Beyond Adolescence - part 4

[SpanielsGalore]

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

@Silverbirchleaf nope! Mostly missed us. All very disappointing 😞

I don’t know what it’s like for your boy but my dogs aren’t even going on the grass now as it’s so dead and spikey!

@SpanielsGalore agreed! I think it’s the ‘oh thank goodness I have a job, I need to prove myself now’ mentality. Which is natural but really quire selfish.

Glad to hear your boiler sorted itself!! Quite a lucky turn. I hear you on traders being so expensive! BIL is one and he always says the more expensive a quote, the more you can bet the work will be shoddy! Ditto with super cheap. I guess for small jobs it’s harder for them as they want to make it ‘worth’ coming out but then they lose customers and potentially bigger jobs down the line….

Another hot one today here! I know you’re sick of the rain (and it’s damaged your roof!) but I would kill for a thunderstorm. If only so I can have a proper meal. If I see another salad I will scream 😂😩 Dogs are likewise finding it tedious I think…not much energy at all

Good morning all!
@TheHungryHungryLandsharks sorry work is so rubbish at the moment, I hope it calms down for you soon!
@SpanielsGalore glad the boiler is working now but rubbish about all the other stuff. Shall we all hike up your way and help you with the wallpaper?

I have been off my vape for one week today! Feeling quite pleased with myself. I think all the running has tired me out this week, me and Pablo didn’t wake up until 9.30am this morning!

Thought I’d report back on the car training session, which went well, apart from a very enthusiastic, bouncy, barky dog at the beginning of the session when they arrived. However, once we got going, things improved.

with everyone around, coukdn’t fully demonstrate how Dog was as he played up and was very reluctant.

The trainers showed me tricks to reward when Dog moves, rather than trying to lure him the car. LTwice, we had the trainer on one side in the back and me the other, and then I managed to get out of the car, into the front , and go for a five minute drive! (Trainer still in back). Dog actually looked quite relaxed! I was amazed.

i’m going to practice getting dog to go in the car, but if jumps straight out, they said not to worry. I’M not really sure what we did different yesterday, but it seem to work.

i’ve got another session in a couple of weeks.

@Silverbirchleaf that sounds positive! Hope things start to improve with the car and the next session goes well too!

@VanGoSunflowers Thank you, and good morning! Are you up early (for a Sunday) to take the dogs out as well due to the heat( can’t remember where you’re located)?

We are live from the woods! Forecast to be hot again so out before breakfast.

@VanGoSunflowers congrats on your one week vapeless! How are you feeling this morning (assuming you were up early for a run?)

@Silverbirchleaf that's great news! Hopefully with a few more sessions DDog will start to get the hang of it. Sounds like you managed to get a really good trainer!! You must be thrilled 😊

@tizwozliz big pup?

Dogs and I went out with DDs this morning, but only did a very short one as it was really muggy. I actually found myself a bit breathless a few times and that definitely doesn't happen often.

Sexiphant turned up last night and Twatdog spent the whole evening gazing at it from where it was propped up against the wall. He wants it, he knows he could take it, but he doesn't because he knows he has to wait for his release word.

He's like this with food though. If I drop it on the floor, he just looks at it but doesn't move until I release him. The girls are the same. But every time I watch him do something like that I am just very proud of him, because he's such a loser normally (unlike the girls) it's quite rewarding to see all my training wasn't for nothing. 😅

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks - yes, big pup.

It was 22 by the time we got back to the car at 9am so the early start was definitely the right decision.

@tizwozliz I am impossibly proud of myself that I can distinguish between the two of them, which is silly as they don't even look that similar!! My only defence is photos make it hard to be sure! I know I say it all the time, but both big pup and little pup have absolutely beautiful eyes.

It was the same temperature here at 9 am. No breeze either which makes it even worse. It's due to get up to 33 here by the end of the week.

@Silverbirchleaf It’s up to 27 here today, not as hot as some but still too hot so yes we were out early walking/running! It’s 22 degrees here right now but pretty humid. I was going to go back to Cannock chase but by the time we got there we wouldn’t have enough time for a proper hike before it got too hot!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks i was a bit breathless on this morning’s walk too. I’m desperate for autumn to hit! Your dogs have more self control than Pablo! He will wait for his release word for his main meals or to be let off the lead etc but if food drops on the floor it’s fair game!

@tizwozliz lovely pic as usual!

Anyone know anything about vans? I’m considering buying one as a second vehicle for camping adventures. I’ve wanted one for ages!

Me and my friend took Pablo for a walk the other evening and ended up sitting down for a while on some benches and Pablo kept climbing on to my lap. This is exactly what he does occasionally when I am trying to work from home because I don’t think he realises he isn’t puppy sized any more. Anyway, she took a picture of us and it’s hilarious. It looks like he’s being held hostage but I can assure you he put himself there.

@VanGoSunflowers - I spend half my time looking at vans :-). We hired one for 3 months when I was between contracts a few years ago and it was great. But I'd want a van that's equally as nice to drive as my car and that's £££. I could afford it, but the sensible side of me can't make the sums add up for the use we'd get out of it whilst we were working.

The dogs loved it.

@tizwozliz I have been thinking of getting one for so long. A regular van that I can throw the stuff in I need for camping but eventually do a semi-conversion on it. What sort of size are you looking at or what size was the one you hired? Sorry for all the questions! I’ve been looking at a transit custom but I don’t know if I could get away with something smaller. Pablo and DS would love it I’m sure!

We hired a VW T28, so smaller than a transit. That size was doable for 2 adults plus 2 dogs (although little pup was only 5 months old at the time) but you had to be organized. We had it over the winter so spent plenty of time inside. Something slightly bigger would be nicer but not sure if the trade off of driving something bigger would be worth it. We didn't really have to consider size when driving as it would fit in a normal parking space and was lower than 95% of height barriers we came across.

We keep considering a motorhome. We’d find a campervan too small.

Theres a big motorhome and campervan show in Birmingham in October, plus some other regional shows held around the country.

Morning all.
I'm drowning in a sea of dog walks and wallpapering. Nothing else exists in life.

The dogs are all fine. The weather is still crap. I found a roofer, who came round and replaced my tiles for £40.

Hope everyone and their dogs are having a better more interesting time.

@VanGoSunflowers The look on Pablo's face is hilarious. 😂

@VanGoSunflowers Glad it's not just me getting breathless! It's definitely the weather, I think. Pablo looks so baffled in that photo, like he's not quite sure what happened.

I'd love a 'van-life' style camper! But not sure how I'd fit myself in it once I'd shoved all the dogs and their bits and pieces in.

@SpanielsGalore sorry to hear about your drowning in wallpaper and dogs!

Dogs and I did a short(ish) walk by our standards today. 4 miles over an hour. But it's just so muggy and close that it makes it really hard work. Plus I've been avoiding the woods and going through fields instead, which isn't particularly conducive to staying cool! 🙁

Five weeks until I go away for a few weeks with DDogs. DH is going to stay with DDs as they'll be back at school, and I get 13 nights away in Norfolk with my dogs to just dog walk, eat cake, and relax. 😍I bet the next 5 weeks pass horribly slowly...

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Sounds bliss. If you need company, we're up for walking, relaxing and cake. But not necessarily in that order.

@SpanielsGalore Can you imagine...eight dogs 😂Tbh sounds a bit like bliss.

The only downside is that I can't take all of them into a pub with me for lunch, for example. Although if the weather is good I can probably sit outside. I'll look like one of those crazy cat ladies from the TV shows!

So I’ve got five weeks to get Dog car trained then, to add a nineth dog. I can make a detour via Costco to get some of their lovely muffins or Danish pastries.

Incidentally, if you a want a lovely dog friendly pub near Eastbourne, we discovered one last week. It’s called the Tiger Inn and is in East Dean. Lovely village as well.

@Silverbirchleaf I've got no chance with P. I'll have to get her a strong sedative from the vet.

Actually 9 dogs would be P's worst nightmare. Any more than 2 and she's asking to be picked up.

Just found a swollen tick, that must have fallen off one of the dogs. I guess their Seresto collars aren't working then. I can't remember when I put them on, but it doesn't seem that long ago.

I won’t gatecrash the holiday with Pablo, he’d terrorise all the others until they relented and played with him!

Took him a walk in the woods yesterday and saw a naked rambler. This man was walking towards me with it all hanging out! Funny thing was, as he walked past me he looked at me suspiciously. Like I was interrupting his naked hiking time. In a public place. In broad daylight 😂

@Silverbirchleaf I had a nosey, the Tiger Inn looks lovely! Will send DH there this weekend (he's going to watch the air show with DDs) to scope it out 😁

DDog more than welcome to join the party. We'll just have to make sure P is properly looked after by @SpanielsGalore.

@SpanielsGalore eurghh that's horrible! I do hate ticks. It's one of the reasons I always stay as far away from deer as I possibly can!

@VanGoSunflowers of course it was a man! How dare you interrupt his private time with nature. Very selfish of you!😅

Naked/half-clothed men are increasingly on the rise in summer. Eurgh. What a thought. But you know what I mean. I see at least half a dozen topless ones every morning when I walk the dogs...running through the fields and springing up like sodding weeds. And not one of them is Henry Cavil. At least if you're going to force me to look upon you, look like Henry Cavil. Is that too much to ask!?

Honestly, if Pablo wasn't a boy Twatdog might quite like him. He likes them forceful 😂He just prefers it when they're female. Forceful boy dogs make him worried (usually because they then go for him because he's intact - poor Twatdog).

I had the most delicious muffin this morning. Apple Crumble. It actually tasted like apple crumble, but in muffin form. Even had the crunchy bits on top😍I think I might have found my true love in life. I'm still thinking about it eight hours later...

@VanGoSunflowers OMG That's worse than me coming cross a topless photo shoot. And more prolonged, as you have to walk towards and past him.