Now That the Novelty Has Worn Off

santuzza

I've had my Tosca for a month and now that the novelty of a new dog has worn off, I can more accurately determine how she and I are doing with each other.

The Good:
She makes me and my family smile all the time. She's made us happier people.
She's lost a little weight. She's a lean, mean, snuggling machine.
Brushing is not a problem
I'm getting more exercise.
She ok when left with my parents
We play every day
There are always long petting/snuggling sessions in the evening.
I have FINALLY gotten her to stop expecting to be free fed. Her days of missing meals are over... I hope.
She's great in the car and loves to run errands with me.

The Bad:
If I'm home, but not in my apartment, she sometimes shreds papers, garbage, ect... She got hell after being caught nibbling (not shredding) a corner of a cookbook. She hasn't done that since, but we'll see.
She's big on presenting. "Hey look what I found!" She will leave random items, whole and undamaged, in the middle of my living room rug. Some of these were specifically put "out of reach", which leads to my next point...
She may be a climber. I haven't seen it, but I have no idea how else she could have gotten to some of the things I've found on my floor.
I can't leave anything of too much interest to her on my kitchen table because she will pull on the table cloth, put her front paws on the table to see where the object of her desire is in relation to the rest of the table, and repeat until what she wants hits the floor. I couldn't believe it when I happened upon it. She got in trouble and hasn't done it since, but I won't tempt her.
The concept of solo pottying is a mystery to this dog. She can be outside for hours, but if she was on the tie-out, she needs a walk or you run the risk of her watering the carpet. Three walks a day seem to curb this problem.
At night, as I'm begging her to do what she has to do, she will stare off into night and sometimes bark at nothing. I don't get it.

The Stuff Websites (not this one) Got Wrong:
She's not as independent as I though she'd be. I’m not very nurturing, so I liked the idea of an independent pet. Oh well. She was pretty self-entertaining at first, but now she really needs a certain amount of play/petting/snuggle time or else she's going to annoy you or go and deconstruct some paper products.

High-energy my butt! This dog is the queen of the nap. She loves to sleep. She refuses to get up early and will look at you strangely if you suggest such a thing.

All things considered, I think we’re doing all right. Let me know what you all think.

Heidi

That is so weird about presenting items! Tojo used to be hugely into putting random objects in my bed, and sometimes I wasn't even sure how he got them. The most amazing was how he used to pull frying pans and lids out of the drawer below the stove and carry them to the bed. Weird.

Anyway, sounds like you guys are doing well!

DMB_77

What I think is weird it the energy thing. Belle wants to run around and play all the time. Even when we go to the dog park for acouple hours she might sleep from the park to the house but once we get home its play play play. Belle never leaves things places she just finds them, walks by and shows what she has and then dares you to come and get it. She also loves all paper products. I also have a problem with her not doing her business on the tie out. I've had some sucess lately so we will see. She's almost 7 months so we are all still learning. :)

ljowen123

Jazz is not a very active shiba, either. She gets very excited when I come home from anywhere and we'll have a play session at that time, but other than that...

tsukitsune

The energy thing - How old is Tosca again? Not that shibas ever become sedentary, but I'm noticing Kitsu (turned 2) really enjoys his napping now moreso than last year. He'll still raise kane with Tsuki when provoked and loves to play with toys if you want him to but he really likes his sleep. This compared to Hanzo (approx 7yrs) who is the master napper, but still enjoys a good long walk and brief toy romps now. The older the shiba (who is sufficiently exercised/stimulated), the more napping to be had I think.

My shibas do not potty unless on a walk and on the leash. I guess we helped that habit by never tying them out but its their 'way', I'm just grateful they are housebroken! Plus, I really don't feel safe letting them alone outside, they are master escape artists and I am way tooooooo nervous!

The thing with shibas, or most dogs I'd assume, is they really are like kids (or at least like my godson!) - they will get into everything and really push the limits of your rules if you let them. We had (learn the hard way) to puppy proof our house when we got our first foster dog 3 years ago - she was a 2 year old border collie who tore me out of house and home!! I've learned that although its not so aesthetically pleasing to leave a few toys in random places on the floor, and a toy box within dog's reach so they have something appropriate if they just gotta chew... and we no longer have a table cloth - too risky! But Tosca can be trained out of those habits of pulling cloth and stealing your things by setting boundaries for her. I'm not opposed to squirt bottles (used seldom and only when needed), bitter apple spray on objects or a sharp "HEY" when caught to solve an object boundary issue. You can train her that when you see her with something that is yours, teach her to 'drop it' or 'leave it' and replace it with something that is hers.
p.s. Kitsune is a climber. It is incredible to watch actually.

Paper is irresistible to a shiba. Find Romi's toilet paper thread!!

The independence thing - all dogs are different, and I found that of the shibas I've lived with - Tsuki, Hachi and Kobe were much more independent while Hanzo is in HEAVEN when he is with someone and Kitsune rubs on us like a cat whenever he is feeling people-lonely, which is often while we are home. I think its nice that she enjoys your company, that you are her person and she relies on that... but then again, I'm a nurturing sappy kinda gal

All things considered, I think you two are doing great! The transition period is never easy, but I think you are understanding her and she is you, and that is awesome.

miket

Sounds like the two of you are doing great! I am totally with you about the independent thing...I figured Remy would be quite content to entertain himself while we were busy, not so much. While he's not a lap dog (unless he's allowed up on the couch, then he's a snuggler), he really likes being in the same room as us. And I definately know what you mean about the 'getting your attention' thing. Remy will do anything and everything to get attention when we're trying to ignore him.

Anyway, all in all sounds like things are going well. Keep up the good work.....and updated SPAM would be nice too!!!

ShikokuSpirit

I love the "Look what I found!" Tee hee. I remember leaving Lynx in my bedroom when she was a pup. Mostly she would just lay on my bed and starr intently at the door - awaiting my return. She was like that every time I opened the door or snuck outside to check on her through my window. It was kinda weird because as an older pup she wouldn't get into trouble while I was gone. Even with the cats running lose around my room, she would not pester them. However, everytime I would come back she would start grabbing random things and getting into trouble. It was like she was trying to get my attention, "Look at me, I'm so cute!"

As for things they - the dogs - grab that are out of reach, well...you'd be surprised how extremely resourceful they are. I once caught Lynx on top of a small popcorn tin, she had her back legs on it and her paws were "holding" onto my bookshelf - she was trying to get something I put up there! I actually have a photo of this!



It sounds like you two are get along well - that's awesome! You will never be the same again, you'll begin to think how you survived for so long without this much entertainment and work. Yup, the endless things our dogs do to amuse us or even themselves. Now let's see some photos! -looks around forum for updated Tosca pics-

ShikokuSpirit

Oh and sometimes the dogs think that they have "cat-like" reflexes and will try to jump from one place that they can get up onto other much higher, more difficult place to reach.

I swear, scares me to death. I'm surprise neither one of my dogs have ended up in the hospital because of this.

megan1983

The one thing I have noticed about Dante our Shiba, is that he loves to paw at his water bowl and sometimes will take all the water out of the bowl and then carry the bowl around with him. I used to hate it because the floor was always wet, but its just one thing we have adjusted to!

Also, he tends to hide bones under the couch and then bring them back out a few days later...we often find things that we had forgotten that we bought him!

miket

OMG Megan, the wet floors!! Remy is the spilliest drinker I've ever seen. He doesn't like getting his mouth wet, so he licks the water up the side of his bowl. this results in no less than half of the water ending up all over the floor. At least he doesnt dump the whole bowl though...lol

lindsayt

Second that, teach a "leave it" command. Maybe she's into retrieving. You can shape her behavior and teach her to "bring it" or "give", "let me see it", etc. What a smart cookie Tosca is.

santuzza

She's getting much better with her "leave it", "stay", and "come" commands. You just have to catch her in the act. She likes her antics to be a surprise. I never though there would be this much pup left in a five-year-old shiba who everyone had described as very docile and loving. Second puppyhood?

ljowen123

Absolutely, and one with a loving owner at that!

KFontaine04

Miso and Sake were both BOWL TIPPERS, I actually gave it and got the DOGIT water fountain which has changed our world (and kept our floor dry!). They can drink from the top or the side where the water runs down, and it's too heavy to pick up!

sunyata

Hmm. Kristin, that sounds like a good idea. Nola likes to play in the water bowl. Water ends up all over the floor. Luckily we have a stoneware bowl, so it is too heavy to tip. I may have to look into the water fountain. Is it easy to wash?

KFontaine04

It's actually kind of a pain to wash, but I wipe it down with a damp cloth daily and only take the whole thing apart to wash once a week. It holds A LOT of water which is great because between the two dogs and the cat I was filling up the water bowl constantly, I never have to fill this one except when I do the weekly wash then I just fill it back up and let it go. The water runs all the time so you have to get used to a water running noise but if it is far enough away from sleeping areas you probably won't notice it. I have the BIG one, but they do come in a smaller version that might be easier:




http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/dogs/addinfo/dogit_fountain.cfm