On a much lighter note...

we'll just add this "trick" to the list of things chibi and sumo will never be able to do :)

Attacked on a Walk

It has been an eventful week. I took the dogs for a walk friday evening before we were headed out for dinner, no different than any other evening after work. We turned the corner at the end of our block to return home where another dog owner was also turning on his walk coming the opposite direction with his 2 rotweilers.

In the blink of an eye, one of his dogs had managed to pull lose of his grip and go after sumo. I tried to pull sumo away, but there isnt a whole lot you can do when a dog is charging full speed. Chibi tried to get in between them and protect him, which then triggered the 2nd rotweiler to pull it's owner forward and onto chibi. I had 2 shibas trying to get away from 2 rotweilers and a guy who couldnt control either of his dogs.

sumo was in the bite of one of them getting shook, while chibi was dancing and dodging the other inbetween getting bit. i gave up trying to get away from the rots when they let go each time, because they kept lunging forward anyways and the idiot owner couldnt get them back anyways. i tried grabbing for it's collar/leash to pull them off (primarily the one that had sumo becuase the one that was attacking chibi was still being "held" by the owner -- who was on the ground being dragged around). after getting a hold of the leash i gave it to the owner and backed away.

sumo got the brunt of the attack. his right paw was curled under, and i noticed blood on his coat. we had to rush the dogs to the vet. we found to 3 gashes on sumo with a few scrapes. he has/had a large tear on his upper right front shoulder and also one underneath his right leg on his chest area, along with a matching puncture wound on his right inside leg. the vet stapled him up (franken-sumo). she thinks there may be some neurological damage (which is why is paw is curled up occasionally when he tries to put his paw down). it may be just from the soreness, but we wont know for a few weeks to see how it heals. doesnt matter much anyways, if it's neurological, there isnt anything we can do about it.

he's been resting comfortably at home doped up on pain medication, anti-inflamatory, and anti-biotics.

chibi appears to have escaped with minimal physical harm.

my question (though this is purely rehtorical) is this, the owner of the rots said his dog was "dog aggressive". the owner is about 6', probably 200 to 210 pounds. he was walking 2 rots with a combined weight over his (they were large AND overweight). at what point did it seem like a good idea to walk down a highly populated residential street where other people walk their dogs?

i get that it isnt the breed, but my other point is....if they "can" be lethal dogs, but they arent when trained properly, but there are no requirements for owners to traine or have the dogs cerified/licensed to own them, how is that any different than allowing me to buy an assault rifle? guns dont kill people, people kill people right? i should be allowed to buy whatever i want?

strange as it sounds, i remembered an episode of the dog whisperer during the attack. "do not pickup your dog when it's being attacked, it may make you the target becuase you're holding it close to your body and the attacking dog wont know the difference" my initial instinct WAS to pickup sumo and run, but then i remembered that tip.

i'm glad i wasnt bit, i'm glad our daughter wasnt on the walk with me as she sometimes is. im just left in wonder sometimes, WTF people are thinking.

mom took some pics of franken-sumo, ill try to remember to post them later one we get them off her cam.

Forgot About...

A few weeks back, we noticed a bump/growth behind Chibi's left ear near her neck. Went to the vet to have it checked out. Luckily it wasn't cancer. They took a small biopsy and had it tested. The vet said sometimes younger dogs/pups have these small growths, and they eventually just go away/fall off.

We've been keeping an eye on it, and it has been getting smaller and is starting disappear :)

Found a pic (not a great one), from mom's camera phone of the doggies when it's cold and rainy outside and they dont feel like getting up.

Happy Birthday

This week Sumo will be one year old. Amazing. We're assuming he will be starting his crackhead (or more crackhead) phase of teenage behavior. Chibi was between 12-14 months when she started.

Other minor updates:

• Dogs have been destroying toys at an alarmingly expensive rate (especially toy balls)
• Sumo hates cold/rainy days and will hold his poop until it stops raining
• We've stopped giving cookies after successful trips outside ot pee/poop and it has reduced the number of times they've gone outside and done nothing
• Sumo's habit of barking at strangers (particularly men) has started to show up again (as well as barking at garbage cans, motorcycles that are parked, and random trees and bushes)

Hungry Dog Observations

Interesting obesrvation from the other evening....Mom was eating a hot steaming bowl of soup the other day at the coffee table when Sumo got a bit too close. We moved him away, which he complied with, however, he was still within good "sniffing" distance. We could see the steam blowing over the side of the table right at his nose.

He proceeded to try to "EAT" the steam. Amusing visual.

We've also noticed that both dogs are now taking mouthfulls of food and walking about 10 feet away from their bowls to eat. Mouthful, walk away, drop mouthfull on carpet, eat, repeat.

Let's see

yes, we've been lazy in posting pics. we'll have to get around to that. reality is, we've been lazy just getting pictures off the cameras lately.

sumo's been a good boy latey. still barking on occasion at the random stranger during walks (usually male). chibi however, is getting tired of his noise during the walks and usually let's him know when it's he's been barking too much and it is time to move on (ramming into him, screaming at him, or generally putting his head in her mouth).

he still has the habit/behavior of grabbing a toy and barking at people when he see's them or gets too excited. not sure why, but it is still just as amusing to watch :)

we watched an interesting show on the animal planet the other day "Dogs 101". the show essentially goes over dogs breed by breed (no shiba inu yet), and describes the size, behavior, traits, and general ownership information (good for families, size of house required, amount of exercise, etc.). it also warns that it's only a breed generalization, your results will vary.

a commonality we've come to really embrace. sumo and chibi couldnt be more different. we love them both, but they are definitely different dogs. the only question is, "would sumo be sumo, if he had been the first dog in the house, or the more dominant dog in the house? is he only the way he is, because chibi is there?"

we'll never know for sure, but it's interesting to wonder.

Excursion to the Dog Park

well, this was a big weekend.

chibi and sumo had their first trip to a dog park. mom forgot our camera, so we dont have any documented proof, but we still had a great time.

we went to meet another shiba owner from the area. we got there and the dogs were excited (just excited to be out and about mostly), but we still werent sure what to expect with our shiba's unleashed and free running with other dogs. we got to the entry gate, and each seemed excited to be there.

we walked around for the first 5-10 minutes with each on a leash just to make sure there wouldnt be any huge issues. they were both mostly calm and more interested in sniffing dirt/grass/bushes/fence than playing with the other dogs.

once off leash, they had fun sniffing almost every square inch of the park (sumo mostly trailing chibi around the park). they sniffed and were sniffed by other dogs, nothing dramatic. there was one shiba 500 burst of chasing each other that lasted about 20 seconds. the rest of the time was just happily trotting around exploring. sumo made the most friends (dogs and people), while chibi mostly stuck to her own agenda.

once the heat and exhaustion took over, she actually walked along side me for the rest of the day. sumo found a shady spot under one of the other dog owner's chairs and sat there. we were happy to say the "ill tempered, self absorbed, dominant" myth of shiba's in a dog park were just that for us.

the only close call was when chibi was sniffing a bush and a HUGE MEGA SIZED male malamute came along side and needed to pee on the bush. since the malamute was about a foot and a half taller than her, he was just standing above her (didnt see her), lifted his leg and started to pee. she missed being peed on by about 0.5 seconds and 1/2 an inch.

we'll have to head back soon :)

Sumo The Special Boy!

Been A While

nothing really new to report....

minor updates:

• sumo still barking at stuff more than we'd like, but still friendly
• chibi/sumo helped a family catch their stray dog that was running down the street...by just sitting there and letting the dog sniff them
• we've switched back to the original food that chibi had when she was a puppy (since we now know the allergies she had were environment based)
• chibi's allergies returned and she's back on her meds
• still need to post some updated pictures
• we've been letting the dogs run around the backyard more and explore
• sumo stil is the only one that responds to the "retrieve/come" command everytime

i think sumo is entering his "out of control crackhead teenage" years/months. he's started to destroy stuff again, and isnt quite listening as well as before. chibi did the same thing at 9 months, so hopefully, he'll grow out of it too :)

Motivation

each dog is different (duh)...but it's amazing how different the same breed can be sometimes.

sumo = motivated by food, any food, any snack, the hint of food
chibi = not so much motivated by food

going out time without the dogs means the dogs go into their exercise pens and get a treat to enjoy while we're gone. when we get up like we MIGHT be getting ready to leave/go, sumo runs into his pen and just sits waiting. if we go by the treat jar, sumo runs over to the jar to see if we're grabbing something, then BOLTS to his pen and gets in. chibi will get in, but requires some additional attention.

bedtime in the house usually means the doggies get a snack in their crates before sleep. sumo has embraced bedtime. usually when the tv goes off, he runs to the dog gate anxious to get to our room and get into his crate. gate opens, he bolts to the room and runs into his crate and sits waiting for us to catchup. chibi, not so much. must be coaxed into the bedroom and into her crate (but still enjoys the snacks).

Good To Know

well, had our favorite dog behaviorist (trainer) come by this weekend and give some input on sumo's new found dumbness. i had emailed her earlier in the week about the new barking he's been doing in his 8th month, and asking if it's something we need to be worried about or something that she can help us correct.

luckily, the answers were:

1. based on his age, the behavior is about right. between 6-8 months, a male puppy may begin to have the terrirorial and/or scared/untrusting behavior that they had with things that bugged them as very small puppies. it could be either unsureness/fear or it could also be protecting/warning (himself, chibi, and the rest of the family)
2. it isn't anything to get too stressed about and we have a few new items/techniques to help correct it

the general idea is to try to get his attention focused elsewhere. given the intense focus that shiba's (esp our 2) tend to have once they get set on something, we start by backing them further away from the stimululs until we can get their attention again (using a 'high value' treat). they are rewarded when they can focus back on us. we gradually get closer to the stimulus until they can focus on us by command and/or ignore it altogether.

we also can try a new command. "touch". "touch" rewards the dog for putting their nose on your hand (thus focusing away from what they were looking at). we had to use 2 fingers (instead of open palm -- which is already conditioned for their "high five" paw). so far, sumo "gets it" (though his "touch" also includes a subsequent "lick the hand and fingers" also). chibi seems to have no interest in the command (nor the treats that she gets when she does it)...however, chibi also doesnt bark at everything that moves, so we'll work on it, but not with the vigor that we'll try with sumo-dog.

fun fact of the weekend: sumo managed to "tunnel" underneath his doggie bed, get stuck underneath, then walk around with it on top of him, looking like a turtle. chibi then saw the moving dog bed with legs, and pounced on him, knocking the turtle flat :)

Changing Times

well, it's been a while, had some more pressing issues, but thought i'd post about some subtle changes that have been happening.

sumo is starting to bark/whine at most everything when he's excited, or not happy, or happy

he's decided it's a good idea to bark at ANYBODY we see while walking, sometimes a sprinkler head, the occasional trash can, the random pinecone on the ground, and definitely anybody who comes to visit at the house. he's also become quite the crying whiner. instead of just tapping on the door/gate of his crate (like chibi), he's decided to cry/whine about getting out.

since chibi never did (and still doesnt) really bark at all at people. it's tough to figure out how to deal with it. it's a little embarassing frankly, but we'll have to start looking into techniques to stop it.

this is about the age that chibi hit her "max crackhead stupid puppy dog" mode...hoping this too will pass :)

ah yes, and furball #2 has finally started to blow his puppy coat and make a mess in the house just like big sis chibi lol

on a sad note, chibi and sumo's friend (14 yr old yellow lab Kona) was diagnosed with cancer. she's not in pain right now, but doesnt have much time left with us. the family is preparing with the little time they have left. she's the original sock eating dog (way before sumo).

Socks Socks Socks

chibi used to love our socks. she'd leave them chewed on, and slightly mangled...but still useable.

sumo has a talent for destroying socks. his razor shark-like ninja teeth tear holes in the toes, heels, etc. all that's left is a slobbery wet dust rag.

i just picked up 2 new bags of socks.

im thinking it may be time to do some specific "these are MY SOCKS" training with sumo around :)

Correction!

i owe chibi an apology, it was SUMO who ate our rockband drumstick!

sumo's poop issues are gone today, and we now know what was causing the issues. i came out of the bedroom this morning and noticed a small "poop-sized" nugget of something on the area carpet. it was a little ball of woodsplinters, mixed with fur, mixed with hair, mixed with animal toy stuffing, etc. (think cat furball)

hope you werent just eating :)

Upset Tum Tum

well, sumo has just been having a great run of luck. yesterday he started having diarrhea issues (which we shall refer to from here fwd as D-issues).

his late afternoon poop started it, then for about every 3 hrs after that, he had to go again. he hasnt eaten anything unusual (at least that we have observed). so we're not entirely sure why, but then again, we do remember chibi getting something similar for a day when she got upset once.

he seems fine, dandy, happy, energetic. so we'll let it go for another day and see if it fixes itself. the downside (in addition to the mess), he's managed to step in it 3 times so far in the process.

Random Observations

• since sumo was a puppy, when he first notices someone at home, he's had the habit of picking up a toy and barking/howling with it in his mouth (we'll have to post some video, it's hilarious)
• while he's doing this, his ears and tail are in sync (tail wags left, ears move up, tail wags right, ears move down)
• chibi usually only barks/howls at sumo
• sumo has been getting much more vocal the last 2 weeks
• chibi has finally (most of the time without prompting) gotten the routine of "sit" when we stop walking or get to a curb to cross the street

Back From Vacation

the family (minus 2 shiba inus) went on a 7-day cruise. had a great time. the doggies got to stay at home with cousin K.

just before we left, sumo decided that where he was shaved for his surgery was getting itchy (when the hair started growing back), and licked himself into an infection. so he was on antibiotics and topical spray while we were gone (along with his cone being put back). needless to say, he wasnt happy. but he was fine once we got home.

it appears the doggies missed us a bit. they hadnt been eating their normal amount. overall summary for the week....chibi destroyed another drum stick (no rock band for a while), and one xbox controller. sumo appeared to be fine, except he looks much bigger than before we left.

we've noticed in the week we were gone, he is now officially taller (and looks much bigger) than chibi!

Sumo the "Special", Part Deux

ok, im pretty certain that if the old saying, "stupidity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result each time", then sumo may have some concerns.

we noticed last night, sumo was trying to get underneath the blanket on chibi's bed (like when he got stuck before). this time, he couldnt figure out how to "back out", so he decided to turn and twist, which got "most" of his body out, but then he stopped. so his head was the only part underneath. he then gets frustrated, and spins more. his head is now wrapped in the blanket like the top of a tootsie roll pop. he just stops moving and stands there and looks back at us like "help".

chibi walks over and starts messing with him (of course). a dog body, pink blanked wrapped shiba inu head, and barking at the same time.

S-P-E-C-I-A-L

mom took pics, hopefully she'll upload them soon :p

Fat Dog!

I know.........I'm a slacker!

Here are the pictures of the coneheads!

Sumo The "Special"

we've heard stories (myth or not, we're not sure), that when you place a dog under a blanket, the faster he gets out from under, the smarter he is.

chibi has always managed to get out from under blankets very quickly

today, sumo managed to crawl under the blanket on chibi's doggie bed and then realized he wanted to get out. he turned left, right, left, right, forward, back, etc. and couldnt figure out how to get out from under the blanket. so, he just sat in the middle of chibi's bed underneath the blanket.

hopefully (for his sake), it's a myth...someone call mythbusters!

Pretty Much Biz As Usual

doggies are back to normal.

havent noticed any medical side effects, and definitely havent noticed any behavioral differences (contrary to what some readings would suggest). however, sumo is/was still under his mature drive to reproduce age, so maybe that has a lot to do with it. chibi is back to her normal high energy torment her brother behavior :)

she's back (and happy) sleeping in her crate at night.

still waiting for mom to upload some pics of the doggies in their "cones of silence"

things we've noticed:

• chibi has become the calm/relaxed well behaved dog we had hoped for (for the most part), and it's only taken a year and half
• sumo isnt quite there yet, but is definitely more outgoing and affable then she ever was (or will be)
• he barks 10x more than she does
• i had forgotten how much time/work it was, to get chibi to walk nicely on leash (and now she's a pro), and sumo still has some work to do
• we still suspect chibi wouldnt be the well behaved balanced dog she is now, had we not added sumo to the mix (regardless of how many walks we took her on a day) :)

Med Update

doggies are doing tons better. let them wander the house yesterday for a few hrs without their "cones of silence". they tried to lick/itch/scratch a bit, but we kept an eye on them to prevent it from going too far.

chibi's energy level is back to normal (when she's not coned up), sumo pretty much was back to normal (even when he IS coned up). today is probably the last day in cones.

because chibi has been unable to fit inside her crate at night with the cone, she's been sleeping in our room where ever she wants. mostly on her dog bed, but the last couple, she's been on OUR bed getting way too comfy. i wouldnt mind so much, except when she moves/shifts positions at nights, she has a tendancy to step ON me when she does it :-)

she'll either have to get used to sleeping

1. back on the floor
2. back in her crate
3. in munchkin's room (which was the original plan, now that she's mature enough)

mom should be posting pics soon....hopefully......hehehehe

Doggie Surgery

We've been neglecting the posts lately, but the big news is, that both dogs were "fixed" on saturday. We'll get to posting some pics when we get them off the camera.

It's been an adventure. The doggies seem to be adjusting ok to cones on their heads for the last few days. There have definitely been some amusing events of doggies bumping into stuff. Sumo doesnt seem to mind it much, Chibi just sulks (like when she had her diaper on last time she was in heat).

Chibi was spayed, had her booster shots, and was chipped. She's recovering a bit slower.
Sumo was neutered and was chipped.

I know it's the responsible thing to do since we decided to not breed the doggies, however, it's not really fun watching them go through the pain/discomfort right now.

Sumo's Doggie Day

Well, we finally got an opportunity to re-introduce sumo to a few different doggies (that chibi has known since her early days) since he's not a pure fuzzball puppy anymore. we were interested to see how things would unfold. he met...

tomo (chibi's brother) - who sumo actually met his first month
nala - the golden retriever

to summarzie the experience, he was his typical "ignore everything around him and walk around in a circle". while the other doggies played around at high speed in the yard, tearing circles and wrestling all over, he stayed by the group of us humans, and just sat and watched. once he went out and ran circles, but it was by himself on the other side of the lawn, and then he stopped when the other dogs came over to play. he just sad down and did nothing.

not sure what it means, but, we'll see what happens next time.

Weekend Away (Summary)

we had a weekend out of town, which means the doggies got to stay with our friend who graciously volunteered to watch them. our friend has kitties in the house, so we were interested to see:

1. how they'd do with cats in the house
2. how they'd do away from our house and us for a weekend

what we learned this weekend:

1. chibi is a big huge wussie dog. she barked/shiba screamed at the cats like she always does through the window at home when she sees the cats in our backyard, the cat got mad and hissed at her, chibi kept going until the cat (declawed) bopped her in the head. chibi proceeded to run away, tail straightened onto the couch and hide behind a sleeping sumo (who was oblivious to the event and the cats)
2. sumo is oblivious to most things...didnt really even notice nor care about the cats being around
3. sumo doesn't realize he's not a tiny puppy anymore and tried to sleep inside one of the kitty cat houses (and didnt fit very well)
4. chibi is brave when mom is around. when mom went to pick chibi up, she decided it was time to bark/yell at the cats again from BEHIND mom's legs. cat hissed again, chibi ran away
5. they probably both dont sleep much while we're gone and they're in a strange place...they napped for hours and hours after they got back home

Sumo

Sumo passed out in the cat tower! His fat butt wouldn't fit inside....

Weekend Away

Chibi & Sumo were at a friend's this weekend while we were away. The friend has 4 kitties......This picture is moments after Chibi thought she was big and bad and barked at one of the cats....Chibi got cat slapped across the head and is next to Sumo because she's scared out of her mind! haha!

New Photos

Tale of the Tape (Weigh-in)

stood on the scale last night...

official results (+/- a few ounces):
sumo - 18 pounds and change
chibi - 20 pounds and change

Observations of the Week

sumo is getting as tall as chibi (and weight and length wise, he may actually already be there). he's definitely a "girth" bigger dog. she has a more "lean" look, while he's more solid in the middle (with still no fat).

he has started being more rambunctious (ill check the spelling later) the last few days. not sure what it is, we're thinking maybe it's his adolesence kicking in? the boost of extra testosterone. he's been bugging the heck out of chibi lately (and getting yelled at more than usual, from chibi). we usually hear the yelling/screaming, turn around or walk out and see chibi with sumo pinned to the floor. we separate them, then he goes right back to nipping/biting/jumping on her (repeat).

the good news is that he's learned he likes to go for walks now. he'll actually run to the door with chibi and sit when it's walk time. he still needs some work on his walk ettiqute, but, we're working on it.

another random observation is that the collars appear to be turning some of the whiter fur around their necks a strange shade of grey. ill be heading to the store to see if i can find another of the same style out of different materials. mom thinks it'st he metal from the links of the chain, i think it may be the dye from the nylon/material parts. who knows.

oh, we put the recliner into the family room (dog area). i think sumo likes it (FAT DOG!)



















ps. mom has also "re-implemented" the, no dogs on the couch (since we now have a new one), unless invited. chibi is readjusting fine, sumo (who never knew or grew up with the rule), is having some issues :-p

Fat Dog Photo

Sumo after his walk.....

Quick Updates

We've been slacking...we'll need to put up some new pics soon.

Chibi and Sumo are nearly the same size now. Haven't checked his weight, but they're only about .5 inch apart shoulder to shoulder. He's definitely putting on weight quickly. The joke now is that his body is more full, and rounder than chibi, but his head is still puppy sized. Fat dog with a little body :)

Chibi's itching has been dwindling since we started her on the antihisthimine/steriod medication. She's stopped chewing on the hair on her back, and the bald spot is slowly starting to grow back. She's also started being a little more of a butthead to Sumo. We've had to keep an eye on her around feeding time. She's starting to become a little more territorial around feeding time (unless we're standing right next to her, in which case she's fine). Not sure if it has something to do with him gettting bigger.

Sumo is warming up to the "lets go for a walk". He still hides a little bit, but now that he's old enough to have a big boy collar and not use his harness when he walks, he seems much more open to it.

Anybody Want/Need A Shiba?

A couple weeks ago, we saw an email from one of the local shiba groups asking if anybody knew of, or lost a black and tan that turned up at the local SPCA.

This past weekend (Saturday), we were at another basketball tournament and saw the lady that had the small puffy red shiba (from a couple weeks back). She mentioned she had picked up (rescued) a black and tan from the SPCA. Turns out it was the same one.

We went back Sunday, and she had brought him out to the gym to see if anybody wanted to adopt him. One of the normal rescue organizations (for the Nor Cal area), couldn't pick him up because the foster dad is sick and couldnt get here in time, so she was housing him for the next 2 weeks.

If anybody in the Northern California area is interested in adopting a black and tan shiba, here are the details:

• Black and tan male
• About 8 years old
• Neutered
• Has a knee issue that will require surgery (we've been told that the rescue org will pay for half for whoever adopts him, about $1000)
• Seems to be (from our 20-30 minutes with him) to be an easy going, sweet, mellow doggie
• He did fail the SPCA temperament "test" (which is why they wouldnt allow him to be adopted)...BUT...the test was administered after he had been locked in his kennel for 2 weeks, they handed him a rawhide, then tried to take it from him and he growled at them. Not really a fair test of a dog (IMHO)
• take a look at the pics at the bottom...you will see how much faith we put in the results of their "test"
• if you're interested, leave a msg here (in the next week or so, otherwise, he's off to the san jose area rescue group)
• if we had the room, he would have helped us complete the trifecta of shiba colors!

(would a ill tempered dog be this comfy surrounded by a crowd of people?)
















(defintely an ill tempered dog lol...about 2 minutes later, he was asleep)

Bed, Bath, Beyond

looks like the bed switch is permanant. chibi now walks into sumo's crate at night, and vice versa. they both sleep better, so we'll leave it as it is :D

sumo had his second bath last night. he does "ok" (at least relative to chibi). he doesnt like it, but he doesnt fuss as much or scream as much as chibi did/does. he was starting to get that "i smell like a dog" aroma, so it was about time. chibi had her bath as well. she's itching/scratching tons more (looks like she's blowing her coat). it usually helps for a day or 2 (in addition to furminating every other day)

i probably should have taken pics, but after sumo was dried, he got super extra puffy. he hasnt shed much at all (unlike chibi did at 5-6 months). he got SO puffy, that he looked LIKE a sumo dog. it put 5 pounds of weight on him :p he looked bigger than chibi, and his rear fur just exploded into a big "rap guy's girlfriend" butts. he looked extra extra shiba inu puffy (except of course, being that 'defective' cream color)

Switch!

apparently, chibi now prefers sumo's crate to sleep in, and sumo prefers chibi's.

chibi just wanders into his crate at night, and sumo actually prefers chibi's (he actually doesnt whine and bang on the door to get out).

guess it works out for everybody

Been Slackin...

ok quite a few updates...ill try to summarize:

sumo has become the "i dont wanna go to bed" kid. no matter how much exercise, or activity, or keeping him up at night with no naps, he just doesnt want to go into his kennel at night. it usually takes about 20 minutes of "shiba whine" to get him to sleep.

chibi had what looked like a growth on her soft under belly. of course, i paniced and took her to the vet. turns out it was an infected T-Tee. she's on antibiotics now (for the last 5 days), and it appears to be clearing up.

chibi has decided she doesnt like sleeping in her kennel anymore either. she DOES however still like sleeping in A kennel (sumo's). we did actually put sumo into chibi's kennel last night (a wire crate, a bit larger than his usual, and he actually seemed to go to sleep faster).

woke up this AM (6 AMish) as usualy to sumo whining to get out and run around. found chibi had opened the kennel/crate door (we have been leaving hers open at night, since she usually just sits in there anyways) and was just staring out the window next to him (basically, what woke him up)

we're thinking we'll start moving one of the doggie beds (probably chibi's favorite one) into kiki's room at night, and see if she'll sleep in there without eating stuff or other mischief. it's been the plan all along to have chibi sleep with kiki, but until about now, she hasnt been trustworthy/mature enough to try. we're not sure how she'll react to sleeping in a room without sumo.

sumo is also rapidly getting HUGER AND HUGER. he's looking almost the peer size to chibi. more teenager than puppy look. still has the pupppy like puffy soft coat. he hasnt started shedding like chibi (at the same age). we're wondering if maybe the "genetic" defect that gives him the cream/white coat also has some "less shedding" side effect (we should BE so lucky :p)

just for the record, we must have the only dog that doesnt like the word "walk" or the act of going on a walk. you say "walk", chibi immedately is attached to your heels, or runs to the door, or decides to ram into sumo at high speed over and over to get him to the door. sumo hears the word "walk", he sulks over, starts looking sad, and tries to hide in the corners of the house. he hates exercise....fat dog....definitely MY dog :)

In Time, Im SURE It Will Be Fine

Lately, sumo's been the super-mega crackhead dog. I wish we had written down (or blogged :p) chibi's experiences growing up, so I have a reference point as to when the exact 'crackheadedness' began with her, or if it was nearly this bad.

The last week or so:

1. he's started not wanting to go to bed at night and just being a general pain in the @ss when everybody else has been trying to sleep (we've tried more exercise, keeping him awake in the early evenings, etc.)
2. he's decided that chewing on his toys and teething aids arent enough. our windowsills look delicious (i DO remember that chibi thought drywall, coffee table corners, and baseboards were good for teething at times)
3. the shiba 500, has been the shiba 1000 for him lately
4. what dog DOESNT like to go on a walk? and would rather just lounge on his bed all day (while not annoying the co-habitating red-shiba inu)
5. being a general pain in the @ss to chibi (which, we have to admit, is fun to watch)
6. volume and frequency of sound of chibi (even at her non-talkative best) is about a 2, sumo is about a 9.8

last night as we stood in the kitchen watching chibi relaxing quietly on the couch (while crackdog sumo was barking at full volume at her, trying to chew on her foot and get her to play), we wondered. if chibi had been more like this 6 months ago, would we have felt it necessary to get a 2nd dog to keep her company? by now, she'd have run of the house, she'd be able to be left out of her pen while we're gone, and it would be easier to take her out (vs. 2 dogs). im sure he'll be fine in a few months...*sigh*

quick note, we were at a basketball tournament this weekend and saw another shiba inu sitting quietly on one of the bleachers. it was tiny (relative to chibi), but very relaxed and well behaved. it was a 4 yr old female at about 12 pounds. she was more fluffy and soft than both our dogs. she didnt appear to have the firmer/stiffer outer coat. it would be nice to have a shiba about that sized, however, it did dance on the "too small and cute for me to walk everyday and be seen with a doggie that small" side of the fence. hehehehehe

New Photo's

New Strategy "may" Be Working

ok, we tried not letting sumo "nap" in the evening after 8.30pm AND we added another blanket to his kennel (it has been cooler the last couple days) AND we also went back to covering his kennel with another blanket when he goes to bed.

he slept through the night again.

since we actually changed 3 variables, we'll dont know if any of the strategies were solely responsible, or the combination of the 3 (or merely an abberation). we'll keep trying it tonight and see.

WT $_)#!$)&!)@_#:$^<>?

Let's hope this is an abberation this week. Sumo has become the biggest little pain in the BUTT this week. Perhaps he's staring his version of terrible 2's or maybe his adolescence, but GEEZUS.

The last 2 days, he's been whining/crying every night in his kennel at bedtime. When he finally falls asleep, he wakes up again at 3ish AM, and starts all over. Last night, we finally had to let him out on the bed before he would shut up.

THEN, he walked around the bed (on our heads occasionally) for about 10-15 minutes before going back to sleep under the covers. An hour later, he woke up and walked around on our heads again, then jumped down off the bed, tunneled around underneath, then decided it was a good idea to start waking Chibi up in her pen.

*sigh* anybody want to buy a white/cream shiba inu??? :-p

Eating Behavior

Sumo has started doing the "grab a kibble or 2 or 3 and walk away to eat it" behavior. The more I see it with a couple dogs around, I'm thinking it comes from wanting to make sure they eat a little food and not get it taken away by the other dogs that may be around (e.g. find the common feeding source of the pack, then grab some and taste it without being bugged).

We've started feeding Chibi and Sumo about 10 ft away from each other (vs. side by side like we were before). Seems that Chibi will not eat when Sumo is that close. Even now though, Chibi waits until Sumo is done eating, goes away to do something else, THEN she'll start eating her food.

Also noticed, they BOTH do the "lick every area around my mouth for 10 minutes after I'm done eating" behavior. Kinda fun to watch :)

Doggies Getting Older

Quick post updates:

We went to SF this weekend for the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown. Had a good time, saw a bunch of "city-ites" walking their doggies. Surprisingly we only saw ONE shiba inu at the Japanese festival. However, it was a cream/white colored one named "Mochi" who was 11 months old. We now have an idea what Sumo will look like in a few months.

*picture from mom's camera phone, so not the clearest thing

While we were in SF for the weekend, the doggies got to stay at home with Auntie/Uncle. They did ok (except sumo who cried all night). Apparently, they didnt eat much either.

Running low on doggie food, so we're switching back to the original flavor of lamb/rice from chicken/rice. They enjoyed both, but we're thinking some variety is always good. AND chibi is getting her first bactch of "ADULT" doggie food (at 14 months, so it's about time).

Latest and Greatest

*knocking on wood*
sumo has been sleeping through the nights and not requesting his usual 3AM pee break! he's actually reluctant and 1/2 asleep in the morning when we get up to give the doggies their morning walk.

the doggies also both finally got their "matching collars". up until now, sumo's neck/head have been too small. we still walk him with the harness, but the collar at it's smallest setting would have just popped right off. since their heads are more narrow than their necks, we had to get the slip style: http://www.silverfoot.com/store.php?crn=228&PHPSESSID=c7bc3de89eefd38ecffa1dd96e4ce7c6

we've started noticing that chibi has a difficult time relaxing around the house unless everybody is at home. when one or more of the family is gone, she paces more, will sit at the top of the couch looking at the door, waits at the hall entrance by the garage, and has frequent reqests to go outside in the back to look for us.

Ok, Dad's Back

ok, dad's been slackin...im back from the cold/flu/tireness/laziness from the last week or so. if you havent noticed, mom's started posting (in dad's absence).

summary of things that i can remember:

• sometime in the last week or so, sumo's gotten tall enough to actually eat from the elevated feeder without having to 'climb' up onto it
• his nippping/biting when excited has started to get a little better as he's getting older

mom has pretty much summed up everything else so far.

Dogs...

Here's a recent picture of Sumo. It's surprising how much he loves to cuddle with everyone. He loves wrapping himself him blankets and passing out. Chibi is the complete opposite...she's very independent and wants nothing to do with being in/under a blanket.

Sumo is also

still trying to adjust to the harness. I swear its his kryptonite. He can be in high speed shiba 500 mode and as soon as you put the harness on he starts with the fake limp. The reason I say fake limp is because he changes which leg he will use that moment to limp with. We were worried that maybe the harness was too tight but it's not the case. He's just our "special" boy.

Sumo & Kimy

Last night we brough Sumo to visit Grandma's dog Kimy. Kimy is the little white yappie Maltese. To my surprise ... Sumo and Kimy had fun playing together. Kimy followed Sumo around in the backyard and waited for him to go poop and then the two went back into the house to play some more.

I was curious as to why they could play together without Kimy screaming and hiding. After some thought.........I realized............Sumo and Kimy play together because they actually "PLAY" unlike the dynamic between Chibi & Kimy. I have come to the conclusion that Chibi thinks that Kimy is a small animal that needs to be caught and eaten! or.............Chibi enjoys the taste of Maltese head in her mouth!

Doggie Vomit

Well this weekend we went to visit family in San Jose. The doggies were invited so we tried to prepare for the 2 hour car ride. Mom decided to brush the doggies before our trip so their wouldn't be an explosion of hair left at Auntie's house. Mom decided to hold off on bath's for both doggies to avoid the bath soap barfing.

About 3 hours before our journey to San Jose.........Chibi decides to go out and roll around in cat turd! For those of you who have never smelled cat turd.........Boy oh boy it's WONDERFUL! NOT! I've heard that cat turd is like doggie almond rocca for dogs.........ick! I guess it's the sweet smell the lures dogs to want to eat it. So............Chibi comes in smelling like cat turd (on her body and her breath).....Dad thinks we can just wipe her down.............WRONG!

So........bathtime here we come!Chibi's bath is the usual...her trying to jump out of the sink and wimper (at least she doesn't scream like mom's trying to kill her anymore). Next comes Sumo...this is his first bath....he just sits there and takes it like a good boy. Bathtime.......is now out of the way.

So in order to prepare for our trip....mom decides to put up all food. Dad takes both Chibi and Sumo for a walk to tire them out. So now we're off......Sumo sitting on his "king of the castle pillow" and Chibi laying on the blue blanket. We get about 20 minutes from the house and Sumo is farting up a storm! Oh boy what a wonderful start to our trip! We're about 20 minutes away from Auntie's and Chibi throws up on the blankets and Kiki's arm. Kiki is so into playing her video game she doesn't realize that there is Chibi throw up for awhile. Duh!

We finally get to Auntie's and both doggies are fine! I don't sense us taking any long trips for awhile!

Magical Weight Loss

wish we had before/after pictures to post, so everybody could see the difference. to summarzie for everybody, sumo has his first full furminator session. about 1/2 a dog's worth of hair was removed, and he went from looking big, poofy, fluffy, pudgy, round, rolling puppy to lean mean skinny puppy. the removal of the fuzz had a huge effect on his overall appearance!

Sleeping In!

ok, it looks like sumo is finally (FINALLY), sleeping in later. no more 3.30 or 4am...he's holding it until 6AMish now (yes, i know that's not really long or late, but it's at least close to wakeup time on work days!)

he's also really starting to lose his puppy coat. which means, big tufts of white cotton ball fur all over everything. we're also starting to notice that his doggie coat will have more splotches/areas of red/brown mixed into the cream.

also looks like chibi may be starting to blow her coat for the spring/summer, either that. then again, it is about bath time for her (which im sure she'll love :-p)

He's My SpEcIaL Boy!

ok, it takes a true doggie rocket scientist to get his face stuck to the door of his kennel twice. last night before bed, sumo was sitting i his kennel next to mom, he wasn't quite ready for bed, so he was fussing a little bit. just as mom told him not to bang on the kennel door anymore, and was telling him not to bite at the door again, sumo "super wonder genius dog", managed to get his face stuck to the door again.

of course i was in the shower and immedately heard the ear splitting screaming, which also woke chibi up from her sleep in her kennel. after we freed him and were getting ready for bed again, she then started to bang on her kennel to be let out. did she have to pee? did she have to poop? no, she had to get out, run over to sumo's kennel and make sure he was ok (and THEN once she found he was fine, she had to go poop) :-p

Doggie Training!

ok, this weekend we had our session with the doggie trainer (same trainer we used for chibi). we had some specific questions on tips, tricks, techniques to ensure 2 happy doggies, as we assumed there were unique challenges to raising a puppy when there is another puppy in the house.

we gleaned some good information, new strategies/techniques to deal with the 2 doggie issues we had, and learned to tell if we even had doggie/puppy issues between the 2. mostly we learned that chibi has been doing pretty well with the puppy, and the puppy HAS been the annoying one.

the best part was learning some fun competitive training methods, and also how to keep each pup happy when sharing toys, etc.

funny moment of the session:

• while the trainer was there, the doggies were on their best behavior (making us look like idiots for calling about yelling, screaming, fighting, bickering between the dogs)
• last 15 minutes, they finally started annoying each other and started to "do their thing"
• when the question came up from her, "any other issues you guys see with the dogs?", mom mentioned "sometimes, chibi tries to hump sumo"....
• just as that phrase came out of her mouth, chibi decided to hump sumo (as if she understood what mom said!)

New Photos

Breakthrough! (hopefully)

ok, i admit, i wasnt entirely awake and aware this morning, but i think that sumo slept in until 5.30ish before he had to be let out to pee/poop. (vs his normal 3.30-4.00am time) let's hope this is the start of a pattern (and yes, im not the one who takes him out at the butt crack o'dawn, but still, it's nice to have both doggies sleeping in)

also this morning, there was an unusual sleeping arrangement after he came back from his "relief" break. normally, he's allowed to sleep on the bed after coming back inside because he bangs on his kennel door, barks, and generally wakes up chibi. usually, he balls up next to me or mom, and then passes back out for another hour or so. this morning, i didnt feel him leaning against me, and couldnt find him next to mamma. after fumbling around in the dark a few more seconds, i felt something move by my feet. i looked up, and he wasnt there either, or was he? he had crawled under the covers, and burrowed his way to the foot of the bed and was balled up UNDER the covers at our feet. i lived the blankets up and looked at him, i got the "hey dude, close the door, it's cold" look as he went back to sleep.

2x the Fur!

ok, it's finally starting. sumo is losing his puppy coat and getting his normal one. *sigh* no more soft fluffy fur (except all over the carpet). the good news is the furminator is standing by lol

sumo also had the coolest dump last night...he went outside, and then it came out like it was shot from an air cannon...had the "PFFFFFT!" sound as it came out!

New Techniques

ok, we've been trying the "timeout" method to help reduce sumo's proclivity to "nip" at people/things when he gets excited.

it's been helping a little with me, but we still need to work when it's other people that aren't me :) using his sharp puppy teeth this weekend, he managed to jump up, and pull on munchkin's tshirt and put a hole in it.

other interesting tidbits:

• our session with the trainer is coming up this sunday
• working on - help with monitoring who's being the good doggie and who's not
• working on - best ways to keep both doggies happy
• we've noticed that since we started feeding the dogs further apart, chibs is starting to get more protective of her food, maybe we'll move them back to side by side feedings

chibi continues to be more calm and relaxed than ever. sumo continues to be the dog who likes to cuddle. we'll need to upload pics, he's getting big fast.

Mid-Week Randomness

chibi is starting to drive us up the wall with the "ring the bell", go outside, sniff ground, chew on random crap from the yard, no pee, no poop. i'm thinking all the extra windy-ness (yes, i can make up words) has blown all kinds of new scents and aromas into the yard (in addition to all the crap from our bushes, trees, and the neighbor's bushes and trees.

need to work on some new techniques to deal with sumo's "nipping-ness"...i guess since i'm japanese it's ok to note the racial doggie breed irony of a japanese (nippon-ese) dog, having a "nipping" problem, kind of a "nip" dog :) HAHAHAHA...ok, fine, it's only funny to me then!

i realized how much better sumo is getting with his pee/poop training. he hasn't been ringing the bell each time, but he's been holding it better, and at least walking to the door and barking when he needs to go out. *knocks on every piece of wood around* he's been accident free for the last week or so (a little over a month into being with us -- not bad).

strange side effect of acclimating sumo to his harness -- when he's wearing it (after he throws his run around and try to rub it off fit), he is much more calm.

Sumo's "Emergency" Incident

ok, i figure even the best watched, cared for, loved dog/puppy is allowed one emergency incident, and hopefully we had sumo's last night.

after putting him in his crate last night, we went back into the kitchen to make lunch for the next day. he did his normal shiba vocal protests (a few barks, a few whines, and a little short set of screams), but in this case, they didnt stop. in fact, at one point, it got louder, and LOUDER, AND LOUDER, and wouldnt stop.

it began to sound like someone was trying to strangle the dog with a sharpened set of plastic forks. sumo was screaming so loud, it was huring our ears from across the house. i went into the room to find his face "stuck" to the crate door. somehow, the rocket scientist dog had managed to get his 2 lower K-9 teeth thru one of the grate cells, then turned sideways so that he couldnt get free. he was frenzied, upset, screaming at the top of his lungs, and wouldnt sit still so i could try to free him. we couldnt open the door with his face stuck to it, we had to try to unscrew the top of the pen, while i was still trying to get him to back up, twist, move fwd, etc. to free his face (which we finally did).

i've heard stories of getting your collar/tags stuck in the wires, never the teeth...yes, our dog is special.

FYI - chibi's incident came in the 1st week we had her. in her all knowing intelligence, she tried to leap from the couch to the coffee table, missed, got one leg hung on each side, then fell. we thought she had broken a leg (as she limped around for the next 15 mintues). we called the emergency vet, and by the time we got off the phone and had the instruction, she was fine.

Hypotheticals and Catchup Postings

took chibi/sumo to the grandparents house this weekend so they could experience an "open" backyard with tons o'space to run around off leash...

• took sumo a few minutes to get adjusted (his first major excursion outdoors off leash)
• chibi (veteran of this backyard) immedately went into full shiba 500 run laps and chase the tennis ball mode
• sumo then started to chase chibi with the ball, took 2 laps, realized he couldnt catch her, and then just layed down in the center of the lawn and barked at her as she circled him
• chibi then did her high speed drive by passes on him, knocked him over a few times, until he chased her again
• then they both got tired, layed next to each other, and started to chew on grass :-p

chibi has started to return to her "ring the bell to go outside in the back so i can chew on leaves" mode...really getting annoying (and now sumo is starting the same)

at halftime at the kings game sunday, they had the "flyball dograces"...a few obeservations/hypothesis/speculations:

• herding dogs rule that race - the border collies and ACD's can FLY
• not positive, but i'm pretty sure if chibi (or sumo) were in that race, they'd run over the hurdles to get the ball, then dash up into the stands to play keep away and never come back

on the "chase the ball topic", we had chibi sorta trained to play "fetch" just before we got sumo. she's still pretty good with it, but most times it evolves into:

• throw the ball
• chibi fetches and brings it back to me, then "drops" the ball on command and sits for the next throw
• sumo notices
• throw the ball
• chibi fetches, sumo jumps on her and tries to take the ball OR sumo fetches and chibi jumps on him and tries to take the ball
• dogs run around trying to keep the ball from the other and i never get it back

Funny, Strange, Amusing

• at a year and about month chibi has become much more mellow over the last few weeks
• at a year and about month chibi has become a frequent "pet me and rub my tummy" doggie
• walked into the family room and saw sumo on the rug laying flat on his belly (fatkid style), licking carpet (no comment)
• when we first get home, sumo's routine is to find his favorite stuffed bone, walk around the house for 10 minutes with it in his mouth, while trying to bark (and it's a very entertaining sight and sound)
• instead of trying to go inside his pen to get his chewy keys, sumo tried to shove his snout though the pen, when that didnt reach, he tried sticking his tongue out to "lick" it closer

And Sometimes, I Is Smart!!!

sumo held the pee again all day in his pen while we were at work (woohoo!)

BUT, I applied some logic this time around when letting him out (to try to prevent the excited pee leaking across the floor because he's so happy to see us and/or get out and see chibi)

• let chibi out first
• open back door
• take chibi outside and leave door open
• let sumo out
• sumo bolts to see chibi outside
• sumo goes to the side of the house and pees OUTSIDE!
• yea! i win!

(it's amazing the things that excite and impress me these days)

also a good night for "ringing the bell" to go outside. each time he had to pee/poop, he went to the back door, sat on the mat, jumped up at the bell on a string we have hanging from the door knob, and barked at someone to let him out.

(again, it's amazing the things that excite and impress me these days)

Rhetorical Training Question

ok, so i "get" the concept of positive training methods. i "get" that you treat the dog when you get the behavior you want. i also "get" that you correct the bad behavior, then treat, when the dog does the "right one".

this is related to the puppy habit of excited "nipping" (an especially difficult behavior in the white furball -- at least relative to what i remember from the red furball). sumo hasnt quite figured out, it's ok with chibi, it's NOT ok with people (and/or their clothes).

most training manuals state, that you correct and say "no", or "ouch!" and remove your hand and look away/ignore/don't give attention to the behavior. then "treat" the dog when they release or stop.

this is the strategy recommended for most other things/behaviors you want (and/or dont want).

here's my question: how do i always have a doggie treat with me at all times (because you never know when such behavior is going to happen)?

im not going to walk around with a trainers hip bag of goodies with me. the crackhead dogs will never leave me alone. i cant go "get" a treat when it happens, by that time, the usefulness of the "association between events" will be gone. yes, i know you put them in strategic areas (e.g. peep/poop times), and you also setup specific times to do training (duh!), but, correcting nipping is a connundrum :)

Bound to Happen

it had to happen, it was going to happen. murphy's law dictates, that it MUST happen

• decided to go to bed early to get some decent sleep for once (since the new plan is to walk chib's at 6am before work)
• in bed @ 10, chibi will not go to bed and keep banging on her kennel door, which keeps sumo from sleeping
• sumo decides (FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE WE'VE HAD HIM) to get up in the middle of the night at 3.30 AM to upchuck in his kennel (threads from the bathmat we didnt know he ate, fuzz from his tennis ball toy, and small bits of his green toy)
• he will NOT go back to sleep

net/net: we end up with LESS sleep than normal

Appreciate the Effort

ok, this is a 1/2 full, 1/2 empty kinda thing....

yesterday we had sumo home all day in his pen while we were at work (vs. days we get home from work early, etc.). he did really well*.

(*we dont leave pee pads in the pen anymore because they end up as highly abosrbant confetti by the time we get home, and become a sloppy mess if he did happen to use them (either before or after they were shredded)

• i get home, he hasnt peed all over the pen (GOOD THING)
• he sits at the door patiently after being reminded that we "sit" before we can get out of the pen (GOOD THING)
• i open the back door, to prep to get him outside as quickly as possible (GOOD THING)
• i let him out, he immedately slips out of my grip, bolts for chibi's pen, and is soo excited when he gets close, he leaves a stream of pee all along the floor in a trail (NOT GOOD THING)
• i pick him up, step around/over the pee trail, get him outside, where he finishes peeing (GOOD THING)

all in all, a good thing he held it, held as much as he could after getting too exicted and starting to pee...just need to work on, turn RIGHT when you exit the pen towards the door, vs. turn LEFT towards chibi :-)

Random Facts

alarm puppy

• our alarm clock is set to go off at 6AM every weekday morning
• our shiba inu puppy is set to go off at 5.45 AM every weekday morning
• he will pee when he first gets up and goes outside
• he will NOT poop (though he has to) when he first gets up, he must pee, come inside, rest for 5-10 minutes, then go outside and poop

most days, sumo is the right name, others...

• every now and again, i remember the scene from "The Jerk" when steve martin is trying to name his dog
• Don't call that dog "lifesaver;" call him "sh*thead."

eating and the inverse

• chibi has been eating a lot more the last week or so, not sure why.
• sumo and chibi have been (mostly) sticking to their own bowls for mealtime
• sumo took the biggest dump ever this morning (as big as chibi's)

other things on the "to do" list and "stuff that happened"...

• start walking sumo by himself a few times a week so that he can continue to learn "the correct way"
• neighbor around the corner has a puppy 2 weeks older than sumo, will have to keep an eye out to see if they want to use our puppies as socialization dogs (she mentioned, that her dog really needs it -- it appeared to be really shy)
• they are both equal opportunity pain the butts for each other -- equally sharing the crown for "STOP BUGGING ME OR ILL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF" for when the other is trying to rest

Random Updates

sumo's doing better with the house training, except for

1. when he gets really excited/distracted playing with chibi and just "forgets"
2. when we pull his "big boy" bed out and he gets lazy (or the cleaner apparently hasnt removed all the pee smell?)

we're still working on the excited "nipping" that he does, but that will come in time with continual focus and correction. i think it's more challenging for us this time around with 2 dogs than it was for chibi. she mostly only had us around, so she learned more quickly that this is not how we greet/relate to people. sumo, however, is playing with chibi a lot, and that is how they relate. he has to learn the difference between human and doggie time.

chibi is rounding back into her old self (as she comes out of heat, and no longer has to wear her diaper). their play sessions are more vocal, and they're back to moving the furniture all over during their shiba 500 sessions.

we're also starting sumo on his "mini-walk" training. so far so good. he's even getting used to his special kid harness :)

Naptime!

While mom is at home with sick munchkin (who has the flu, along with 20% of the other kids in the area), she captured this pic on her phone...

Latest and Greatest

Meh, Doing Better

quick hits:

• sumo is getting better at "pee" on command and waiting until we're outside
• when he has to poop really bad, he hits the bells to go outside, and barks at the door
• chibi is still being moody while she's in heat and wearing her "diaper", but it looks to be almost over
• definitely considering having our trainer come back for some specific 2 dog training tips (as well as some behavior observation to ensure we're allowing/monitoring the right type of doggie to doggie play and behavior)

should have some new pictures soon

THIS Should Be Interesting

sumo will be meeting other dogs tonight (yes, i know he met the cousin maltese last week, but that doesnt count, she doesnt act like a normal dog often)

nala - the happy golden retriever (she loves everybody)
harrison - the 3.5 month old chocolate lab (it's a lab, it loves everybody too)
tomo - chibi's brother (THIS should be the most interesting)

for those who arent familiar with the family tree, our friends bought chibi's brother (tomo). they have been seeing each other regularly since they have been pups, and have been dog baby sat together, etc. their get togethers usually look like doggie UFC or doggie thunderdome. they have a very aggressive play style (vs. chibi and nala for example who roll, wrestle, quietly, etc). chibi and tomo...well, they pretty much ignore any other dog and just start going at it, if the both of them are there.

so im thinking, either:

• sumo integrates himself with the rest of the doggies have before
• sumo is completely ignored by chibi/tomo (like everybody else)
• sumo is the "little brother" trying to tag along that just gets upset and ends up jumping on everybody until they're really annoyed and stomp him*

*if i had to bet, this would be where the money goes

One of "Those" Nights

upside:

great training session

• he's is mastering simple "sit" and "down"
• he finally understood what "shake" is
• he has started "speak" on command

downside:

CRACKHEAD pee pattern - go outside, chew rocks/leaves/seeds, no pee (repeat 5 times), walk inside, immedately pee on the floor

stubborn persistant habit of trying to chew on chibi when she's resting

had to be disciplined 5-6 times last night for above behavior, incl snapping at me a few times

[edit] tried to go on a super-mini walk just to get sumo out and about to burn some energy, do something new, etc. he wanted no part of "outside", much less going somewhere there. i had forgotten it took some time to get chibi "walking"

You Talking To ME!?!?!

What?!? You talkin' to ME!?!?!?

Must See TV (Part the 2nd)

ok, it's official, i like seeing the dogs in the show, can't stand the judging (or the judges), or the overly fanatical breeding types.

tired of seeing the "poodle" style dogs win, it's the last bastion of old style, old school, old people elitie-ism (yes, i can make up words) that exist. i was happy, however, the beagle one. a mostly normal looking dog that an average person would own.

i propose "spike TV" has it's own dog show. "THE MAN DOG SHOW AWARDS!" maybe then, an akita or lab or goldie would win something. yes, i realize a shiba inu, falls under the "cute" breed classification, so not looking to get our dogs to win. but it mostly seems to me that some breeds are pre-disposed to be chosen more often (e.g. the NBA star treatment)

i did enjoy watching the AKC agility and obedience awards. to me, that is more about being a "sport" or at least had some objectivity to it. i wonder at what point a shiba inu would just decide (during an agility run), "im tired of this and im going to stop now". ive seen shiba's in agility classes/courses, it usually happens about 2/3rds of the way through a run.

Must See TV? I Think Not

watched the westminster dog show thing on tv last night (just to see the shiba's).

it still amazes me:

1. how much "stuff/work" the folks put into primping their dogs
2. how nice the dogs look
3. the judges and their process is amusing to me
4. how much our pups would NEVER be in that type of activity (even if they were eligible ;-))

Shiba Inu Judging

Interesting Weekend Highlights

let's see if we can summarize this weekends highlights

• everlasting treatball is a hit, perhaps too much of one. it required us to take it away from chibi/sumo after 10-15 minutes each time. one inevitably gets too close to the other's ball, and a "not so happy" moment occurs, requiring discipline on both dogs. however, they "are" getting better at respecting each other's space/toys, as well as the reaction when that space is not observed
• sumo was quickly adjusted to cha-chan and papi's house. ignored the small white fur ball's attempts at being "in charge", and then proceeded to find all the hidden treats, and then take a nap
• chibi in heat is not a fun thing/time
• sumo is a fountain of neverending pee. we brought back out the bed we bought for him (after laundering it, and putting it away for a week or s0). he proceeded to play with it, dig in it, put his toys in it, lay in it, then when we werent looking for 2 minutes, fill it full of pee like a mini-yard pool (after just going outside an peeing 20 minutes earlier). there is something about that bed, and him peeing. he hasnt had any accidents this weekend or even the few days before that. just that bed. maybe he doesnt like the color blue.
• sumo is officially a cuddler. hey may fill the role that chibi was supposed to be and cuddle with kiki at night on her bed (when he's old enough to be trusted on the bed). chibi will sleep next to you, but has a tendancy to move around after a while and prefers sleeping on the floor away from you (but in the same room or near you)
• not sure if it's a boy/girl thing, but sumo pees/poops fast and wants back inside asap (ala tomo-dog). chibi sniffs sniffs sniffs sniffs, etc.. then pees/poops
• not sure if we'll go back to formal "doggie puppy training" for sumo. we're waiting to see how we do using our BKM's from chibi, but there may be some 2 dog specifics we'll need help with

that's all for now...might think of more later

ps. for those of you who are in need of puppy (and/or doggie) training (or sitting/walking service), call www.caninecommands.com . tell them chibi/sumo sent you

Happy Birthday Chibi

Happy Birthday Chib-ster!

Then...

Now...

Everlasting treatball for Chibi (ok, and one for Sumo too) when I get home...

Sausage!

LMFAO...somehow..im pretty sure...this is what chibi/sumo are actually thinking...

Shhh...Good Day....

*knocks on wood*

it was a good day yesterday. no unauthorized peeing/pooping in the house, and only a minor flare up of the "here, let me chew on you" events. i keep forgetting how sharp the puppy teeth are. you'd think it would be the other way around, puppy teeth dull, adult teeth razor sharp, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO :p

sumo still has a nasty tendancy (as did chibi as a puppy), to nip at your fingers, toes, jeans, sweatshirt, etc. and be very persistent about it. he's a little more immunted to the squirt bottle than chibi, but is also more responsive to verbal cues to stop, so i guess it's a wash. we had to go through the domination exercise a couple times last evening (and it sounded like a battle -- but really wasnt that bad), and once this morning.

i think he's getting the hint.

he's also getting more coordinated and stronger each day. we found him standing on the TOP of the couch this morning when we came out for breakfast.

also started taking both dogs out to pee/poop at the same time, the thought process being, sumo will learn to do what chibi does.

we also started adding cookies to the poop/pee praise outside. dont know if that's helping too, but he definitely knows to sit when he comes inside the house after poop/peeing right by the cookie jar.

Side Effects and Regression

Chibi had reached the point where she would ring the bell at the back door to go pee and poop (only). She had grown past the age where she would use the bell to go outside and just endlessly sniff around the side yard. Since Sumo has started getting better and using the outside for his bathroom, her "go out and sniff endlessly" behavior has returned. I guess it's to be expected, but still counting the days until she grows beyond it again.

Sumo has also discovered the joy of "leaf sniffing and chewing". Chibi did this right from the get go, but he didn't start until a couple days ago. His trips outside USED to be either, pee/poop and bolt back inside, or just bolt back inside ("i dont need to pee/poop dad, lemme back inside!") Now his trips outside include the mandatory, sniff every dead leaf on the ground, pick it up, chew it, spit it out, repeat.

As a side note, Sumo did a little better yesterday. Only one accident. I saw it coming, tried to get to him in time, but didnt quite get there to take him outside. He still doesnt show consistent behavior to go "to the door" like Chibi did, but at least we're getting better at monitoring his patterns and timings. He does have a "fake out" move that is hard to sort out. He acts like he's about to lay down, then sometimes he just stops about 1/8" off the ground and pees...the other times, he just keeps going and lays down. THAT move is the tricky one to figure out. When we try to take him outside when he's actually "laying down", we get the "WTF!?!?!" look from him.

Also starting to notice the dogs are getting more acclimated to each other. They don't HAVE to mess with the other one every waking second of the day or when the other one begins to rest. They play, they argue, they rest (and leave each other alone).

Sumo has also figured out how to "pull" the baby gate door open, so we have to semi latch it. And thanks to Sumo, I noticed that Chibi has no idea that once her pen door is closed (and not latched), she can push it back open. I can put her in the pen, just push the door to the closed position, and she wont try to open it again. (unlike Sumo who knows how to open/close doors in both directions)

i do have a favorite new picture:

New Photo Link Added

added a section for puppy/doggies links on the right...

kristy just posted the first batch of photos

First Round Of Sumo Photos (with some Chibi of course)

Selective Memory

ok, im pretty certain it wasnt this much work and chibi wasnt this much of a handful, but kristy says otherwise.

looking back (without the benefit of recording history like this blog), i guess it may have been. i do remember chibi doing a lot of:

• nipping at us when we pet her (when she was playing)
• chewing on fingers/toes/clothes
• yapping/yelling at us when we correct her

most times when he sees us, or sumo has been playing with us, or being pet...he has a tendancy to bite (not BITE, but more like puppy chewing bite mouthing), and we've been having to correct and correct and correct (repeat). in hindsight, i do remember having to do some more structured and firm corrections with chibi (beyond the "OUCH!" and pull the hands back and say "NO!").

he is quite fiesty (as i remember chibi was too) and firey (yelling at us when we do correct)...lots of work again, but it will all be worth it in the end.

im thinking this time around may be more challenging because he has a doggie buddy to play with and that's their normal method of play/communication. it will probably require some additional discipline and vigilance on our part.

other things we need to continue to do:

• continue to NOT use the name to correct the dog when we catch him doing something wrong (even though both dogs react when we do)
• remember, white dog = sumo, red dog = chibi (ok, that's mostly me)

frustration of the day yesterday: 6 trips outside to poop for sumo (with no results) over the course of 3 hours (knowing he HAD to poop -- shiba owners can tell from the poop butt look), finally had to take chibi out to pee, walk back inside, and fuzzy crackhead white dog had deposited a full load on the floor (when he had just refused to poop 5 minutes earlier outside)

need to find a day and some time to see if we can get sumo to meet harrison (the 3 month old lab puppy), it would be good for him to meet other non-UFC play style dogs. probably should see if we can get him together with nala (the goldie) too...she's always been really patient/good with the crackhead shiba twins (chibi and tomo).

Interesting Weekend

let's see if i can remember everything that happened this weekend....

i watched both dogs saturday afternoon....mostly an uneventful afternoon/evening (other than learning about smoking ribs in the dead of winter when it's raining and windy -- note to bbq fans, the outside temp gauge of the smoker will read lower than the internal temp of the smoker, so if you dont want your ribs dry or over cooked, adjust accordingly).

sumo still doesnt have the "go outside to do business" thing totally figured out. maybe we were spoiled with chibi, but this one loves to pee IN the house (and usually on the big mega dog bed we have)....we've tried to get the pee smell out, but maybe the odor remover isnt working? we're chalking it up to the rain, cold, wind. when it's sunny and warm, he has no problem when we take him outside, when it's nasty, he just runs inside, waits a few seconds, then pees/dumps on the pad or on the dog bed.

like this morning, he went out, peed (great). came back in, ate breakfast, had more water (great). we knew he would have to poop, took him outside again, no action, no poop, no joy...ok fine, come back inside....turn the head for a minute or 2...POOP on the floor.

just dont get it. though he did do fine sunday...all pees/poops were on the pad or outside.

on another topic, met our friend's new chocolate lab puppy (12 weeks old) at the superbowl party. that dog is going to be HUGE. very easy going personality, playful...a lot like sumo, but definitely more easy going. chibi's brother tomo (our friend who was hosting the party owns him) had fun playing (aka. trying to punk) with the lab. he'd better enjoy it while he can. the lab is already 10 pounds heavier, and it's only going to get worse.