I recently purchased the Training For Life package from Wags & Wiggles for Kyuubi. He proves to have decent recall. It is far better than Mika's recall. He also has better focus on us than Mika did at her age and currently does. I have high hopes for him and hopefully we'll be able to take advantage of the Training For Life package.
The Training For Life package includes:
Puppy Classes - until the age of 5 months
Obedience Level 1
Obedience Level 2
Obedience Level 3 (newly added to their training program)
CGC (Canine Good Citizen)
Tricks
Real Life Manners
It also includes their quick $25 classes which are
Street Smarts
Games
Focused Attention
Really Reliable Recall
Got Stay?
Advanced Clicker Training
Tunnelers
Hoops
Saturday was his first class, but there was only one other puppy there, so we both had 1 on 1 time with the trainer. We had already gone through this with Mika so it was pretty laid back and we talked casually with the trainer.
Kyuubi did great, he knew all the beginning commands already, because well, we started with him from day 1 that we got him. We just didn't use the clicker with him, we just used verbal praises when he did something right. He was a bit timid with the clicker at first. So I put the clicker behind my back and would click it there instead until he got used to it.
We took frequent breaks as he was starting to lose his focus on us. He was curious about the training facility and wanted to sniff around a bit. We put him on leash and Kevin asked our trainer if she would allow Kyuubi to go through the tunnel. He wasn't afraid of the tunnel at all, but he did take his time going through it the first few times and sniffed it out. I'm sure his nose was working overtime with all the scent of the many dogs that have gone through the tunnel before him (including his older sister, Mika).
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Protection Shiba
Mika has been coming into the office with me for a while now, and she knows everyone that works there, since there isn't many of us in the office. However, she still gets worked up when she hears someone entering the building that she does not know. She usually never barks at Amy who works in the front office when she comes into my office to talk to me. Or if she does bark she calms down once Amy starts talking to her. Now that I have Kyuubi in the office with me as well, Mika does not stop barking at Amy when she comes into "our" office.
It's cute that she is protecting and guarding him from people other than myself and Kevin, but also annoying when I'm on the phone with a customer and she goes off full blast barking. Well, she is the big sister and I guess she has to take care of her little brother when the parents are a bit busy with work.
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| Making sure no one gets near Kyuubi |
It's cute that she is protecting and guarding him from people other than myself and Kevin, but also annoying when I'm on the phone with a customer and she goes off full blast barking. Well, she is the big sister and I guess she has to take care of her little brother when the parents are a bit busy with work.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Happy Birthday Mika!
Wow! She is a year old! Time sure does fly! I cannot believe my little shiba pup is going to be an adult now! So what are the plans for her birthday? I was going to throw her a doggy party, but the time just isn't right. With the expo coming up this weekend, I will be too busy to plan anything for her. However, she will be having a fun filled time at Wags & Wiggles daycare.
There has been ups and downs with her, but she has taught me so much in the past 10 months that I've had her. Mika was my first dog on my own that was not a family dog. She triggered something inside of me, a passion I never thought I had before, and I just want to continue learning so that I can better educate myself in order to do good by her and any other pet that comes into my life. Thank you little Mika for helping me discover a new me.
There has been ups and downs with her, but she has taught me so much in the past 10 months that I've had her. Mika was my first dog on my own that was not a family dog. She triggered something inside of me, a passion I never thought I had before, and I just want to continue learning so that I can better educate myself in order to do good by her and any other pet that comes into my life. Thank you little Mika for helping me discover a new me.
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| Mika 10 weeks |
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| Mika few weeks short of 1 year |
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Doggy See, Doggy Do
One of the best things about adding a puppy into a family where there is already a well mannered dog is that the new pup will pickup on good manners from the already established dog in the household. Well, it's the total opposite!
Kyuubi is very easy to direct. If he's chewing on something he isn't supposed to and there is a toy near him all I have to do is make the sound "ah, ah, ah", he stops what he's doing and goes after the toy or if there isn't a toy nearby I bring one to him and he forgets about whatever he is chewing on and goes for the toy.
Taking my dogs with me everywhere I go, I always have a bag full of their toys, treats, poo bags, etc. so little Kyuubi thinks it's okay to chew on the bag that has his goodies in it. Mika did see him chew on the bag, and she also saw me redirect him to an appropriate thing to chew on. Then an hour later when I put Kyuubi down for a nap, I find Mika chewing on the bag now! Something she's never done before. Oh well, doggy see, doggy do.
Kyuubi is very easy to direct. If he's chewing on something he isn't supposed to and there is a toy near him all I have to do is make the sound "ah, ah, ah", he stops what he's doing and goes after the toy or if there isn't a toy nearby I bring one to him and he forgets about whatever he is chewing on and goes for the toy.
Taking my dogs with me everywhere I go, I always have a bag full of their toys, treats, poo bags, etc. so little Kyuubi thinks it's okay to chew on the bag that has his goodies in it. Mika did see him chew on the bag, and she also saw me redirect him to an appropriate thing to chew on. Then an hour later when I put Kyuubi down for a nap, I find Mika chewing on the bag now! Something she's never done before. Oh well, doggy see, doggy do.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Introducing Yamabushi's Kyuubi no Yoko
Finally Kyuubi's formal introduction. He is a Kai Ken, which is one of the six native Japanese Spitz breed. We got him from Brad and Jen Anderson of Yamabushi Kennel. We are lucky to have gotten him from Brad & Jen as they have been trying their best to import new Kai Kens here to North America to help preserve the breed, bringing in new bloodlines and to add genetic diversity.
We were given updated pictures of Kyuubi and his littermates every so often since they were 3 days old, so it was exciting to see them grow. I will try my best to update as much as I can as he and Mika grow together, but now that I have both of them I am a bit more busy.
Here are pictures of him growing up. Pictures courtesy of Brad Anderson.
Will post pics that I took of Kyuubi this past weekend later on~
We were given updated pictures of Kyuubi and his littermates every so often since they were 3 days old, so it was exciting to see them grow. I will try my best to update as much as I can as he and Mika grow together, but now that I have both of them I am a bit more busy.
Here are pictures of him growing up. Pictures courtesy of Brad Anderson.
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| Day 3 |
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| Day 3 |
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| Day 20 |
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| Day 20 |
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| Day 20 |
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| Day 30 |
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| Day 30 |
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| Day 44 |
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| Day 44 |
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| Day 44 |
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| Day 44 |
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| Day 55 |
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| Day 55 |
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| Day 55 |
Will post pics that I took of Kyuubi this past weekend later on~
Friday, March 25, 2011
First Storm
Sunday night going into Monday morning was the worst experience I have ever had with Mika. It was pouring at night and there was a thunder storm. It didn't really hit until about 4 o'clock in the morning. I woke to a little bit of rumble, but it was nothing dramatic... yet. A loud boom went off, followed by distant roars of thunder and flashes of lightning. Car alarms went off, my bedroom shook and Mika startled from her sweet puppy dreams jumped up and started barking.
She wasn't going to go back to sleep. No way, not after that. I tried to soothe her to let her know that everything would be okay. She jumped off the bed and started patrolling the room, pacing back and forth. After a few minutes I no longer heard her walking around the bedroom. I called out to her and didn't get a response. I sit up and turn on the light on my nightstand, looking around the room for her while my eyes adjust to the light. On the floor, laying next to two blankets and a pillow, she was trembling. The storm was still relentless and Mika never experiencing a storm before had no idea what was going on, all she could do was lay there and let her body shake involuntarily. I got up out of bed, picked her up and put her back on the bed, she curled up next to me and I kept petting her until she fell asleep.
This isn't a very clear picture since it was taken from my phone in the middle of the night, but here she is before I brought her back onto the bed.
How do you doggy parents deal with things such as thunder storms when your beloved pet is scared?
She wasn't going to go back to sleep. No way, not after that. I tried to soothe her to let her know that everything would be okay. She jumped off the bed and started patrolling the room, pacing back and forth. After a few minutes I no longer heard her walking around the bedroom. I called out to her and didn't get a response. I sit up and turn on the light on my nightstand, looking around the room for her while my eyes adjust to the light. On the floor, laying next to two blankets and a pillow, she was trembling. The storm was still relentless and Mika never experiencing a storm before had no idea what was going on, all she could do was lay there and let her body shake involuntarily. I got up out of bed, picked her up and put her back on the bed, she curled up next to me and I kept petting her until she fell asleep.
This isn't a very clear picture since it was taken from my phone in the middle of the night, but here she is before I brought her back onto the bed.
How do you doggy parents deal with things such as thunder storms when your beloved pet is scared?
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Information For New Puppy Owners
I would have been lost raising Mika without the help of the Shiba Inu Forums & the Nihon Ken Forums. I learned so much about puppies and how to raise a healthy and happy pup. I never would have thought to pay for socialization classes for a puppy. I would have thought that visiting friends and their dogs would be enough socialization for any dog. Seeing as Mika is still a bit skittish of people, I'm afraid of what would have happened if I didn't put her through the socialization I did when I first got her.
The constant whines and nips of a puppy can make some people go crazy. A lot of people, not just myself turn to these support groups (forums) to find out if what they are doing with their puppy is correct. Even though it was less than a year ago that I started raising Mika as an 8 week old pup, I am still learning of new ways to approach different situations. Every dog is different, so things I did for Mika may not work for the new addition. So I spent the last few nights before bed watching playlists of helpful videos of Raising A Puppy and Playtime by Dr. Ian Dunbar.
I urge new puppy owners to visit Dog Star Daily and read the different texts that are available there. There is so much information to help owners who may want to give up and put their dog up for adoption. This is a way to help raise a puppy into a well behaved dog that can be your lifetime pal not just an out of control puppy waiting for a new owner to take on the challenge.
The constant whines and nips of a puppy can make some people go crazy. A lot of people, not just myself turn to these support groups (forums) to find out if what they are doing with their puppy is correct. Even though it was less than a year ago that I started raising Mika as an 8 week old pup, I am still learning of new ways to approach different situations. Every dog is different, so things I did for Mika may not work for the new addition. So I spent the last few nights before bed watching playlists of helpful videos of Raising A Puppy and Playtime by Dr. Ian Dunbar.
I urge new puppy owners to visit Dog Star Daily and read the different texts that are available there. There is so much information to help owners who may want to give up and put their dog up for adoption. This is a way to help raise a puppy into a well behaved dog that can be your lifetime pal not just an out of control puppy waiting for a new owner to take on the challenge.
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