I want to get a dog but I have to work, how does everyone on broadway market do it ?

If they do go in the water/mud when they’re not working, and you don’t have a hosepipe etc etc, then a mud daddy is a great thing.
Bailey is in the pond every day it seems and every morning gets a wash after. She loves it all and it makes her happily tired.

Does anyone have any recommended reading for someone about to embark (ha) on the journey of getting a new puppy? I've got 2 months to get ready before we collect child number 3. Hoping this one doesnt hate me.

From last weeks tweedlove race, which I never put his equafleece on and he got soaked, shivered and hated every second at it.

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Nice, are you excited? My parents had labs when I was growing up (golf club) and they're lovely dogs, full of personality. She's beautiful by the way. I'm sure she'll be a great addition to the family.
Totally unsolicited advice but in terms of training, make sure you and the rest of the family are really consistent with your approach. My partner and I found we were trying to teach Crumpet the same things but in slightly different ways and when we committed to doing exactly the same thing every time it all came together so much quicker. I'm sure yours will be well trained when she arrives but thought I'd pass on a nugget that I found helpful anyway in case there are some specific things that she doesn't already know.

Such a sweet face! I'd absolutely love a border terrier. I think it'd probably try and eat the cat though.

He’s a half n half.

Border body/JRT face. Good boy, terrible listener, enjoys home comforts.

This FB group is run by some dog trainers, they've got loads of info, all positive reinforcement stuff.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogtrainingadviceandsupport/learning_content

Thanks

Not on FB so will just go to the library and look for a book or two.

We found Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy by Steve Mann useful (had dogs in the family but our first as a couple) would recommend it for before the four legged arrives and in those early days before you get to training classes.

I can recommend this book. We used it for Lützi and it worked incredibly well. Like @ltc says, there needs to be consistency between the people training/living with the dog. Obviously you need a lot of patience and will power (so does the dog).

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Graceful hound

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What flavour are you getting?

Getting a springer. Should be a challenge but we love to get out and have lots of fields around here plus country pubs...

Edit: thanks for the book recommendations

Today is LSD.

(liquid shit day)

Imagine dealing with it on acid though.

Who says I'm not?

How do I change the "i'm going upstairs, I will come back, you don't need to whine" to "not fussed"?

Settle training/relaxation protocol. We've been working through this protocol thing a trainer recommended and it's been amazing. He's gone from being generally restless to at least able to chill out in various situations and with various things happening around him. Not all the time, but def a marked improvement. I wouldn't worry too much about reading all the gumf at the start, but the tasks towards the back are a great framework to train this behaviour and we work through them one a day, repeating any he 'fails' until he passes and then moving into different rooms/locations once completed in one place.

https://www.karenoverall.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Protocol-for-relaxation_Overall.pdf

great. I'll read that.

Good luck! I'm sure you know this, but spaniels can be absolute lunatics. I'm sure there are far more knowledgeable owners on here, but main recommendation would be ensuring you teach them an 'off' switch from the very start. I'd be crate training and pushing through regardless of the initial reaction/response. Puppy classes, in my experience, are basically 80% spaniels with owners who are struggling to handle the energy.

Don't watch Mordor Gundog videos of Waffle the spaniel. It will make you sob at how good he is.

Anyone got any experience of mega-anxious/timid dogs? I’ve got a 8-month old spaniel/lab mix who has been scared of everything since we got him at 12 weeks. Life has been one long fear period for him

He’s particularly scared of other dogs (who pick up on his weirdness and chase him if I can’t intercept them) but he’s never been pinned or bitten that I can tell

Around the house and with people he knows he’s great - quick learner/keen to please/okay being alone/goes to his bed on demand, but he hasn’t warmed to any men except me and is very wary of strangers (fine with kids though)

We had a trainer for the first few months, but my feelings are she sees too many over-socialised dogs and so warned us off getting him around too many dogs. We don’t have any reliably good dogs amongst friends and it’s a lottery at the park.

Vet has suggested some behaviourists but I haven’t got endless money to throw at him, and I was underwhelmed with the previous trainer. Aren’t they just going to give the classic ‘gradually expose him to stressful environments until he’s relaxed/give him treats etc’ advice?

There’s YouTube trainers in America who do ‘board and train’ things where he could be exposed to known Good Dogs and actually learn that they can be fun (I feel like it’s going to take days…)

Any experience/advice greatly appreciated

Have you thought about getting him in with a walker? It might be a good way to get him socialised and used to being around other dogs and people. Although maybe not the best bet if he's just terrified the whole time.

I can only talk about our experience with dogs, we didn't really have anyone to socialise peanut with when we got him but we found one person who he met there dog outside in a neutral location, they got on and now they have play dates where they go to each other houses maybe even just for an hour or 2.

Another thing we do is he goes to daycare 1 day a week for 4 hours and sees other dogs.

Mine isnt totally the same as peanut just loves people but he's scared of things he isnt sure of.

Defo try and get some socialising as that helped him massive and he probs was about the same age as yours.

Yeah that might be an idea if we can break him through his abject fear. At the moment a ‘good’ encounter is when the other dog is very well mannered and just curious/slow moving and wants a sniff. It still scares him, but not enough to run away. Can’t imagine anyone else walking him atm.