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.