@wrylybrindle Yes I LOVE his thick paws! His paws are funny! They're kinda like a snow rabbit's paw, where there's a lot of fat and thick fur along the back of his lower legs. Especially his lower hind legs. He's pretty bushy all over but I noticed his face is especially thick with fur. Remember how cold it was the last few weeks? He would sometimes take his bully stick outside to chew on it while lying in the snow. Definitely a winter dog.
Cuties!!! I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but have you tired setting a timer and taking him out every 3 hours or so? Just let him out to pee in the backyard and bring him back in. I did this with Goro when he was a puppy and it seemed to work pretty well. I would tell him "pee pee, Goro" and he would go out and pee like a champ! This somewhat stopped his accidents inside the house. Also as soon as he stopped playing with ChoCho I took him outside immediately to avoid him peeing inside.
They really do look happy together ….seems they really compliment each other quite well. Yeah a lot of young dogs are a pain in the butt with mouthing. Once they are over that phase you can really start to enjoy them for who they are as they go on to further development in more fun ways. I think all dogs go through phases of bad habits and they certainly DO learn from each other.
Again, so glad it is woking out : ) Snf
I like Hinata's ideas....just don't get him too hooked on the bell (lol). Maybe put your cell phone on buzz.
They make such a great pair -- Yezo is very handsome!
Both of my dogs learned to lift their leg to pee after seeing another dog do it. Not sure if Yezo has seen another male dog pee? Seems they get the idea quickly.
I'm so glad to see Hana and Yezo getting along to well. So cute to see them playing. Meitou wishes he could crash that party and play, too. Nearly 15-year-old-BC-party-poopers that won't play with him make him sad, lol.
Meitou took forever to lift his leg to pee, and he still doesn't maybe...1/3rd of the time he pees? My family and I joke that he has three peeing poses (spoofing P90X):
1. four on the floor wussy pee = Warrior One 2. Leg lift mostly manly pee (er, sometimes he looks like he's being pretty delicate) = Warrior Two 3. front feet on the ground, back feet high up and in a bush or on a rock, plus also lifting a leg = Reverse Warrior
He still pees on him front legs sometimes, especially if he is peeing on the road and it splashes.
....And, oh my gosh! Yezo is so thick and fluffy! I am amazed. Meitou is so skinny still. And not very fluffy (partly just because I wonder if he isn't that fluffy, plus he just spent several month massive shedding). Yezo is soooo cute!
Hello, just thinking it was time for an update. There have been some changes!
First of all, Yezo has been gaining weight and growing really fast. He came to me at 13 lbs in December and is now 26 lbs!! It's pretty astonishing. He also started to blow is coat now that it's just starting to warm up.
His appetite has dropped significantly. I wouldn't be as alarmed if it was gradual, but yesterday he only ate half his dinner, and then this morning, he didn't touch his food at all. Or drink water. Dinner and breakfast are served in the kong wobbler because he usually inhales his food and eats super fast. Dinner is served in the crate with the gate open, and breakfast is served in the crate with the gate closed. (Breakfast is also a distraction for when we leave the house.) He also started to take treats like he's TASTING it for the first time. He'll roll it around in his mouth and then spit it out. He also left his breakfast treat in the crate untouched. WEIRD!!!! With a little encouragement, and if you offer it to him by hand, he'll eat it, but without all the sharky gusto-ness.
Loose stool - We're not sure if it's Hana's or Yezo's yet, but Hana having loose stool is expected right now because there's construction going on outside (because of all the ice storm damage). I know because I'm not sure who's poop it doesn't say much, but just thought I'd mention it. I"ll have to watch out for his next poop and see what it is.
Lack of energy - He's not as "sharky" as he used to be, and his energy level has dropped significantly. Almost to the point where it feels like there could be something wrong. He kinda just.. chills about. Normally, I would think this is no big deal, and he's just maturing, but with all the rest of these... potential "sick" symptoms, I'm not sure.
So far, the only certain changes are the blowing coat, drop in appetite and drop in energy. Can I say this is normal for growing Hokkaidos blowing their coat? He did have a crazy thick winter coat coming here, and now that it's warming up, could he feeling just out of it? Have other Hokkaido owners experienced something similar?
Also, he has a gross habit of lapping other dogs' urine in the snow or on the leaves. I discourage it whenever I see it, but he'll also lap at Hana's pee. Is he just trying to learn something from the other dog? Or is he just being gross? I hope that's no the reason for his sudden drop in appetite or energy, and it's just the seasons changing. I mean, we're talking about a dog who WANTED to go outside to just roll around in the snow and lay in it during blizzards.. He didn't even want to pee (or forgot about it) because he just wanted to crawl and roll around in the snow.
the lapping girl-pee bit is an intact male dog thing. When Matsu was around 7 mo he started licking the girls or walking like a caboose with his nose in their- well not their butt, exactly. He licked their pee quite a bit during adolescence but he has chilled out quite a lot on this since. The girls tell him to quit it- but poor Reilly is vulnerable when she tries to get a drink, he hears the lapping and comes over for a good close sniff while she dances her hips side to side to avoid him, so I have to tell him to leaveit. He does, though. Hes a good boy
@navydog hmm yes the thought has crossed my mind. I was projecting another couple months, but that could explain his lack of appetite.. but so soon? She's not even bleeding yet :S
@wrylybrindle oh good to know Yezo's not alone in his gross habit. I've read about other dogs doing it, but wasn't quite sure if it was okay. Also, I read about Matsu blowing his coat on facebook! haha! I didn't think it was a big deal either, but I mean.. the no eating and really low energy thing kinda worried me~ :T
the bleeding is only part of the heat cycle. He will know well before then. Usually with dogs weve had in the past, when we have a female near heat, he will slow or stop eating sometimes drinking and will show sudden intrest in their urine. Im not sure about the change in his energy level though that could just be from the lack of eating.
@wrylybrindle well hopefully it's just hana going into heat and not something else. and yeahh.. that's kinda what I would've thought, but maybe the starving part is contributing to his low energy like navydog said.
SO!!!! It seems like there WAS a very serious reason for his lack of appetite/no energy and his loose stool (I confirmed it was his). It was kinda subtle, and the next day his appetite and energy level came back so I wasn't as worried. BUT this morning he puked up a large piece of plastic, approx 1.5 inch x 1 in size. I confiscated a smaller, but same color of plastic he was chewing on a couple weeks ago and thought that was all there was to it, but obviously I was wrong. I know normally if something's been blocking his intestine, we would need surgery, especially if he hasn't thrown it up in a few days but I can't believe he hardly showed any signs (one skipped breakfast a couple days ago and a little bit of diarrhoea) and finally threw it up after 2 weeks... (then tried to eat it again of course..) SIGH...
We'll monitor his poop and see if it'll start solidifying now..
SO!!!! It seems like there WAS a very serious reason for his lack of appetite/no energy and his loose stool (I confirmed it was his). It was kinda subtle, and the next day his appetite and energy level came back so I wasn't as worried. BUT this morning he puked up a large piece of plastic, approx 1.5 inch x 1 in size. I confiscated a smaller, but same color of plastic he was chewing on a couple weeks ago and thought that was all there was to it, but obviously I was wrong. I know normally if something's been blocking his intestine, we would need surgery, especially if he hasn't thrown it up in a few days but I can't believe he hardly showed any signs (one skipped breakfast a couple days ago and a little bit of diarrhoea) and finally threw it up after 2 weeks... (then tried to eat it again of course..) SIGH...
We'll monitor his poop and see if it'll start solidifying now..
I recommend feeding him lightly- Chicken Broth (Naturally made, not store bought) and after a couple days rice. Then going back to his normal diet. From experience when they have these kinds of issues with the intestine, it takes time to get the stomach back to normal, so you want to ease the transition.
To no ones discredit, alot of people are posting on this forum that their dog has lost its appetite, and the response is "yea its normal for a NK", I will advocate again that appetite loss is NOT Normal for a Dog especially over long periods of time. And if that happens have his stomach checked out. You got lucky and as any vet will tell you, a stomach block usually can lead to death or other serious complications.
Source: Very close friend is a DVM. Also 2 dogs with same issue. Also I believe @Dragonfly just went through the same issue with her pup. Now he is eating normally if memory serves correct.
@shikoku thank you, yes, I believe I was VERY lucky. Also, Yezo is lucky he's a tough little dog. We'll have to be extra sure there's nothing like that he can swallow.. I don't even know where he got it from :S
@wrylybrindle@hinata23@navydog thank you! and YES he's pretty strong... Jun thinks he's made of iron.. but seriously thinking about how it was stuck inside him for 2 weeks at least, and that I had no idea that it was even there, is really scary.. Especially because his signs of discomfort was really subtle.. but I guess when he skipped breakfast that one morning should've been a big one for us. I'm just very thankful and lucky that he eventually threw it up and that he seems to be really well built.. (thank you and good job to Yezo's momma and papa)
Also, he's already noticeably MUCH better. All that stuff I said about him chilling out? Nope. He's back to being to being FULL of life and vigor! I mean.. he already seemed like he was full of life and vigor, but it's like x5 now. Biting the clothes I wear and stealing things EVEN MORE than I remember, (and I thought I was just an amazing trainer getting him to "leave it..") stealing shoes (before it was limited to socks and slippers, but I guess he feels strong enough to go after the shoes too now...) and overall perkier and full of gusto. Currently he's skipping his usual nap time and working on a rawhide chew thing like his life depended on it.
Argh! how freaky... This is what I worry about with Katana on a daily basis. He's almost a year old and he's still downing random things like they are candy. He ate one of Conker's toys and popped orange bits for two weeks. He just destroyed a bunch of plastic things the other day... Definitely NOT something I think he needs to keep doing. It's terribly obnoxious, I provide him with plenty of hooves, raw bones, nylabones, rubber balls, and other "safe" toys but he opts to chew on things that can kill him instead, and that are MINE. And he does it in seconds too. He can't be loose unless I am watching him.
Holy cow!!! Man they sneak into things when we least expect it...so happy he's ok, and back to his full self (even if that may be a lot sometimes haha)! Kiss the little dude for me!
Comments
Thanks for keeping us updated I'm glad it is working out with Hana and Yezo.
Again, so glad it is woking out : )
Snf
I like Hinata's ideas....just don't get him too hooked on the bell (lol). Maybe put your cell phone on buzz.
Both of my dogs learned to lift their leg to pee after seeing another dog do it. Not sure if Yezo has seen another male dog pee? Seems they get the idea quickly.
Meitou took forever to lift his leg to pee, and he still doesn't maybe...1/3rd of the time he pees? My family and I joke that he has three peeing poses (spoofing P90X):
1. four on the floor wussy pee = Warrior One
2. Leg lift mostly manly pee (er, sometimes he looks like he's being pretty delicate) = Warrior Two
3. front feet on the ground, back feet high up and in a bush or on a rock, plus also lifting a leg = Reverse Warrior
He still pees on him front legs sometimes, especially if he is peeing on the road and it splashes.
....And, oh my gosh! Yezo is so thick and fluffy! I am amazed. Meitou is so skinny still. And not very fluffy (partly just because I wonder if he isn't that fluffy, plus he just spent several month massive shedding). Yezo is soooo cute!
First of all, Yezo has been gaining weight and growing really fast. He came to me at 13 lbs in December and is now 26 lbs!! It's pretty astonishing.
He also started to blow is coat now that it's just starting to warm up.
His appetite has dropped significantly. I wouldn't be as alarmed if it was gradual, but yesterday he only ate half his dinner, and then this morning, he didn't touch his food at all. Or drink water.
Dinner and breakfast are served in the kong wobbler because he usually inhales his food and eats super fast. Dinner is served in the crate with the gate open, and breakfast is served in the crate with the gate closed. (Breakfast is also a distraction for when we leave the house.)
He also started to take treats like he's TASTING it for the first time. He'll roll it around in his mouth and then spit it out. He also left his breakfast treat in the crate untouched. WEIRD!!!! With a little encouragement, and if you offer it to him by hand, he'll eat it, but without all the sharky gusto-ness.
Loose stool - We're not sure if it's Hana's or Yezo's yet, but Hana having loose stool is expected right now because there's construction going on outside (because of all the ice storm damage). I know because I'm not sure who's poop it doesn't say much, but just thought I'd mention it. I"ll have to watch out for his next poop and see what it is.
Lack of energy - He's not as "sharky" as he used to be, and his energy level has dropped significantly. Almost to the point where it feels like there could be something wrong. He kinda just.. chills about. Normally, I would think this is no big deal, and he's just maturing, but with all the rest of these... potential "sick" symptoms, I'm not sure.
So far, the only certain changes are the blowing coat, drop in appetite and drop in energy. Can I say this is normal for growing Hokkaidos blowing their coat? He did have a crazy thick winter coat coming here, and now that it's warming up, could he feeling just out of it? Have other Hokkaido owners experienced something similar?
Also, he has a gross habit of lapping other dogs' urine in the snow or on the leaves. I discourage it whenever I see it, but he'll also lap at Hana's pee. Is he just trying to learn something from the other dog? Or is he just being gross? I hope that's no the reason for his sudden drop in appetite or energy, and it's just the seasons changing. I mean, we're talking about a dog who WANTED to go outside to just roll around in the snow and lay in it during blizzards.. He didn't even want to pee (or forgot about it) because he just wanted to crawl and roll around in the snow.
Both of my girls are spayed and Matsu is interested in their pee.
---
also, here's a vid and photo i took today!
We'll monitor his poop and see if it'll start solidifying now..
To no ones discredit, alot of people are posting on this forum that their dog has lost its appetite, and the response is "yea its normal for a NK", I will advocate again that appetite loss is NOT Normal for a Dog especially over long periods of time. And if that happens have his stomach checked out. You got lucky and as any vet will tell you, a stomach block usually can lead to death or other serious complications.
Source: Very close friend is a DVM. Also 2 dogs with same issue. Also I believe @Dragonfly just went through the same issue with her pup. Now he is eating normally if memory serves correct.
Yezo, don't eat objects...
Im glad you found out what it was and that it didnt require surgery.
@wrylybrindle @hinata23 @navydog thank you! and YES he's pretty strong... Jun thinks he's made of iron.. but seriously thinking about how it was stuck inside him for 2 weeks at least, and that I had no idea that it was even there, is really scary.. Especially because his signs of discomfort was really subtle.. but I guess when he skipped breakfast that one morning should've been a big one for us. I'm just very thankful and lucky that he eventually threw it up and that he seems to be really well built.. (thank you and good job to Yezo's momma and papa)
Also, he's already noticeably MUCH better. All that stuff I said about him chilling out? Nope. He's back to being to being FULL of life and vigor! I mean.. he already seemed like he was full of life and vigor, but it's like x5 now. Biting the clothes I wear and stealing things EVEN MORE than I remember, (and I thought I was just an amazing trainer getting him to "leave it..") stealing shoes (before it was limited to socks and slippers, but I guess he feels strong enough to go after the shoes too now...) and overall perkier and full of gusto. Currently he's skipping his usual nap time and working on a rawhide chew thing like his life depended on it.
Also his poop is almost solid again.
It's terribly obnoxious, I provide him with plenty of hooves, raw bones, nylabones, rubber balls, and other "safe" toys but he opts to chew on things that can kill him instead, and that are MINE. And he does it in seconds too. He can't be loose unless I am watching him.