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. 😂

Can I join in? Boo's 2 now. I know his type isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he's turning into a very good boy. It's been, and continues to be, a long old haul.

Welcome! My dogs type (giant guarding breed) isn't everyone's cup of tea either, believe me. Stuff that!
Boo looks like a cutie ❤

@BackToLurk All breeds (and their owners) are welcome here. It's good to hear about other's experiences and things that have worked for them.
Plus what books they read and coffee they drink. 😂
Boo looks a very happy chappy. 💖
I have working cockers, which aren't for everyone. Apparently they are all manic and high on crack. My pair obviously didn't get the memo. 🙄

@BackToLurk welcome! I am not remotely size-ist, age-ist or breed-ist when it comes to dogs and he is a very handsome boy ❤️

Thank you for the welcome. We are currently tackling a bit of vet anxiety with special treat laden visits to the vet nurse to desensitise him to syringes, the microchip scanner (!) and general touching. In her very professional opinion he is officially a 'doofus'.

@BackToLurk what breed is he?! He's got lovely clean teeth😍

@BackToLurk Awww bless him. Has he had a bad experience or is he just not keen? I find tubes of Primula cheese good for vet visits. I used nearly a whole tube for my girl's visit to the physiotherapist last weekend. I've also taken licky mats smeared in pate.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks he's a staffy cross. He was a rescue from an abandoned litter, so no background and we don't know anything more about his breed. We didn't even know how big he'd get for certain.

He's a big fan of a Whimsey

@BackToLurk I had 'bull' breed in mind (Mastiff or Staffie) but he just looked a bit big for a Staffie and a bit small for Mastiff! He's lovely though.

No staffie hate from this corner. ❤They are lovely dogs and get a rep they do not deserve.

@SpanielsGalore ah yes, working cockers. That well known manic breed on the go all day every day 😁Sometimes I wonder if people are thinking of Collies when they think of Cockers because the behaviours people describe are not ones I've often seen!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I could never have a collie. Far too high energy for me. 😁

Welcome @BackToLurk, I love a staffy! My grandad had a tiny Yorkshire terrier called Boo so great name choice 😄

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks@SpanielsGalore it started off following a scent then I think he was just a bit ‘YIPPEEE IM IN THE WOODS AND IM NOT ALLOWED IN HERE!’ and was running around like a maniac. Recently I’ve only been letting him off lead for about 10 minutes on that field as we’ll do some training, then as soon as I get a hint of him being disinterested I clip him back on, but he was just off like a shot. Our trainer said I should use the longline but I just looooooathe them so much. Especially when it’s so muddy on the ground.

@YorkshireFelix I've only used a longline on the beach. I don't find them to be very practical anywhere else. I tried once in the woods after I'd lost a dog for two hours. But it just kept getting caught and tangled on everything.
I took my three to a different woods this morning and two of them ran like maniacs. They did come back to a whistle, but it was more a 'fly by' than a return for a treat. 🙈

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks @SpanielsGalore Ah yes, that well-known manic breed, she says, looking across the kitchen at her own such dog, lying fast asleep in her basket as she has been for the last… five hours.

@SpanielsGalore Collies are one of those few breeds that I would genuinely love to own, but I just know I could never give one what they needed.

@YorkshireFelix there is nothing worse than holding a long-line that's covered in dirt, or sand, or both! Kudos to @SpanielsGalore for using one on the beach. I tried after Twatdog did his runner at Holkham once, and quickly gave up after he managed to take out Pen twice and me once. You need to be pretty quick with your hands to manage a dog on them, I think.

@brushingboots I don't know who pupsy thinks she is letting the side down like this! She should be out there being manic and creating chaos.

Speaking of doggies sleeping. I am dog-sitting Satan today and she sleeps without moving, or making a noise, or even dreaming. Poor little bugger has been prodded twice now with my toe to check she's still alive.

Urgh. Hard walk for us just now. She lost the use of her legs on the way home again, it happens a lot. She was also on double lead ragging duty today. Hard work. Then when I was taking my boots off I got a wet kiss from a big nose that had just been who knows where, sniffing who knows what 😝

We've concluded that turkey disagrees with her. An Essential Foods pate came out softer than it went in 😬we needed 3 poo bags. Sorry. TMI.

I was saying on the other thread how much I hate long lines too - as @SpanielsGalore says I feel like I would be constantly trying to stop it getting caught in all the vegetation and whatnot!

As far as dog reputations go, I’ve had a fair few people tell me that my Labrador ‘must have destroyed my house’ because they know one who ate their owners actual kitchen or chewed all the way through a wooden door.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet oh noooo! And all while you still have a migraine too? That must have been tough ❤️
Also sorry to hear about the triple-bag-poo incident

It's only a very slight migraine today, nothing like the stinker I had last weekend, thank goodness. Fortunately our walk took us past two poo bins so we didn't have to carry the bags for long. But it's funny that she's our third PMD to have issues with turkey...my lamb theory still holds at least.

BTW - we never get asked about the house being eaten/destroyed, it's almost always how often do we vacuum, and how many vacuum cleaners have we got through 😆

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I agree. I like collies, but I don't think I could fulfil their needs. Having said that, we met one in the woods recently and it kept nipping at K's face. Neither of us liked that.
I let my long line trail most of the time and stamped on it when I wanted to get the dog back or stop him approaching another dog.

@VanGoSunflowers I know a lab that ate the kitchen walls. But she was bored shitless, as she was shut in there all day while the owners were at work.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Sorry you had a difficult walk. I'm hoping the loss of legs means she refused to move and not a physical ailment.

@brushingboots Are you sure Pupsy is a cocker? Even those pointless show types don't sleep that much. 😉

P is restricted to half hour walks, so that's what we've all done today. One in the woods and one in the field by the sea front. K spends it all off lead, running like a nutter. P is off lead for about 15 minutes in the middle. N managed all of the wood walk and half of the field one, before hitching a ride back to the car in the pushchair.

I need to buy coats for P and N for the winter. (My car said it was -4° down by the sea today.) I'm hoping to find one with 4 legs, that is warm and not a thin waterproof one. Anyone seen anything that fits the bill?

Hahah @SpanielsGalore she turns it on when she gets outside! We met a half show/half working cocker this morning with a lovely fluffy head like a baby penguin, and such lovely markings.

I don’t know whether this is what you’re after for P and K but pupsy has an Equafleece suit which is really good and super warm. She’s only worn it a handful of times and only ever in the car on the way home from something cold/wet for more than 15 minutes but it’s got four legs, fits her perfectly and she looks super cute in it.

Oh yes @SpanielsGalore , losing the use of her legs only happens on the walk back home and if we do a complete u-turn and head out again it is instantly cured...🤔Two of our other dogs (R & A) suffered the same affliction.

Glad your girls had nice walks. Hope you can find a suitable coat or snowsuit for them.

I'd never cope with a collie either. I doubt I'd even cope with the energy levels of a cocker tbh.

He had 3 visits over 10 days, which included an eye exam and an anti sickness jab (which sting apparently). He used to be brilliant at the vet. Would let them do anything. High point of last weeks visit was the vet nurse saying “he’s let me touch his testicles. Good boy”

I second Equafleece @SpanielsGalore Warm, keep the rain off and dry really quickly.

@BackToLurk My Dog has a love-hate relationship with our vets. He loves going there, and will eagerly run into the room to see the vet. Then will remember that the vet prods and pokes him, and will hide in a corner. Vet then produces a treat, and they're best mates again.

@BackToLurk welcome Boo.

@YorkshireFelix Have you tried a whistle? I started recall with a whistle in the garden (sorry neighbours) and in the house before going outside.

Dog has been anxious on walks recently but had a lovely woodland walk this morning, and road walk this evening. Was on final stretch when off lead dog came running over. It was dark and in area with no streetlights, so couldn’t really see what type of dog but looked solid. Sensed my Dog wasn’t too happy and shouted at a man walking nonchalantly ahead to recall his dog. He replied it wasn’t his! The dog then raced across the road (no cars fortunately) to a lady much further back, who’d made no effort to come over to get her dog. Hope Dog hasn’t been spooked and all recent progress undone. (Thanks for listening )

@BackToLurk Was it a Buscopan injection? My foster dog had that last week and couldn't put her leg down afterwards. She could barely hobble out of the surgery.
It's such a shame when they start off alright, and then something happens to make them frightened. My 4 year old developed a fear of the car after all her trips out ended at the vets.

I shall check out Equafleeces. Thank you. Disappointed there are no photos of dogs modelling them though. 😞