Progress w/ Anakin in a few areas
We've been making quite a bit of progress with Anakin lately and I'm quite pleased.
Firstly... Anakin's arthritis. The vet did prescribe some joint supplements and weight loss/more excersize. Anakin has been taking Cosequin DS since October 24th and had been responding well. He has stopped limping and favoring his arthritic hip completely. He no longer hesitates when jumping or climbing stairs, and he is back to playing the way that he always has. Extra play means that he's more active, and I've been able to take him for walks again. I now just wish that the weather were better, so that I couldn't have to worry about rain and cold...
Surprisingly, Anakin has also been making progress with the puppies. Now that we are more actively socializing the litter of puppies that were born on October 4th, we've been including Anakin again. At first, he didn't like the puppies and would either A) whine and bark his head off at them or 
take cheap nips at the puppies and try to bite a bit of fur out to hear them squeal. Now, you would never know he was aggressive toward them. Yay! He now is excited when the puppies come to visit, and runs from one puppy to the next, sniffing and checking to make certain that each is still fine. I love that he occasionally looks up at me and smiles a proud puppy-sitting smile. He follows them around the house, "herding" the puppies out of corners and away from hiding places. He reluctantly shares his toys (read: "abandons his toys when a puppy decides to play with them"). Even when puppies nip and pounce, Anakin refuses to bite them, instead turning and walking away to check on "his" calmer puppies. When the puppies leave, it's obvious that he misses them for a short while. In fact, the only recent violence I've seen towards a puppy is a growl when an unknowing male pup intruded on one of Anakin's "licking trances". Of course, we're careful to observe whenever Anakin is with the puppies, and we step in at the first sign of Shiba annoyance.
I'm feeling much better now that Anakin's arthritis isn't bothering him the way it normally does this time of year. And the fact that he's learned to accept the puppies gives me hope that Anakin can one day have a brother or sister - canine or human.
I can't believe that Anakin will be six next month...
Just for fun... quick photos of my Anakin:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc273/lduggal/DSCN0458.jpg
Someone is spoiled...
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc273/lduggal/LisaandAnakin.jpg
Comments
That's great news! I'm glad Anakin has come back from the Dark Side (pun) and found a way to deal with the puppies. The puppies probably just need to learn some manners, and I think Shibas are pretty diligent "manner police".
Anakin looks very happy. :c)
Maybe him being in pain makes him less tolerant with the puppies.
It is wonderful that he is so responding well. And now that he is better he can deal with the pups!
Yay!
Was Anakin going beyond the normal corrections that adults give to puppies? Just wondeirng because Nemo isn't good with puppies at all. It is nice that he is being so much more accepting.
Glad to hear that he is getting around better now that he is on a supplement for his arthritis.
Hi again. Thanks, everyone, for your comments.
Brada: Cute pun! We use a lot of Star Wars references around the house. Especially when Anakin is acting more like Darth Vader. I take all of my pets' names from film & television. I've already decided on a name for our next addition to the family.. I'm just waiting on the right puppy and the right time.
Brandon: Yes, Anakin was going well beyond the normal corrections that adult dogs give to puppies. He was fully attacking the puppies whenever they were in the room. He was even harassing them in their sleep, sneaking up on them while they napped and nipping them hard enough to walk away with tufts of fur in his mouth. His behavior towards them was bordering on hunting them for sport, which concerned me because they're small dogs, not small prey. It took quite a few time-outs and re-introductions before he realized what the puppies were and began to accept that I would be angry if he stalked them. ...Thankfully, now he's content simply "herding" the puppies. He keeps them out of corners and from crawling beneath/behind furniture. Occasionally, he will try to "pin" one of them by placing a paw on the puppies' backs. Although funny, we try to discourage this as well, but only because "pinning" quickly leads to "pouncing" as Anakin begins to enjoy the new game. He's correcting them the way the other adult dogs are doing now, which is a relief. I'm still keeping a close eye on him, though.
ShikokuSpirit: I did take into consideration that Anakin being in pain might have contributed to his violence towards the puppies. Sadly, though, pain wasn't his only issue. He has never done well with other puppies (or human babies) which is why he was housed alone by his previous owner and why he never had a brother/sister in my home. All of the animals we used to socialize him as a puppy were much older, and they disciplined him well in consideration to older dogs. We simply never brought a puppy into our home (until now, with this unexpected litter) because we knew that teaching Anakin to play well with younger dogs would be a lot of work. And since he's already a lot of work.... well... we never bothered.
I do want another puppy within the next 2 years, and a child within the next five... so it's best that I start with Anakin now.