Beyond Adolescence - part 4

[SpanielsGalore]

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

@VanGoSunflowers Tbh I still feel like that with my dogs even after having so many - I never quite believe they've 'got it' until they prove it. Do you think Pablo had that retriever 'thing' where he wants to please? Part of the reason I think mine can be so good is because they genuinely do want to please me and be told they're 'good dogs.' I don't know if Spaniels are like that (Satan certainly isn't) but most retrievers (Labs/Goldens) I've met have been really eager to please.

DWS is just over a year. So I've got another 2 or so to go before she gets a grip and acts like a proper dog again 😂

@SpanielsGalore If the difference between what you're wearing and what I'm wearing at the same temperature doesn't demonstrate the two very different ways the North/South view weather, I don't know what would!

It is so hard to know with dogs (as I always say). But I don't think there's any harm in getting her checked out. Best case scenario is she's fine and you've just wasted money on a check up and if there is something, you'll feel better knowing your instincts were right! Two sounds about right for Spaniels growing up though, at least based off my very limited knowledge?

K is really pretty 😍

I've still not forgiven her - as you say, toe sucking is really not going to soften my views! But I did allow her on the sofa with me after lunch and she stuck her tongue in my ear for a moment before I pushed her off, so we're getting there. I'll have to work double hard on her re-call between now and our holiday though as she was a right git at Holkham last time we went there. Wondering if I can just plop her in front of Clem and get Clem to bat her around like she used to do when DWS was a puppy...always worked wonders. 😂

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Bill is half Spaniel and half Lab and neither half has any desire to please me whatsoever, the nobhead 😁

@Bupster but Bill is one of a kind!

Also that photo makes him look so teeny tiny! In my mind he was so much taller, possibly because of the angle of previous photos?😍Or maybe it's the angle of this photo making him look smaller. Either way, adorable!

How is he coping now the weather is getting cooler?

It’s all about the angle 😄

Our handsome Bill. 🩷

DWS discovered a group of squirrels going at it in one of the trees this morning and she was absolutely fascinated. Dirty little voyeur. I ended up having to stick her back on the lead and tug her away as she wouldn't recall for love nor treats.

She wasn't even doing anything naughty, she just wouldn't stop staring. Not happy as that's twice in a week now she's not waited for her lead when asked, but I refuse to revert to lead walks with her as she'll never learn otherwise. 😤

On the other hand, really lovely cool, crsip, walk this morning. I am loving these slightly cooler mornings! Hope everyone else had lovely weather for their walk and @tizwozliz only two more days to go now until holiday (I think?)

Cool? It was lovely and sunny and warm here. Very pleasant.

Also had an interesting walk. Was approaching the road to join another footpath. Saw man with spaniel ahead. Dog stood still, alert , and I thought, strange, he’s not normally bothered by spaniels. Next minute, two very yappy, reactive daschunds appeared, and Dog literally turned 180 degrees and pulled me in the opposite direction, back where we came (on lead as near road). They weren’t even that close.

However, Dog later found a ball so cheered up.

Squirrels don’t usually bother Dog. His ears may prick up, but apart from the odd kamikaze one in the garden, he’s fine.

Hope K is okay. I agree, she’s very pretty, and what a strange sleeping position.

Mine are both eager to please, it's just that big pup is only eager to please herself 🤣

We had a busy weekend, park running for big pup whilst I did some gundog work with little pup. She did some lovely long memory retrieves. Then swimming and another long woodland walk.

Lead walk round the business park last night prior to picking up our animal health certificate, little pup still manages to find a ball!

I've forgotten what normal weather is like and struggling to know what to pack! We've had some lovely cool nights, sunny mornings and pretty sunsets.

@tizwozliz Lovely photos as usual, and beautiful sunset (and dogs).

Merry also sometimes sleeps like that, I call it the broken neck pose! Sometimes includes a ball for added discomfort.

I am enjoying the cooler days. The weather recently has felt more like proper English summer rather than full-on apocalypse. It’s still warm though and I often start with a cardi on and end up with it tied round my middle.

No creatures were chased this morning, but she did stop and gaze intently at the Exmoor ponies. But I think she’s smart enough to give them a wide berth and not mess with them. Squirrels are fair game though, especially if they are going at it in the trees, they are noisy little buggers!

We had a very traumatic visit to the vet last week. It was a health check and booster shots, so shouldn’t have been too exciting. I was holding her head and feeding treats, but when tue vet jabbed the needle in Merry kind of snapped at my hand. It didn’t hurt at all, just a warning snap (like during the wasp incident, which you may remember upset me at the time, but you guys kindly talked some sense into me). Anyway, the vet seemed really freaked out and told me I needed to get her to a behaviourist. She still had the Kennel Cough to administer, so she then went and got a nurse and they wrestled her into a muzzle so they could squirt her up the nose.

Anyway, I don’t want to underplay the snapping, and I realise I need to start to muzzle train her, but surely Merry’s reaction was normal? Or not? My other dog placidly accepted anything and never showed her teeth in anger so this is new to me. Any words of wisdom for me?

@Struckbylightning honestly, your vet sounds like a prat. Vets should not 'freak out'. And if that's the first time Merry has ever reacted like that (she's had all her puppy vaccinations right, and yearly jabs with no response like that?) then chances are the vet nicked something painful, or misjudged where the needle should have gone, or it was just particularly painful. Most dogs would snap in those situations if they are hurt and under stress.

Muzzle train her for your own peace of mind (always useful to do anyway), but honestly I wouldn't worry about this too much. Sounds far more like a pain reflex than actual aggression - remember if you were that close to her and she wanted to hurt you, she could have. I know it was probably quite shocking though❤

Glad to know Merry has the same obsession with watching squirrels do the deed that DWS has! Was starting to worry my smallest weirdo was a real voyeur.

@tizwozliz beautiful photos as always! This is a terrible time of year to go away though in terms of knowing what to pack - could get chilly, might be warm. Does big pup not do gundog work? Or do you take them separately?

@Silverbirchleaf sounds like your boy has some good senses and hearing!! What's your boy like with cats? Or does he ignore them like squirrels (unless they kamikaze).

DWS has finally redeemed herself. She kept staring at me earlier wanting me to play, so in the end I said 'go bother [DH] with your blanky' and she turned around, picked up her blanket from the toy box (it's her favourite) and went over to DH and shoved it onto his lap, backed up two paces and then sat there staring at him. What a smart girl.

@Struckbylightning Although it was scary at the time, I wouldn’t worry. Merry was just reacting to someone shoving a needle in her. WCS (white coat syndrome!) It’s not as if we can explain what’s about to happen to her, and the vet should be used to animals reacting. If there’s been no other incidences, I don’t think she needs muzzling, although you could muzzle the vet for his stupid comment!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks we can walk within inches of a cat, and Dog doesn’t notice them. Only if they’re showing aggression to him does he notice them, but it’s only a few times he’s ever gone to chase one. However, next doors cats dolike to sit in front of our house which irritates him, lots of barking.

@Struckbylightning Im with everyone else and wouldn’t worry! Dogs aren’t themselves at the vet. Pablo is usually never scared of anything but when I take him to the vets he cowers and hides behind my legs which is very unlike him!

I have never seen squirrels going at it!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Pablo is definitely eager to please. He loves being teacher’s pet! Sometimes I like to tell him what a good boy he is while he is just lying on the floor relaxing because I like making his tail wag.

@tizwozliz love the pictures and hope you have a great holiday!

We have our break near Lincoln this weekend. I think it’s going to rain a lot. But I’m not going to let that stop us enjoying it!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks You could try threatening DWS with being left behind with DH and DC if she doesn't start behaving herself.
To be fair, she was very good, standing quietly watching. Mine would have been squealing and trying to climb the tree.

Just scrolled down and read she has redeemed herself. What a clever girl.

@Silverbirchleaf Dog sounds very sensible. I'd avoid two yapping reactive dachshunds too.
K did something similar the other night, when it all kicked off between two groups of dogs in front of us. There was no way she was getting involved in it.

@tizwozliz That pink sky photo is lovely. I hope you have a lovely holiday.

@Silverbirchleaf Glad K isn't the only contortionist. 😂

FFS! Your vet sounds like a bigger twat than some of the one's I've had the displeasure of seeing. And that's saying something! Of course you don't need to rush off to a behaviourist. Both incidents were due to fear and pain. It really pisses me off that people expect dogs to put up with everything without reacting.
I would muzzle train her and use one for vet visits in the future. It will help you to be more relaxed and not to worry she might snap or bite. Vet visits are often stressful enough without added worry. If you use a Baskerville type muzzle, you can get the end of a Primula tube through the bars to supply a constant flow of treats. It worked really well for my fear reactive dog.
My DDog stood so calmly, a vet once told me I could remove his muzzle if I wanted. I declined. Two minutes later, the vet touched Ddog's paw and he launched himself at the vet's face. He thanked me for leaving the muzzle on. He didn't suggest a behaviourist though.

@VanGoSunflowers I hope you have a lovely break and the weather is kind to you all.

Typically, just as I book a vet appointment for K she perked up a bit yesterday and initiated a session of play fighting with P. So perhaps she was low in energy, because of the low fat diet. Unfortunately, her coat has gone dandruffy, so it would appear chicken doesn't agree with her. I won't cancel the appointment just yet though.

P was registered as liver roan when she was born. Up until now, at best she could be described as liver and white ticked. But finally at the grand old age of 5, she has some roan colouring coming through. Give it another 5 years, and people might stop mistaking her for a springer. (I realise this will mean nothing to most of you.)

@Struckbylightning hope it reassures you that the collective hive mind thinks your vet is a 'twat' 😀

@Silverbirchleaf I sometimes wonder if cats harass dogs on purpose to get a response. They're meant to be really smart but they always seem to put themselves in front of dogs and wind them up. My neighbours sits on her garage roof and hisses at mine

@VanGoSunflowers I do that with mine! Does Pablo do the 'brainless grin' afterwards when you've told him he's a good boy but he's not done anything? Twatdog does, his mouth opens, ears prick up and he wags his tail looking completely pointless.

It is a bank holiday so it has to rain! That's the rule in the UK! Hope you enjoye Lincoln though

@SpanielsGalore She's a very smart girl, when she wants to be.

I am sure dogs do it on purpose! Wait until you're really worried, appointment is booked, and then they're fine! But I am very glad to hear she's feeling a bit better ❤

P's colouring sort of means something to me! Tbh she's beautiful no matter what her coat is. It's funny though how it can take so much years for them to become the colour they're meant to be. Twatdog's bum is slowly getting whiter (not cream) but the rest of him is getting darker.

One of my breeder friends rang me last night. Someone had rung him asking if he produced Goldens with the 'low-shedding gene.' 🙄Apparently it's the newest fad. Low shedding Golden Retrievers. Now I really have heard it all.

@SpanielsGalore What sort of spaniel is P meant to be? (Off to google liver roan)

Sorry. I tagged @Silverbirchleaf twice in my last post instead of @Struckbylightning . Blame it on my fat fingers.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Apparanty you can tell if a cocker spaniel is roan or not by the colour of their paw pads at birth. I knew it could take a couple of years for the roan pattern to come through, but not five.

Low shedding GR. I've heard it all now. Surely that must have started as an April Fool's joke and some idiots fell for it.

@Silverbirchleaf P is a working cocker spaniel. But because of her colouring, people always assume she is a springer.

Some headless shots to illustrate the colour change. She is not cooperative when I point a phone at her.

@SpanielsGalore ohh look at those cutie little spots coming through 😍

Do you think that's an old wives tale about paw pads?

I must say, one of my fave things about this thread is how healthy and slim and happy everyones dogs are! Never seen such slim dogs consistently on show 😀

I did joke to my friend that they must have confused him for a Golden-Doodle breeder🤔I did google, and apparently it is a 'thing' in so much as it's a bit of a myth...like unicorns.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I did think someone must have snuck a poodle in somewhere along the line to create this non shedding GR.

The paw colour is a real thing. My friend explained it all to me at one point, but I just found it confusing.
That's what I was hoping expecting P to look like.

@SpanielsGalore it's mind boggling the things people want in dog breeds. Just get a stuffed toy 😤

Ahh I see what you mean! But tbh P is just lovely the way she is😍Do you think her coat might turn completely like that or will she just remain a bit dappled?

That GR puppy only gaining 100g in a week...is really worrying. Twatdog was about 16-18kg by that age. DWS was 14kg. I'd be so worried if it was one of my dogs.

Side note: Nutriment fat quantity in their food is a disgrace and will almost certainly contribute toward poor joint formation in the future. It's nearly 3x higher than it should be and way too few carbs and calcium. But not sure OP wants to listen...so I will not try again. I've finally learnt my lesson about offering advice. Only taken about 18 months.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I can't see P being completely roan like that, but you never know. Maybe in another 5 years.

That GR puppy owner doesn't want advice, so I don't know why they bothered asking. I read it as the puppy only gained 100gms in 2 weeks. Pretty sure K gained more than that!
I just looked on the Nutriment website. They say 4 - 6% for a puppy (which is wrong) and by 4 months old you can switch them to the adult flavours. Don't know if that makes it better or worse. The protein levels seems very low to me. Don't think I've fed any type of food that is below 20%.

@SpanielsGalore bloody hell! You're right, I read it wrong.100g in two weeks, at an age where I would (at a minimum) expect a kg a week. Jeepers.

I will try one more time. (I have not learnt, it appears).

It's funny because the AllAboutDogFood website gives them a really good rating, but when you actually look at the food...it's not that good. They give them 10% higher than BNB, and whilst I don't have the highest opinion of BNB...their food is far more balanced.

I always forget how small your girls are until you mention their weight and then I remember!

Also, it poured down here this morning and I got drenched. I don't think I've had a better walk in years 😍Not a single soul out and about and raining. Perfect walk after months of hot weather and idiots

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks The dog nutritionist I follow advises people against using the AADF site. She says their ratings are heavily based in favour of meat content and doesn't take other factors into account. For example, a bag of plain beef mince has a rating of 90%. It isn't really a balanced diet though. She did give other reasons too.
I found it really unhelpful when I wanted to switch P from raw to kibble. Giving her a bowl of plain mince was rated as better for her than any dry food I could buy. It gave me a huge guilt trip.

Glad you enjoyed your rainy walk. 😂 It's sunny here, so I am going to hang the washing out and head out with the cockers.

@SpanielsGalore did your nutritionist have any ideas about other places to look for advice? I'm not necessarily tied to AADF's ratings at all but Bill is intolerant or allergic to half the planet and it's so handy to be able to exclude things rather than having to go through the small print.