Postings by Leia

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Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Wed Apr 3, '13 8:54pm PST  Sorry, I just realized I forgot to answer one of your questions towards me. As to why having two young adults at the same time is a bad idea, it's not just because they'll both be at their most energetic and least trained. When dogs hit about 6 months, they start to go through an adolescent stage similar to human teenagers, when they commonly seem to forget all their training and just become total jerks in general - both to you and sometimes to other dogs. This doesn't happen with all dogs, but it's pretty common in both Corgis and Shibas. It's not that they have a huge temperament problem or anything, any more than your average 15 year old does; they're just sub-adults, testing their boundaries and trying to figure out how they fit into their social setting. This stage can last anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years, and can feature sudden dog aggression or reactivity, where the pup just decides he wants to start something with every other dog he sees. They do grow out of it, but if you have two strong, clashing personalities hitting that stage at the same time or thereabouts... You can see how it could end up a problem. It's not always, but the possibility is there. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Tue Apr 2, '13 7:01pm PST  Hahaha, liking Shibas but growing up with Doxies - what an interesting mix! Guest, it sounds like you know more about the ins and outs of Shiba training than I do (which is great!!), so I'll defer to your judgment. Hopefully we'll have one of our Shiba forums members come along and help you out as well. The reason why I said Shiba first is that, with many dogs, dog aggression is an issue that crops up unexpectedly after adolescence and can be fairly non-negotiable for that individual. It can be a lot less risky to put a puppy with a dog you already know won't be a problem because he or she is already grown. However, if your research says that Shiba aggression is trainable and that they bond to animals they are raised with, by all means - go Corgi first. Corgis will be easier to train by a long ways, and after their rock-em-sock-em-ness, a Shiba puppy might seem downright restful As for the mental stimulation bit, Here is a blog run by a Shiba owner that has a lot of good tips for keeping the little guy entertained, as well as basic training and lifestyle advice. I ran across it when I went through my own Shiba-fever stage, and it was really helpful to me (mostly in deciding that a Shiba wasn't for me after all, haha). Spoiler alert - lots of food-based toys! I know that Corgis have relatively strong herding instincts, so herding classes would be a great outlet for them; alternatively, agility, flyball, treiball, or any other high-speed game-sport that lets them work mind and body at the same time. Even something as simple as getting a doggy pack for him to wear during walks can do wonders for dogs that need jobs; in that case, his job becomes toting around his own poo bags . Just be careful with packs on a Corgi, as their backs are prone to injury under stress - keep weight light and only after he is completely finished growing. It's good to hear that the 'strict' parent's rules will be in general force - both dogs really, really need that structure. Just don't be too mad if your SO sometimes drops the ball on enforcement of the rules - I'm a softy too, and it's hard to be the discipliner! That's why I have a dog that's just as soft as I am All I can say is, expect it a little in the beginning, before things get all settled and sorted. It sounds like you have things well in hand; good job!! my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > Which one first? Corgi or Shiba?

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Tue Apr 2, '13 1:18pm PST  My main concern under these circumstances is a possible clash of personalities between the dogs. As Trigger said, these are very different breeds, with different play styles, personalities, outlooks on life, and crucially, different styles of interaction with other dogs. Shibas are commonly described as cat-like; they are independent, strong-willed, and unafraid of getting aggressive in order to get their way. Corgis (if we're talking Pembrokes), on the other hand, are very in-your-face with other dogs, and can be quite bossy (that herder heritage). If you were to have both breeds as puppies or young adults at the same time, it could lead to some serious conflicts. Best case sernario for avoiding this is to have one dog be a few years older and a different sex, so plan for at least three or four years between the two. Because Shibas are more known for aggression issues than Corgis (to my knowledge, anyway) it might be a good idea to get the Shiba first, then see how things turn out. If that puppy ends up being not fond of other dogs, he/she'll be able to let you know before getting mixed up in a household with another strong-willed individual. Then, if the Shiba is ok, you can bring in a Corgi puppy who will grow up adapting him or herself to the Shiba, rather than the other way around. Moving away from your original questions for a bit, there are a few things I want you to consider. Both Shibas and Corgis are very strong personalities for first-time dog owners, and both may require much more than two walks a day, no matter how long. Both are very intelligent breeds with a true need for mental stimulation, and the Corgi especially needs a 'job' to do in his everyday life. If you don't fulfill their exercise and mental needs, both breeds are perfectly capable of turning your life inside out (as well as most of your possessions). I'm sure you have come across these things in your research, but they always bear repeating! Also, about the arrangement with the two dogs belonging to each person separately, with no emotional bonding between the opposite pairs. I can see this leading to conflict if the two of you aren't prepared for it. I assume you both have very different ideas of the perfect dog, judging from your breed choices; it's almost inevitable that this will lead to one or the other of you getting fed up with the other one's dog very frequently, as both are strong, in-your-face personalities. You have to be prepared for a little bit of chaos and uncomfortable energy, and you HAVE to be dedicated to overlooking the small things when the dog annoys you. Otherwise, you two may end up warring over the actions of the dogs, as each one of you takes the side of your own 'baby'. This could be very serious, especially if you have only a weak emotional attachment to your partner's dog to help buffer the annoyances that go along with sharing housespace. Whew! All of that said, it can be done. Here's a link to an earlier thread where one of our respected forum breed matchers actually recommended a Corgi for a household with two Shibas. Good advice there, and maybe some more ideas for you. Sorry to be such a downer; I really do think it's a doable situation. You just have to be careful, as you are showing you are by asking here. Good luck! my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > Running partner/family pet for first-time dog owners

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Mon Apr 1, '13 6:16am PST  Based on your description of needs, a Golden Retriever really does sound ideal. Highly trainable (so able to go off-leash), fantastic with children, lots of stamina for a good run. Just all-around 'good guy' dogs, no real extremes of personality (when bred well, of course). Another option would be a spaniel of some sort, maybe an English Springer. This also ticks all the boxes, but there could be a conflict of personality in there - these are very in-your-face affectionate, 'just want to be in your skin with you' dogs. That might be an issue for someone who seems to be a cat person, hahaha. But they are fantastic, trainable, very sweet with kids, and can just go for miles. Don't cross off Standard Poodles either! These are very neat and clean dogs, and might appeal more to a cat person with their witty diva personalities. They are absolutely not frou-frou; they've been bred to go all day in all weather to act as retrievers and hunting dogs in Europe. They have plenty of stamina and pep for long runs, but can settle right down in the house to play with the kids. One of the smartest and most trainable of all dogs (which can be a bad thing! Too smart for their own good, at times.) There are more, but these are the first three that popped into my head. A setter would work well too if you can find one in rescue, but they do tend to be more difficult to locate than the three listed. Adult rescue sounds perfect for you, it would allow you to really pick out a dog that does well with your cats and kids ahead of time rather than hoping and wishing with a puppy that it turns out alright. Just keep in mind that, when going with a rescue, everything depends on the personality of the individual dog. You can have a Golden that hates kids, or a lazy Standard Poodle (both unlikely, but possible), or on the other hand, you can have a Beagle that's fantastic off-leash. Keep an open mind about the process, and use breed as more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. Mixes are fantastic as well, as my Leia can attest to my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Whale Eye

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Mon Mar 18, '13 3:35pm PST  Leia has the same problem as your Cobain! She does have a timid nature, but even when at home and totally comfortable on my lap or being pet she still shows the whites of her eyes almost all the time. Now that you mention it about just moving the eyes and not her whole head... maybe she's just lazy Honestly though, this is something I had been wondering about as well. I'm really looking forward to what others have to say. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Thu Feb 28, '13 11:23am PST  Leia: Lurcher (whippet/lab mix) Best (Lab): Really velcro and focused on me, totally reliable off-leash as a result. Worst (Lab): Power chewer. Doesn't chew on inappropriate things, but we have yet to find a chew that will last more than a couple of minutes for her... Best (Whippet): Really laid-back and mellow indoors, happy to cuddle up and sleep the day away given some running time in the evening. Worst (Whippet): That sighthound timidity and inability to deal with change. She's afraid of literally anything and everything new and strange, likely because she wasn't well socialized as a puppy. It's really restricting for her, and will take many more months, maybe years, to 'cure.' my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > I Knew you were the right dog because....

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Mon Feb 25, '13 8:57pm PST  Jake, your story is adorable! I've read some of your past posts, and I'm really glad you've built the bond you have with him. It's heart-warming. I knew Leia was ours as soon as we met her. We'd been looking for months and nothing was working or clicking, the spark wasn't there, so I was getting pretty discouraged. Then, Leia popped up on my favorite rescue site as a private rehome. She just looked so goofy and sweet, we had to go see her. We met her the next weekend at the owner's home (wonderful people, we still keep in touch about her). They used to be fosters for the rescue, so they knew how to evaluate dogs and knew Leia's personality inside and out, which was exactly the kind of certainty we were looking for. In fact, the only reason they were sending her on was because they knew she needed a quiet home as a single dog for a while, to work on her issues. They told us before we met her that she was shy and would likely take a minute to warm up to us, but as soon as she saw me she walked right up and put her head in my lap. The owners were shocked, hahaha. She was mine from then on. It's not easy dealing with her fear of, well, everything, but her wonderful sweetness and adorability (now a word) makes up for it. She's a perfect apartment dog, couldn't be better, and an even more perfect companion my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > At a Loss of What to do

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 11:40am PST  Congratulations on your new dog! First off, relax! Is this your first dog? Everything seems scary and a huge deal when it's your first (I know, because my husband and I just got our first six months ago ) But in reality, things generally work out, and you'll know a real problem when you see it. In regard to your couch problem, we had a thread a few months ago from a person with the exact same situation, and she got a ton of good advice. Link to the thread here: Luna's couch thread I was one of the ones who posted. We brought Leia home knowing she was a fearful dog, but not knowing how that would manifest in our home life. As it turns out, she did just what your boy is doing - got on the couch and stayed there, until forced off by the 'call of nature,' if you know what I mean. She wouldn't get off to eat or drink unless we left the room for at least a half hour. She basically lived on the couch for two weeks straight, until one day she ventured into the office where we were studying. Boy, did she get a party then! After that, she just slowly started moving about more and more, until now the whole house is her domain. My advice to you is twofold. The first part is this: be patient. Let him move at his own pace. If he won't eat unless it's out of your hand, then hand-feed, by all means! It's a great way to build a bond with a less-confident dog, and it's unlikely he'll grow dependent on it. As far as water goes, try getting him some canned food (higher moisture content)? Also, maybe try seeing if he'll drink out of a bowl you're holding. That worked for Leia a couple of times. But otherwise, just let him be. Eventually, once he's settled in a bit, he'll start exploring on his own - he'll hear you moving around in other rooms, and his curiosity will get the better of him And that brings me to my second point of advice: whenever he gets off the couch of his own accord, or enters another room, throw him a party! By that I mean lots of gentle praise, soft pets in his favorite places, and some very yummy treats. Show him that being adventurous is fun! Most of all, just love him. He sounds like he's had a scary life, and now he needs some time to process all of that and start to move on. It may take him weeks or months, or it may just take a few more days, but he'll get there. We've had Leia for going on six months, and she's still in the process of opening up - she only just played with a toy for the first time last week. But we love her, and we've loved the journey. Hopefully you will as well! my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Question About Hackles

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Tue Feb 19, '13 7:01pm PST  Jackson, three of the dogs were larger than her, and one was about the same size. Only the last dog was what I would call 'exuberant' - and boy, was he. A very large, young, intact Chocolate Lab who practically tackled us as we came around a bend in the trail, owners nowhere in sight. Sweet boy, but he was too crazy for Leia and we sent him along just fine. It was a good thing we were close to the trailhead, because after that Leia sure was ready to go home again She did exactly what you describe with all of the dogs, though. As soon as they approached and did the initial sniff she turned away and started sniffing the ground intently. A definite stress signal. Charlie, you make a good point about her past socialization. I always assumed she was good with other dogs because she lived with one at the foster's, but being good with one isn't the same as good with all. Plus, that dog was older and quite gentle. You make another good point about taking her to classes. I've been holding off for a couple of reasons, the first being that I was afraid she'd be terrified and miserable around all of the strangers, but that kind of positive exposure is the only thing that will help her get over the fear. Maybe we won't go now, but certainly soon. Don't worry, I fully intend to continue protecting her from over-enthusiastic strangers, both people and dogs! Dogs are easier than people to deflect, though... Should I try harder to get her some positive play time with other dogs in the meantime? Or should I just leave her be? I don't want to make her uncomfortable, but it would be nice to see her play with another dog again. my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Leia The Cowardly- Lion - I'll find my- courage     Barked: Mon Feb 18, '13 9:49pm PST  So, Leia is a generally fearful dog, not the worst I've seen or heard of, but fairly crippling. We're working on it, but progress is painfully slow. Dan and I decided to take her on her first off-leash hike this morning, and even though she did mostly fantastic, there were a couple of things I wanted to ask about. First off, we went very early this morning, thinking that the time combined with the freezing temps would keep the trails empty. The idea was to get the girl some exercise and let her stretch her legs without too much stranger-stress. It didn't work out as planned. We ran across several groups of people, four with off-leash dogs, and I wanted to talk about Leia's behavior in these circumstances. First off, she did much, much better than she would have two months ago - no growling, for one. She simply moved away from the trail a bit, hid behind me with tucked tail and lowered head, and waited for them to pass. So far so good, and everyone was fairly respectful of her body language, at least enough not to get too close. The real problem was with the off-leash dogs. All four of them were very friendly, good choices for going off-lead, so no complaints there; the problem was with Leia. She lived with another dog prior to coming home with us, and played very well with her. Whenever we pass dogs on walks, she's politely non-interested past a cursory sniff. But this morning, every time a dog approached, she raised her hackles on the shoulders (not along the entire back, like she does when a stranger gets too close). She kept the same posture - lowered head and tucked tail, gaze averted - and would sniff a bit but then try to move away. If the dog persisted too long, I moved between and shooed him off, no big deal. Her hackles remained up until the dogs were well away. I suppose I'm just worried about what this implies. I've never had cause to question whether or not she's dog-social, as she seemed to be aloof but perfectly friendly. Why would she put her hackles up for these polite dogs? None of them showed any threatening or unusual behavior that I could see. Now I'm worried that maybe she doesn't like other dogs, or that her fear responses are moving over to them after so long away from regular dog-to-dog contact (too fearful to take to daycare or the dog park, no good friends with dogs for playdates). Is this something I should be worried about? How can I help her become more comfortable with other dogs if it is? Anyone have any ideas, or am I just an overprotective dog mom? my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

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