Getting a Nihon Ken puppy? Please read...

BradA1878BradA1878
edited March 2011 in Behavior & Training
It's spring, and so it's puppy season. I know many of us have added a new pup to our home over the last few week/months, and I know there are several members who will be adding pups to their family soon too.

Getting a new puppy can be a lot of fun, but it can also be surprising how much work one has to put into the new pup. Jen and I have raised over 40 puppies, and we still find our selves flustered and frustrated by new puppies at times. It's totally normal to feel this way, and for the success of your puppy it's best to be prepared for it. You should use us (the forum collective) as a support group - feel free to come on here and ask question, even if it's simply a "am I doing this right" type of question.

On that note, I thought I'd start this "tips and tricks" thread as a resource for new puppy owners.

First off, here is some reading material that I recommend a new puppy owner read. Some of its a bit dated, but it is still very helpful...
Before You Get Your Puppy
Raising A Puppy
Puppy Training (12-18 weeks)

Here are a few video play-lists that may be helpful too...
Raising a Puppy
Playtime

And a great video...




I invite everyone to share any "tips and tricks", questions, or reading material you may have on the subject! Lets make this a helpful resource for new puppy owners.

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Comments

  • BradnJessBradnJess
    edited March 2011
    We found this in an old thread, not sure how to link to the thread so I will just add the link.
    http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads

    This will link to a free downloadable pdf copy of Dr. Ian Dunbar's book "Before you get your Puppy" essentially the same material as brada's first link but you get the whole book.
    Thanks to MnV for linking it in the original thread.
  • HeidiHeidi
    Thanks, this is great. Noah and I spent an evening watching all the iWoofs and a few other videos. Very informative.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    I thought I'd also share some things I have noticed about the breed I am most familiar with...

    As puppies Kai Ken tend to...

    - Cry in their crate (separation anxiety): The trick for this is to ignore the crying. If you know the puppy has gone potty and is not hungry then you know he/she just doesn't want to be in the crate. Under these conditions, I suggest ignoring the puppy's cries from the crate at all costs. If you totally ignore this behavior, we have noticed, the behavior will stop after about a week.

    - Get upset when you leave them: The trick we have found here is using a kong or bully stick to keep your puppy busy while you are gone. Give them the chew (Kong or Bully Stick) while you are there and slip out the door without them noticing.

    - Nip at your legs/ankles and chew on your feet: The trick we have fond for this is to carry an appropriate item for them to chew on, and redirect them to that item when they start chewing on you.

    - Bite at or lick your hands: We use treats a lot here to move dogs around, because of this our Kai Ken usually learn that our hands dispense treats and so they will mouth our hands if they hag by our side. The trick to culling this behavior is to drop the treat on the floor when you give it to them instead of handing it to them with your hand.

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  • MirkaMMirkaM
    This is really good topic. Wish I have found this forum when Ife was little... So far the difference between Ife and Nuuk is like with night and day. Yesterday I just thought would I have bought another Kai earlier if Ife would have been like Nuuk when she was a puppy (open and likes everyone). Maybe yes but then I might never know what is to live and raise Kai like Ife (shy and fearful). And then I really would screwed if some of Ife's puppies would be like that. I don't have any tips because I started from the scratch with Ife and really learned everything the hard way.

    Oh, there is one. Try to get your puppy as soon as possible and from of good repute breeder (well, this don't always mean that puppies are raised well). I try to favour personal breeders more than kennel breeders (but this might be hard in US). You sure can say from Ife and Nuuk which one is bred in kennel.
  • kaiyakkaiyak
    Thanks brada1878 for starting this thread . Im finding this reading very helpful as I picked up my kai pup last weak. Took 2 weaks off to help with training and so far so good.
  • sunyatasunyata
    Oh, the dropping the treat on the floor is good advice!

    This is definitely a good thread.

    Nihon Ken puppies are incredibly smart and very independent. Which means that they are also stubborn and relentless. The best piece of advice that I have for new puppy owners is to go into it with a sense of humour and the realization that no one or no puppy is perfect. Puppies will make messes, destroy stuff, and make you think you are loosing your mind. They will outsmart you. And they will frustrate the living hell out of you. So be prepared to take puppy breaks. They will save your sanity. Have a safe place (crate or x-pen) where your puppy can be placed with something to keep him occupied while you take some time for yourself. :)
  • shibamistressshibamistress
    I like the idea of holding something in your hand to redirect them when they are biting....this would be a lifesaver for Shiba pups. And the dropping of the treat is a good idea too.

  • shishiinushishiinu
    So some thing that I can add that I dont think I have seen yet is this. When either shipping a pup from overseas or getting one local, one of the best things I have seen to put a puppy at peace for awhile is to have the breeder put a blanket, shirt, or anything familiar to the pup in the kennel for th long travel. This also helps with the puppy adjust to its new home when it arrives. A little some thing in the crate that has familiar scents and smells will put a puppy at ease.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    Good point Gen! To extend that idea (I did this with Joey), you can take a blanket or t-shirt that you've slept with for a few days and send it to the breeder a week or two before your puppy comes home. This way the puppy gets exposed to your scent as well. Then, during the week or two, the blanket or shirt will pick up the scent of the mom and litter mates and will provide extra security for the trip to your home. It's a win-win!
  • tjbart17tjbart17
    edited March 2011
    Thanks Brad for getting this started!

    Koda came home with a toy that was in his mom's crate with his littermates. To this day, it's the only toy in the house he will not let any other dog play with. He slept with it for months when he came home.

    For some people, and experienced owners, bringing a puppy into the house seems like routine. They know what to expect, they've done it before, but if you are a first time owner, or maybe haven't had a puppy in the home in a while, their behavior can be quite overwhelming.

    This forum really prepared me for getting Koda. It gave me lists to make sure that I had everything I needed. These were great resources:

    http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2481&page=1#Item_61
    http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=7272&page=1#Item_0
    http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=757&page=1#Item_0


    Definitely led me in the right direction as far as food:
    http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1665&page=1

    And helped me figure out the ligistics of managing puppy behavior in the home. I wil have to still go back and search posts that I really liked and link them.

    Mostly, the forum allowed me a place where I could go and ask other owners advice, ie Koda's fear issues as a puppy, his first ear infection freak out fighting me screaming trying to give him medicine, his terrible stubborness and barking at people at 9 mos. old, how to properly socialize him, and ofcourse the first place I turned to when we had our accident in December.

    I just went and searched my old posts. There were definitely a few freak out times. ha ha ha. Amazing how I glorify his puppyhood now that he's two.

    .....and I would do it all over again! :-)





  • HeidiHeidi
    We've only ever raised one puppy and that was Tojo. It wasn't too terribly long ago (five years) but I know so much more now compared to what I knew then. I look back and think of some of the mistakes I made, and I just think I was such an idiot. But, it also makes me realize how much I've learned since then and this forum has been a huge part of that. I'm sure after Sosuke's puppyhood, I'll have learned a whole bunch. My goal is to someday look back at myself right now and think I was an idiot because it'll mean I'll have learned that much more.
  • HeidiHeidi
    Well, I've been reading over the whole dogstardaily.com Training Textbook, and came across this article on training while on a walk. Well, you know, I hadn't even thought to train Rakka while we're out on a walk, so I tried the stop-and-ask-your-dog-to-sit thing and Rakka totally ignored me. I was really surprised! I had no idea she was disobedient on walks because I've never bothered to do anything other than just go out, walk, and come back. So we did that exercise and the first five times it took around ten minutes for her to finally calm down and listen. That took me by surprise. So, we're going to be working on that.

    Just goes to show, you never know when you could be doing something better.
  • jujeejujee
    edited April 2011
    any way to make this a "recommended discussion"? it might get lost in the new threads made, and I think it deserves to always be seen by new members who join and by old members who just want to come back to this thread as a quick reference instead of trying to find it through search function.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    @brada1878 can do it. :-)
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    Sure!
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