Has anyone tried agility with their kais? Obedience? Flyball? Dock jumping? Other dog sports? Have they enjoyed it? If you haven't, do you think they would?
Kohji loves agility, he's really good at it. The trainer I was working with was pretty impressed with his speed and jumping abilities. He's good at obedience too. They might be good at flyball but I've never tried it with Kohji, it would be a real challenge because they aren't natural retrievers. He will launch into water full speed after ducks so they might do the same for the stick with dock jumping, I'm not sure.
I think Kais excel at agility because of their stocky muscular body shape, they are very sure footed and have a good sense of balance, very cat like.
Hey Kelly, thanks for responding. At what age did you introduce him? Haha yeah I could see flyball being an issue "what, you want this ball? well it's mine, you can't have it"
Flyball has been a kick with my Shibas who are definately not a natural ball dog as a breed. As long as the individual dog really has the drive to keep working under pressure and has an unrelenting drive to play/puzzle solve, I say go for it regardless of breed. Agility is more about the handler/dog team, so a reserved or shy dog may enjoy it more and feel less pressure to perform.
I took a couple of agility classes with Koda to build his confidence as a pup. We only took two rounds, and it got a bit boring after the 2nd for me because he needed his CGC to move forward to the advanced classes. He got his CGC in June, but by that time he had other opportunities awaiting him.
The classes were a lot of fun for Koda, as well as challenging. To get a shy dog to trust you and go through a tunnel is a challenge to take on, but once he got the hang of it it was a great opportunity for not only him to build his confidence but his trust in me as well. He liked them, but I think he likes other activities more, ie tracking/fooling around with other dogs. He is limited on his free time.
@Calia Koda is a therapy dog. I'm not sure if all Kais would be good for this, but I have heard of a handful, including Koda's older brother, who do well with therapy work. I guess given our numbers in the US, a handful is a good percentage.
Koda works in a program with a child who has severe mental challenges. Koda is used to assist him in affect control and allows him an outlet for self soothing. This is very intense work, not many "therapy dogs" could do this, but Koda has always been a very sensitive young man who looks at children like they could never do anything wrong. I'm sure that his tail is pulled, ears pulled, he is probably pounded on a little bit during rage fits, but he takes it all in stride and stays with him until he can calm down. Koda works two full days per week.
Normal therapy work might be visiting convalescent hospitals, children's hospitals, receiving centers, reading books to children, etc. This is probably the work Koda will eventually settle into. I think what he does now is pretty intense. If he ever shows a sign of not liking it, then I will pull him from it. Each child usually comes with a one year commitment, and Koda's one year is up in August.
Therapy dogs are also used in assisted living/memory care facilities that serve the elderly. There have been a number of Shibas used as therapy dogs in these facilities. Kais might also make good therapy dogs for the elderly.
@sukoshi's mom Lol I don't think mine would. Something about the smell of really elderly people that kind've makes Koda gag a bit. He clears his nose and throat and makes a face. It's really insulting.
I think we started doing agility when Kohji was like 3, 4, 5, I don't remember. He was well into adulthood though, and we had completed obedience and rally obedience classes first.
I put Shuii through a couple levels of obedience and agility classes. Although we didn't compete, Shuii really loved it. It really helps an owner to bond with their dog. Working through this type of training builds trust and respect.
Comments
I think Kais excel at agility because of their stocky muscular body shape, they are very sure footed and have a good sense of balance, very cat like.
I took a couple of agility classes with Koda to build his confidence as a pup. We only took two rounds, and it got a bit boring after the 2nd for me because he needed his CGC to move forward to the advanced classes. He got his CGC in June, but by that time he had other opportunities awaiting him.
The classes were a lot of fun for Koda, as well as challenging. To get a shy dog to trust you and go through a tunnel is a challenge to take on, but once he got the hang of it it was a great opportunity for not only him to build his confidence but his trust in me as well. He liked them, but I think he likes other activities more, ie tracking/fooling around with other dogs. He is limited on his free time.
@Calia Koda is a therapy dog. I'm not sure if all Kais would be good for this, but I have heard of a handful, including Koda's older brother, who do well with therapy work. I guess given our numbers in the US, a handful is a good percentage.
Koda works in a program with a child who has severe mental challenges. Koda is used to assist him in affect control and allows him an outlet for self soothing. This is very intense work, not many "therapy dogs" could do this, but Koda has always been a very sensitive young man who looks at children like they could never do anything wrong. I'm sure that his tail is pulled, ears pulled, he is probably pounded on a little bit during rage fits, but he takes it all in stride and stays with him until he can calm down. Koda works two full days per week.
Normal therapy work might be visiting convalescent hospitals, children's hospitals, receiving centers, reading books to children, etc. This is probably the work Koda will eventually settle into. I think what he does now is pretty intense. If he ever shows a sign of not liking it, then I will pull him from it. Each child usually comes with a one year commitment, and Koda's one year is up in August.
Wow tara, thats awesome. I know you always mention that hes in a program but i didnt realize it was that intense.