Beyond Adolescence and General Chit Chat - part 3

[SpanielsGalore]

Not tagging anyone. I'm sure you'll all find your way here if you want to join in. 😁

It’s gloriously sunny here in West Yorkshire. It was forecast to rain so I’m hoping it holds off. Dd is going to an event with her friend most of the day so me and DH are going to take V up on the moors for a little jaunt. There’s a walk I want to do which goes to the Brontë waterfall so we might try and do that 🤞🏻

@VanGoSunflowers It's overcast here again too, just by way of a change. You don't want to see my new kitchen carpet. 😫

@YorkshireFelix Hope you all have an enjoyable walk. Sounds like a lovely place to go. I shall look forward to a waterfall photo later. V can photobomb it if he likes. 😁

Another wet day today and didn’t really fancy going out, but actually quite enjoyed it and it was fairly mild.

The downside to the rain is that we’re limited to mainly street walks as the woods and parks are so muddy, However, there’s one stretch which has a better path so let him off lead and walked up and down a few times. Not had any agility recently either due to illness and the rain so he’s not had much off lead time recently.

Also looking forward to the Brontë waterfall picture. Sounds very picturesque.

Raining here again, so the dogs are spending the morning in bed.

I got very distracted yesterday trying to find that article that I now cannot find for love nor money. And I am very irritated by it. And by my stupid laptop which is possibly the most temperamental computer ever - it's like as soon as it knows I need it for something important, it dies. It kept doing it when I was submitting job applications last year. 😤

Your girls are looking beautiful, as always, @SpanielsGalore

@VanGoSunflowers you and @YorkshireFelix will appreciate the sadness of this...but the coffee machine has broken. It keeps saying to empty the drip tray but the drip tray is empty. I left it all open to dry overnight but it's still the same. I think it's dead. I guess at least it had a good innings...

@YorkshireFelix I'm awaiting that photo of the waterfall (preferably with Vinny)

@Silverbirchleaf it's been pouring here as well, but likewise been quite mild! We've also hit that time of year where woods/fields are mostly off limits as it's just too muddy and one dog might be doable, but five definitely is not. Plus the little gits tug me over...

I think DWS might be sulking after four days of DD1 being home with her - she's spent all morning in the cupboard under the stairs letting out little huffs of annoyance 😂I've gone to check on her a few times and she comes out, gives me a lick and a yap, and then waddles off again.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Nooooo! Please tell me you have adequate back up options so you’re not without coffee for the day 😩

Not sure if any of you saw the thread about the injuries that have been inflicted on owners by their dogs (lighthearted) but you may appreciate my inclusion of Pablo’s tendency to kick men in the bollocks and the fact I have to explain he hasn’t been trained to do that

Finally no rain today, but it’s very grey and mizzly. It’s starting to get cold as well, so my heating is on. I refuse to feel guilty about this.

@VanGoSunflowers I have just read that thread. Some of those injuries are so bad!! Merry is also a bollock-basher. Mostly of her own household, but she has also done it to strangers. She still also gets a bit too friendly with ladies - it’s very invasive!!

@VanGoSunflowers DH has proven himself useful for once and trundled off down to Currys at lunch to get a new one 😂And I did get one post dog walk this morning, and after my lunch dog walk. So I am well caffeinated.

Ohhhh naughty Pablo. Although that did make me smirk 😃That's quite handy though. Can he do it on command? Or have you tried to teach him to do it on command? Just thinking it's quite a good safety tactic.

Other than tripping over mine, and the one incident where Hen nearly gave me heart failure when she was younger, mine have never actually done anything that bad.

@Struckbylightning Ohhh does she do the crotch sniff? Mine do like to do that. Sometimes they nuzzle into it as well and then heave out this really contented sigh. It's a bit odd. Does Merry also do it in public?

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks yes the crotch sniff, but she seems to like to come up from behind and get her nose right up there!! It’s rather shocking when you’ve just got out of the shower.. She often does it to people I am chatting with, not passing strangers thankfully.

@Struckbylightning @TheHungryHungryLandsharks Pablo likes to poke his nose in to areas he shouldn’t to get a good sniff. Quite often hear DS saying to him “Pablo stop
sniffing my balls” 😂

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I haven’t tried to train him to do it on command but maybe I should 😂 glad you’re caffeinated! What machine did you go for?

@Struckbylightning ohh! She's a sneaky crotch-sniffer!!! I think that might even be worse than the frontal crotch-sniffer!

I'm glad Merry doesn't do it in public though. Twatdog does. He just leans his nose against my crotch and closes his eyes and exhales. He's stayed like that for upwards of 5 minutes before, the little weirdo.😳

I guess it's probably human crotches have a natural musk that dogs like? Although Satan doesn't do it...

@VanGoSunflowers It would be a handy trick to teach him! We went for another E8. The one that died lasted me over five years on 3-4 cups a day on average so really good value (a quick calculation says something like 0.45p a day + cost of beans). Plus you can let it do the hot milk itself and wander off, and let it clean itself after pressing one button, which is always helpful - my laziness knows no bounds. 😂

I am very excited as after my traumatic day of only two coffees we're having pizza for dinner 😍Almost makes the lack of coffee worth it.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I think I would go for something similar if I had milk in my coffee. The whole reason I got the one I did and not the next model down is that the machine tamps the coffee for you so less mess to clean up!

How is everyone this morning? Grey and dull here again. My friend told me she saw her first snow drops the other day though so I will be on the hunt for those!

Grey and dull here also, but at least it’s dry, for now. Should get out before the rain comes in, but only a street walk today.

@Silverbirchleaf @VanGoSunflowers same here as it is for you both! Grey and miserable but dry. Much better than wet and windy though.

I had to go into the office but DH took the rabble to Knole Park this morning. So although they have to stay on the lead, they still get lots of exciting sniffs (plus pheasants and deer and lots of rabbits to watch chase to the end of the lead).

Speaking of rabbits, has anyone ever had a dog faint when encountering rabbits? I've just remembered the first time puppy Twatdog met a rabbit in the wild he collapsed and didn't wake up for a few minutes - pretty sure he fainted in delight/shock. His heart rate was completely normal when he woke up. Perhaps rabbits are to my dogs what deer are to P/K @SpanielsGalore 😁

@VanGoSunflowers I do like how our choice of coffee machine was dictated by our desire to do less work to have our nice coffee 😂

Knole park is lovely to walk around. Love seeing the deer.

The wind is bitter here today, but luckily it's my day off from dog walking and they've just been picked up so I've just enjoyed some biscuits without being stared at

Highlight of my weekend was teaching big pup to flip a treat with a spatula and catch it.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Pablo has never fainted! Bless poor twatdog!
He is interested in squirrels and rabbits and such but nowhere near as much as he is with humans and dogs!

Coffee making HAS to be simple for me as I am one of those cliches who can’t function in the morning without one 🙃

@tizwozliz I love that! What a cool trick! Glad you enjoyed your biscuits without begging eyes!

Grey and dull here, with a flurry of snow. 3° but feels like -2.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I have never had a dog faint. How strange. Bless him.

P and I had a big fall out this morning. So sick and tired of her digging holes in the garden and coming back inside with filthy paws. They were particularly bad this morning, so I got a jug of water to wash them. She did a runner up and down the stairs. Bloody muddy paw prints everywhere! Shitting dog! Never got so close to scruffing her before.

@Silverbirchleaf DDogs absolutely love deer parks. They have no issues with being on the lead if there's deer around - I actually think they enjoy lead walks at Knole (or Holkham in Norfolk) more than they enjoy runs along a beach!

@tizwozliz can we see a video of the new trick, please? 😁

@VanGoSunflowers Twatdog is special. Very special. He popped back up afterwards like nothing had happened. Nearly gave me heart failure. I do count myself lucky he's not interested in cats or squirrels though.

@SpanielsGalore oh noo!!! Poor P. I'm sure she didn't mean it (but if she's up for adopted, you know where to find me...). Sorry about your garden though. I suppose you can't let her out there at all now without her digging?

Completely separately, and not at all relevant to the discussion of the weather and holes...but where does everyone buy their collars? I've always just used amazon, but the collars I usually buy have swapped the metal buckle and clip for plastic ones and I am not convinced they'll hold up to my dogs strength. Anyone got a v. strong collar brand they can recommend?

We have dog Copenhagen collars, they're only a plastic buckle though but they've always felt really solid, never had any worry that they're going to fail. Big pup generally wears a non stop dog wear one though which has no buckle at all and just slips over the head.

Someone asked a question about metal buckled collars recently and there were lots of recommendations for ruffwear but our ruffwear collars also have plastic clips...

Dog doing tricks
www.instagram.com/p/DUOo0jGjaOS/?igsh=MXFkajgzZ2l1ajVxYQ==

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks

https://www.hugoandhudson.com/collections/leather-dog-collars/products/padded-leather-dog-collar-black

I really like this collar.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I must admit to being negligent in lack of a collar. I got so used to taking it off and putting in on for crate training that I ended up just leaving it off! I did just buy him another from Amazon. Think it has a plastic clip though so won’t recommend!

We had a good walk today - same drill as usual, practice loose lead walking up to field, off lead run on field with recall practice, walking to heel off lead practice then on the extendable for up the lane in the hope there are other dog walkers about to get him used to recalling around those too. He’s getting much better at it all BUT I must admit I am craving a walk where there isn’t as much thinking involved! I know you always have to be somewhat switched on while walking a dog - long gone are the days of listening to a podcast on a stroll, but I have to think so hard 😂

Meant to add, if I was worried about buckles breaking I'd go for this sort of design where the lead attaches to two d rings (we have this one in fact, more because we want something that they'll be able to escape from it it gets snagged on a branch or similar when they're off lead)

https://www.nonstopdogwear.com/products/protector-collar?variant=46537883189497

I think whilst metal clips are likely stronger they're more susceptible to corrosion when getting wet/muddy.

I got so used to taking it off and putting in on for crate training that I ended up just leaving it off!

Ours don't wear collars indoors at all. I must admit that I think for a dog taking a collar off must be a relief like taking a bra off 😂

To be fair, the photo of Dog was taken in March of last year (best picture of collar I could find) and it’s still looking pretty good. Not corroded at all and he wears it daily. I have purchased a second one though, because in dog agility, they’re supposed to wear a flat name tag (who knew!) and not a dangly one, and thought it was easier to get a second collar, then switching tags all the time.