Beyond Adolescence - part 2

[SpanielsGalore]

No point banning coffee, as it didn't work last time. 🙄
Haven't had any cake updates from a while. @VanGoSunflowers Have you stopped baking already? You still had 8 cakes to go to make it economical.

I'm giving it another chance @VanGoSunflowers @TheHungryHungryLandsharks , I'm going to try to get beyond the medical stuff 😨 I'll report back if I manage to get past 100 pages.

What?

Gorgeous! How are you guys doing? My best friend is Canadian (has been in the UK for 25 years) but her Mum is still in Ontario and said they had loads of snow recently. He looks like he’s in his element!

He loves the snow, which is a good thing as it’s going to be around for a long time!

Rundle is doing ok. We’re going though a period of leash reactivity which we’re working through with distance and freeze dried chicken. He’s totally ball obsessed. He’s tried agility and I’d love to get him into flyball but the nearest clubs are 300 miles away!

I’m getting myself ready for winter. My shin length coat is out of the closet and I’m trying to pair up the many pairs of gloves and mittens we have, most of which are useless for handling leashes and poop bags. 9am and currently -6.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I think you have a really accurate description of Alchemised there. I couldn’t draw any comparison with Harry Potter at all! I love the group of characters in Six of Crows and I will definitely head back in to the Grishaverse at some point. I loved Kaz, and Inej… well all of them really! I do like more child like fantasy too, but I must admit I have a soft spot for the darker stuff, too. Not sure what that says about me 😂 you are brave diving back in to Alchemised, definitely report back!

@SpanielsGalore my understanding is that Labs stop growing in size around 1 year but will continue to ‘fill out’ for a while longer after that. So I’d say he’s still got some growing to do. We’ve met fully grown labs that are around his size, so I do think he’ll be on the ‘taller’ side. When he jumps up at me his paws nearly reach my shoulders and I am 5’7”. Also the counter surfing is getting more challenging because he can reach stuff pushed to the back now by standing on his hind legs 🤦‍♀️
Also, I agree with C&T that you should go grunge with the new coat: grunge is the best.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks he only really ‘dances’ with it for a few minutes at a time and every few days but I’ve no idea when a male Lab’s testosterone peaks? I still keep convincing myself he’s still more puppy than teenager but he’s past the 7 month mark now so perhaps not 😂

@brushingboots how is the next book coming along? Did the clever people help? I really admire anyone who has the discipline to write a book. I get bored halfway through writing a shopping list.

@YorkshireFelix oooh do you have a log burner?? Very jealous if so. I love them. Have to settle for putting one on the TV instead. I have one of those plug in electric blankets over me most of the time which Pablo loves and it saves me a fortune on the gas 😂

@MooseBeTimeForSnow oh he is stunning!

@VanGoSunflowers For Twatdog it was about 24 months, and then he calmed down slightly. But I only knew it peaked as he tried to mount his girlfriend and he hasn't done it again since - sometimes she comes and shoved her bum is his face and crouches down but he runs away. 😳

All mine have been full grown by about 9/10 months, and then they just bulk out. Although Twatdog has never really bulked out - even when he's fat, he just gets a little potbelly and keeps his little sparrow legs.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet let us know how you get on! I'm glad it wasn't just me without a Christmas list. I always start buying for loved ones in September and then they ask me what I want and I just flounder. I did ask DH for a new Sprayway coat, and I've asked MIL for a new work coat. But otherwise I was a bit stumped. I'm more a gift giver than a gift receiver. I love receiving them, but I get so much more joy in giving them.

@SpanielsGalore you could try wax melts instead of scented candles? They tend to scent the room without actually having to be burned! I find the smell of burning candles tend to get stuck in the throat a bit but wax melts aren't too bad for some reason.

@brushingboots I thought I was pushing it at 15.5 in the house, but 11.5! Jeepers! Hope your black eye heals soon. I'm sure pupsy was very apologetic...right!?

@YorkshireFelix glad it's not getting significantly worse. The physio sounds eminently sensible (not always the case, I've found) re. giving him exercise to help the joint but not too much. Poor V though and poor you ❤

To be honest, I would mention to the breeder if only because genetics will have played a part and a good breeder would want to know there was a possible issue with the line (I certainly would)! It wouldn't be like you're saying 'take this dog back, I can't cope' but more a friendly 'just so you know, V has luxating patella and genetics can effect it, I thought you may wish to know ahead of any future litters.' It's entirely possible it's the stud that was used and that the bitch bred from is perfectly fine, so with a new stud from a different line it wouldn't emerge again, but always good to be careful.

Completely different, but heart issues with Goldies are increasingly common. There's actually been some pretty groundbreaking research recently, which makes me very happy that I only use stud dogs that have had relevant heart tests done. It's passed genetically, so in 10-15 years (3-4 generations) we could be in a very tricky situation if not enough breeders are being stringent about the sort of studs they use...last thing we need is a dog as prolific as Twatdogs sire with a heart defect. It could decimate the breed in a worst case scenario. Worst part is, heart testing isn't even a KC requirement (although a bunch of us are really pushing for it) for the breed. So dogs show as 'fully health tested' even if they haven't had the relevant heart tests.

All that to say, I would want to know...and that was very off tangent, but something I feel very strongly about!

Lovely walk for us at one of the reservoirs this afternoon. It was surprisingly quiet; we didn't pass anyone on the woodland section, just a few squirrels. Loads of ducks on the water today, now the levels are back up after the summer drought. Heading back up the hill, Brie went nose to nose with two small dogs, one male on-lead, one female off-lead. No issues.

She didn't do any arsey lead ragging stuff, that only seems to happen on the meadow close to home, so presumably she classifies that as her place.
I was lovely and warm in the Seasalt Plant Hunter coat and it was my first day in a hat since last winter.

Interesting stuff about the heart issues in GR @TheHungryHungryLandsharks and it's good to hear that some breeders are pushing for more testing.

Good Morning,
I hope everyone is keeping warm!
I'm wearing my fleecy dressing gown over my clothes right now. Already on my second mug of tea. The girl got me up at 5 and was lying outside at -3 😬

I got to page 200 of Alchemised last night but I'm giving up. It's fairly well written, but my initial instincts were right - it's just not my thing; too cold and clinical. Baffling how they're in a big country house with snowy mountains around but still manage to get a newspaper...🤔For my childlike brain that was the most intriguing part so far, so on that basis I'm calling it a day.

Chilly today. Decided to not go to (outside) dog training today because I don’t think the temperature is going to go above freezing all day. Going to put thermals on for the dog walk, which I’m delaying as long as possible.

Dog in a barky mood this morning.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet It's absolutely ridiculous how few health tests are considered mandatory for some breeding! I'm finding myself getting increasingly vexed with it all - there's a Golden Retriever litter up at the moment (although it might now have been pulled as pups are all over 8 weeks) where the parents are 'fully health tested.' Yet the elbow scores on the mum was 2/2 (out of 3 - and a score of 2 absolutely means no one should be breeding that poor dog), and the hip scores were both above 14. Yet as it has the 'Fully Health Tested' badge, people won't do their research and will buy from this absolute monster of a breeder.

Apparently for pugs and other similar breeds, they're going to introduce some sort of scheme to try and lengthen their snouts - and breeders can 'optionally' sign up for it. But if they don't sign up, they can still register the litters with the KC...and thus charge the premium and people who don't know better (aka those who don't do enough research) will still think they're getting a health dog.

Sometimes I really hate the KC. It should not be this hard to get them to see reason on things. But there's no alternative than trying to work with them (or in my case against them it feels like) to get them to improve.

Sorry that was quite the rant...

No shame in giving up on Alchemised. Tbh that newspaper bit would bother me as well. Maybe it's delivered on Yeti? It's probably because when it was the HP FF version it was delivered by owl...

How was Brie's morning walk?

@Silverbirchleaf sorry you will see this tag and then probably be forced to scroll through my epic rant! Have you managed to get out yet? It hasn't got above freezing here, but I remembered my gloves today 😁

I'm still sat with the back door wide open though as the dogs like to be outside but bark if the door is shut

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Yes, , went out earlier with thermals (top and trousers) on and it wasn’t too bad. Nice and sunny. Almost regret not going to training now, but getting lots done at home instead.

With regard to breeding @TheHungryHungryLandsharks , the decline in popularity of our breed has helped enormously to improve hip and elbow scores. The core long term breeders have really worked hard and scores are now consistently good, particularly when compared with the other giant breeds. It must be harder in your breed, simply by virtue of its wide popularity and the fact that it seems to attract a fair few first time owners who aren't clued up on doing their research. But as you know, other breeds such as Dachshunds, Cavaliers and Frenchies have fared far worse and now have pretty severe health issues, thanks to large scale commercial breeding. Sadly, as you rightly say and as we see on mn threads repeatedly, you cannot educate people into making sensible choices when choosing a puppy.

I know I've said before, we live at the top end of the village, well we were not going to brave that hill at 6.30 this morning and minus 3, so Brie was short changed with a wander up a nearby farm track. We'll have a proper walk at 3pm, down to the woods. It should be nice and crisp underfoot rather than the quagmire of recent weeks. She is sitting out currently, but I'm not as hardy as you so the French door is closed and I'm at the table with my umpteenth mug of tea😁

Interesting regarding breeding @TheHungryHungryLandsharks I believe the Netherlands are banning the breeding of some flat-faced dogs and maybe will move toward banning ownership of dogs with certain characteristics? I can't remember all the details. We drove down to Italy for a few weeks and I spent a loooonnnnnggg time looking at breed regulations in various countries. The joy of a bully.

We've been out once. Not too early, Boo likes a lie in. He did start by seeing one of nemesises (nemisii?) Do all dogs have a nemesis?

@BackToLurk Are they? That is really interesting and probably a good idea tbh! I do sometimes look at certain breeds and wonder how anyone could buy one that suffers so much. The pug that won Best in Breed at Crufts last year reportedly was gasping for air after it's lap around the ring in the group stage - there is no way that can/should be considered normal.

How did you find other countries responded to Boo? I sometimes think the UK is a bit of an outlier in how we view breeds - we seem to demonise some based on looks (i.e. Staffies and other 'Bull' type breeds) and then fawn over ones that realistically as animal lovers we shouldn't...

I don't know if all dogs have a nemesis...none of mine do, but that might just be because they're too thick to put any thought into anything other than food 😀Satan (DMums) Cocker has a nemesis though - Twatdogs littermate, who my sister owns. They hate each other. It's quite good fun to watch as at family gatherings they have to be kept separate. It's odd as she's had the exact same interactions with her as she has had with Twatdog...yet she hates Cin and loves Twatdog.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet - I think you're right! The more popularity the breed, the worst it is. Golden Retrievers have definitely suffered from the 'youtube' affect (dogs like Teddy and Emma/Ellie, Tucker and Todd etc) and people buy them based off looks...

You've just reminded me, there's a breeder of Cavaliers in Norfolk who is crossing them with Labrador/Cavaliers to try and fix the snout issue. So the dogs have like 0.25% lab in them. Apparently, it's doing wonders for her dogs health and longevity. But it needs more than one person to be doing it.

I don't blame you for not braving the icy hill! How was the 3pm walk?

I cracked and put the heating on again as it got down to 15.5 which felt a bit icy...

No snow here, but very cold. Sunny though and no wind so was quite pleasant out.

In Denmark we get asked if our labs are Formula 1 which is how they refer to working line labs over there

@Silverbirchleaf my dog doesn’t have a nemesis because he can’t seem to take no for an answer. Even if another dog tells him to fuck off, he would still keep trying to be friends with them 😂 he is probably other dogs’ nemesis though!

@tizwozliz ha, formula 1 made me laugh. Here is my formula 1 Lab

3 o'clock walk was bloody freezing @TheHungryHungryLandsharks because we made a sudden decision to head for the moor instead of the woods. It was so icy on the footpaths and Brie actually slipped over at one point so my heart was in my mouth. Thankfully she appears to be okay but tomorrow is definitely field and wood not open moorland. It was so cold! My partner has been outside for kindling and has lit our first fire of the season. Surprisingly, it's colder here than it is where @SpanielsGalore is 😮

You mention demonising breeds and I'm hacked off at todays "celebrity" Cane Corso story. Partly because the dog they are pointing the finger at is walking sedately and is honestly not much bigger than a Lab. To say he was "wrestling a giant 10 stone mastiff" on the pavement is frankly nonsense. Brie is only about 55 kg max and that CC is nowhere near her size. Secondly I would be willing to bet money on the fact that the Jack Russell was not the innocent victim it is being made out to be. I've never yet met a Jack Russell that didn't kick off into a frenzy of yapping and snapping on seeing a big dog.

I'm always checking dog legislation and by laws too @BackToLurk , because of people constantly yelling for size related controls. Although France, Spain & Italy impose restrictions (muzzling, insurance) on guarding breed dogs, the Pyrenean breeds - Patou on the French side and Mastin on the Spanish side, are seemingly exempt. There are restrictions on dogs over a certain weight in some regions of Spain though, so they may potentially have to be muzzled in particular areas. It seems to be difficult to verify this though.

As regards a nemesis: the only one of our lot that really had a hated dog was Rosie, who was at war with a local long coat GSD over who was top bitch in our locale. Finn occasionally had a barking contest with our neighbour's Malamute, but that was just a lot of posturing. But the rest of them, no. Brie is still at the point of being everybody's friend, she hasn't really had any negative experiences yet.

@tizwozliz Are you from Denmark? Guess your reaction to the football was a bit different to Scotland last night.

Love Formula 1 dogs. F1 driver names would make great names for dogs - Lando, Senna, Jenson, Brundle etc.

No, not from Denmark but my OH is. He's not much of a football fan and was cheering for Scotland anyhow!

We have no nemisii. But we rarely see the same dogs regularly.

As a child we had guinea pigs that were named after formula 1 circuits - Monza, Monaco, Rio, Imola

Senna is a great name for a dog that I will put on my future dogs list! Next one will be called Severn though as pupsy is also named after a bridge.

She doesn’t have a nemesis but I have plenty of dogs to avoid, including the horrible Lab (not a phrase I’ve used before) that stalks her, lunges and generally has extremely bad vibes and which we had an unpleasant encounter with while doing some training earlier.

@VanGoSunflowers Next book is going through a slightly tortured planning experience but it will get there! The clever people did help a lot but it is quite an intimidating subject and I am being a bit wet about it and just need to get a grip and write to be honest.

In other book news, my book just out has been included in the FT’s history books of the year list and I am chuffed to bits!

@brushingboots that leaves the possibility of a second Severn.

I like the theme though - Avon, Tamar. Being from Hull I’d have to say Humber.

As DH and I both had to learn astral navigation for former careers, we named all of our cats after stars. Particularly ones that weren’t very bright and hard to find. Which summed up most of our cats perfectly!

@brushingboots senna makes me think of a laxative!

@brushingboots fab news about your book. You must be so pleased

Ha that’s what I thought of straight away!!! Huge congrats on being included in that list @brushingboots you are a SUPERSTAR!!!!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks sorry I managed to read your message about telling the breeder and thought I’d replied and I hadn’t! I was thinking about it earlier and I will definitely mention it to him. His sire has fathered LOADS of litters when I checked on KC (not sure if it’s normal or not for a stud dog, I assume so? but it surprised me just how many), so if it’s him then maybe there’s a fuck tonne of poor cockers with dodgy knees who came from him.