Goro graduated last night from puppy class! So proud of the little monster! Since we were the only ones that showed up for the last class, Goro had the trainer all to himself and we got to do some cool stuff! We decided to really focus on "leave it" since he's a food junky and will put anything in his mouth. The trainer got permission to take out a Russian tortoise, a frog, a beta fish and a hamster for Goro to practice LOL He did great! Why? Because treats were more tempting! I even put a treat on the tortoise's shell and he left it... because he knew I had a whole bag of treats... Love how he out-smarts the system. Since nothing seemed tempting for him the trainer grabbed a food bowl with some kibble inside and it finally caught his attention! It was a bit of a challenge for him, but he left it after 2 corrections. The trainer was so impressed that she took a photo of him patiently waiting with the bowl in front of him and used it as his graduation photo She said that she's never in all her years as a trainer seen a puppy so intelligent and mature (hahahahahaha!) and that he's her favorite puppy of all time. She also said that she's very tempted to get a Kai herself after training him.
I wasn't really looking forward to the 4th of July because I wasn't sure how the dogs would react to all the fireworks. Around 10pm the neighborhood was going all out and the dogs ran to the backdoor wanting to go out... So I let them out to see what they would do. To my surprise they start to... play?! They chased each other around the yard for 15 minutes. It sounded like WWII outside and they were playing? I didn't even want to be outside! Well when they got tired Goro laid on the grass and chewed on a branch while ChoCho hunted for snails and worms.
Conclusion: My dogs are monsters.
I have always known from Goro's early days that he was a mega fatty and I have always known that he LOVED his kibble... but boy, I had no idea how MUCH he LOVED his kibble! -The other day I got him and ChoCho pig ear chews. ChoCho went with me to buy some doggy shampoo and she picked it out... how can I say no to that face! I gave it to them when I got home and forgot that it was Goro's lunch time so I told my husband to get Goro's food ready and bring it to him. So there was Goro drooling and chewing away on the pig ear chew in his kennel and he hears the kibble being poured in the metal dog bowl... He drops the pig ear, twirls a bit, cries and squeals, and runs upstairs! And here I thought I would have to trick him into giving me the ear! Fatty.
Later that day I was in the backyard with him and Cho and they ran to the side of the house for something. Goro came back with a headless bird! I tried to get it from him but he just ran around... I then ran inside and used my secret weapon! I grabbed some kibble and through it in his bowl! He ran across the yard, dropped the bird, and did his pig squeal all the way inside the house! Again... What?! Kibble over a dead bird?! F.A.T.T.Y. !!!!
-Goro asleep with his eyes open... We put some kibble by his mouth to see if he was really asleep! About a minute later he woke up because we were cracking up and when he realized kibble "magically" appeared in front of him he awkwardly rolled and scarfed them down!
Congrats to Goro for graduating! Leo has two more classes in his puppy class still, and then we're going for absolute beginner (read, even puppies can try if they are over 5 mos old) agility!
I love the Goro stories, and he is so handsome! So funny about his love of kibble too!
That's so funny about the kibble! What a cool pup.
Conker is like that with thunder and fireworks. He hears them, and wants to go outside and run around like a madman! He did that this fourth. I went outside to check on the rabbit (sister's pet rabbit) and Conker slipped through the door before I could stop him and started running around in the front yard and was thoroughly enjoying himself. He didn't even flinch when a huge firecracker went off right down the street.
congrats on graduating! awesome that the trainer was able to use live animals to work on 'leave it'. so tempted to get a Kai too. Have been but with Mochi and a 7 month old son, it might not be the best idea, plus we live in Europe now but it's always cool to visit the forum and look at pictures and videos
Happy for you Yeah, maybe in the future, there really will be a Kai waiting for us My husband and i would love to add a Kai to our family some day but Nihon ken are just not good off-leash dogs. Then again, a lot of people have that already and Nihon ken sure are special. Stunning appearance, funny quirks, interesting characters,.... a challenge for sure!
@obuk There are a few members who take their Kai Ken for off-leash hiking and they do great. Juno, for example, is a super kai!
I'm not a really big fan of off-leash walking or hiking... You give up a ton of control over your dog and its surrounding when you go off-leash... Your pooch might be well behaved, but someone else's dog might not be.
@Hinata23@hondru True, and i personally despise those 'my dog is friendly' owners of off-leash dogs. I don't mind having my dog on a leash where it is required but with our Shiba, for instance, it's impossible to let him run around off-leash unless it's inside a home or within a really well fenced in area. When we lived in the US, we had a tall privacy fence, chicken wire underneath and rocks on top of that lol. Now that we live in the city, we walk him a lot more and are able to take him everywhere which is awesome but only on a leash, of course. I want to at least be able to have my dog off the leash sometimes without having to nihon ken proof all the gates LOL (and tell people to not open the door/leave the door open in their own homes)
@obuk ChoCho (Shikoku) and Goro do not bolt out the house or fence doors when they are opened by us or other people. We usually stay a couple of feets back when there's someone at the door and if we're talking, they are ok with the door open for a minute or two. I've only had ChoCho run out the door when my brother-in-law was talking to a neighbor who came to drop off something and he left the door open for too long... and she just crossed the street to sniff the dog from the house across ours and she came running back when we called her. Goro is sometimes left in the backyard while I'm walking ChoCho without me knowing and when I come through the back fence door he just waits for us there and doesn't step outside.
It really just depends on the dog and how well you train them. ChoCho and Goro are not practically trained in this, but we're very cautious. I guess they know we don't want them out without their harness and leashes.
I have a lab who lives with my parents and she's the run and squeeze through the door type every opportunity she can! They can never have her loose in the house. She is 20x worse than anything i've ever experienced with Goro and ChoCho combined!
Kai (and the Shikoku as well!) are amazing and I wouldn't let something like being able to off-lease stop you from getting one.
Sounds good. Funny that the Lab is the one that bolts! Thanks for answering my questions so far. If we do decide to get a Kai or even a Shikoku (talked about it) i am sure there will be many more questions.
I have simply taught my dogs that they're not allowed to go through any gate or outside door without permission. If I have to answer the door, I don't do it unless they've backed up and calmed down, which works well because they really want to see who's coming through that door, so they have incentive to behave if that's the rule. I taught them to walk backwards using the command "back" and then applied that at the door. If they're too close, I tell them, "back" and then they get the reward of seeing who's at the door (or of being invited out the door/gate on a walk). I also don't let them out of their crates unless they're calm, not pawing at the door. I didn't do any of this specifically to teach them not to bolt out the door, but I think that's been one of the results. I was mostly just tired of it being a total circus any time opening a door was involved.
Of course, our shikoku Rakka has horrible impulse control and we never let our guard down. Sosuke (kai) is much more chill. Also, I trust Sosuke more off leash because Rakka can easily become one of those obnoxious off-leash dogs that other people complain about, lol. She's mostly good, but sometimes she turns into a super brat and bothers other dogs.
All of my Kai have been trained to not go out the door without my permission. My shiba has been trained that way also. That does not mean that it works 100% of the time. If the right thing is outside that door, they will bolt and go after it.
Mochi knows the "back" cue too but if there were a squirrel right outside the door, he'd try to sneak right past me. Mochi is great with us but other people don't normally tend to believe us when we warn them about the bolting. He will try if given the chance.
The little monster is not so little anymore! He weights more than ChoCho now and is taller than her! He's loving his daily lizard hunt (no lizards in Utah) and all the fruit and veggies my mom gives him! He loves cantaloupe, bananas, papaya, carrots, bell peppers... it's no wonder he's been going to the bathroom like crazy! LOL
Comments
I wish I could meet him!
I wasn't really looking forward to the 4th of July because I wasn't sure how the dogs would react to all the fireworks. Around 10pm the neighborhood was going all out and the dogs ran to the backdoor wanting to go out... So I let them out to see what they would do. To my surprise they start to... play?! They chased each other around the yard for 15 minutes. It sounded like WWII outside and they were playing? I didn't even want to be outside! Well when they got tired Goro laid on the grass and chewed on a branch while ChoCho hunted for snails and worms.
Conclusion: My dogs are monsters.
I have always known from Goro's early days that he was a mega fatty and I have always known that he LOVED his kibble... but boy, I had no idea how MUCH he LOVED his kibble!
-The other day I got him and ChoCho pig ear chews. ChoCho went with me to buy some doggy shampoo and she picked it out... how can I say no to that face! I gave it to them when I got home and forgot that it was Goro's lunch time so I told my husband to get Goro's food ready and bring it to him. So there was Goro drooling and chewing away on the pig ear chew in his kennel and he hears the kibble being poured in the metal dog bowl... He drops the pig ear, twirls a bit, cries and squeals, and runs upstairs! And here I thought I would have to trick him into giving me the ear! Fatty.
Later that day I was in the backyard with him and Cho and they ran to the side of the house for something. Goro came back with a headless bird! I tried to get it from him but he just ran around... I then ran inside and used my secret weapon! I grabbed some kibble and through it in his bowl! He ran across the yard, dropped the bird, and did his pig squeal all the way inside the house! Again... What?! Kibble over a dead bird?! F.A.T.T.Y. !!!!
-Goro asleep with his eyes open... We put some kibble by his mouth to see if he was really asleep! About a minute later he woke up because we were cracking up and when he realized kibble "magically" appeared in front of him he awkwardly rolled and scarfed them down!
-Being held while Cho ate her dinner.
I love the Goro stories, and he is so handsome! So funny about his love of kibble too!
and @losech....you should get a Kai!
Conker is like that with thunder and fireworks. He hears them, and wants to go outside and run around like a madman! He did that this fourth. I went outside to check on the rabbit (sister's pet rabbit) and Conker slipped through the door before I could stop him and started running around in the front yard and was thoroughly enjoying himself. He didn't even flinch when a huge firecracker went off right down the street.
He looks like Akashi, but with Ayu's longer nose... He's very handsome!
Tempted to add a Kai to our family.
@brada1878 Thanks Brad! Although he's a fatty, he's a handsome fatty!
@Losech and @musahi GET ONE!
I'm not a really big fan of off-leash walking or hiking... You give up a ton of control over your dog and its surrounding when you go off-leash... Your pooch might be well behaved, but someone else's dog might not be.
I want to at least be able to have my dog off the leash sometimes without having to nihon ken proof all the gates LOL (and tell people to not open the door/leave the door open in their own homes)
It really just depends on the dog and how well you train them. ChoCho and Goro are not practically trained in this, but we're very cautious. I guess they know we don't want them out without their harness and leashes.
I have a lab who lives with my parents and she's the run and squeeze through the door type every opportunity she can! They can never have her loose in the house. She is 20x worse than anything i've ever experienced with Goro and ChoCho combined!
Kai (and the Shikoku as well!) are amazing and I wouldn't let something like being able to off-lease stop you from getting one.
Of course, our shikoku Rakka has horrible impulse control and we never let our guard down. Sosuke (kai) is much more chill. Also, I trust Sosuke more off leash because Rakka can easily become one of those obnoxious off-leash dogs that other people complain about, lol. She's mostly good, but sometimes she turns into a super brat and bothers other dogs.
The little monster is not so little anymore! He weights more than ChoCho now and is taller than her! He's loving his daily lizard hunt (no lizards in Utah) and all the fruit and veggies my mom gives him! He loves cantaloupe, bananas, papaya, carrots, bell peppers... it's no wonder he's been going to the bathroom like crazy! LOL
-This is how he stares at us lol
-
-Chewing on my dad's banana tree
-Chewing his chew on top of ChoCho LOL
-The CRAZY EYE!
-Dorky sleeping face!