Beyond Adolescence - part 4

[SpanielsGalore]

Didn't realise we were that close to the end of part 3. 😂

Hope everyone is okay! This week has been awful for work, and I am so glad it is the weekend. I plan on dog walking and (finally) writing that puppy buying guide that I need to share with others and nothing else.

The pink spot on Twatdog's snout is growing, but still not looking painful or crusty etc so I am trying not to worry. Will see how it is after the weekend and then consider the vet. Bloody dogs.

@Silverbirchleaf DH and I are very boring. We always go to Burnham Market as it's close to lots of dog walks. Think we've been going for about 15 years? We thought about the Cotswolds once, then I saw a photo of all the tourists and refused to consider it 😂Tbh even without the dog walking side, I'd recommend it.

@VanGoSunflowers happy 14months to Pablo and I hope you had a good birthday! And glad to hear he's growing up a bit. Perhaps, as you say, the worst is over!

If you're not worried about him going after an un-spayed female and happy with him as he is, I would leave him. Not getting Twatdog done was the best decision I made - admittedly partly as I show him, but also because he's so happy as he is I wouldn't want to muck around with it and risk anything happening personality wise.

@SpanielsGalore glad to hear N did well and it's nothing serious. How is P doing now?

@tizwozliz I'm a bit jealous as you seemed to have had the opposite experience to mine recently! It pours when I walk, but sunny when I'm driving.

@Struckbylightning sounds like you're turning into me! I spend most of my time these days sweating on walks, although it's also usually raining so it's a really grim combination!

Maybe you snore and you've been keeping Merry awake! 😂How long has she been taking herself downstairs for? If it's very recent, could be heat related as even though it's rainy it's been quite warm and muggy? One of mine does it sometimes when it's very warm - I think she gets too hot in my bedroom (which does turn into a sauna with four dogs and two adults) and takes herself off somewhere cooler.

@Struckbylightning P is a bit like that. She's like a limpet all day, but as soon as I sit down in the living room of an evening, she takes herself off to sleep in a different room. She'll come upstairs with me when we go to bed, but quite often sleeps in the spare room on her own.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Sorry you've had a crap week at work. Hopefully you'll have a relaxing weekend.

Does TD's spot look like a wart?

P is a constant source of worry. I wish I could find (and afford) a decent behaviourist to come and see her. I stopped giving her Arthrocam a few days ago to give her stomach a rest. Her poos have improved and firmed up, but she's soooooo clingy. Her noise phobia has ramped up and so has her fear of the car. Google says Arthrocam has no affect on anxiety, so it's probably a coincidence. 🤷‍♀️

N has finally produced a poo of some substance. I'd liken it to a tub of slime. Looks solid, but is a bugger to pick up. Hopefully this means she's getting better. I'm looking forward to not having to get up during the night.

K is her usual delightful self. Day 22 of her season, so we'll be able to go for walks in the woods again soon.

@SpanielsGalore not raised or itchy or scaly in any way. It's more like the pigment has just faded and it's turned pink. Like his snow nose. Only different. If that makes sense?

But also definitely not a wart. Not comparable to penis-wart either 😂

Could the breed club you help foster for/got N from perhaps help? They might have someone who could look at her just quickly and give a v. basic diagnosis? I'll sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I don't believe in coincidences in medication! Poor P though 🙁

I am sure once you get above having two dogs, one just spends their entire time with one dog determined to be sick or needing attention. So glad to hear N is a bit better and K will be able to do her woods walks again.

I'm starting to think I just should stud Twatdog out. Appears to be the done thing to breed your dog as it's perfect. Maybe I could pay off the mortgage, get a new car... 😳

We had the heating on yesterday. Today we've been at the beach in 21 degree sunshine. Got to love the British weather. We're away in North Yorkshire for the weekend. It's exactly 5 years since we first met big pup not too far from here so gratuitous puppy spam included

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I'm definitely breeding K. Haven't decided if I'm going to have a waiting list or not yet. 🤔 Unfortunately I wouldn't make enough for a new car. Damn these smaller breeds producing less puppies.

@tizwozliz Big Pup and Little Pup look like they are having a lovely time. They were both very cute puppies. ❤️

I'm a bit fed up of the weather. I don't care any more if it's hot and sunny or windy and raining. Just bloody pick one and stick to it for the day.
I walked P yesterday and it was roasting, so told K she had to wait until it cooled down a bit. Cue torrential rain for the rest of the day.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Just reread your post. Do you mean TD's pink spot is spreading rather than raising? How strange.
I just googled and snow nose came up, so I think that's what you do mean. Like vitiligo. Hopefully it's nothing serious and will blacken up again.

@SpanielsGalore I was about to say I can loan you a dog, but that's probably a step too far!

I think Cockers are typically slightly cheaper (I've looked recently as DMum is still considering whether to rescue or buy) as well so smaller litters and cheaper puppies? Not a winning combination for a budding resident puppy farmer.

That being said, Goldendoodles also seem to cost more than Golden Retrievers now. The resident puppy farm near me have started taking deposits for their newest batch (three litters expected later this year - they already had three litters in Feb-March) at £3K and £500 to reserve a puppy that's not even born yet and from parents without hip, heart of elbow testing scores 😱That's what...average 8 puppies a litter...6 litters over a year...£130(ish)K give or take. 😱

And yes. Pink spot spreading - getting wider but not higher. All very odd.

@tizwozliz beautiful photos as always! Hope you enjoy your long weekend. Big pup was an absolutely stunning puppy. Those eyes are so soulful.

First photo is the latest. It’s a bit pinker and larger now. But not raised or crusty. Never seen anything like it and I’ve seen a lot of weird lumps and bumps (which I guess this isn’t?!)

Dogs. Constantly causing worry!!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Yes. Smaller litters - say 5 on average. And working strain seem to go for less than show strain. I only paid £1k for K. Deduct the cost of health tests, stud fees, vet bills, puppy food and anything else I have forgotten and I'm not making much money. Financially, I'd be better off breeding cockerpoos.

I do know three people who'd go on my waiting list though, so I can join you on the farm. 😂

TD's nose is strange. I think as long as it doesn't go crusty or weepy or start bothering him, I'd try not to worry too much about it. Which I am aware makes me a massive hypocrite.

@SpanielsGalore K was a bargain! Five is such a small amount. I don’t think I’ve ever had a litter smaller than 8…I never want one as big as the last one again though.

I’d happily go on the waiting list - if only I had space for another (even small), dog. 😩 DH is on a bit of a whinge about dog fur at the moment as it’s been such a bad shedding season. He keeps finding fur in his food. Amazing how it happens to him and no one else…

Quire the hypocrite! But it’s so hard not to worry about dogs, particularly given they can’t exactly communicate.

We had such a lovely and sunny walk this morning! Not a soul in sight and, more importantly, I didn’t even need a coat 😃

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks No excuses! A K sized puppy could stand underneath your GRs and your DH wouldn't know she was there. Actually, a full sized K could hide under one of yours. 😂

It's amazing how dog hair gets everywhere. I don't often notice it in my food, but it's in the fridge and top oven. DS is popping over later, so I'm sure he'll join your DH in moaning about it. 🙄

Glad you had a lovely, sunny walk. It's raining here, so we haven't been out yet.

N is 11 years old today. She has celebrated by having her first solid poo for 11 days. 🥳🥳

@SpanielsGalore hmmm perhaps worth considering. Although goodness only knows how I'd afford it. Five is bad enough...six feels like I might have to sell the house and live under a bridge. That being said, if I did live under a bridge, I could stop cleaning up all the fur as the birds would just take it 😁

Sometimes Satan likes to walk under mine and then just stand there, meaning they can't move. I am sure it's a powerplay.

Isn't this the DS who likes Golden Retrievers? 😂If so he should count himself lucky you've got Spaniels - they might shed as badly, but at least they're smaller so there's less fur in general!

So glad to hear N appears to be on the mend❤And Happy Birthday to her! I hope you have something exciting lined up for her!

Whilst the OH and big pup were doing park run this morning I managed to split my head open on a branch whilst out with little pup. Currently sat waiting in urgent care. Little pup was quite concerned I was going to drip blood on her but not concerned about me at all!

Oh no @tizwozliz I hope you're okay!? Will keep my fingers crossed that you're not in urgent care too long either. Also hope that if it is a long wait, someone joins you soon with snacks and an ipad or something.

When I took my mum to A&E a few months ago, I bought sandwiches and fruit alongside my laptop. Nothing worse than waiting to be seen, or for a relative to see you, but nothing to distract you or to eat.

@Struckbylightning Pablo can be a bit reluctant to join me upstairs at bedtime sometimes too. Like he’s too comfortable where he is and doesn’t want to move 😂 must be a good sign gaining some independence though?

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I was talking to my greyhound owning friend about neutering the other day and she said the same as you, seems leaving him intact is probably going to be the best route!

@SpanielsGalore Happy birthday to N! A good poo is an excellent way to celebrate 😂

@tizwozliz I hope you’re ok!

We’ve just come back from a walk, took him back up the busy nature reserve again to see how he was. It was mostly a success - but we have definitely still got a bit of a way to go I think!

In and out in 45 minutes so not too bad. Scalp glued together. Starving now though as we were planning on brunch around 10.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks maybe it is the snoring, but I think we should all be in agreement that it is DH that snores, and not me. I can’t remember when it started, but I think it was before the heatwave. I guess as long as she’s happy, it’s a good thing, but I can’t help but be mildly offended 😂

Its a beautiful day here today and I finally made the right coat decision. Wore just a T-shirt and light fleece, which I did tie round my waist for most of the walk. We went along the canal. There was some kind of ‘Save our Canal’ event involving lots of paddle boards and kayak's - Merry was fascinated. I was very proud that she restrained herself around the ducks and didn’t try to herd them.

@tizwozliz Wow poor you, that must have quite a whack. Hope you are now consoling yourself with a slap up lunch!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks, @SpanielsGalore how old are the dogs in your packs? Do you have large age gaps?

@Struckbylightning Hen turned 14 last month, Clem is nearly 11, Pen is going to be 7 later this year, Twatdog is 4 later this year, and DWS is almost 1! So quite the age gap between eldest and younger but they all rub along reasonably well. I would only have four dogs if Twatdog's sale hadn't fallen through as I had originally planned to sell him. But even though I had someone he could have gone to, I kept the git. More fool me 😂

But yes, of course that's what I meant...your DH snores. 😁Poor Merry and you!

Was she looking at the ducks and eyeing them up but controlling herself? Or was she just happy to be out and about? I always find it really impressive when I watch dogs fight their instinct - but perhaps I am a weirdo!

@tizwozliz agree with @Struckbylightning - I hope you're having a big meal now to make up for it. Glad to hear you were in and out so quickly! I hope little pup is pleased to see you and next time shows a bit more concern!!

@VanGoSunflowers what happened that made it 'mostly' a success? Did he have a moment of 'ohh friend'? 😁

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks pretty much! He was playing with a Spaniel after the owner said it was ok, I don’t think he liked the spaniel much this time. But he went bolting over to a couple of Weimaraners (did I spell that right) who didn’t want to say hi! But he did come back when I called him at least and he did wait fairly patiently while I was talking to a woman walking her dogs so I’m saying with a lot going on around him, he did well!

How does everyone’s dogs react to squirrels and rabbits? Pablo looks at them, ears pricked and sometimes makes a half arsed attempt to get to them but I think he’s learned they’re too fast for him so he doesn’t bother chasing them 😂

@tizwozliz 45 minutes. Is that a record?! Hope you’ve consoled yourself with a nice lunch.

@SpanielsGalore Thus may be an ‘adolescent ’ thread but we need puppy pictures, and lots of them!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks My dh notices the fur more than me, and we only have one dog!

Happy birthday N!

@Struckbylightning The canal event sounds fun to watch, and more fun than the local facist-anti-racism march in our town.

@VanGoSunflowers Dog doesn’t really react to squirrels unless they run straight in front of him. Occasionally his ears will prick up and he’ll stare at them. Not sure he’s ever seen a rabbit.

Have you read the thread about the woman who ‘s dog may have accidentally knocked over a child. The dog was playing with the child’s family dog in a park. I get the dad was upset but it did sound like he was overly abusive which is a scary experience.

@VanGoSunflowers I'd take that as a win! If he came straight back, that's definitely progress even if he bolted toward them to begin with.

None of mine are bothered by squirrels. Although Satan loves a squirrel. But they do love rabbits (hence why Twatdog has collapsed over them before). I pre-emptively try and capture his attention before he see's them now. We see quite a lot of them, but we're often out at sunrise so there's hundreds of them around.

@Silverbirchleaf I did. I felt quite sorry for OP! Although I think she definitely should see a doctor... Posters are right though, the man wouldn't have reacted that way if OP had been male.😤

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks luckily the other dogs were off lead also, and they just stood behind their owner looking like they wanted to say “who is this annoying creature” he also now knows what “leave her alone” means 😂

@Silverbirchleaf I searched for that thread after you mentioned it. I agree with @TheHungryHungryLandsharks the man wouldn’t have reacted like that if she was male. I still keep getting unsolicited advice from men on dog walks. One walk I was on mine was actually the better behaved dog out of all the dogs in the field that day and I still got told how I should be training him 😂

I do find the off lead/on lead etiquette interesting. I always thought that if the other one was off lead that meant they were ok to approach. I walk Pablo on a training lead in these places now as I’m still working on his recall (perfect when no distractions, not so much when there are!) and every time another owner sees us they put their dog on the lead. But Pablo still largely thinks all dogs are fair game to make friends with 😂

@VanGoSunflowers Ohh! Was it a girly dog? I find that of all the dogs Twatdog likes to greet, it's 99% females. And of that 99% about 99% of them are Golden Retrievers. My boy has a type 😂

I have to say, one of the reasons I dog walk so early in the morning is to avoid other dog walkers! I find lunch-time walks and evening walks quite stressful although I don't tend to get any 'helpful' advice these days. The more dogs I have the less people bother me...so perhaps your solution should be another dog? Or two? Or three?

I think on lead/off-lead etiquette is really person specific. I don't let mine approach any dogs unless I already know the owner from multiple other meetings or unless I've asked. Part of that is just having so many dogs - I know it can intimidate other dogs if they've got 2 or even 3 other dogs saying hi - and part of that is just not trusting that off lead dogs are actually friendly or even trained.

But I absolutely don't let them say hi to dogs on leads. Even if the owner says 'they're fine' I try and avoid it - too many dogs have lead reactivity for me to risk it!

It is odd, dogs these days (and even pre-covid, so like the last 10 years) seem to have so many more behavioural issues than before. I wonder if that's part of the reason why so many dog owners are so stressed and grumpy? It's quite stressful walking sometimes when it is busy...I feel a bit on edge and always on the look out for the next 'issue'.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Pablo’s ‘type’ is always medium to large dogs. All of them. Anything from a Spaniel size upwards. He’s not keen on small dogs!

I much prefer quieter walks I must admit! I’m trying to I guess force myself to walk him in busier places these days to keep reinforcing his recall but maybe it’s not really necessary 😂 as you know he’s so excitable around other dogs, it’d be nice to get him to a place where he will ignore them unless told otherwise.

I totally get the ‘feeling on edge’ thing, always worried I’ll get shouted at if he has a slip up. Although I doubt I’d shit myself. Or worse - he gets hurt.

Are there any places you’d absolutely always have a dog on the lead, even if their recall is solid? So for me, I was thinking if Pablo ever does develop a solid recall, I’d still have him on a lead around loads of children playing or next to a busy road or in a field with cattle for example. That other thread got me thinking about it!