Tomo

New photos of Tomo... isn't he sweet!

Escape Artist

Here is what a shiba inu can do when they put their mind to it. Don Juan is a professional escape artist. It doesn't matter what type of fence, crate or containment I put him in. If he wants out, he will quickly find a way. Thankfully he is also a professional mama's boy and doesn't run off. He only escapes to come find me. It's part of his personality that I have come to tolerate.

Pictures of Piggy (now Shimiko)

Now 7 months old, I finally got a couple pictures of Shimiko. She's grown up and I'm so amazed at how much she looks like Tomo. From birth the two of them could have been twins. She's still my little Piggy. She right at the top of the standard for shiba girls and she weighs 25 lbs. She is absolutely as cute as can be.

Tomo's first points

This weekend we went to the Hurrican Ridge Dog Show in Sequim. Tomo won winner's dog both days for a total of 2 points. He's on his way, slowly but surely, to Champion!

Azuki

Azuki is visiting us this week while his owners are on vacation. It's fun to have him around. He really likes to play with Farley. And he is the only dog that has been able to outrun Farley for a toy. It's good for the old dog (Farley) to have a younger dog challenge him. Keeps him young and in shape.

Week 6: The Kishi Experiment

I wish I could say Kishi is doing better, but she seems to be itchier than ever and now the goop had reappeared in her eyes. I am keeping her and her eyes very clean in hopes that this will soon pass. She has been able to get her cone off her head a couple of times and she's chewed holes in her back again. So where she was growing back hair is now all scabby. She hasn't started smelling, so I'm still holding out a little hope that this is the period they were talking about on the Nzymes website where the dog gets worse before they get better.

Weeks 5: The Kishi Experiment

I'm getting a little frustrated. While Kishi doesn't seem to be getting worse, she also doesn't seem to be getting much better. She chewed a small hole in her body yesterday in a place I didn't think she could reach with her cone on. She's been rubbing her face on the carpet and has worn off the hair where the cone doesn't cover. The good news is that the yeast smell isn't very strong. It used to be that I would give her a bath and the next day she'd smell. Now she goes 2-3 days without a bath, and she doesn't smell. I'm still spritzing, still giving her the Nzymes. She's still eating the Steve's Raw Meat twice a day with a Tablespoon of yogurt and parsley.

I'm going to keep trying. That's all I can do at this point. Nothing else has made her even this comfortable.

Weeks 3 & 4: The Kishi Experiment

While I think I see some improvement in hair growth these past two weeks. I don't see much improvement in the itch factor. Kishi still trys to scratch and chew despite wearing an elizabethan collar 24 hours a day. Her smell is much better. I can still smell a slight yeasty smell but I have to be really close to her. Our basement smells much better! She did get her collar off one night. It's just fastened with velcro and she must have been rubbing her face on the carpet and it came undone. By the time I woke up that morning, she had bloodied two places on her back by chewing them. So just when the hair was growing back and looking better, we're back to square one with scabs and needing to grow the hair back.

The Nzymes website warns that the dog may get worse about this time in the treatment as they are shedding the yeast from their body. I am hoping that is this phase and it doesn't get any worse than this.

I've decided to continue the treatment for another 3 months since I have seen some progress in the past month. I'm glad I've taken pictures throughout because looking at her now, I would say there wasn't a huge improvement. But then I look at her original photos and I can really see the difference especially around her face and on her chest. So the photos have been a great help in documenting the changes.

Judge for yourself... do you think she's looking better?

In Rememberance of CH Prescott J's Mr. T of Tibbs

Today Don Juan's father passed away. He was 14. He had a wonderful show career, taking several BOB's and placing in groups which ranked him in the top 20 shibas in the nation that year. Although he never produced many puppies, he left a legacy in quality, not quantity. A few of his puppies went on to be Champions. But what impresses me the most is that both dogs in a litter of 2 (Don Juan's litter) received titles in agility. Don Juan's littermate also has a CDX in obedience.

He will be missed terribly by his owners, John and Carol Calder, who have loved him dearly since he was a puppy.

Fourth of July...

And here's the way to humilate a 6 month old shiba inu. Dress him up and make him walk in a parade with thousands of people watching. Just like his mother in previous years, Tomo did just fine. He greeted everyone with a tail wag and a smile.

It's a happy 4th for us, a scary time for our pets!

Happy 4th of July everyone! This has been traditionally one of my favorite times of the year since Childhood. It ranks right up there with any holiday that I get gifts! Nothing says summer than a 4th of July picnic, warm weather, and fireworks.

But for two of my dogs, this is the scariest day of the year. Farley and Don Juan are both terrified of fireworks. I actually didn't know that until we moved from Arizona where people weren't allowed to shoot off fireworks to a place that we were allowed. When my neighbors set off a whole string of firecrackers, poor Farley grabbed ahold of the gate to our fence with his teeth, getting his teeth and jaw stuck in it, and before I could get to him to help him, he had broken off several teeth. Other times, Farley will bark and howl repeated because he is worried about the sound.

Don Juan, on the other hand, has anxiety attacks. He runs around looking for places to hide, or some free arms to climb into. His tail is down and he whines.

Both dogs exibit slightly different behaviors when it comes to the fireworks, but overall it's the same - they are frightened. Unbelievably, my other 4 dogs could care less about them.

So, if you are shooting off fireworks this year, please be considerate to your neighbor's pets.

Happy Birthday Puppies!

Boy #1: Now named Tomo... Tomo's first show is the end of this month in Sequim.




Girl #1: Now named Shimiko (which means Island Girl for the place she was born)...Photo is MIA. I'll post it when I get an update. She is doing fine. Still the Piggy. She's at the very top of the standard, and her new owners are praying that she doesn't grow even a hair more. They are planning on showing her, have been taking her to Saturday conformation morning classes. And she's doing great in the classes. She very sturdy with good bone, and from what I'm told, she's also very, very cute.

Girl #2: The puppy that everyone asks about. Once named Squeekers, she is now Kiko. Kiko's owner reports that she is doing just fine. She is blind in her right eye. She has seen a Doggy Ophthalmologist who prescribed an eye drop that is keeping her comforable. She has a puppy best friend Taiyo, and two little girl companions to play with. She is still as sweet as ever. Here she is with her buddy Taiyo...


Boy #2: Now named Azuki... Wow, Azuki is one great dog. He's the sesame in the bunch of redheads. 'Zuki has been working on his obedience, and I have to say I'm really impressed at how far he's come in the past 6 months. He has drive. He listens. He does great recalls even with distractions. I know he's made his family proud and he'll continue to do so.

The Kishi Experiment: Update

Today was bath day. Definately not a highlight in Kishi's day. But I did notice something unusual – Little pieces of that disqusting black skin came off in the shower. It was almost like scabs, but not as dense. And underneath where they came from is pink, healthy skin.

So while it may be a strange observation, to me it's a sign of good things to come.

Week Two: The Kishi Experiment

So the experiment must be working at least a little bit. We experienced Kishi-tude this week... What is that you say?

Kishi-tude is when the dog knows what you want but does it her way instead... for instance, If you say come, she runs the other way. You say sit. She pretends she didn't hear you. Remember, Kishi has more obedience training than any of my other dogs. She has agility and obedience titles and a couple legs in Rally obedience. It isn't that she doesn't understand, or know what I'm asking her to do. She's just being mischievous. It's pure Kishi-tude. Kishi has always been the most challenging dog to train. But she is also the brightest dog that I have ever met. She picks up on things so quickly. I only have to show her something once or twice and she gets it and remembers it. But she's also the first dog to try to challenge me and see if she can bend the rules. So when she had a little Kishi-tude this week, I had to smile. It was good to see that spark back in her personality. She has been a miserable lump for too many months.

She's still itchy. Although the yeast smell isn't as bad as it was previously, but that could be because of the two baths she's had this week, and all the spritzing of the Ox-E-Drops/distilled water mixture. Her hair on her back is beginning to grow back. And the hair on her face is coming in. It's really white. I'm so used to seeing the black skin under it, that when i look at her she almost doesn't look the same. So while she's not cured, and it's not a drastic change, I am noticing a slight difference.

I just hope it's not wishful thinking on my part.

I started adding in the Nzymes Fortified BacPak Plus on Wednesday. We'll see if that makes a difference this week.

Here are her photos.

Week One: The Kishi Experiment

So Kishi is now eating only Steves Real Food. She's had it before in an attempt to solve the allergy issue. By itself it didn't work, but she does love the food! I also added in yogurt - about a Tablespoon. And I added a little fresh parsley to each meal. Right now she is getting the Nzymes Antioxidant Treats, Nzymes Ox-E-Drops, and the Nzymes Tincture of Black-Leaf mixed in with her food. Next week I will begin adding in Nzymes Fortified BacPak Plus as directed in the instructions from NZYMES.

I also used the Ox-E-Drops and distilled water to make a spray that I use on Kishi several times a day. So really, the only thing that has changed in Kishi's life was the addition of the Nzyme products and the yogurt and parsley. She's always been on a holistic, quality food of one brand or another. When dinner time comes she makes a bee-line to her bowl.

She is still taking her thyroid medication and her antidepressant.

What I've noticed this week: She is underfoot much more than in the past. Before, I always knew where she was - hiding under my desk like a big smelly lump. Now she is much happier and more alert and around us more. I have noticed that she doesn't smell as bad. The goop in her eyes is gone. And I don't see any red spots on her. She still scratches, but I haven't seen her rubbing her face on the floor or skootching her butt across the carpet. All are good signs.

The Kishi Experiment

Once upon a time I had a beautiful red shiba. This dog had personality, trainability, and an attitude to boot. She was my child before the human child. I was the doggy soccer mom, driving her to all her activities. We were buddies, partners and she was (and still is) my once-in-a-lifetime dog. Then at almost 3 years old, one week after the human child was born, I rushed Kishi in to the vet with a rash. The vet said it was allergies, and that very pivital day in our lives started 6 years of testing, antigen shots, antibiotics, antihistimines, anti-fungals, and prednisone and a variety of other drugs. The symptoms would disappear for a couple weeks after the medication ended, and then she would end up looking worse than she ever did before. It was not seasonal. It was something we dealt with everyday, all year around.

Black elephant skin took the place of her once beautiful orange-red coat. She would chew holes in her body, so she was forced to wear a cone around her neck around the clock. When the chewing became really bad, she had to wear a muzzle. I gave her baths with medicated shampoos several times a week. It almost feels funny to take a shower without her in there with me. And the worst thing... she smelled... BAD. So bad that when you walk downstairs in my house, you could smell her without being near her.

The vets seem at an impass. There is nothing left to do that hasn't been tried already. The latest thing, I think I mentioned on the blog was trying an antidepressant to see if that would break the chewing cycle. After 3 months of usage, I have noticed a difference in her attitude. She no longer hides. She wants to be with us and greets me at the bottom of the stairs (the dogs are all trained not to come upstairs). She's like the old Kishi again. But it didn't seem to break the chewing cycle.

So now I'm grasping at straws. She's almost 9 years old. What should I do to make her comfortable in her senior years? I was reading online about allergies and I ran across a website written by Linda Arndt, who calls herself The Great Dane lady. She had some good articles on holistic treament of allergies. One of them peaked my interest. It was all about systemic yeast. They showed photos of dogs with the exact same symptoms that Kishi has.

Great Dane Lady articles

I followed a link to another website.

Nzymes

I read each and every story about the dogs with yeast infections and every story sounded like Kishi's story. I researched back in Kishi's medical files and I found out that all of her problems started after a round of antibiotics that she had to take after she and my chow got in an arguement and she had a puncture wound on her leg. At the same time she received her yearly vacinations. I believe the two of them together overloaded her immune system and with all the additional antibiotics that she has had over the years, the yeast growth has just taken over.

So I ordered the yeast kit from Nzymes and I'm following what they suggest to the T. You can follow it on this blog and see if it works. I will update it once a week with photos of her progress.

These photos were taken the very first day of medication. Kishi is miserable. You can see it in her eyes. What you can't experience is how bad she smells. It smells disqusting. And very much like yeast.


This shows her belly and how bad it looks. The red spot is in an area she can't reach, so it wasn't caused by chewing.


Here is the spot on her back that she will chew a hole in without her cone around her neck. It has healed since the last time she got to it, but the hair has not grown back.

Is that a fox?

Why yes it is... I've heard that question so many times when it came to the shibas, and I always wanted to answer "yes" and see the person's reaction. So today as I was walking and came upon these adorable fox kits, I was able to say "yes, this is a fox" And how on earth do you confuse the two... shibas are way cuter and a little more wild!

I just had to share the photos... these kits pose for the camera even better than the shibas do. They sat still and looked right into the camera! Cheese.

Beautiful Day on the Beach

The one great thing about living on an island is that we have lots of beaches to visit. We went to Ft. Ward park today and took a walk through the woods and down on the beach. You could hear the sea lions off shore calling to each other. And we saw several young bald eagles practicing hunting for food. Tama likes to go to the beach and chase the waves in and out. She doesn't like to get her paws wet, so if she miscalculates the wave timing, then she gets this insulted look on her face like she can't believe the wave got her.

Concussion

What doesn't mix well with a 6-year old boy and a bat and a ball?

Well, that's an easy answer. A ball-crazed australian shepherd.

I probably don't need to go any further in my explanation. You can infer what happens when a small child throws the ball in the air and attempts to hit it with a metal bat. And at the same time, the dog goes after the ball.

And all I heard was this loud, ringing thud. Followed by a very painful "yelp". And as I ran around the corner of the garage, there was Farley, blood dripping from his mouth, with a tooth laying on his back, looking very dazed. I waited a few minutes to see how he was. Shock must have set in, because he started weaving back and forth and shaking.

Ed wrapped him in a blanket while I called the emergency vet. Away we went to sit in the veterinary emergency room for a couple hours. All in all, Farley is a tough old boy. He had a concussion, and one tooth missing and another one cracked, some bruising on his jaw and mouth.

The vet recommend getting the remaining tooth removed, feeding him canned food for a few days, and watching him for signs of sluggishness from the concussion.

Funny thing is, by the time we got home. He seemed fine. He even grabbed a cookie from Don Juan and ate it on the sore side of his mouth. So much for needing to feed him the canned food. If he's able to eat a cookie, he's able to eat kibble... oh, well. Maybe he'll get a canned food treat just for being a good old tough dog.

Happy Mother's Day!

And at 4-1/2 months old, Tomo is now as big as his mother, Tama. And it's a really good thing that he didn't inherit her TOUNGE! Happy Mother's Day!

Enough of the puppy pictures...

The big dogs are stomping their paws and demanding some blog time. After all, this blog is about them - right? So today Don Juan and I took a little walk. Conveniently I had my camera along and caught a couple of cute pictures of him next to the pond. We played in the park, chased birds and saw a mommy duck with her babies on the pond.

Azuki- 4 months

Here's Azuki at 4 months (boy #2). There's alot of little black hairs beginning to peak out. By george, I think we have a sesame! He's doing just fabulous. He's smart, he's fun-loving and he really can pose for a camera.

The puppy formally known as Piggy...

For the naughty little ankle biters...

A couple of the puppies are having an issue with their new owners about grabbing at pants legs and biting ankles, so I wanted to offer a couple of solutions. Try the first one and see if it works, if not, then try the second one. Always follow up with the "no" and a down stay. These puppies are almost 4 months old. They have been through one obedience class already. So at this point it's time to put an end to this behavior whether it's play or control.

First: When he goes for your pant legs, take your foot and stomp it really hard and say "no" in a low voice. You need to try to surprise him by giving him a negative reaction when he goes for your leg. Don't be shy about the stomp. It needs to be forceful and right by him. Wait to try it with children until you see how he does with adults doing it.

Second (if the first doesn't work): The other thing is whenever he gets close to you, I want you to try to walk into him. Dogs have a personal space that they don't like invaded. And by biting at your ankles, he is invading your personal space, and in a way, he's trying to control or manipulate you. He probably has figured out that when he grabs at you, you back away or pull away and then he gets what he wants - a little more control over your space which in his eyes means he is controlling you. You see this alot in herding dogs. That's how they move the sheep by taking away their personal space. So your dog is really just thinking of you as livestock. If whenever he comes toward you in the biting mode, you turn directly into him and bowl him over by walking briskly into him, you are taking over his space and taking control of the situation. Once again, don't try this with children until you see how he reacts. I'll tell you, I learned this in a seminar with my aussie who was controlling me in the agility ring by herding me and nipping at my heels, and the first time I got into his space, he bit me. My aussie was 6 years old and was purely trying to control me, so I doubt that will happen with a puppy, but be aware of it. While I want you to be forceful when you walk into him, even pushing him aside with your foot or leg pretty forcefully, just be careful. You are going for an element of surprise more than you are trying to harm him or put yourself in any danger.

Follow up: If there is something you don't like that he does, you need to let him know that. That means using a low voice to say "no". (low pitched voice means he's in trouble, high pitched voice is praise, and in the middle is the voice you give commands like heel, sit , down, etc), and following up with a punishment. For a punishment, I put my dogs in a down stay (which is a submissive position) just like a time out for a child. Even if that means standing on the leash for the 3 or 4 minutes that he is in a down stay. He needs to learn there is a consequence for misbehavior. And you need to do it consistently until he understands that you aren't going to take it.

If you are home, and he is out running around where you can watch him, I'd leave his leash attached to his collar for a few days when you try these methods, so you can step on the leash to stop him from running away when you tell him "no". Once you do it and put him in the down stay, then the next time he'll realize the consequence and most likely he'll want to run off. When you say "no" step on the leash so he doesn't get the opportunity to run. Just be careful if you can't keep an eye on him, that you don't leave the leash on him so he doesn't get tangled.

More cute shiba pictures...

Here's...hmmm.... Popeye, Bear, Chase... and now officially, TOMO. This poor puppy has more names than he is months old. No wonder he doesn't know his name yet. Anyway, he is absolutely adorable at 3-1/2 months old. Watch for him in the show ring in July!

Teaching Recall (Come)

Let's start off with a game. It's called chase. Except we're going to set the rules for this game - It's puppy chases me. I never chase the puppy.

So start off in a large fenced area. Let the puppy unwind, sniff and do whatever puppies have to do for a few minutes. When the puppy comes to you and begins to pay attention to you instead of the surroundings, pick up a toy, and a handful of treats, and start walking away from your puppy. As you are doing it, in a high-pitched, happy voice, say "come". Show the puppy the toy. If the puppy doesn't come, then increase your speed mvoing away from them and add some high-pitched happy chatter. It may take some time to get the puppy to understand the game at first, so don't give up. As soon as the puppy begins to move your direction, then stop and wait for the puppy to catch up. Celebrate and throw a puppy party when the puppy gets to you. Give them treats, play with them, use a high-pitched voice to praise them. Then repeat the game again. The next time the puppy should catch on faster and begin to come to you faster. The more you practice this, the better the puppy will understand the command.

If at any time, the puppy runs the other way, or begins to ignor you. Just be quiet and move away from them. You are above playing the game in reverse. Remember, you set the rules to this chase game. The further you move away from the puppy, the more insecure it will get and eventually it will come to you. When you see it starting to look for you or pay attention to you again, start the game up again.

Always make this game postive and fun, and pretty soon whenever you say the word "come", the puppy will come to you. Don't say the word "come" in a harsh tone of voice, or get mad or anxious when the puppy doesn't do it. Remember this should be a fun game.

Down the road, you can formalize the word if you want, but for now the word "come" just means you want the puppy to leave where they are and come close to you. You have plenty of time to train the formal obedience commands later on. But for now you are just trying to get a consistent response to the word "come".

A new update!

Kiko's (formally Squeekers) mom sent me a new photo of her. She has the face that can steal your heart!

And here's Boy #2 - now named Azuki

So grown up. He's the spitting image of his mommy at this age...

Puppy Update

I have several people that have emailed me asking for updates on the puppies. I haven't posted pictures of the puppies as I have been getting them from the new owners, but that is about to change. When I get new photos, I'll post them here. Here is Shimiko (nickname Shimmy). She is currently living in Arizona with this beautiful cactus flower to enjoy...



And the puppy that EVERYONE asks about, Squeekers, now Kiko. At last update, she was finally 3 pounds and enjoying the Arizona sunshine in her big yard with her puppy buddy and new family.

Motherly love

Even the best moms have bad days... especially when your child is out-of-control!

Another day, another medication

Poor Kishi. Over the past 6 years we have tried just about everything that is possible to relieve her scratching and itching. I took her to the vet on Friday for her annual blood test for her thyroid medication. Normally she wears an elizabethan collar to keep her from chewing on her body. I removed it since it was such a short trip and thought she could make it an hour or so without being self-destructive. But, of course, on her way there, she chewed two huge holes in her back. The vet looked at her and made a couple comments that I have thought for a long time. Chewing on herself is as much habit as it is allergy. Her skin looks healthy. In the areas that she can't reach to lick or chew, the hair is in, the skin looks good. But in any area that she can reach with the elizabethan collar on, it is black, scabbed and cracked and nasty looking. So, the vet suggested we try a different approach, keeping her on the medication that she is currently on, we have added an anti-depressant to see if we can break the obsessive-compulsive licking that she does. The pharmacist at Rite Aid looked at me like I was a little silly when I dropped off the prescription, but they filled the prescription anyway. I've also changed out the elizabethan collar to a muzzle to give her a little more freedom, but take away the ability to chew on herself.

Yes, I am an owner of a dog on anti-depressants! What is the world coming to.

Top O' the Morning

And a happy Saint Patricks Day from one of the cutest shiba puppies in the Evergreen State!

Teaching Down

Once your puppy knows how to sit, down is a very simple command to teach. When they are in a sitting position, with your left hand, gently hold the puppy's rear end in place so it doesn't move forward, and with your right hand, lure the puppy into a down position by pulling the treat down and forward so the puppy has to reach in order to get the treat. Practice this over and over, saying the word "down" as the puppy makes the down motion. Once the puppy has down figured out, then add in going from a down to a sit and vice versa, until the puppy can do this freely on their own without you touching them. Eventually wean them off being lured into position by using your hands to give hand signals instead of rewarding them with treats. The hand signals that I use are index finger points at ground means to down. Palm up lifts up to sky, means to sit.

Wow, time flies...

At almost 10 weeks, Chase (Kishi's Run for the Money) has developed a serious sense of humor. This dog is bright. He knows sit and down, walks on a leash well, and even takes himself for walks around the yard...



But while he is out, he takes time to smell the flowers.



So far in the past two weeks, we have started a puppy socialization class along with his brother (Boy #2). Chase has joined us on our walking group for our weekly 4 mile walk. And I have to say that he did very well despite stepping on a blackberry thorn, falling in a hole and getting stepped on a couple times because he was underfoot. But he walked most of it on his own with alot of enthusiasm.

And he got his first bath. A very traumatic time in the life of a puppy.