Beyond Adolescence - V

[SpanielsGalore]

New topic for a new thread, inspired by a post about poo bags.

Does your dog's poo smell?

I was under the impression that dog poo only smells bad if the food doesn't suit the dog. Same goes for flatulence.

The only time my dogs' poo smells or they have windy bottoms is if they've eaten something rotten they've found on a walk.

I have to say the same...never notice a smell most days. Only ever if they've eaten something particularly awful like my leftover cooking.

Hi, Thanks for the shiny new thread.

Our adult dogs, provided they're on a lamb based food, have not been stinky. Three of them have been bad with anything containing turkey and you'd need a gas mask to be near them.

Puppies yes, very stinky, windy. With this one his poo is still not great. He's on Royal Canin but I think I'll have to change over as soon as is realistically possible...

But I agree that if they're on the right food it shouldn't be stinky.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet how is everything going? Brie gained a bit of confidence yet?

@SpanielsGalore I committed a sin earlier! Saw spaniel and thought it was a Springer...but it was a Cocker 😅I might never recover from my embarrassment. Reminded me of you saying the people always confuse P

@tizwozliz @bupster @vangosunflowers @Silverbirchleaf @Struckbylightning @YorkshireFelix @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding tagging you all so you know we've migrated! Also tagging @Lavenderdog (Hope Pup is doing well and calmed down a bit from last time you were on the thread)!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Funny you should mention changing O's food. Off the back of the thread about good value food, I spent an hour or two looking at different brands again yesterday.

Hope O is settling in and Brie is getting used to him. And you're getting a peaceful night's sleep.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Has my last year of posts been for nothing? 🤦‍♀️😂 I'm assuming spaniel was liver and white, like P. Any other colour and there's no excuse. Honestly though, I can't always tell the difference. Especially once sprockers are thrown into the mix.

Just seen a post on FB about one of the Beckham boys getting a labrador. Don't know where he's hiding it, as the dog in the photo was clearly a GR.

N has taken to spending hours outside in the garden. She does some pottering around, but mainly lies in sunny spots. I worry her demetia is worsening. DS says she's just an old woman enjoying her garden. It's 6° here this morning and she's been outside for about an hour. That can't be good for her arthritic bones, can it?
Should I make her come in? I did yesterday afternoon, but then she was quite restless in the house.
The cockers are both cured up asleep indoors.

Good Morning from a bright sunny Lancashire 🙂

Sleep deprived. Had Brie vomiting through Monday night into Tuesday morning, necessitating a trip to the emergency vet for an anti-emetic. Last night it was Odilon's turn to keep me up by squeaking which became barking which became howling. I'm Mama Wolf and boy is glued to my side.

But we're doing okay. He's getting into a good routine with food and toileting. I couldn't find an affordable pushchair for that three week period before final vaccines and 10.8 kg is mighty heavy to carry far, but I've sat on our front steps with him on my lap a few times, to watch the world go by. He's been introduced to three neighbours, seen two dogs from a few yards away and been completely unbothered.

As regards the food, I'm still pondering whether to make a switch to Calibra Junior or continue working my way through the dog food rabbit warren...

Anyway, I'm guilty too, sorry folks. I can tell a Lab from a Goldie (though DP can't) but I'm not always great on spaniels or poodley doodleys...and utterly hopeless on toy breeds.

Awww, it sounds as if N is quite content in her own little way but I can understand your worries about her lying out, particularly if the grass is damp. It's a difficult one though, I know.

Beautiful morning here also. Car tells me it’s 12 degrees but feels warmer. Blue skies and washing out.

Taken this morning. Dog starting to do a shake as I took the picture.

i don’t notice a smelly poo either unless he’s eaten something he shouldn’t have.

@Silverbirchleaf trust DDog to shake and ruin it! It's such a beautiful day. Perfect coat weather for the morning walk, I thought!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet glad to hear all is going well, but sorry Brie hasn't been well! What do you think caused it? Hope Odilon settles a bit better tonight!

@SpanielsGalore I wouldn't worry to much about N unless it's a huge change of behaviour. But it could just be that now it's a bit cooler she's enjoying going out a bit more? Hen is usually outside most of the day (admittedly she has more fur), but she seeks out sunny spots and doesn't move.

It was indeed a liver! I was so mortified after, particularly after your posts!! And the dog was tiny so I really had no excuse. Absolutely not springer sized or shaped.

This is going to sound awful...but I do wonder about the sort of person who sells a dog to someone who travels so much and likely won't provide a stable home environment and will farm out training to trainers, and walks to dog walkers, and grooming to the groomer etc. Sounds a bit snobby, I know. But I like my buyers to be people who actually want a dog and have the right lifestyle for them..

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Sorry to hear Brie has been unwell. And I too hope O settles better tonight. (Have we decided he's a Dill yet?)
Is he old enough for junior food? I have no idea when puppy ends and junior starts? Or indeed when it's best for giant breeds to switch to it. I've always gone from puppy to adult. But I've only had spaniels and O is bigger than K already.

There are 100s of dog breeds I wouldn't be able to name. I wouldn't have known what Brie is before I joined MN. And I'm especially useless on small fluffy breeds. I ask people if I'm curious. (The last ones were pomeranians.) I don't think people mind me not knowing, but showing an interest. Whereas some people can be offended by me guessing incorrectly.
I knew from day 1 people would think P was a springer, because of her colouring. It only bothers me if they argue with me and tell me I'm wrong when I say she isn't.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Spaniels started as one breed and were sorted by size, so it's not surprising people can't tell them apart. Although if the one you saw was solid liver you have no excuse. 😂 Could have been a sprocker though, so I'd hedge my bets going by size.

When I had P and my solid liver sprocker, I met a couple with identical dogs. They were so identical to mine, when they met my friend she thought they were mine and asked them if I was ill. I wish I had taken a photo, as the ony way I could tell them apart was my pair had harnesses on. But their liver and white dog was a springer. And their solid liver was a cocker.

It is new behaviour from N, which is why it worries me a bit. She's never been out in the garden on her own before. As long as she's happy, I don't suppose it matters. But if it gets too cold, I'll have to make her come inside. Although the physio said cold and crisp isn't as bad as damp and wet.

I would want my puppy buyers to be people who had the time to devote to the dog too and see it as part of the family. No kennel life for my babies.
I can imagine selling to the famous would massively boost sales of future puppies though. People are twats and like to follow trends.

Thanks for tagging me!
I haven’t noticed Pablo’s poos smelling either come to think of it. And he doesn’t have bad wind either which he used to as a pup. I’m still feeding him Calibra Junior @CoubousAndTourmaIet after your recommendation! I switch between beef and lamb to mix it up a bit.

We really have no idea what triggered the sickness @TheHungryHungryLandsharks . She hadn't eaten anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it was just stress. There was nothing obvious but we wanted to get her checked out just in case. She's fine now and becoming slightly less daunted by pup. They were out in the garden together before and we did some gentle ball rolling play. He's growing really quickly, he couldn't pick up the big spiny ball two days ago but now he's running about with it.

Ah well @SpanielsGalore , as regards the name Dill, we're still not sure if he looks more like an Odo (that's oh-doe to rhyme with Frodo not oddo). Odilon is oh-dee-lon, but the lon is like the French "non".

The Junior Calibra Life Large Breed is from 3 months on, so technically he shouldn't start it for 3 weeks. I'll persevere with the RC to use it up but tonight I added in a handful of Calibra and it's the first time he's enthusiastically cleared the bowl...up to now he's been more of a grazer. So we shall see. I'm sure I'm probably breaking every rule going by making a switch so soon...but tough!!!

Well, I agree with you two of course on the commitment to a puppy. Ours have never had walkers or groomers although I acknowledge that we've been fortunate enough to have flexibility to be with them. Again I'm breaking all the rules by responding to Odo at night, and I'd be told I'm lining myself up for trouble and creating a dog with separation anxiety... But he's just a baby, he'll settle, and I wanted to bond with him from the start. I slept down with Brie when she was tiny and she's very good at night now (aside from when we have to do hedgehog watch at 3am).

Really @VanGoSunflowers ? Wow! I'm really pleased that it's been a good food for Pablo!

Very busy with work at the moment, much to big pup's disgust, she starts crying if I'm still sat at my desk past 5.45. I'm trying to capture it so I can get her to whine on demand!

Like others, 💩 here isn't excessively smelly and they're not particularly windy either, just on the odd occasion. The worst little pup reeked was post spay when she got given royal canin gastrointestinal food. I thought I might not wake up in the morning!

Pool party last weekend which was lots of fun, more os than last year as little pup now dared to jump in.

Struggling to adjust to the sudden drop in temps. Going away this weekend and having to dig out things I've not worn for months

I wish I'd broken my self imposed rule of pup not sleeping in the bed sooner, we would have all got more sleep and it's where she ended up in the end.

They loved the pool party.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Actually my behaviourist friend wrote an article which said leaving a puppy to cry creates separation anxiety. And not doing so helps to raise a confident, independent dog.
I think most of us on this thread have slept beside our puppies, whether that was downstairs or in the bedroom, so no one is going to give you stick here.

I also changed K's food within days of her being home. I straight swapped it too. None of this slowly swapping over malarkey. She wouldn't eat the food the breeder supplied, but wolfed down the new stuff.

@tizwozliz Glad the pups had fun at the pool party.
They hosted one in Stonehaven last month. It sold out within minutes. I'd have loved to take K, as she's a proper swimmer. P struggles to do a doggy paddle.

The lido have several dog swim sessions before they close for the season but the trainer we do Hoopers with had hired it privately for the evening.

Thanks @SpanielsGalore , that bears out our personal experience. I've always got up with them and they've all grown into calm, confident dogs at home.

My other theory about toilet training (that really nobody else seems to agree with 🙄) is proving true again. Dry puppy pads last night. The early bladder control of all our puppy boys has been impressive compared to that of the girls, though the girls are equally good as adults.
Speaking of which, Brie is flatly refusing to go out and wee this morning because it's blowing a gale and pouring with rain.

Foodwise, she's still on Calibra mixed with Essential Estate (old recipe) and I'm chucking a scoop of Junior Calibra into the Royal Canin every meal for Odilon now. So we'll see if the poo is any less whiffy.

The boy is precocious 😆DP informed me last night that Odo appeared to be doing a boundary check before bed...😮 Yeah, okay. 9 weeks old tomorrow and it is definitely time to start earning his keep 😂

To misquote Charles M Schulz - Happiness is the smell of a warm puppy 🤗

Hope you all have a good day and a lovely weekend.

Sharing an obligatory photo of Twatdog for page 1 of this thread. 😀

Sorry it’s so busy at work @tizwozliz - I feel your pain! I’m getting lots of sad looks and whinging from my bunch. Although they say anything part 16:00 is an infringement on their doggy rights and they’ll be contacting the RSPCA.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet glad to hear the two are spending a bit of time together! How long is it again until their first walk?

@SpanielsGalore I think N will be okay l! But maybe if she’s still doing it when it gets colder it’s worth contacting the vets just to be sure?

He’s gorgeous! Looks an old soul.

Thanks for the new thread!
TwatDog is sooo handsome 😍
@CoubousAndTourmaIet I hope Brie is feeling better and is getting used to having a pesky puppy in her house.

I have finally found a way of getting tablets into Merry! Wrapping in ham/ chicken/ cheese didn’t work on previous occasions, I think she could smell it so she was just sucking off the goodies and spitting out the tablet. She was obviously then super suspicious, so I had to resort to crushing them up and mixing with her food as per the leaflet. She clearly could still taste or smell it so it took her 3 days to eat that portion of dinner, with me adding extra nice bits. Last night I broke the 2 tablets in half, squished them into cheese and then ‘accidentally’ dropped them on the floor without making eye contact. She hoovered them up no problem.

Awww, such a serious expression there ❤@TheHungryHungryLandsharks
It's about two weeks until pup can get out. It feels like such a long wait, despite us splitting the vaccines this time.

Thanks @Struckbylightning , Brie is fine now.
Oh, that's funny about the tablets. Dog psychology 😄Hope Merry is okay though..?

Odo has just given Brie complete paranoia by going under her tummy to see if he could suckle 😳 She was not amused.

Thanks all! He is a very handsome boy. Just a shame that his one braincell appears to be fading away each day. At least his dermatitis has cleared up now😁

@Struckbylightning poor Merry being tricked! What are the tablets for!? Hope it's nothing serious!?

I have the same issue with Twatdog though. Bravecto is the worse. He eats around it, and even if I smush it into the food he then eats around that food. I tried your trick of dropping food...but I trained him too well not to scrounge so he just stares at it 😂The girls are much easier. They just do what they're told.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet only two weeks! Could be worse. Are you still sitting on the front step with him watching the world?

Nooo! Odo did not. Does he think he's DWS!?😳She still does that on occasion. How did Brie react?

@Silverbirchleaf We went to Eastbourne this morning, then back via Bexhill. Just got home. Bexhill was really lovely (I was perhaps a bit too surprised). 10K steps done already. It's amazing how quickly the count adds up, even when you're just nosying around.

Also, (I know @SpanielsGalore doesn't like coffee talk), but what is the point of a bakery/coffee shop that doesn't open until 9am?! In my mind, on a Saturday, a good coffee shop/bakery is open by 8. This one place we wanted to try must lose so many customers by not opening until 9 on a Saturday...just feels so late.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I don't get up before 8, so 9 o' clock would be fine by me. 😁

Been raining here all morning, but has just cleared up so I shall head out with the dogs. That should get my paltry step count up a bit. Shame my sofa is so close to the kettle.

Thank you for tagging me! Weather is absolutely grim here. So windy and chucking it down. Dd is full of cold so we have got back into bed and V is laid on me like a dead weight.

Here he is looking extra shiny in the sunlight last week.

Mad windy here too, but blue sky.
Hope your DD feels better soon @YorkshireFelix . V is looking great!