We cut out a slice of the cake, it's sponge inside with a lining of jam. We're gonna do some research on whats ok for a dog to eat etc. Nice cake though, I, of course, had to eat the slice I cut out. Very nice. Delicious fruit. Hope it lasts till Thursday
thanks for the comments guys, we're excited. Deposits gone through on the house, provided everybody gets their acts together and sorts out whatever it is they're whinging about this time (double glazing, I think) we'll be in for saturday
If it isn't a cake made FOR dogs, don't give him any. Dogs are not meant to digest sugars and flour. While it won't kill him, it is definitely not good for him. Instead treat him with a fabulous piece of fish or venison. He will like that better anyway.
I'm sorry to hear about the issues with the house. Hopefully they will be sorted out soon. The waiting must be hard though =0(.
I would definitely recommend that you bring Tiger to a behaviorist, but only after he's been with you for a few weeks. If he's bonding with Rich now, chances are he's going to bond with you pretty quickly too. He's 2 years old, right? I think with training and socialization he could come around. I think what he really needs to learn is just how big he really is lol.
That looks like a typical fruit cake from the asian bakey that's usually inside an asian supermarket. Yah you shouldn't give a dog sugar, but you can probably give him a taste. Or at least some of the fruit!
We've decided to eat the cake and give Rich a taste (it's a huge cake) and my niece/nephew a taste when we see them with Tiger on Thursday and take Tiger a nice piece of meat (of some description) to chew on instead. We'll tell the family he really enjoyed his Birthday present and it wont be a lie, because he will have enjoyed his birthday present it just wont be a sugary cake likely to send him into a sugar overdose which is simply not easy to contain with such a powerful dog. That and it's not good for him. Not good for me, either, but it wont stop me.
We're hoping that he'll bond with us as quickly as he has with Rich and once he's settled for a few weeks with us we'll have a realistic understanding of his issues which we can then take to our (as of yet undecided) behaviorist. I'm hoping he'll train pretty well when we're settled and it'll all look a lot easier to manage.
Thanks for your kind words I'm sending him happy birthday feelings
Also a lot of behaviorists are very booked up. You may want to contact one soon. That way you can pick when you see them. They may also give you some insight on what to look for so you are all going in better informed.
We're having Tiger again tomorrow, house move appears to be progressing but still...
anyways, I thought I'd post a list of things Tiger can and can't do, so some of you with a bit of experience owning Akita's can give us some pointers.
1) When he's eating, I can put my hand in the food, pick it up, say "this is mine" and take pieces of food out of his mouth 2) I can offer him food by hand which he takes gently. 3) I can get him to sit with a clicker,a tiny piece of cheese and voice modulation 4) I can get him to do a 'down' 6 out of ten times for a clicker, a tiny piece of cheese and voice modulation 5) He does not want to play with any toys except his frisbee and his 'keys' 6) He likes to roll around and play bow on his vet bed 7) He does not listen to commands off the leash in a garden, but will in a house. 8) He does not befoul the house 9) He gets excited when he sees his lead and is sometimes difficult to attach 10) Letting him walk infront means he pulls, making him walk at the side he trots along nicely. He pulls every now and then but can be checked back into place 11) He gets in his travel cage in the back of my car without any issue. During the journey he sits and looks out the window. He doesn't bolt when you let him out, he won't get out the back of the car till you've got hold of his leash 12) He does not go crazy around other dogs. His ears prick up, he doesn't pull towards them. If he gets to a certain proximity he pounces but i've always had him on a lead to check back at this point, can't tell if he's wanting to play or attack. 13) When out of the house he sits on the chair and looks out of the window, or sleeps. When in he wont get on the chair unless invited. 14) He sometimes bites his own tongue. 15) He will walk for as long as you want to walk him. 16) He will suffer any adult petting him, and as many at one time as you like. He doesn't like nervous children. 17) He is slowly learning to sit when its time to cross a road. If he doesn't do it immediately, hovering your hand over his backside accomplishes it. 18) He doesn't like off leash dogs near him when he's on leash. 19) He doesn't catch things you throw, he waits for them to land then grabs them 20) He doesn't go crazy over other dogs urine 21) He pulls more when walking on grass than tarmac 22) I haven't found a place yet he won't let you handle 23) He tries to chew his collar if you try and put it on 24) If you ignore him when you first enter the house, he's less likely to jump on you than if you go in calmly and sit down. 25) He likes to have his ears played with 26) He apparently has no recall, but doesn't show any desire to be off leash, except when other off leash dogs are close by, when he gets a bit stroppy
thats it off the top of my head. How is he doing for an alleged 2 year old?
Sounds pretty good to me! It's great that he doesn't have food aggression. A lot of the things that he's not great at yet are very common and normal (such as not listening while he's in the yard, but listening fine inside). With some work he should get better, but I wouldn't be too concerned if they aren't perfect. He sounds like he's a very curious boy. He must love sniffing around if you let him on walks. I've read that ignoring a dog when you first come home can help with separation anxiety. It can also help keep your dog calm when you leave and come home, so you don't have a dog leaping up on you after a long shift at work. It's always nice to have them greet you at the door, but jumping is a whole other story lol. He seems to be coming along nicely with commands though, considering you guys initially thought that he had no previous training. All in all, I'd say he's doing pretty well. Some things will improve on their own from working with him once you get into the house (trust is a very important thing to build with a rescue, and that will come with time and patience). Others, like behavior with other dogs, will me much easier to fix with a behaviorist. They can tell you what he's feeling and answer a lot of the questions you will have like "does he want to play or attack?". They can also work with you to socialize him and teach him how to play nicely, regardless of his size.
Good work so far! He'll be a perfect companion in no time at all. I can't wait until you guys get into the house, so I can't even imagine how anxious you are. Good luck! I'm sure you'll keep us informed. =0)
Sounds like a great dog to me. I would HIGHLY STRONGLY EMPHATICALLY tell you to hire a behaviorist ASAP in regards to his dog/dog situation. Clearly you guys are not clear on understanding canine to canine communication and if you are misreading play as aggression and discouraging play it can lead to dog/dog issues. A behaviorist is there to essentially translate. Also it is imperative that you employ positive reinforcement techniques. Aversive/punishment based methods can destroy a bond between dog and owner.
Jessica, John is pretty well versed in recognising aggression and other moods judged by body language from a dog, he did some training at work for his job as the regions Dog Incident Officer, his problem is that Tigers looks like neither play nor aggression, it's hovering somewhere in middle ground and he's offering body language recognised from both moods. Even if we'd had a hundred dogs before we'd be seeing a Behaviorist because I don't think that you can really tell with your own dog, being so close to him and loving him so much. I feel like even if I was versed in dog training and psychology I'd be so biased I wouldn't necessarily see it. Plus it's something I'd like to get into so I'd like to meet a few anyway.
In terms of positive reinforcement, it is the only training technique we use. The closest to punishment may be the time outs Jen/Brad have been using and others have mentioned because it seems to be very effective from my research.
Mylo, what I'm particularly impressed with is that this is a list of things he does even having not bonded with us yet. Hopefully once he's settled in, we'll see a whole bigger list
Thanks for your input though you can all expect spam for tomorrow evening!
Wow I don't even have a list like this for any of the dogs. Very perceptive. Just a couple questions/thoughts/suggestions.
1) When he's eating, I can put my hand in the food, pick it up, say "this is mine" and take pieces of food out of his mouth I'm not sure why you're taking food away from him. Is this a technique someone taught you that I should know about? Also what type of food is he on now. You say pieces, is it kibble rather than the table scraps the other owner was feeding him.
2) I can offer him food by hand which he takes gently. Awesome!
5) He does not want to play with any toys except his frisbee and his 'keys' Let him pick out a toy from the petstore. If he gets bored with only 2 interesting toys that he is only playing with, he may try playing with your valuables when left at home. I try and rotate several toys.
7) He does not listen to commands off the leash in a garden, but will in a house. What commands are you working on, re-call?
9) He gets excited when he sees his lead and is sometimes difficult to attach Make him sit and stay for a few seconds before taking out the lead. Then continue the stay position while you put it on. Such a common problem. Koda and I still have work to do on this. lol
10) Letting him walk infront means he pulls, making him walk at the side he trots along nicely. He pulls every now and then but can be checked back into place Use the clicker to get him to stay at your side since he is responding well to it.
12) He does not go crazy around other dogs. His ears prick up, he doesn't pull towards them. If he gets to a certain proximity he pounces but i've always had him on a lead to check back at this point, can't tell if he's wanting to play or attack. If you are unable to read your dog's cues, and for any rescue who is older this can be difficult at first, I would definitely follow Jessica's advice and call a behaviorist. A lot of us work with a behaviorist.
16) He will suffer any adult petting him, and as many at one time as you like. He doesn't like nervous children. What dog does? lol Make sure they don't touch him.
17) He is slowly learning to sit when its time to cross a road. If he doesn't do it immediately, hovering your hand over his backside accomplishes it. Clicker again.
18) He doesn't like off leash dogs near him when he's on leash. Again most dogs do not, but refer to a Behaviorist to determine how far he/she thinks he will go to protect himself.
20) He doesn't go crazy over other dogs urine Thank goodness! Smart little boy.
23) He tries to chew his collar if you try and put it on Again sit and stay.
24) If you ignore him when you first enter the house, he's less likely to jump on you than if you go in calmly and sit down. He jumps, turn around and ignore.
26) He apparently has no recall, but doesn't show any desire to be off leash, except when other off leash dogs are close by, when he gets a bit stroppy Here's a game I play with my dogs. It's fun for them and works well with recall. I take treats and hide in the yard or house. I call the dog. When he comes I tell him to sit, give him a treat, and tell him to stay. Then I run and hide again. When I say "come" he can find me. I usually do this for only 5-10 minutes. I just want to make sure that I am doing it enough to re-inforce, come, sit, and stay and keeping the game lively.
That was long. Sorry if I went on too much. Maybe I'm just not busy at work enough this week. :-]
1) It was just a kind of test to see if he had any food aggression we should look into with a behaviourist. He's been eating Chicken and Rice and his training treat is Cheese (very small amounts).
5) in the UK you can't take pets into petstores, the toy thing isn't an issue though. I'm sure if he's bored he'll pick one, and he does so love our teatowels lol.
7) Yes, we're working on recall with varying degress of success. He'll probably never be an offleash dog which is ok.
10) clicker on the walk is a good idea, thanks
16) We'd never leave him with a child anyway, to be honest, I don't like touchy-nervous kids either, haha. Put me on edge.
20) he doesn't even tend to mark anything with his pee. He pees to pee. Loving it.
26) I like this game! Sounds like fun. Someone suggested something similar when he wasn't eating.
No it was really interesting to hear your feedback it's the reason we're hogging the forum atm, haha. We are definitely going to see a behaviorist ASAP
You can't take dogs into petstores? Koda could not live there. He loves picking out his own bully sticks and toys. lol.
Most of our Nihon Ken could never be off leash dogs. I know Koda won't. Sometimes it's a little sad. I want to be able to trust him, but it's our job to keep them safe. I'm with you.
Koda and I have done an initial visit to the behaviorist, but begin our work on August 8. Please share anything that they teach you. I'm always excited for the free lessons. he he.
we'll trade off information, haha. I'm pretty sure I commented on his thread of latest spam but Koda is freaking adorable!
Dogs aren't really allowed anywhere in the UK, sometimes reading the forum me and John get very jealous about the opportunities we miss out on. Haven't yet found a dog park in the region, though I doubt he'll ever be a dog park kinda guy it would've been nice.
We did get in touch with an obedience school today where there is a resident behaviorist and we're seeing them soon, will keep you updated.
ROFL is THAT why i didn't see any dogs at the pet store when i was on my sympahty dog toy buying binge the other day here in the UK...i was wondering why people just didn't bring their dogs! Happy belated bday Tiger!
Today we took Tiger on a massive trek with my Dad! It was wonderful to see him again, he greeted us like old friends. We also got news on the house. Sunday with a bit of luck. Phew!
(Tiger was doing his usual half hour pull on the leash before he settles in to find his manners, my dad commented that "we're just not going fast enough for the poor guy. Here, hand him over." and just legs it across the field, he got to the end. Stopped. Caught his breath, shouted "YEEHAW" and came running back. Me and John were practically doubled over laughing. My dad, the cat man, running with our bear-dog).
(Tiger out runs Dad. Dads also looking rather flushed after so I kindly just caught Tiger in the shot)
Taking him home to Richs was awful. I'm growing to love the smell of that big, stupid dog. Oh, things pointed out to us by Rich, he's pretty certain somethings wrong with his eyes. You'll remember when he came to us both of them were bloodshot, the owners said he got in a fight, the Friends Of Akitas representative said it was due to skull growth. Either way Rich has noticed his co-ordination is off and thinks it's due to his eyes, so a vet visit is due ASAP. He is also pretty much certain that his DOB is a lie, he says he seems to act a lot younger than 2. Who knows.
Comments
thanks for the comments guys, we're excited. Deposits gone through on the house, provided everybody gets their acts together and sorts out whatever it is they're whinging about this time (double glazing, I think) we'll be in for saturday
Instead treat him with a fabulous piece of fish or venison. He will like that better anyway.
I'm sorry to hear about the issues with the house. Hopefully they will be sorted out soon. The waiting must be hard though =0(.
I would definitely recommend that you bring Tiger to a behaviorist, but only after he's been with you for a few weeks. If he's bonding with Rich now, chances are he's going to bond with you pretty quickly too. He's 2 years old, right? I think with training and socialization he could come around. I think what he really needs to learn is just how big he really is lol.
Jesse
Good luck with your closing!
We're hoping that he'll bond with us as quickly as he has with Rich and once he's settled for a few weeks with us we'll have a realistic understanding of his issues which we can then take to our (as of yet undecided) behaviorist. I'm hoping he'll train pretty well when we're settled and it'll all look a lot easier to manage.
Thanks for your kind words
We're having Tiger again tomorrow, house move appears to be progressing but still...
anyways, I thought I'd post a list of things Tiger can and can't do, so some of you with a bit of experience owning Akita's can give us some pointers.
1) When he's eating, I can put my hand in the food, pick it up, say "this is mine" and take pieces of food out of his mouth
2) I can offer him food by hand which he takes gently.
3) I can get him to sit with a clicker,a tiny piece of cheese and voice modulation
4) I can get him to do a 'down' 6 out of ten times for a clicker, a tiny piece of cheese and voice modulation
5) He does not want to play with any toys except his frisbee and his 'keys'
6) He likes to roll around and play bow on his vet bed
7) He does not listen to commands off the leash in a garden, but will in a house.
8) He does not befoul the house
9) He gets excited when he sees his lead and is sometimes difficult to attach
10) Letting him walk infront means he pulls, making him walk at the side he trots along nicely. He pulls every now and then but can be checked back into place
11) He gets in his travel cage in the back of my car without any issue. During the journey he sits and looks out the window. He doesn't bolt when you let him out, he won't get out the back of the car till you've got hold of his leash
12) He does not go crazy around other dogs. His ears prick up, he doesn't pull towards them. If he gets to a certain proximity he pounces but i've always had him on a lead to check back at this point, can't tell if he's wanting to play or attack.
13) When out of the house he sits on the chair and looks out of the window, or sleeps. When in he wont get on the chair unless invited.
14) He sometimes bites his own tongue.
15) He will walk for as long as you want to walk him.
16) He will suffer any adult petting him, and as many at one time as you like. He doesn't like nervous children.
17) He is slowly learning to sit when its time to cross a road. If he doesn't do it immediately, hovering your hand over his backside accomplishes it.
18) He doesn't like off leash dogs near him when he's on leash.
19) He doesn't catch things you throw, he waits for them to land then grabs them
20) He doesn't go crazy over other dogs urine
21) He pulls more when walking on grass than tarmac
22) I haven't found a place yet he won't let you handle
23) He tries to chew his collar if you try and put it on
24) If you ignore him when you first enter the house, he's less likely to jump on you than if you go in calmly and sit down.
25) He likes to have his ears played with
26) He apparently has no recall, but doesn't show any desire to be off leash, except when other off leash dogs are close by, when he gets a bit stroppy
thats it off the top of my head. How is he doing for an alleged 2 year old?
Good work so far! He'll be a perfect companion in no time at all. I can't wait until you guys get into the house, so I can't even imagine how anxious you are. Good luck! I'm sure you'll keep us informed. =0)
Best of luck.
In terms of positive reinforcement, it is the only training technique we use. The closest to punishment may be the time outs Jen/Brad have been using and others have mentioned because it seems to be very effective from my research.
Mylo, what I'm particularly impressed with is that this is a list of things he does even having not bonded with us yet. Hopefully once he's settled in, we'll see a whole bigger list
Thanks for your input though
1) When he's eating, I can put my hand in the food, pick it up, say "this is mine" and take pieces of food out of his mouth
I'm not sure why you're taking food away from him. Is this a technique someone taught you that I should know about? Also what type of food is he on now. You say pieces, is it kibble rather than the table scraps the other owner was feeding him.
2) I can offer him food by hand which he takes gently.
Awesome!
5) He does not want to play with any toys except his frisbee and his 'keys'
Let him pick out a toy from the petstore. If he gets bored with only 2 interesting toys that he is only playing with, he may try playing with your valuables when left at home. I try and rotate several toys.
7) He does not listen to commands off the leash in a garden, but will in a house.
What commands are you working on, re-call?
9) He gets excited when he sees his lead and is sometimes difficult to attach
Make him sit and stay for a few seconds before taking out the lead. Then continue the stay position while you put it on. Such a common problem. Koda and I still have work to do on this. lol
10) Letting him walk infront means he pulls, making him walk at the side he trots along nicely. He pulls every now and then but can be checked back into place
Use the clicker to get him to stay at your side since he is responding well to it.
12) He does not go crazy around other dogs. His ears prick up, he doesn't pull towards them. If he gets to a certain proximity he pounces but i've always had him on a lead to check back at this point, can't tell if he's wanting to play or attack.
If you are unable to read your dog's cues, and for any rescue who is older this can be difficult at first, I would definitely follow Jessica's advice and call a behaviorist. A lot of us work with a behaviorist.
16) He will suffer any adult petting him, and as many at one time as you like. He doesn't like nervous children.
What dog does? lol Make sure they don't touch him.
17) He is slowly learning to sit when its time to cross a road. If he doesn't do it immediately, hovering your hand over his backside accomplishes it.
Clicker again.
18) He doesn't like off leash dogs near him when he's on leash.
Again most dogs do not, but refer to a Behaviorist to determine how far he/she thinks he will go to protect himself.
20) He doesn't go crazy over other dogs urine
Thank goodness! Smart little boy.
23) He tries to chew his collar if you try and put it on
Again sit and stay.
24) If you ignore him when you first enter the house, he's less likely to jump on you than if you go in calmly and sit down.
He jumps, turn around and ignore.
26) He apparently has no recall, but doesn't show any desire to be off leash, except when other off leash dogs are close by, when he gets a bit stroppy
Here's a game I play with my dogs. It's fun for them and works well with recall. I take treats and hide in the yard or house. I call the dog. When he comes I tell him to sit, give him a treat, and tell him to stay. Then I run and hide again. When I say "come" he can find me. I usually do this for only 5-10 minutes. I just want to make sure that I am doing it enough to re-inforce, come, sit, and stay and keeping the game lively.
That was long. Sorry if I went on too much. Maybe I'm just not busy at work enough this week. :-]
5) in the UK you can't take pets into petstores, the toy thing isn't an issue though. I'm sure if he's bored he'll pick one, and he does so love our teatowels lol.
7) Yes, we're working on recall with varying degress of success. He'll probably never be an offleash dog which is ok.
10) clicker on the walk is a good idea, thanks
16) We'd never leave him with a child anyway, to be honest, I don't like touchy-nervous kids either, haha. Put me on edge.
20) he doesn't even tend to mark anything with his pee. He pees to pee. Loving it.
26) I like this game! Sounds like fun. Someone suggested something similar when he wasn't eating.
No it was really interesting to hear your feedback
Most of our Nihon Ken could never be off leash dogs. I know Koda won't. Sometimes it's a little sad. I want to be able to trust him, but it's our job to keep them safe. I'm with you.
Koda and I have done an initial visit to the behaviorist, but begin our work on August 8. Please share anything that they teach you. I'm always excited for the free lessons. he he.
Dogs aren't really allowed anywhere in the UK, sometimes reading the forum me and John get very jealous about the opportunities we miss out on. Haven't yet found a dog park in the region, though I doubt he'll ever be a dog park kinda guy it would've been nice.
We did get in touch with an obedience school today where there is a resident behaviorist and we're seeing them soon, will keep you updated.
(Tiger was doing his usual half hour pull on the leash before he settles in to find his manners, my dad commented that "we're just not going fast enough for the poor guy. Here, hand him over." and just legs it across the field, he got to the end. Stopped. Caught his breath, shouted "YEEHAW" and came running back. Me and John were practically doubled over laughing. My dad, the cat man, running with our bear-dog).
(Tiger out runs Dad. Dads also looking rather flushed after so I kindly just caught Tiger in the shot)
Taking him home to Richs was awful. I'm growing to love the smell of that big, stupid dog. Oh, things pointed out to us by Rich, he's pretty certain somethings wrong with his eyes. You'll remember when he came to us both of them were bloodshot, the owners said he got in a fight, the Friends Of Akitas representative said it was due to skull growth. Either way Rich has noticed his co-ordination is off and thinks it's due to his eyes, so a vet visit is due ASAP. He is also pretty much certain that his DOB is a lie, he says he seems to act a lot younger than 2. Who knows.
Roll on Sunday!
He is a very cute fluff ball.
Couldn't the vet give an approximate age when Tiger see's him, something with looking at the teeth
He is adorable and looks SO happy to be walking with you guys.
Good luck for Sunday
Best of luck with the house!!
Tiger looks like he is doing well. And I am sure he will be so excited when you guys can finally take him home.
Best of luck with the house, and hopefully you guys will be able to move in on Sunday!!! (we expect lots of welcome home spam!)
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for a fuller account of his adventures