Kaiju update...
Kaiju is 14 weeks, approx. 35lbs, been w/us now 5 weeks. Sitting pretty in pic, he discovered he could jump up on the hearth bench tonight. He likes the cooler temp stone - an upgrade from the pine floor, which is an upgrade from rug or carpet (too warm). Kaiju is loving, a goofball, loves to splash in his baby pool. We have socialized him a lot w/adults, kids, other dogs and pups - all good. Housebreaking was laughingly easy. He walks great on leash. Seems smart, started puppy class last week. He sits regularly on command "Noting is free" approach. We've have already seen that "protector" moments - when someone surprises him walking up to our house, and he's in the yard, Kaiju stands very straight and woofs (Male Shiba took a year to do this- and it then never stopped, once he did! LOUD barker at approaches to the house). In general we think he is just great and such a good looking dog. Everyone comments who sees him up close(ears will come up one of these days. We are told he may hit 135 lbs, so due to large size, ears rise later?).
Kaiju continues to enjoy a great play relationship w/the females. He can parallel walk "all day long" on the leash, so to speak, w/ the male Kuma (Shiba 7yrs, finally fully healed from his neutering. Next week it will be month for him). They semi bump, walk right NEXT to each other, never had a single issue. Kuma is all business when on a walk - acting like an a-hole to the new interloper is not on the agenda when walking...
But in the house or yard, it bothers Kuma to his absolute core when he hears the females make noise when playing w/Kaiju, thinking he has to ref or "save" them. Gets old. We have no food, or toy triggers w/ him. It's all about very general territory and an "interloper" & the said playing w/the females. We've had couple dust ups (greatly bothers me), as my teenage son checked out on me (and dogs) as he went upstairs today, wham, I was in the can... and of course, Kuma was already in a not great mood, and bam, an attack. Kaiju barks, groans, yelps back now in a pathetic defense (we know that will GREATLY change one day) as Kuma still has the way upper hand, but he now jumps off as we approach and are "on him". He suffers the immediate consequences, and like a dog into the garbage, his body language shows he knows he majorly screwed up, again. Cage type muzzle goes on (he had been trained to it, recently) and he wears it after being aggressive for a much greater length of time(than other times we prudently use it). Call it what you will, it is direct consequence for his actions. We have way more good days than bad... still Kuma shows no interest in EVER playing w/Kaiju (but he plays the least amongst the other original 3, always thinking he has to be on guard-it's his job. Females hunt, he "guards"), but will properly smell him at times.
Sooo much I read online on re: "in house aggression" is rightly about rules, boundaries, being the dog's boss, obedience training etc, I guess this is natural to all the clueless dog owners out there, that simply just don't get it, "tail wags the dog" people. Just does not apply here. Kuma seems pretty darn obedient(from what I read about indifferent shibas), and was easily trained in that regard. He's respectful(very bonded to me, and sees me as in charge) and very much a benevolent dictator w/the girls, but the new puppy boy's existence just pisses him off(well at times), to be blunt. Some advice says let him growl, curl lips to show warnings only discipline a charge or attack(otherwise he will learn to hide it, to avoid a correction, then attack). Others say, nip it in the bud at first lip curl? Thoughts? I see both sides...? We are going to do more positive reinforcement for Kuma behaving around Kaiju in hopes of reshaping his attitude, other than just the "don't get out of line" watch and the "knock it off"'s. It's too bad, as Kaiju could give Kuma back his youth right now, all the playing/romping he could stand, as he's done w/the girls...too bad.
So glad this board is here. Such a great resource. Thanks (sorry for length).
Kaiju continues to enjoy a great play relationship w/the females. He can parallel walk "all day long" on the leash, so to speak, w/ the male Kuma (Shiba 7yrs, finally fully healed from his neutering. Next week it will be month for him). They semi bump, walk right NEXT to each other, never had a single issue. Kuma is all business when on a walk - acting like an a-hole to the new interloper is not on the agenda when walking...
But in the house or yard, it bothers Kuma to his absolute core when he hears the females make noise when playing w/Kaiju, thinking he has to ref or "save" them. Gets old. We have no food, or toy triggers w/ him. It's all about very general territory and an "interloper" & the said playing w/the females. We've had couple dust ups (greatly bothers me), as my teenage son checked out on me (and dogs) as he went upstairs today, wham, I was in the can... and of course, Kuma was already in a not great mood, and bam, an attack. Kaiju barks, groans, yelps back now in a pathetic defense (we know that will GREATLY change one day) as Kuma still has the way upper hand, but he now jumps off as we approach and are "on him". He suffers the immediate consequences, and like a dog into the garbage, his body language shows he knows he majorly screwed up, again. Cage type muzzle goes on (he had been trained to it, recently) and he wears it after being aggressive for a much greater length of time(than other times we prudently use it). Call it what you will, it is direct consequence for his actions. We have way more good days than bad... still Kuma shows no interest in EVER playing w/Kaiju (but he plays the least amongst the other original 3, always thinking he has to be on guard-it's his job. Females hunt, he "guards"), but will properly smell him at times.
Sooo much I read online on re: "in house aggression" is rightly about rules, boundaries, being the dog's boss, obedience training etc, I guess this is natural to all the clueless dog owners out there, that simply just don't get it, "tail wags the dog" people. Just does not apply here. Kuma seems pretty darn obedient(from what I read about indifferent shibas), and was easily trained in that regard. He's respectful(very bonded to me, and sees me as in charge) and very much a benevolent dictator w/the girls, but the new puppy boy's existence just pisses him off(well at times), to be blunt. Some advice says let him growl, curl lips to show warnings only discipline a charge or attack(otherwise he will learn to hide it, to avoid a correction, then attack). Others say, nip it in the bud at first lip curl? Thoughts? I see both sides...? We are going to do more positive reinforcement for Kuma behaving around Kaiju in hopes of reshaping his attitude, other than just the "don't get out of line" watch and the "knock it off"'s. It's too bad, as Kaiju could give Kuma back his youth right now, all the playing/romping he could stand, as he's done w/the girls...too bad.
So glad this board is here. Such a great resource. Thanks (sorry for length).
Comments
I don't correct for growls or snarls, but I do redirect and separate a lot. I'll let a calm adult dog correct a puppy, even with a snap, but only if I know the adult dog is well adjusted and isn't going to hurt the pup. It's a good way for the puppy to start to learn polite behavior. Just keep an eye on them, give the Shiba plenty of time away from the puppy, and if you are at all concerned with something that seems more than a mild correction, then intervene and redirect or separate them.
It may be that your Shiba will never be interested in playing with the Akita. My Akita pup (she's nearly a year old) has had limited access to our reactive Shiba, but they do have occasional time together in the yard. She is larger than him, of course, but she immediately backs off when he growls at her, and now they simply ignore one another--a polite sniff or two, and that's it. She's much more interested in him than he is in her, but she's also wary, and pretty much leaves him alone, which works best in our house, where the Shiba does not interact with the larger pack much since he doesn't get along at all with our adult male Akita.
In the context you describe, that is very fair and wise. Problem is, Kuma goes out of his WAY to tell Kaiju, he doesn't like him - not from disrespect from Kaiju (Kuma disagrees). Kuma feels he has to police EVERYTHING between Kaiju and the females (you should hear him whine and howl in his muzzle, when the pup and girls are having fun. He would love nothing better than to run in w/a hard warning growl and a bite(s) for good measure). My son's friend has brought over a very sweet black lab pup , and the same treatment. Kuma has just become an a-hole in his middle age to these "interlopers". In his world they are that, but it ain't his world. It will be interesting to see if he mellows or not...
I'd like a mere 2 min of dog talk to tell him he doesn't have to make himself and others around him so miserable. It's been 1 month and 5 days on his neuter.
sometime a good behavioralist (if you can find a good positive one), can help with this--there are some behavior modification techniques that can work well, like LAT (Look at That!). It's easier to have someone show you how to do it though. I've done some of this with my Shiba, but we don't have quite the same situation anymore--he's a changed dog after he nearly died, and is fearful and can be fear reactive but doesn't bully at all anymore. When I did have to deal with the bullying, I didn't handle it well, unfortunately, and downplayed how bad it was, and that's how we nearly lost a dog.
I guess if I were in your situation now, I'd keep them separated a fair amount, and maybe work on one on one interactions, and keep the girls out of it for now. It may simply be too much too quick for Kuma to handle, so he's being extra controlling/bullying. Maybe with even slower interactions, he'll come to find Kaiju tolerable? And perhaps he doesn't like puppies? It took 3 months before we could let my male Akita interact with the puppies-he was fine once he got to know them and they were bigger and less puppyish, but he hated them at first.
Maybe less is more for now and an even slower approach will help things even out?
Over the last week and half his ears are now at full attention. The puppy flop look is gone. He completed his first puppy/obedience class. It was kind of anticlimactic as he performed well and being around other dogs and people is no big thing as he has been well socialized. Loves, loves playing in the backyard w/ the females (occasionally, Kuma, the shiba, joins in. Dare I say, ever sooo very slowly he's becoming less of an a-hole to the pup. A semi break thru may have been this: I now take Kuma's crate, enclosed type, and full on press door to door against Kaiju's wire cage type crate, overnight. I noticed improvement the very next day. Also, Kuma's neuter + time maybe helping, who knows?).
Anyway, the pack is doing better.
We love Kaiju - got an annoying taste for paper(our other dogs never touched the stuff) so have barely averted some near disasters - including chewing up money my daughter's friend unknowingly dropped - got there just in time.
There's an appealing mellowness/goofiness to his "bigness". VERY sloppy drinker (my gawd he is, and my gawd does he drink gallons of water). On occasion his guard dog shows when hears or maybe sees a "strange creature" outside at night... wow, suddenly can he get to bass notes. DEEP sound and only 4 months old. It's rather impressive.
Kaiju also has quite the repertoire of vocal communication for different things, and easily kind of understood(pretty cool), and quicker to use it than any of our Shibas. And yes, MUCH mouthier than shibas (gentle, but mouthy). And of course he is still easy on the eyes. Everyone comments on his striking markings. His adult fur is coming in more silver in tone than his warmer color puppy "french gray" hue - which I find even more attractive.
Taz is a very messy drinker too, laps up the water like crazy when he drinks and leaves water everywhere after. And it is pretty neat to learn what the different grunts, growls, and barks mean.
Enjoy your handsome guy!
Affectionate, loyal, protective, and very playful (ask his basket of toys), as he sometimes wears out his welcome w/ the female dogs in the house.
I love the color of his eyes. They match his coat splendidly (and I agree with everyone else, he has such a beautiful coat).
Yeah, he won the genetic lottery w/ this markings and color.