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. 😁

@SpanielsGalore I didn't eat it. 😞And cheese & crackers and pigs in blankets is not a satisfying lunch.

Which dog was it who bought the turd inside? My money says K as P is too sweet to do anything wrong (tehe) and N is just an older woman living her best twilight years.

@tizwozliz I feel for your other half! Ten weeks would have been awful, but then I guess I've already spent 8 weeks with the little gits so by that point I just want my clean house back.

On this:

It's the thing that drove me mad about the puppy book we had. It would describe how to say teach a drop, and it sounded very simple and then say in 90% of cases pup will then drop the item. No detail about what you do if you're in the 10%

This is what I've found with every trainer and/or behaviourist I have ever spoken to or have heard about. They say 'this always works' but then when it doesn't, they have no ideas and proceed to try and fit square puppy in a round hole.

My friend has a Mali, and it's lovely. But the motivation side of training it was really hard. Not food motivated. Not toy motivated. It's motivation was pleasing her. I couldn't cope with a dog like that. I need one treat focussed. Perfect for my lazy ownership 😀

I need one treat focussed. Perfect for my lazy ownership

We thought we were loading the dice in our favour with our breed choice, but big pup hasn't read the Labrador handbook. At one stage I could have throttled anyone who told me the way to get a ball back is to have a second identical ball.

I have to give her credit though, she never embarrassed me by performing nicely for a trainer and not for me.

Turned out the way to get a ball back is to get a second dog, big pup will give the ball straight to little pup 😂

@SpanielsGalore It’s partly the windows – single glazed or with secondary glazing – and partly the stone floors, hence I keep buying more rugs. But it’s also because I have to sit still all day working and I usually work in the kitchen which is chilly because of all the granite everywhere – not my choice, here when we bought it. I want to get rid of the island and have a proper table as not only will it look loads nicer but I am convinced it’ll be warmer as the island is like a glacier.

Just checked the thermostat and without the heating on it’s 13.2 degrees in my downstairs snug now, and 3 degrees outside. I had the heating on last night up to 16 degrees but I haven’t put it on yet today. I will later when I do some washing. I dread my gas bill!

@tizwozliz ah the old 'get a second dog' trick 😃I must say it's how my puppies tend to get trained so quickly - they do learn so much from each other. How did you train big pup in the end? Was it just a matter of being patient or was it getting another dog?

It's worth it when they grow up though, isn't it? Twatdog is currently curled up on one side of me, Hen on the other, and both are snoring contentedly and it's incredibly relaxing. Almost enough to make me less annoyed by DWS nefarious ways...

@brushingboots I guess it's also that thing of certain houses feel different at certain temperatures? Dsis house feels cold if it dips below 18, but mine is 'wam' until about 15. Where we stayed on holiday if it got below 20 it was like the artic. Stone floors are a bugger though, as are wooden floors (which are a terrible idea for bedrooms - just to warn anyone thinking about it - as the wood expands and shrinks and creaks!!!!) for making it seem colder.

I'm sure pupsy does a good job of keeping you warm though😊

@tizwozliz My lab didn’t read the memo either, or chose to ignore it. Everywhere you read ‘Get a lab, nice family dog’ etc, but no one warns you how hard they are (or at least working ones are, which no one tells you about either).

I probably cried on a daily basis for the first year plus. It was only when we got a behaviourist in to help with recall, loose lead walking etc, and he said we had a naturally anxious dog that I didn’t feel so bad (and he helped resolved some of the problems).

Doing the dog agility has been the best thing to develop a bond for me, and give me confidence, However, he’s never been a ‘my soulmate’ sort of dog to me.

Therapy session over.

@brushingboots We gave heating on at 20, and I think the menfolk in the house would actually like it hotter!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks i love cheese and crackers! (Especially with glass or red wine)

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Hope you feeling a bit better. We all have off days.

Human? That's fucking rank. And it's like nectar to dogs.

Half the time, there is a load of used tissues alongside it, so my dogs eat those too.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Depends how many pigs in blankets you eat.

You are correct. It is indeed the disgusting little black one. It's the one thing that crosses the line for me. I don't mind them eating other animals' poo, excepting human, but other dogs' poo really turns my stomach. It's only her sisters and only in the garden now. I usually go out with them every time so I can beat her to it, but sometimes I miss one.
Still. At least she didn't drop it in my lap this time. 🤢🤢

I don't think P does do anything wrong. 🤔 I'm not counting the deer and heron incidents. They were instinctive dog behaviour. Same with digging holes in the garden. In general she's a nice, well behaved dog. The only 'naughty' thing she'll do is pinch a sock if she gets the opportunity. Even then, she doesn't chew it. She runs around with it, tossing it in the air. And she looks to be having so much fun, it's impossible to be cross about it.

She's never stolen and shredded a toilet roll. Ripped the wallpaper off the walls. Ragged the cushions around. Torn the mail up when it comes through the door. To name a few things K gets up to.

@brushingboots Oh I would hate stone floors. Our last house had cold floors and my feet were always freezing. I bought thermal slippers in the end. That helped.
My house was 13° when I got up this morning. The lowest it has been is 9°. I'd rather go without food than be cold, so my heating is on for around 16 hours a day. The thermostat is set at 18° during the day when I am moving around, and gets turned up to 20° in the evening. I pay approx £100 a month and had built up a nice credit over the summer. That will soon be gone.

@Silverbirchleaf I love all of my dogs, past and present, dearly. They are my world and their needs come before mine. Not sure I would describe any of them as my soul mate though.

@SpanielsGalore The thermostat in my snug is currently reading 12.9 but, it says, ‘heating to 13’ as that’s what it set it to last night before I went to bed. I’ve just put some washing on so I’ll put the heating on in a bit to help it along. It definitely got down below 10 degrees once but I think that was in 2022 when it was -8 outside. It’s totally fine at night and in the evening as I’m under heated blankets and/or pupsy who is like a radiator.

I could probably afford to have it on a bit more than I do but I’m a bit miserly when it’s just me. Miserly or Stig of the Dump, it’s hard to say which. Things do disintegrate a bit when I’m on my own for too long.

Your approach is better than mine, for sure, but I’ve never lived in a house with double glazing (except in university halls) so I’m used to being cold at home. My parents’ house makes mine feel boiling!

@brushingboots I'm old though. I can't afford to be sitting about getting cold. You youngsters probably cope with it better than I do.
I remember winters wearing short skirts and winkle picker shoes without tights. Those were also the winters of chilblains. 😂 Now it's two layers and thermal socks.

Back in the day we had metal framed windows, that were so draughty. We put that cling film type double glazing on them. It was very effective for what it was. I wonder if it's still a thing.

A bit of light relief here. We remembered dd had a badge maker so I’ve put it to good use 🤣

@YorkshireFelix That's brilliant. 😂 💖

Snow. We’ve already had 3x more than usual for this time of year. It’s been solidly -25 or below since the beginning of December. It’s forecast to be +3 at the weekend. Not looking forward to the sloppy mess that will ensue and then the chaos once it freezes solid.

Rundle tax applied.

@MooseBeTimeForSnow It looks beautiful. 🥰 I wouldn't want to be there though. Minus 5 and a couple of inches of snow is more than enough for me.

Cute.

No snow here, thank goodness, but a lot of rain.

Just as Traitors started, Dog decided to get up and wanted to go outside. He was snoozing peacefully beside me until then.

Oh wow and I’m here complaining about it being 3 degrees and slippy pavements 🤣 He looks gorgeous as ever!

I think they have an internal radar which goes off just as you’re about to relax 🚨🚨🚨

Snows a bit wet but still about, going to go out for a wander in a bit.

Currently watching people argue on Facebook, we often get snow here whilst the city has none and so people in the city whinge that it's pathetic there's any disruption not realizing the county is much larger than just the city.

@MooseBeTimeForSnow absolutely beautiful 😍

@Silverbirchleaf I feel cheese and crackers are a pre-dinner snack though, not a lunch? I was starving afterwards 😂They just made me hungrier!

@SpanielsGalore maybe she thinks she's bringing you a delicious little treat/reward for being such a good owner!? 🤔Do you know why she eats it? I know sometimes it's lack of nutrients from their meals, but other times it is just because they're grotty little gits.

I always knew P was a sweetheart. She just has that 'aren't I lovely and innocent' face 😁I know what you mean about 'so much fun it's impossible to be cross.' They're being naughty, but it's not realllyyyy super naughty and they're so happy you just have to smile. Twatdog used to do it with my underwear and deposit various pairs of knickers or bra's on bushes in the garden, but I could never get too angry as he looked so pleased with himself when he did it. He grew out of it eventually, and I almost miss it...I obviously don't miss the neighbours seeing my pants on the rose bush though.

Bit of a failure of a morning here for dog walks. DH and I bundled the dogs into the car to drive to the deer park. Got there, I felt really dizzy and cold and DH then admitted he felt dizzy and cold as well. So we drove home. They were very good about it - just jumped out the car and waddled back into the car. So probably no walks for them today unless we perk up a bit later. Should have known I wasn't well...had one sip of my coffee this morning and threw the rest down the sink as I thought it tasted funny😩

It's going to be absolutely lethal if it freezes tonight as it's pretty liquid underneath the top layer

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks From what I have read, it's only if dog's eat their own poo that it's because of lack of nutrients. So I think K is just a disgusting creature. She knows I don't like her doing it, because if she gets the chance she'll grab a piece and run off to a place of safety with it. There's nothing quite as much fun as rubber gloving up and wrestling shit out of your dog's mouth. 🤢 😂

My first three boys all had issues of one kind of another. So when I got P, she was like a breath of fresh air. Well. Once she got past the vile, demonic puppy stage. She's always been well behaved and is excellent at communicating with other dogs. I could take her anywhere and not have to worry. Which is why it was such a shame when all her troubles started.
It also why I went back to her breeder for a second puppy. And ended up with K. 😳 😂

Love TD. ❤️ I know some people would say that's 'naughty' or not acceptable behaviour, but I don't mind too much. If they were chewing or ripping them up, it would be different. But they're just having a bit of fun.
My sprocker stole and destroyed anything that was within reach. That was annoying. Especially when it was my only pair of reading glasses.

Sorry to hear you and your DH aren't feeling well. Hope you both feel better soon. Are you having a sick day or a WFH one?

Down the sink is the best place for coffee.

@tizwozliz What a great statue. I've not seen that before. The sky looks very grey. I hope you don't get rain on top of the snow.

N is being a bit odd at times and I'm wondering if she's starting with a touch of cognitive decline. She hardly ever goes into the garden without me. But a few times recently, she has gone outside on her own. Then she sits in the garden staring at the house. Swear one time she looked like she was falling asleep sitting up. And she'll only come back inside when I call her. She's quite restless in the evenings too, swapping between the dog beds and the sofas. We have the vets next Wednesday, so I'll see what they say.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Tea tastes funny. Mmm, you’re not pregnant are you…?!

@tizwozliz Thats a lot of snow! Thankfully, we’ve just had rain, heavy rain and all the snow and ice has melted away. There’s flooding in nearby villages. One such village had a visit from Prime Minister David Cameron in the past, because it was so bad there before.

@Silverbirchleaf I bloody well hope not!!! The only babies I want to see are grandbabies...in about twenty years. Give me a thousand Golden Retriever puppies over a human baby any day. 😂

Hope the flooding doesn't reach near your house!

@SpanielsGalore it sounds like she's living her best poo-heavy life if I am honest! Perhaps she's hoping that, one day, you might come to love and value poo as highly as she does. Poor K is so unfairly maligned with her poo hoarding ways😂 Is K a relative of P? Or is K just bred by the same breeder? Knowing how tired I am, I've confused their breeds again and that was probably a stupid question!

100% agree on it just being fun. He knows what he can and can't do and what will and won't get a response. Stealing knickers? Fine. Chewing my favourite rug? Not fine. As you say, I'm sure some people would say it's bad training, but it makes him happy and him being happy makes me happy so it's a win/win.

I worked from home, DH took the day as sick leave as he's technically jobless anyway (he's waiting for his next role to start so is basically just a spare part in the office - his entire office day earlier in the week was just coffee meetings and mentoring his mentees and popping by my office to be irritating) and therefore spent the day on the sofa with the dogs.

When WFH is an option I'd rather keep working as otherwise I just fester on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. If it was serious I'd take the day off, but a bit of a cold and lack of appreciation for coffee isn't enough (yet) for me to worry the end is close😀

Fingers crossed it's nothing serious for N. Satan has been on ACTIVAIT for a few months now as she was showing a few similar behaviours, and it's definitely had a positive effect on her.