Wanting more and more - forum makes me crazy! xD
Yeah well, this is probably not unfamiliar to most of you, but this forum has really done it for me! It has doomed me to an existance without money or time for anything else than picking up dogpoo and swooning over NK antics! xD (okay maybe I exaggerate a bit)
I have always been in love with akitas, but I also admired the kai ken very much, which is what brought me to the forum (a google search came up with a thread from the forum's kai section) and thanks to all the lovely people in here - and their dogs - I fell more in love with the kai. And now I am addicted! Haha... I have since met kai IRL several times and never do they disapoint me!
I also really like the shiba, shikoku and kishu, but from the different tales told in here, I have come to the conslusion, that they are maybe not ideal for me. BUT then (ofcourse) a danish breeder had to go and get hokkaido, and - yeah you guessed it - I fell in love with those as well!! What will become of me?
I am torn, since I kinda prefer to have a small pack, so all dogs can live in the house with me all the time, but I am going to have kai (preferably - or rather probably - one of each sex) and I dream of hokkaido too AND I already have an akita, with a friend dangling the possibility of a male AA pup from a future breeding between 2 dogs I really adore. That would mean at least 4 dogs, but more likely 5... Jeez I have always been bad at choosing between things I really want!
Also there is ofcourse the added expense of having more dogs... I really need to think about whether I will add a hokkaido and a second akita. It may just have to stay a dream for many years, but oh do I dream about it! Haha...
Anyone else who has the same dilemma?
I know the smart thing would be to wait, but sometimes I wanna just go crazy and buy what I want. Guess I never really made peace with the idea of being patient! :P One thing is for sure, I am enjoying my first NK tremendously!!
I have always been in love with akitas, but I also admired the kai ken very much, which is what brought me to the forum (a google search came up with a thread from the forum's kai section) and thanks to all the lovely people in here - and their dogs - I fell more in love with the kai. And now I am addicted! Haha... I have since met kai IRL several times and never do they disapoint me!
I also really like the shiba, shikoku and kishu, but from the different tales told in here, I have come to the conslusion, that they are maybe not ideal for me. BUT then (ofcourse) a danish breeder had to go and get hokkaido, and - yeah you guessed it - I fell in love with those as well!! What will become of me?
I am torn, since I kinda prefer to have a small pack, so all dogs can live in the house with me all the time, but I am going to have kai (preferably - or rather probably - one of each sex) and I dream of hokkaido too AND I already have an akita, with a friend dangling the possibility of a male AA pup from a future breeding between 2 dogs I really adore. That would mean at least 4 dogs, but more likely 5... Jeez I have always been bad at choosing between things I really want!
Also there is ofcourse the added expense of having more dogs... I really need to think about whether I will add a hokkaido and a second akita. It may just have to stay a dream for many years, but oh do I dream about it! Haha...
Anyone else who has the same dilemma?
I know the smart thing would be to wait, but sometimes I wanna just go crazy and buy what I want. Guess I never really made peace with the idea of being patient! :P One thing is for sure, I am enjoying my first NK tremendously!!
Comments
Maybe I should just follow your example. I just need a place with plenty of outside space
EDIT: Oh and by the way, when I say "The forum makes me crazy" I mean it in the best way possible - I am definately not complaining about being NK crazy
Which ones are you thinking about? All NK or do you have "a few" you are struggling between?
How long do you have to wait?
Just out of curiosity - what is the biggest number of dogs you've had inside the house at one time??
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What do you mean "the shikoku and kishu too exacting"?
I really feel that the kai is a dog soulmate for me too, and might even (if it lives up to what I have heard in here) surpass the akita on my favorite list - right now they are kind of equal - but it is hard so say since I have not yet owned a kai myself. It could be though, that in the future I only have fx kai and hokkaido (if that will become reality). I love my akita, but it is really a BIG dog, and I might prefer smaller breeds in the future. I will see how it goes when Eowyn is grown.
I would like to have another Akita maybe....Oskar needs a playmate his size. Or maybe a medium sized dogs (even though my giant Shibas are almost that size) who can tolerate his big clumsiness. I think of the other NKs, the ones that I like the most in theory (since I haven't met any yet) are the Kais....
But I'm also interested in a few other breeds, mostly Norwegian Elkhound--I had one when I was a teenager and she was the most wonderful dog (but barky!). And I'll probably never actually have one, but every now and then I toy with the idea of one of the little terriers, like the fox terrier, or even the tiny but oh so appealing Norwich. Or the giant deerhound! And I like greyhounds! (And likely will also never have one).
I could see getting a Kai some day. Or another Akita and/or Shiba even though just a few months ago I said I was done with Shibas, too tired of all their issues, whether it is health or temperament....they are just so damn difficult! But I think my heart was long ago turned over to Shibas, so I doubt I'll stick to my "they are just too difficult" mindset.
But a Kai.....Hmmm....that sounds possible some day! Oh, and I forgot that between Lindsay and Brad, I'm really interested in the COs too!
It will be a long time though. I always think, sure, I can handle four dogs. I could. But what I forget is how damn expensive it is when vet bills hit, and they always do. I can barely afford the three I have when they need vet care, so adding a fourth in the near future is not a good idea.
I could see 4-5 Kai in my home if I had the space mainly because I find them so easy and such a fit personality wise. Not sure if I'm interested in other NK, maybe Kishu, but I'd have learn more about them.
If we talk non-NK I do have a single breed I'd like. The whippet!! I adore whippets, and they are quite a good match for me, and they coexist with akitas very well... But with my wishes for kai and perhaps hokkaido I will likely not get there soon
@tjbart17
Tara, you read my mind! At the moment though I have no basis for buying a place to convert into NK heaven... I have plans and wishes for how I want it to be, but I need the economy to be able to buy a property with the possibilities I want... I would like to breed kai in the future sometime...
For me there are two general groups of "types" of dogs I'd like. The first is pets/companions and the other working/hunting.
If I was looking for another companion, hiking partner or a buddy for Conker I'd get an Akita Inu or another Shiba. I don't like "normal" dogs and can't stand how obnoxious my Mom's dogs are with their blahness. I need active dogs with interesting personalities.
For hunters, I love the tenacity of the Kishu. I definitely want one for hunting. Same goes for the Shikoku and Kai. And they are just flat out gorgeous dogs how can you not want one? Their personalities are something else as well. I'd also like to have a Karelian Bear Dog someday. Those dogs are amazing.
I have no idea how well a Hokkaido would do hunting here in the states, I guess if I stuck to the colder places it'd do better. They are somewhere in between companions and hunters. I really like them a lot.
Working dogs? I love sledding. Not racing, that's a disgrace, but actual working sledding. I'd love to get a team of Canadian Inuit Dogs or some working Huskies or Mals instead of a car in the winter XD
If I had critters I needed protecting I'd get a LSG too, don't have a specific breed for that one though.
My dream is to be completely self sufficient. This thing called technology? Not allowed in my place unless I need to use it for work or an emergency, or chatting on the NK forum XD
I want to be as off the grid as possible with solar panels and a generator for electricity, a woodstove/fireplace for cooking and heating, that kind of stuff. I'd even settle for an outhouse if it meant one less thing that connects me to everything else.
I don't want a yard, or to even be able to see my closest neighbor. I'd love to have acreage, especially if it were close to or butted up against a national forest or BLM land. I don't care how remote, as long as my dogs have got plenty of room to run!
My order of interest would be : Shikoku, Kishu, Hokkaido, Kai, Shiba, and then Akita. I definitely want a shikoku and kishu, and the others are just there for dreaming about
Ouch, I would not be able to wait that long, you have my sympathy!! Well, or... I kinda waited 14 years to buy an akita, but I fell in love with that breed when I was just 8 years old, so I dunno if the first 10 years count, since I couldn't theoretically buy a dog until I left home at 18 years old... Because of my parents of course
I'm also really interested in Kais from all the good things I've heard on the forum, plus I'm pretty sure that a Kai would be Panda's perfect play-mate. I met Tara's Koda once, but I wasn't able to really interact with him at all cause we were at the dog-park and there was oh so many interesting things there for him. He'll have to come visit again
My favorite breeds are the Jagdterriers, Belgian Malinois, Kishus and Shikokus. I love energetic dogs. I'm a big fan of outdoor activities. I love to go jogging, hiking, swimming, biking, camping, fishing, hunting, skiing, and just being outside. Although I have four favorite breeds..in the future the breeds that I really want to focus on is the Kishus(including colored kishus) and the Shikokus. I might keep a Jagdterrier and a Belgian Malinois but I probably won't start a breeding program for them. Malinois are quite popular so if I ever do want one I can get one here in the states. Jagdterriers are a little more rare but my brother is planning on starting a breeding program for them in the future so I won't have to worry about starting my own breeding program for them.
I still yet have to test the malinois out for hunting big games. I know they have a strong grip and prey drive but I don't have any idea on how their hunting style is like.
I believe the Kishu and Shikoku will do well here in the cold Minnesota winter.
I guess I thought that kishus were more high energy-all-over-the-place than fx the kai or hokkaido (not that they are without energy!), but am I wrong here?
Does the kishu only have hunting lines or do they also have showlines/petlines?
I really like the kishu, but kinda put them in the "doesn't fit me"-category because of what I mentioned above.
Just my opinion but kishu temperament can be very similar to a shikoku. I feel that there's a lot of misconception that a kishu that hunts is hard to care for and that's far from the truth.
I really think the many of the general temperament and breed characteristics on the net paint the kishu to be this crazy chase any thing, will bite people type of dog. Maybe I should make a website for kishus...
Gen, you are not making this easier for me! Haha... I have always admired the kishus, but I never felt that tempted, since I thought they were in fact this crazy active, crawling on the walls-breed. Or I thought it would be with me, since I am not a hunter and provides a more companion-like home.
I remember seeing in a post somewhere in the kishu section, that Brad said all kishu he knew had dog to dog problems, so can I get the story on their dog reactiveness?
But, my missus will never agree to that, also we dont have the largest house and garden, plus a very busy social life..
It will never fit in, so I have to be a realist and just "settle" with Akana and MAYBE a male shikoku in the future :-)
Edit: We both love JA's aswell, but they are rather large, maybe in a far future we will be owned by one!
Shibas are not really my cup of tea, i've never seen a hokkaido in person. And I just dont know enough about the Kishu, never really looked into them.
Like any NK, they do need proper socialization and training. My personal opinion is the kishu is just own able as a kai or a shikoku for the first time NK owner. It just takes time and patience as any other NK.
Once I finish up with my 'current' education, I will hopefully be adding either a Kai or a Hokkaido. But that will be a couple of years.
I love Saya's personality.
I don't know much on hokkaido, but been reading on them and I like their look and personality so far so maybe in the future I'll own one or two, or three. lol
"one or two, or three" <- THAT is how my brain works at the moment. Maaaaybe one... oooooor two! ...or threeeeee *happy voice*
I am getting more and more fond of the hokkaido, the more I learn. We have recently added a hokkaido breeder to the NK breeder ranks in Denmark, and so I get a more intimate view and I hope to meet them soon. Kai is still a favorite, but the hokkaido is creeping up on 2nd place now :P And because of Gen, the kishu is lurking around, wanting to be 3rd!
I have a feeling that kai and hokkado fits me well, but won't know for sure till I've owned them. I might fit well with a kishu too... Who knows?