living with the Shiba traits!

edited November 2008 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)
well its been a couple of months now owing Mischa, and im starting to notice the lovely little things that seem to keep all us owners perplexed!! like agressiveness to other dogs when they get too close, mouthing when excited (which i think is quite cute) and not wanting to walk next to me but be just in front all the time, and deciding when they want to be obedient or not!!

i have been reading through some old posts on these topics and now feel quite normal because alot of you have had or are having the same issues hahaha,

but its all good news and challenging!!!! who wants a normal dog anyway!!! i have got some more tips from the shibashake website which is very good and also i am watching less of 'the dog whisperer' thesedays as i was hooked, ( a bit like i was on Amway a few years ago!!hahaha) but now realise that Mischa is a dog not a robot. lol i guess i got tunnelled vision there for a while hahaha.

well the weekend is not far away so looking forward to another long walk in the countryside (in the rain again! as it is England)

Comments

  • edited November -1
    If you enjoy dog training shows, check out It's me or the Dog. Victoria Stillwell is wonderful. I am glad to hear that you are appreciating all that makes Mischa a shiba. They are perplexing, frustrating, magical dogs, that will teach you more about patience, and unconditional love than anything or anyone else ever could. And wait until teething! You will learn all about not valuing stuff, as she whittles away your stuff. My Moto always managed to find whatever was expensive and/or sentimental and destroy it with a joie de vivre unsurpassed.

    Make sure to enjoy every minute of her. And post LOTS of pictures.
  • edited November -1
    thanks Jessica
    i hope i dont get the chewing thing, as she is 3yrs now! but iguess i'll deal with it as and when.. i dont think we get that t.v show in the UK yet but i'll look out for it.
  • edited November -1
    Ha, It's Me Or the Dog is filmed in England but you don't get it in the UK? That is strange to me. I love Victoria Stillwell, she has a lot of great training tips. I taught Miso how to do his "down" the way she does, by making them crawl under your leg, and now he does it on command no problem!

    I have a feeling shibas are chewers at any age...
  • edited November -1
    i,ve just searched fot it on the web and we do get it!!! hoorah more tv to watch after walks, cant wait..
  • edited November -1
    Oh good, it's a great show!
  • edited November -1
    Moto never stopped chewing. His nickname was Moto Destructo.. In fact that is what Jay and I have decided to name our recording studio. Moto Destructo Studios.

    I have a feeling you will love Victoria Stillwell, she is AWESOME.
  • edited November -1
    Aw, Jessica that name is wonderful! It's very catchy :)

    You are right about Victoria, she is amazing. I have so much from her that has helped in my dog training techniques. Now if only she would show me how to get a Shiba to listen for agility training...
  • edited November -1
    She is a dog trainer not a miracle worker!!!

    :P
  • edited November -1
    LMAO Jess! Very True. I have steared my mom away from Caesar to Victoria, although sometimes she looks like a dominatrix!
    Kristin-How do you do the down? Other methods on down DO NOT work for Niko!
  • edited November -1
    I love It's Me or the Dog! I just wish I was able to watch it more :(

    Moto Destructo Studios has a nice ring to it Jess. What a great choice!
  • edited November -1
    Okay I will try and explain it:

    So you sit on the floor with one knee proped up like a tunnel and you have the dog on one side and a treat on the other and they have to go into a down position to crawl through to get the treat. So as they go down to get the treat you say "down" and they praise them with the treat and love once they have completed the task.

    Shiba's are so smart Miso figured it out in about 10 minutes, now when I say "down" he just lays down...probably because he just wants the food and praise and doesn't want to have to crawl under me to get it! :)
  • edited November -1
    Being 34 weeks pregnant....I will have Chad try that. That will probably work, but knowing Niko she will just walk to the other side instead of going through...LOL.
  • edited November -1
    yeh moto destructo studios does have a real rock and roll feel to it, sounds cool..
  • edited November -1
    Moto Destructo Studios

    LOVE it!
  • edited November -1
    Hmmm. That's an interesting approach to teaching down. I actually noticed something interesting the other day. I taught Lucy down by luring and Joey down by guiding him down with gentle pressure on his shoulders. As a result, Lucy tends to leave her butt in position and move down with her front paws and Joey tends to leave his front paws and slide his butt back to enter a down. I found it interesting anyway.

    Jess: LOVE the name! I think its perfect.
  • edited November -1
    I think the only problem with luring techniques to train certain commands is that the dog sometimes needs to see the hand go up or down in order to do the command. I used luring to teach sit and down - for down they would only do the command if I did the hand signal - if i just said the word...it would take them a really long time to get it.

    My new trainer taught me a new way to teach down without luring and it's pretty effective.

    Basically you tether your dog to something and sit in front of them. Then you wait for them to do something...if they put their nose to the ground click and treat...if they go into play bow stance...click and treat...basically anything the dog does that is close to being in a down or in the process of going to to a down, click and treat. It is important to throw the treat close to them, but far away enough that they have to get up to get the treat. After a few reps - your dog will start thinking how to get the treat - it is important not to say anything or do any gestures...just wait for them to figure it out. When they finally get into the down click and throw 2-3 treats to them to make it extra rewarding. After a few times they should have it down. Then you can start adding the word "down" - but don't repeat yourself - say it once and wait for them to do it. It can take 1 minute or 10! - It worked great for my dogs - they were able to go in a down by just my voice in 10 minutes!
  • edited November -1
    Jess - Awesome name!! I loveeee it!

    And Victoria Stillwell is an amazing trainer! I have learned a lot from her.
  • edited November -1
    Romi by the time I get a dog I'll be able to hire you as our trainer :P
  • edited November -1
    Victoria's most recent episode (DVR'd it) has her go more and more into clicker training concepts and she even does some techniques on getting your dog to ignore other dogs during a walk.

    Jesse

    I love learning from her.
  • edited November -1
    If you want to see some great examples of clicker training, go here

    http://www.clickertraining.com/

    Karen Pryor is really the top of the mountain for that. They have video demonstrations and great descriptions. Seeing it done really makes it clear.
  • edited November -1
    That was the way we taught Kuma down too, but instead of our knee we used our coffee table.
    Be sure not to associate a command right from the start, let her take it in with no spoken word first and the associate the established behaviour with a command. Kuma does down both verbally and with just the gesture.
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