Well I would, if he had brains, pretty sure today his brains cells were nestling down in the region of his pale plums...had a nightmare walk with him this morning. Should have realised something was up..he was whining in the car on the way to our early morning walk on the common..he was rather challenging last time we were there too... So a good exit out of the car by both dogs... Then....my shoulder is practically dislocated by Benson pulling..no matter what I did he was completely oblivious to any attempts to distract him. Luckily Casper was an angel, sitting neatly and waiting for us to enter the common, which we did eventually.. And then...more pulling and Benson standing like a concrete block sniffing a tussock of grass before lunging to the next smell.. So I let them both of the lead. Benson takes a sharp left and disappears....completely. Casper thinks this is terriblly exciting and also takes off...in the wake of Benson. I sigh...feeling slightly ridiculous and everso frustrated with 2 leads and no dogs... I plod off looking for them, Casoer comes back quickly, which is fantastic! He really has improved over the last week...Benson is no where to be seen. 15 mins later I spot him, and eventually manage to recall him back. It takes an age though to get his attention back. Anyway, in summary, I can't cope with this, I am pretty sure he was on the scent of a bitch. He can't be happy like this. So I am booking him in tomorrow for the Tardak injection, have already discussed this with our vet around Christmas and this is the one he suggested to try. At least we will know whether it is behavioural or down to hormones.
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. Sounds like a plan. Will give you information without committing to the irreversible. What a frustrating walk. Benson...you are on notice!
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. Very frustrating. Poor you, I bet he got cold kibble tonight. Be very, very interested in your experience with Tardak....
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. [quote author=JulieT link=topic=9921.msg144045#msg144045 date=1424120652] Very frustrating. Poor you, I bet he got cold kibble tonight. Be very, very interested in your experience with Tardak.... [/quote] Hopefully we will have him booked in tomorrow. We have spent hours and hours training with Benson, and he responds really well, he was a star at adolescent classes.I am wondering now if that was in part because no in season bitches have ever been on the fields at Widgets farm, something to add into the mix. Today was impossible, and I worry about the consequences of him running off...Tardek just masks the hormones, so at least the effect will be more or less immediate and we can determine from this a before and after picture. Will keep you all posted!
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. From what you described I'd put money on him having got the scnt of a lady !!! : My two behave very similar. The give away with mine though is noses attached to a tuft of grass then when I eventually get them to move one will nuzzle the other or they will whinge and start dancing around each other. Once Bensons had the Tardak you could do to try and find a bitch in season. I cant remember how long you said it lasted but unless you definitely know he's been exposed to the scent of a bitch in season it might be difficult to know whether it works or not. I've been considering trying Tardak since you last posted about it and decided the best time for us to try it would be when my friends dogs come into season so that will be about July. That would definitely be a test for it. :
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. Both my boys are castrated, but if there is a bitch close by, say in a gundog class and has just come out of a season, or has a 'sister' at home in season, my boys will sniff where she has been sitting and also attempt a 'leg over'! However, they never seem to be attracted enough to go off into the far distance after one. I think you will notice a difference once Tardak takes effect.
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. Sending you big hugs Kate. Let me know how you get on at the vets today x
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. We both took the boys out early this morning, and watched the sun rise over Wapley common, it was beautiful! Wapley is a less common common if that makes sense? More of a nature reserve, and generally quiet. At the top it is usually really quiet. We only met one dog through the whole walk. The ground was frozen with a heavy frost, so I do wonder if that does mask scent to some extent. Benson was back to his happy go lucky self, bouncing around and having great fun with Casper! His recall was fab, lead and off lead walking not a problem, so it got me thinking that it must be equally frustrating for Benson, being driven by hormones.Everything about him this morning was far more relaxed, polar opposite to yesterday. Westerleigh common is bigger, on the edge of suburbia, so most of the locals walk their dogs there, hence the problem, there is always going to be at least one bitch in season/coming into season. There are 2 bitches around Wapley, and they were in season around Oct/November time, so will be due in the next month or so, so having Tardek now means he will be exposed to at least one bitch in the next few weeks. We might extend to 2 injections to be absolutely sure, and this will take him beyond 18 months old, so at least all his growing will be finished then. We don't want to castrate him, however, we have to do what is best for Benson, as it appears he is quite a driven dog unfortunately!
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. Tis true. In Spring a young man's fancy........
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. [quote author=Mollly link=topic=9921.msg144099#msg144099 date=1424163535] Tis true. In Spring a young man's fancy........ [/quote] ;D ;D ;D ;D (the last smiley was slightly manic!)
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. As the Tardak imitates castration, then the growth will be affected as if the dog was castrated, I would have thought? I had one dog castrated at 11 months and the second was castrated at 19 months, the second one 'may' be a bit muscular but difficult to tell as they have different coats. I do think it kinder to have a dog castrated if he is affected by his hormones and denied the chance to use them! There are other things in life to please a dog rather than sex ;D Especially if he is sexually frustrated.
Re: Seriously going to brain Benson one of these days.. [quote author=JulieT link=topic=9921.msg144045#msg144045 date=1424120652] Very frustrating. Poor you, I bet he got cold kibble tonight. [/quote] And a cold shower down! Don Juan Benson! Not fun Kate at all x
