For Dog Lovers.... Part 3

[bonocomet]

aww I love his spots!

 

[Ava79]

^ Yes! We need more puppy paws and puppy bellies Can't get enough..

If you haven't seen my blog, I posted new pics of the man 5 months old now:

Kaf, he is totally gorgeous! And five months old already? Babies grow up SO fast.

 

[Liesje]

He's so handsome! Our neighbor's have an awesome pit too, one of the best looking dogs I've ever seen and a total lover. Every time he gets away he runs over to play with Coke. He even got IN our house once, lol. Not an aggressive bone in his body despite his owners' efforts to make him badass. Too bad they lock him out on their deck which is covered in his poop! I would let him come play with my dogs but they are scared of my dogs and won't come near our yard. Even when I have Nikon out (remember, Nikon is twelve pounds right now and looks more like a fat guinea pig than a German shepherd) they run inside or jump in their cars.

 

[kafrun]

lol, pitties are attention whores for sure. Cesar doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body either, which is nice. Evie loved humans more than anything, but hated any other animals. Cesar is just a lover all around

 

[Liesje]

Nikon is 10 weeks today. We took some photos and made a little training video. He knows "sitz"(sit), "platz"(down), and "speak". I think he pretty much knows his name and is doing good with recalls but we do those outdoors. He is also doing the "pass auf!" which is more of a concept than an exact trick. Basically, the dog needs to learn how to "engage" his toys so that when he is big and ready to train for the courage tests he will "engage" the helper (the person wearing the sleeve who gets bit). As puppies you train them to get in drive BEFORE they are allowed to tug on their toy. It builds their confidence by giving them control over the game also brings out their prey and defense drives. So basically I hold Nikon's collar while whipping a leather rag in front of him so he can't reach. Once he is barking and lunging at the rag, I let go and he is allowed to tackle the rag and play tug. When he is tugging we rub him really hard, pretend to hit, or hit for real so that his temperament is strengthened. He already has a HUGE ego. If I want I can hit him harder than the adult dogs are hit with the beat stick (which feels more like a paper towel tube) and he is not the least bit phased. His ball drive is not quite what I'd hoped for but I've read dogs often become more obsessed with balls as they mature.

Anyway, some pics and a short video...

Nikon's tricks at 10 weeks on Vimeo

"Move this gate, bitch!"

"Will you move it if I'm cute?"

Sitz

Platz

Speak!

Put up your dukes!

Please cut it with the flash, mom

My teefs are bigger than your teefs!

I'm not sure what he did to Coke prior but he probably deserved this!

 

[Liesje]

LOL I just noticed the way he sits. Do all pups sit with their hocks at an angle like that?

 

[kafrun]

lol, usually I see them sitting with their legs out to one side..

Love the play-fighting pics. So ferocious

 

[anitram]

Samson sat that way too, I remember my Dad telling him to stop being inappropriate.

 

[mad1]

Liesje I love the photos! Nikon really is a wee character. its nice to see shots of him as puppy with Coke. are those photos of pure aggression thou? or play-fighting?

 

[Liesje]

Play-fighting. They "fight" several times a day. Coke actually gets sick of him always wanting to play. Coke is such a lover, he hasn't yet figured out how to tell Nikon enough is enough. Kenya can - she lies down under my desk and if Nikon comes near, she gives him one swift CHOMP like and alligator and that's that! None of them are aggressive. When they are play-fighting you can slip your hand or wrist where they are biting and feel their mouths are not even closing, let alone really biting. Nikon can be painful by accident b/c his teeth are sharp, but dog's will yelp and then ignore the other dog for a few seconds as a way of telling them to knock it off.

I should get pics of them playing with toys, it's a lot less scary looking. They play keep away or they each grab one end and tug. Coke usually gives the toy to Nikon so he wins regardless.

 

[mad1]

LOL he is just so gorgeous, I love the first one!

you are very good at capturing their 'character' in photos Liesje.

hell yea, if you can, with toys - squeaky jobs? balls?

just wondering, ever give your dogs bones from time to time?

we used to give Lady one, now and again, boy would she near kill you if you came near her while she had it!

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

as of today, our gracie is a whooping 8.2 lbs at 6 1/2 weeks and got a clean bill of health from the vet yesterday.

 

[Liesje]

just wondering, ever give your dogs bones from time to time?

we used to give Lady one, now and again, boy would she near kill you if you came near her while she had it!

Mine get raw marrow bones from time to time. I have several Nylabones that are always out of they want them. Nikon gets puppy chews. Unfortunately, raw hides and other edible stuff give the adults diarrhea.

If they are guardy with their bones, then they don't get them. Rule is I give and I take anytime I want. Bones are mine and they get to "borrow" them from time to time. Coke has been a little guardy with food around the puppy so now he has to watch me hand feed the puppy every bite, hehe.

 

[Liesje]

as of today, our gracie is a whooping 8.2 lbs at 6 1/2 weeks and got a clean bill of health from the vet yesterday.

Wow only 1.5 weeks left!

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

Wow only 1.5 weeks left!

I KNOW!!!

 

[Liesje]

It's been insane with Nikon. I do love him and would never ever give him up, but I have to admit there are some mornings I'm glad I have no choice but to lure him in his crate and go to work! Before I leave work, I eat a snack and use the bathroom b/c if I don't do it there, I don't get any time to myself until 9 or later. I have to go home over lunch hour and keep him entertained, and now I'm paying a student to come walk him mid-afternoon. The more time I want to myself in the evening, the more effort I have to put in wearing Nikon out so he will relax and let me get things done. I haven't been able to work out in weeks and still I'm losing weight! I suppose it's a good thing my first pup is a really energetic, drivey breed known for being exceptionally vocal and the worst chewers/biters! Anything will seem easy now!

 

[samralf]

He is a beautiful pup. I know I have no right to ask but is the person we dropped off Ziva with keeping her? I hope so, she looks like she would be very happy with her.

 

[Liesje]

I'm not sure, what was her name? The little girl in the litter died, and I believe the female Julie was keeping for herself went to live with that family, so there has been a bit of shuffling. Nikon was supposedly the most mellow male (and he has been exceptionally good with the biting, but his ego, omg his ego...), so I'm wondering how Duke's owners are doing!

 

[yolland]

If they are guardy with their bones, then they don't get them. Rule is I give and I take anytime I want.

I've never given Falstaff bones or any other kind of table scraps, but the only times I've ever seen him get truly aggressive were a few occasions where I was out walking him and he found a bone that'd fallen out of someone's garbage or something. It always threw me for a loop, because he never seemed 'guardy' with his food--I could order him aside mid-meal to sprinkle some medicine over it or whatever, and he always complied, but when he found bones he'd instantly be all hackles-up, snarling and baring his teeth at me. The first time that happened I was stupid enough to reach right down and grab for it, assuming he'd never bite me, and he not only bit hard but held on way up into the air when I yelped and pulled away. The funny thing was that almost as soon as I got it away from him, he snapped right back to normal as if nothing had happened.

Not that that's ever going to happen again, he's long past being able to go on a walk, but it always really bugged me because those were the only situations where I felt basically totally out of control of him.

 

[Liesje]

Luckily I've only ever seen mine get guardy around other dogs, they have not growled or snapped at me (sometimes give me a dirty look). I think b/c we do a lot of training and I use mostly small treats for rewards, they know there's no reason to guard against me. I feed them on a set schedule, so they can expect when to be fed, how much, and in what order. If I feel they are looking at me in a guardy way then we do some exercises where I take the treat/bone/food bowl away and give it back, over and over. Bottom line is it is mine to take away and mine to give. I don't want them to always think I'm going to take it, b/c then they will guard even more, but if I can't take anything from my dog's mouths without a bit or struggle then I know there's a problem. Coke has been food guardy with Nikon (and most of the time Nikon deserves the correction because it IS rude to jump on someone's face while they are eating in their own crate) so Coke is not getting any new bones or chews right now and he gets to sit next to us and watch Nikon earn his treats. He gets some too if he waits patiently and doesn't try to push Nikon around.

My main concern is that my dogs are with other dogs a lot, and you never know who will find a bone, or drop a treat. So I have to be sure I can not only control them but they won't snap at another dog in that situation.

 

[yolland]

If I feel they are looking at me in a guardy way then we do some exercises where I take the treat/bone/food bowl away and give it back, over and over.

I'm still very much thinking of getting an American Bulldog sometime in the next couple years, and if I do I'm definitely going to make a point of doing those kinds of exercises this time around, whether the dog seems guardy to me or not. My guess is being a bully breed they probably have some of the same bullheaded 'charge mode' tendencies I saw with Falstaff when he spotted stray bones, and I definitely DON'T want to repeat any experiences like that with a dog that weighs 4 times as much and is even more muscular. In retrospect, I can think of other times where I saw him get into similarly excited, blind-charge behavior with toys and so on, which I just saw as 'cute, spunky' stuff, when it probably should've occurred to me that this was the sort of thing I should seek some control over, in case a situation came up where he was a little more agitated about it.

 

[anitram]

None of our Collies were every "guardy" about anything. From the day we brought them home, my Mom would stick her hand in their food bowl when they were eating, and that's all it took. It is the same with their toys as well.

The only thing we had to work on is teach them to drop the ball when we played fetch because Collies are not natural retrievers and so at first they'd run after the ball and then happily carry it around in their mouth oblivious of what to do. But we never, ever had a problem with them at all in this respect.

 

[Liesje]

Yeah yolland the nice thing is if you get a pup you can be proactive about it. Since I got Nikon I've been mainly hand feeding him and using handfuls of food for crate training and pacifying him in his pen. If he happens to eat from a bowl (which is rare right now) I reach in, handle the food, then give it back to him. The best/stinkiest treats used for training are actually dog food "roll" (Natural Balance) sliced and chopped into tiny pea-sized treats. It smells strong which they like, but it's just as healthy as kibble, not all fatty and grainy like commercial treats. Since it's very high value to them I use it for training tricks. They have to earn it, they don't just get to take it from me and guard it (but at the same time I never ask them to learn or perform a trick beyond their capacity, so while they have to earn their rewards, they do always end up getting them). While one dog is being trained, the others get treats tossed to them for practicing their sit-stays or down-stays. It's a win-win, everyone gets treats but no one has to squabble over them and I have total control.

 

[The Sad Punk]

Heh, so we had Billie the kelpie/border collie cross over again today and yesterday. Took her to the park, and a purebreed border collie tried to round her up as if she were a sheep while Billie played soccer (she headbutts large balls and bounces them back to the thrower, does anyone else's dog do that here?). Rather adorable.

I'm still looking for a dog of my own, though.

 

[WildHoney]

OMG all the new puppies

And Kaf , Ceasar is growing up sp fast.

My Bonnie's now 6 months ans has just been to the vet to have her hernia sorted and to be spayed.

 

[WildHoney]

Also i bit of sad news

Unfortunately my sister had to have her youngest bitch Kelsie put to sleep. She had suddenly turned vicious and attacked her mum. My sister has a little boy and made the decision that she couldn't chance Kelsie ever turning on him, although she never leaves Jamie alone with the dogs.

The thing that makes it sadder is she was Jamie's dog, they've grown up together and he keeps on asking "Mummy when will Kelsie be coming home"

 

[Liesje]

That's very sad. By "mum" do you mean the boy's mom or the dog's mother? Not that it's any consolation either way....

Nikon's had a crazy weekend. Yesterday morning he got his second combo shot, bordetella shot, and a microchip inserted. Today his breeder gave him another round of de-wormer (his fecal test was negative but we do it as a preventative) and then he got his tattoo. A dog tattoo is basically a livestock tattoo, it is not like a human tat that is done with a pen. There is this plate where you arrange the numbers and letters. Each number or letter consists of several little pins that poke holes, the holes become the dots, and the dots create the number or letter. Basically the plate is stamped in the ear, then you rub in ink, then you rub in vaseline. Nikon went first and threw a huge fit, but it was more for being restrained than the tattoo. As soon as he was set down he ran off to play. The whole process was not nearly as bad as I had prepared myself for (the people doing it basically gave me a worst case scenario - screaming puppies with bloody ears), although the sound of the stamp crunching cartilage is not one I need to hear again. The pups had so much fun playing afterward, I think they would choose to be tattooed again just to have another road trip together!

 

[Liesje]

Nikon post-tattoo, saying hi to the dog below

Nikon and his dainty sister

His ears have been up for a few days but have the dunce-cap thing going on (the green is the tattoo ink)

Nikon, Inja, Bailey, [can't remember name], and Bronson (it's a B-litter, so Nikon's real name is Bono, and Inja is from a different litter)

Nikon and Inja

Phil and Nik on Halloween

Kenya turned 5 on the 28th

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

Nikon is so

and happy bday to kenya!




5 more days until we get Gracie..

 

[kafrun]

Woo hoo, Amy! Countdown to puppy-time

lol, action shot! too cute.