took us months of work to get her comfortable with journeys up to 30 minutes. Any longer than that and she's a panting, trembling wreck.
@LandSharksAnonymous boy got a fright one day and developed a phobia of travelling in the boot. He's comfortable on the back seat now though.

Our current girl suddenly developed car phobia at about 8 months old, we still have no idea what triggered it. It reached the point where she wouldn't even walk past our car, but was fine with other cars.
We just let her be for a few weeks, didn't push it, did local walks only, then slowly started from scratch. Walking past with doors open, getting her in via the rear door and letting her sit beside me in the back, with no dog guard. After a couple of trips I felt this was too dangerous because of her weight, so the dog guard went back in. We'd chuck bits of cheese in for her, let her put her front paws on the sill etc. It took weeks of getting in and out and very short trips of a mile or two, but she's more or less okay now. She will still occasionally be reluctant to get in, but we're managing it. Once she's in she settles fine.

@SpanielsGalore and @Bupster both gave me loads of helpful advice at the time.

@Silverbirchleaf I had that exact problem! Twatdog has always been a bit odd about the boot (I think it's the automatic tailgate) but he has always gotten in it. A few weeks ago I got him into the boot easily enough and then he got spooked by something and he launched back out (and the rest of my gaggle followed). I managed to drag him by the color and shove him into the back seat to get him home, but it was a nightmare.

I tried for a day or so to even get him to go near the boot, but he was having none of it - even food couldn't tempt him which given he's a Goldie is quite something! In the end, I managed to get him into DMums car, but she doesn't have an automatic tailgate (you have to actually close the boot rather than press a button).

I finally got him into the car by just repeatedly shoving him into the backseat (I could only do it by going behind him and walking him on his hind legs, with me holding him up from behind with my arms wrapped around his chest, 5-10 meters toward the car). I actually got the idea watching someone wrangle their dog into the car when it refused. After a few days of doing that, he clearly decided the indignity of that was unacceptable and started jumping in happily and sitting down.

I haven't tried in my boot, and I won't. Whatever spooked him, it happened when the boot was closing so I think he associates the 'spook' with the noise of the boot closing. So he goes on the back seat, with a hammock and I clip him in. I think a lot of people probably wouldn't have been quite so 'forceful' in making him man up as I was - I'm certain a good behaviourist would have a fit tbh - but ultimately, he has to get in the car whenever I go into the office, so not going in the car is never going to be possible 🙁So I had to be a bit more forceful than @CoubousAndTourmaIet or @SpanielsGalore have had to be with their dogs. It's done him no harm, and he's fine now, but probably not an approach that would work with most dogs!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet people who walk their dogs by roads off the leads are insane IMO. Just because a dog does walk to heel perfectly, doesn't mean they won't ever get spooked! I'm glad Brie enjoyed her walk ❤

@LandSharksAnonymous I was forceful, but on a lesser scale because P is only 12.5 kg. 😂 I had to pick her up and put her in the car to begin with, because she wouldn't jump in of her own accord. Then I'd clip her in and she'd sit there trembling. It took a while for her to willingly get in and then she'd still tremble.

We have to manhandle to some degree too @LandSharksAnonymous , she still won't jump into the car of her own volition; we lift the front end in then haul the back end up. She'll jump out fine but has never been confident about getting in. The Octavia has a deep sill, it's partly why I preferred the Fabia. It was smaller overall but a better boot.

Steeldog is a 30kg lab so I can’t physically pick him up easily (why did I get such a big dog?!).

One advice we were given was to feed him in the car, which we did, but then someone else said he could just be getting in the car to feed, rather than getting over his fear (lab- think with his stomach).

We’ve played lots of games , throwing treats in for him to find, me sitting with him etc. However , you close the doors and he panics. It’s very frustrating as it means we’re confined to within walking distance of the house with him, and restricts us doing things.

@Silverbirchleaf Is he like it with all cars or just yours?

Tried him in two different cars. The same in both. Perhaps slightly better in one, but no real difference.

@Silverbirchleaf That's a shame.

We discussed our methods on the 9th and 10th October in this thread if it's any help to you.
I spent weeks only doing short journeys with P - literally three minutes to the sea front. It was about a month before she stopped trembling. But if I turned left out of my street instead of right, she'd tremble.
But your dog is a lot bigger than mine. And if he's full on panicking as opposed to sitting trembling, it's not really feasible to drive even five yards forward and back again.

Re - feeding him in the car. I'd agree with the first person. The whoie premise of counter conditioning is feed/treat a dog when they see a scary thing, so their emotional response to the scary thing changes.

Just took all of the dogs down to the field by the sea front. Thought it will only be a quick one as N can only manage 15/20 minutes.
Pissing typical that when I didn't wear my new coat and I hadn't got any gloves on and it was -1°, she managed 40 minutes! I was fecking freezing and my fingers were about to snap off.

@LandSharksAnonymous It's a teeny tiny rip, but I know it's there. Wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't only a week old. Thank god it's a fake and I didn't spend £200 on it. 😂

So we're all manhandling our dogs!😁Good thing we're not admitting it out on the forum or we might be yelled at.

@Silverbirchleaf are both cars ones with automatic tailgates (i.e. press a button and the boot closes, as opposed to you having to manually shut it)?

What sort of panic is it? Is it full blown terror, or can you calm him even a small amount?

I do feel your pain about big dogs. Twatdog is over 40kg most of the time (except pre-shows) and just lifting up his front end is enough for me.

@SpanielsGalore bloody N! 😂These old timers making us stay out in all weather so they can have a long walk. I bet your local beach is absolutely beautiful though and probably completely isolated with no one else there...

Well, on the plus side at least it's a cheaper coat! Speaking of which...you won't believe whose bloody mother said this afternoon, "I know I mock people with dry-robes, but they do look very snuggly..." I know what's coming. In a week she will have bought herself one. I've had to text my dad to tell him he's to deter her from buying one at all costs.

I'm not going to get into my dog's bigger than your dog for obvious reasons @LandSharksAnonymous 😉 but I hate to tell you @Silverbirchleaf that it took us 6 months to actually get to the point of her not refusing to get in the car.
So, if push comes to shove and you need a vets visit or whatever, you might need to do front end in, back end in and someone on the back seat hanging onto the lead while the other person shuts the tailgate. Because sometimes needs must.

I think your mum knows @LandSharksAnonymous ... Maybe you should just wrap it in Christmas paper and give it to her early? It would be hilarious if she'd bought one for you...🤔You might both end up with two 😂

Back home again. Lucky for us both pups are excellent in the car as they spent 9 hours in it yesterday and another 3 this morning. Although big pup insisted on being lifted in most of yesterday, except for the time I bribed her with McDonalds!

Found some good places for leg stretches on the way home that I'll have to remember for next time.