The DOOM Spaniels

Tristan was disgrumpled because Guinevere had a Targeted Go Find with an *entirely new* target and Tristan DIDN'T. Tristan couldn't even HELP. And Gwyn was soooooo bad at it (she takes longer than he does), very frustrating for a very competent, very earnest Young Man to have to witness.

Tristan later had his own Named Toy Selection training session and was content. He just had to fully express his opinions about the situation.

[Video Description: Tristan, a black and white cocker spaniel in a crate, picks up and drops a plastic pill bottle while making complaining noises. He looks to one side and makes a few more Sad Tristan Noises. Guinevere, a red cocker spaniel, trots up to the crate and sits, trying to offer encouragement, but Tristan cannot be soothed. Guinevere trots toward the camera, as Tristan picks up his bottle again, drops it, and complains some more.]

In light of recent events, I got a little hand-held massager to see if we could alleviate some back/muscle aches on the Spaniels.

Gwyn isn't entirely sure about it yet, but Tristan took approximately three seconds to decide that he REALLY likes it. Also, we should be using it on only Tristan, at all times.

[Video Description: It's not well lit. A small buzzing black machine with a blue power light is moving around the right side of a red cocker spaniel. The camera swings left and zooms; you can see the face of a black and white cocker spaniel in a crate. The black and white cocker spaniel makes a single piteous cooing complaint.]

Tristan was having a grand time yelling at a sound from outside. I requested he stop ("good boy, enough") and he made his usual hilarious, disgruntled collection of closing sounds.

The Spaniels could tell I was getting dressed in Off-Farm clothes; lately they're more concerned when I leave, so I told them "It's Auntie Vet. Auntie Vet is coming." They immediately switched from "you're LEAVING us!!" behaviors (slinking around, clinging to me, and sitting sadly in their crates) to excited anticipation behavior (watching out the window, Excited Tristan Noises, and rowroos).

Today's earworm is THE RAMONES - TWENTY TWENTY TWENTY FOUR HOURS TO GO, I WANNA BE SEDATED

[Video Description: Tristan, a black and white cocker spaniel, turns toward the camera making Sad Tristan Noises. He smacks the front of a table with his paw, banging the drawer pull so it rattles.]

From just before the last SpanielCon: the Spaniels knew something was up, but they were just generally excited, bouncing around and woofing. I told them Kovu and @thelittlespanielthatcould were coming, and they became very eager. Gwyn began barking more excitedly (she's getting more confident; I hope the loud barking is a phase) and Tristan made anticipatory Tristan Noises as he spun and waited for me to open the door.

My living room is basically a playground for The Spaniels. Two daybeds in an L, three sets of furniture steps, coffee table with padding bungeed on to make secure footing (grommets in the blanket, so it can be removed & washed), big dog bed making another level below.

Sleepy Anticipation Dance

[Video Description: Tristan, a black and white cocker spaniel, sits half-on a large dg bed. He makes whimpery demanding noises and taps his forefeet slowly like an anticipation dance, but very slow. He pauses to yawn hugely and makes a yawn-squeak, then dances a few more steps and looks pleadingly at the camera.]

Let Me Go Back Out There, and Face the Peril

There was an emergency truck by our outer fence, with loud rumbling engine and flashing lights. Tristan desperately wanted to go Slay That Dragon.

[Video Description: Tristan, a black and white cocker spaniel, looks wide-eyed and pleadingly toward the camera. He lifts his head to bark, and turns back making piteous Sad Tristan Noises, complete with overwhelming jaw wavers.]

I present to you: some of the finest Sad Tristan Noises ever captured on video. The bushhog is out there, and even though Tristan recognizes the truck & tractor, after last week he is just Done with people driving big vehicles around our (his) home. (It may be a day for anti-anxiety meds; we'll give him about twenty minutes and see if he chills down, or winds up.)

Note Gwyn checking to see if Tristan is okay, and giving me an accusing look like "Aren't you going to help??"

Melodrama Puppy on full display: Sad Tristan Noises because Tristan's Fetch and Tug Buddy was talking to his computer, and Tristan was locked in the bedroom where he couldn't supervise.

Tristan is always right when he informs us (Sad Tristan Noises) that something is distressing him. I just wish he could tell us a little more clearly.

He's been making Sad Tristan Noises outside the guest room off and on for about a week. I let him in to look around, thinking maybe a spider or beetle went under the door. He'd go in, look around, and then trot to the kitchen for a carrot reward. Okay, guess it was a passing thing?

So yesterday we opened the latest box of dog food (kept in the guest room, of course) and the cans were dented so badly they were leaking. Oh. Oh eeeeeew. No wonder his nose was alerted.

Tristan is always right, it's just a matter of finding WHAT he's right about.

I have not found cockers to be very loud in a repetitive way, most of the time. They warn us if there are strangers approaching, but we're pretty far from any main roads and we encourage this warning barking. You can also discourage it in several ways if it's too frequent in your household (like blocking windows or teaching a "hush" command).

Four out of five cockers would stop warning barking after either strangers drove away again, or we obviously welcomed them into our property.

Tristan does continue to bark off and on when some strangers are around, like for example, the tractor that bushhogs our fields. If I take him where he can't see, he grumbles and barks occasionally. It's not a constant bark-bark-bark. This video was from Tristan settling down to complain about the tractor the last time it was here:

He gave one last bellow, a disgruntled woof, and then laid down to be grumpy that he was stuck inside while an untrustworthy dragon roamed his farm. (He's not threatening, incidentally, and when the tractor stops he's reasonably happy to greet the driver. He'll even sniff the tractor when it's off. He just doesn't like large/noisy vehicles.)

We get a lot of commentary all day long; cockers are expressive and Have Opinions. They chirp when they're excited, they grumble when they're disgruntled, they make whimpery noises when frustrated or confused. They've got a lot to say, it's just not loud or repetitive most of the time.

After Tristan got a look at the tractor yesterday, he ceased to be furious about the noises and accepted that it was the regular bushhogging, which is tolerable. So Tris just made occasional Sad Tristan Noises by the door, hoping I would let him out to watch and yell some more. Yelling at Trespassers and Noisy Pasture Dragons outside is fun, even if they're recognized and tolerable.

Gwyn doesn't quite get the "shouting at Trespassers" game. It's sweet how she checks with Tristan when he makes Sad Tristan Noises. I don't know what she thinks she can do, but it's still sweet.

I heard Sad Tristan Noises and went to see. He had discovered an exciting stash of candy in a boot above his crate (we keep our shoes there so he won't carry them around and get them dog-saliva-soggy). It seems he was exploring. As I watched, he stuck his nose in the boot, then sat and made more Sad Tristan Noises, several times running.

I think he wanted to play "swap me," only he was afraid of picking up the bag of candy because it was too tempting. Tristan is getting good at turning his back or leaving the room when he is too tempted by stuff he's not supposed to steal; I think the attempt at impulse control combined with the possibility of a treat for "swapping" a found item was creating too much of an internal conflict for such a good Tristan puppy to handle.

(The candy was removed to somewhere safer, and Tristan got praise and carrots.)

There was a spider on the ceiling.

[Video Description: Tristan, a black and white cocker spaniel, stands on his hind legs staring upward, pawing the wall next to a door with screechy claw noises. He bounces down briefly, making Sad Tristan Noises (impatient, demanding whimpering) and stands up again to paw at the door, still staring up at the ceiling. If he could climb the wall, he would already be up there.]

A spider!

A spider! Wants it!

My pets have Opinions.

Once we've finished our morning chores, we rest for a while. I generally rest in the living room, where there are more dog toys, more room to tussle, and the Spaniels can lay on the "couch" to look out the window. Several times this week, Tristan has made Sad Tristan Noises from the bedroom untilI came to join him in there, at which time he flopped down to sleep. If I left, he made Sad Tristan Noises again.

It seems Tris wants to have his afternoon nap on the bed, and also wants Yvaine & me to join him. Well, all right. Yvaine doesn't care, and either way I am lying down to rest my back.