Little River

Some pictures I downloaded from my camera of River's first day home:

Rowdy's first encounter with his new 'toy,' River: "Do we have to keep it?"

Rowdy: "I don't think I'm going to like this toy very much.
See? It's already encroaching into my personal space!"

River: "I think I might like you people."

From day one this girl was full of mischief. As soon as we let her out of her travel crate she attacked the hubs' pants and shoelaces. She quickly sized up Rowdy and decided she was the Queen Bee. She is Rowdy's shadow and does not like when he gets attention. She's also his opposite in just about every way; she: comes when called; is very vocal; eats her food super fast; likes to be petted; gets excited when we come home; licks your hands, feet, face, any bare skin; doesn't mind baths; doesn't have to be bribed to do tricks; and the list goes on and on and on.

Now she's almost a year old and we can hardly believe how huge she is compared to when we brought her home.

14 year old Colorado dog a hero

Read this:

Denver Dynamic Dogs Examiner: 14 year old Colorado dog a hero
Posted using ShareThis

This article serves as a reminder of how special dogs can be! It's a rare miracle; this breed's (Burnese Mountain Dog) average life span is 6 to 8 years but this heroic canine is 14 years old! It's refreshing to read news stories that celebrate the good things that happen in life. There are too many that focus too much on the negative aspects. Well, I hope you enjoy this article!

Smiley Shibas & Vet Update

Look! No eye gook! The hubs and I took both dogs to the vet on Friday. That morning, River had some gunk in her eye as well. The vet said it was conjunctivitis most likely caused by allergies and to administer drops twice a day until their eyes clear. Rowdy does not like receiving drops at all. He wriggles around and makes weird noises like he's possessed. River, on the other hand, has no problems whatsoever. They're night and day, those two it's amazing.

It rained pretty much all weekend. This afternoon it cleared up a bit and the dogs were allowed to be outside for a longer period of time. River sniffed around the yard while Rowdy stayed on the patio because he does not like getting his paws wet.

After the rain:

Do Shiba Inus Shed?

One question that often comes up while out in public with my dogs is if they shed.

...Ummm, yeah...they do...big time...

If you are considering getting a Shiba Inu as a pet, be warned: they are heavy shedders especially when they're 'blowing coat.' Roughly twice a year, Rowdy's undercoat will shed massively. By that I mean, every time he breaths he sloughs off hair; little Rowdy-haired tumbleweeds travel across our floors; hairs get embedded in our couches; I've found puffs of hair in the backyard; our A/C filter needs changing more often; you get the idea.

I have found (through my own experience as well as through the experience of other owners of this breed) that dietary supplements with claims that it will reduce shedding in this breed do not work. The food that Rowdy eats claims to have ingredients that will reduce shedding. See the picture below? If that is what reduced shedding looks like then I have nightmares about how much Rowdy would shed without 'special ingrediants'. I have found that regular brushing is the only way to go and during the times they blow coat, a bath helps.

One of the best investments I've made was purchasing a Furminator. As you can see, it really helped comb out some of Rowdy's undercoat.

"I didn't do it."

This is after one grooming session. He's got enough hair there to make another Shiba Inu. And guess what? He's still got just as much hair to brush out the very next day. I wonder if anyone would like to spin such fine animal fur into beautiful yarn? I'm sure it would make a lovely sweater or scarf, it would definitely be warm! Any takers? Anyone? $10 you?

So if you are still considering a Shiba Inu for your family, expect to be grooming and vaccuuming just about everyday.

At the carwash

The pups did not know what to make of the carwash. All the water bombarding the car at every angle was both interesting and alarming to them. River expressed her disdain by barking until the commotion subsided.

Notice that gook in Rowdy's eye? It's been like that for a couple of days. I may take him to the vet and have it checked out.

A Fun Day

I took the pups to their favorite dog park yesterday. Since it was the middle of the week, there was but one other dog, a French Bulldog, for them to play with. River and the French Bulldog, Louis, were so cute together, running around the park at full speed. They're about the same size (he's 7 mos.), so she wasn't as shy with him as she is with bigger dogs. His owner and I sat and chatted while the pups enjoyed the park all to themselves.

It was a pretty day outside, cool and not too many clouds out, which is why I decided to take the dogs out. Also, I was feeling melancholy being cooped up in the house so much. It was nice to get out and share a conversation with another human being.

When we got home I sat in the backyard watching Rowdy and River try to snatch bumblebees out of the air when they were close enough. It was humorous, my camera is never ready for times like those! I'll be ready next time, though.

Dog Park Aggression

The hubs and I took the pups to the dog park yesterday. There were a lot of dogs there, which was nice to see. It wasn't so nice that a few of them were possessive with toys and snapped at other dogs who were passing by. Two dogs in particular were showing aggression toward River, grabbing her in a not so playful way (I've seen enough dogs play to know what's aggressive and what isn't). For the most part River sat near the bench we were sitting on watching the other dogs play (normal for her). The aggressive dogs would wander over and start bothering her and she obviously was not comfortable. The owners just sat there oblivious, and at one point uttered a weak, 'Stop that whoever-the-dog-was' and I pushed the dogs away from her. After a couple of these episodes, I knew it was time to go. It amazes me how some owners feign ignorance when their dog does something wrong. It's sad to know that one day their dog will pick on another that is not as submissive as River and it won't be a very good day for them.

So what do I do the next time other peoples' dogs show aggression toward mine and do nothing about it? Ask them to leave the park? Call authorities? I'm not sure of the protocol... What would you do?

Time flies...

I was going through the pictures on my digital camera (over 300!) and found these puppy ones. They grow up so fast! The hubs and I did not realize how little they used to be. There are some soundless vids too, but they're quite dark so I will post them at a later date when I enhance them. In the meantime, check out these puppies:

River used to not mind wearing clothes.
Now she'll get "stuck" when I put anything on her.

Rowdy like to sleep on shoes for some reason.

Is that a fox?!

Often while walking the pups or out in public, people will stop us and inquire if that really is a fox on the end of the leash. The conversation usually goes:

Person: "Omigosh, is that a fox?!"

Me: "No, he's a Shiba Inu."

Person: "What? Sheebeenu?"

Me: "A Shiba Inu."

Person: "Cha-beenu?"

Me: "SHEE-ba EEE-nu."

Person: "..." (Blank stare.)

Me: "Shiba Inu. A Japanese breed of dog that is related to the Akita. This is as big as he will get."

Person: "Well, he looks just like a fox!"

When Rowdy was younger we used to get stopped more often. Now we expect it and think it's weird when no one asks us. It kind of gets annoying after the 10th time of trying to convince the person that I'm not walking my pet fox.

How often do you other Shiba Inu owners encounter the above situation? Leave your comment!

Saturday with Shibas

Today we went to the dog park. As usual, there was a lot of butt sniffing, squirrel chasing, Frisbee throwing, and other general shenanigans.

River met a Yorkie who fixated on her as soon as we arrived. Her new boyfriend did all he could to get her attention, however, being the Shiba Inu that she is, River found sniffing trees, bushes, people, and picnic tables more interesting. Not one to give up easily, this little Cyrano followed River around the park, coaxing her to play to no avail.

Rowdy spent all his time running after tennis balls but not bringing them back. Leaving the park is always a little tricky. Sometimes (though rarely) the Shibas will come when called. This time, like most others, we played 'chase the Shibas' around the park. For those unfamiliar with this game, the Shiba waits until you are just within reach then darts away like a bat out of hell. This went on for several minutes until new arrivers to the park drew them to the gate. I usually wait until we're the last ones to leave so I won't seem so silly to the other owners, but the park was busy today. Owners of other breeds find it interesting that the Shiba Inu (most of them) won't come when called and explaining that it's part of the breed's personality seems odd to them. Sometimes I envy the ones who can enter and leave the park without leashing there dogs, but when the Shibas are feeling extra sweet and come and lay down in my lap without being bribed to do so, those times make up for it.

I've posted some pictures I took of them yesterday in the back yard. It was a beautiful day, and the three of us enjoyed laying in the grass soaking in the sun.

Crate Training Article

In my experience, crate training the Shibas was necessary to maintain order and sanity in the household. They sleep in their crates at night and spend some time in there during the day when left alone for more than an hour. At bedtime, after they've had their last romp around the yard, I tell them "Ok upstairs!" and they go up and enter their crates without being told (usually). Crate training can be used to teach young pups how to hold their bladders and how to act appropriately (i.e., it's not OK to chew on the sofa) when left home alone. It took Rowdy a little longer than River to accept his crate, but he was the first to start entering it without being told.

If you are considering whether crate training is right for you, check out this informative article from the Humane Society of the United States: Crate Training

Update!

Rowdy and River are doing just fine. Both are in good health and very comfortable bossing us around.

Rowdy likes to scratch on random things around the house to see how we'll react. He knows that "scratch on door" means the humans get up and open it, "scratch on sofa" means the humans make room for him, and now he's experimenting with scratching the dining room chair, vacuum cleaner, fridge, garbage can, and, among random other things, River's head. I think he's trying to train us.

River, unlike Rowdy, communicates vocally. When we're upstairs in the office, she sits at the bottom howling, "Hellloooh-whoa-whoa" until we pay attention to her. And when she wants to get up on the couch she meows like a cat.

They get to go to the dog park occasionally and walk around the neighborhood meeting new friends. Sometimes when they're really good, their friends come over to play in the yard.

I'll post pictures soon (possibly)!