I am not aware of any toads up North that are poisonous. They all produce a mucous that taste bad to discourage animals from eating them. The mucous irritates the animal trying to eat the toad, usually some foaming at the mouth. I have not heard of any of the truly poisonous toads getting very far north.
No poisonous toads in New England. One of the things I love about northern living is the lack of poisonous things! All toads exude foul tasting stuff, though- I remember puppy Reilly playing with a toad and picking it up in her mouth- she just got a little foamy, but nothing psychedelic and just needed a drink.
We all love Ren and are happy to help each other in any way- all of us. that's what the Nihon Ken Forum is.
So this weekend was the meetup in Central Florida, and it was awesome! Ren made HUGE steps in being social this weekend. It made me so happy for her! The last time she had any play time with another dog was early January, when my sister and her dog, Keanu, moved away to Washington state. So it was just awesome to see her let loose, be a confident, playful puppy, and just have a ton of fun until she was exhausted.
Upon reaching @sangmort's house, her and Brian had Aggro and Wraith out front on leash. That way they could meet Ren on semi-neutral turf. I'm sure being cooped up in the car for 3 hours had her ready to get outside and stretch her legs, but she surprised me by barking at them a little bit and then being the one to go forward (with tail up) to go sniff Aggro! Granted, Aggro and Wraith were both suspended in the air by their collars because they were pulling so hard lol. It was still really good to see her walk around on her own, tail up, ears forward, sniffing around the trees and lawn, with interested sniffing of the other dogs. We'd donated enough blood to the mosquitoes after 15mins of introductions, so we headed inside. Wraith and Aggro got crated up so Fate could say hello. He really liked Ren which was great! They sniffed each other a bit and then we took them outside. Fate was too distracted by Ren to pee, and also kept coming over for pets haha. He's an awesome little guy
Exploring just a bit after arriving
So for the next 2 hours Ren, Fate, and Aggro go to know eachother. Ren actually followed Osy and Brian around on different occasions. She even left the room to follow Osy around and explore the house on her own while I was setting up in the guest room/Brian's office! I was so proud of her and totally didn't expect her to do any of that. Since at home she won't leave my side and follows me around every chance she gets. She absolutely does not like to be around my parents on her own, and tolerates my brother when I'm not home. Aggro kept attempting to play with her, got corrected once when he was too physical, and then he adjusted his play style to play bows and trying to intiate a game of "keep away" with his favorite ball (good boy Aggro! ). After 2 hours we realized it was 5am (I arrived at 2:30'ish) and decided to pack in and hit the hay. Ren wanted nothing to do with her crate and decided to sleep on the couch back while I slept on the couch.
We all overslept and got to the park late... ack. But everyone had a really good time and I'm very thankful that everyone was patient enough to wait up for us! While getting ready to go Ren was again very outgoing and hanging out with Fate, even going into the other dogs crates to check them out and say hello to Wraith through his crate.
Aggro was very nervous of the car, and apparently has been since getting his splint removed by the vet. So Osy and Brian patiently worked with him to get him into the trunk. Meanwhile Ren hopped into the trunk right away and walked around like "What's the big deal?" lol, then got bored and hopped the backrest into the middle seats and front seats.
What's taking so long?
Still waiting, Aggro!
Eventually Brian just picked up Aggro and set him in the back lol. Once we got under way he was really nervous and starting to salivate a lot (he gets very nervous and tends to vomit). A little ways in Ren decided that he needed some company and hopped in back with him on her own. He was doing a bit of pacing and ended up stepping on Ren or something at one point, not sure, we were all looking away when she corrected with a bark. The windows got rolled down after that and they both got preoccupied with looking out the windows, smelling the wind, and just hanging out. They were really cute together and we all agreed that Ren's presence was helping to relax Aggro.
Here they are checking out the sights, with Aggro still worked up with nervousness.
Here they are further into the right with them just hanging out and Aggro being really chill. He was initiating face licks (on me), giving Ren a lick every now and then, and coming over for neck scratches instead of sitting in place panting and salivating. They're both giving us their NK faces.
Pulling into the park area, lots of stuff to see!
At the park Ren was very outgoing too! She was a bit nervous at first while coming in the gate after I removed her leash. I think it's because she's used to our dog parks where the dogs don't play like the NK do, so she usually just goes straight for a bench to spectate. I hooked her lead back up and we walked over to say hi to everyone. Once we got there though I took her leash off and she started sniffing Goro, ChoCho, and Jiro right away. From that point on she walked around, followed different people on her own, Aggro came over to initiate some play and she initiated back before being rudely interrupted by a yellow lab that all the NK agreed was a little too rambunctious (with Ciqala, Goro, and ChoCho all deciding he needed to go away LOL). All this while I was talking or sitting on a bench. She roamed off by herself with the other dogs, ran around, got pursued by a very friendly Goro who she didn't seem sure of haha, and didn't have her tail tucked underneath her at all (except when noses touched her tail). The majority of the time it was in her low-slung "investigating" position, where it's angled down but the tip is curved back from her, and was up at some points too.
The best part of the whole trip was when we got back to Osy's house. When we got back, Ren jumped up on the couch and Aggro did some running around with his ball... then Aggro came over to the couch and started pawing at Ren. She leaned back a little bit and I was thinking "Hmm she's probly just going to jump up on the couch back or tell him No". Instead, after leaning back she moved forward real quick and pawed Aggro in the face! Then for the next 15mins they were all around the room slap fighting, grabbing each others scruff, and just running around having fun! Fate ran over too to join in and Ren initiated play with him! She wasn't rough with him to knock him over, just mostly going back on her rear legs while pawing at him with her front legs. I wish we'd gotten pictures of it! But we were just having too much fun watching them all go at it @sangmort got some video towards the end I think, I'm not sure if it came out at all.
It was really good to see all of them having fun though. Aggro has the same attitude my sister's dog has, the "I'm going to keep trying to get you to play until you say yes!" attitude and is really really good at adjusting his play style to match what the other dog is comfortable with. Him and Fate are such awesome pups, we're definitely going to have to do a monthly play date or something! It was really relieving in a way to see her fully playing and having carefree fun! I'm sure it's the same way @WrylyBrindle feels when she sees Sage just having fun and being confident without any anxiety It's a huge weight off my chest, because in a way it makes me feel like a bad owner that she doesn't have that play relationship with other pups. As a matter of fact, between the dog park and playing at the house she's been so tired that the entire car ride back she was passed out hard, and then besides a bit of running around time in the backyard she's just wanted to lounge around and relax haha.
Her passed out with an eye semi-open, hour of driving left
AWWWWW. Way to go little girl. I am so proud of her. Especially playing so well with Fate. That is awesome!!!
She was so awesome this weekend. I expected to have a good time hanging out, with hopefully having Ren follow ChoCho around again. Instead it was a good time hanging out + Ren having an awesome time making new friends!! She had the perfect balance of rough play and capping herself to let Fate get her back
How cool! Sounds like you and Ren (and everyone else) had loads of fun.
I kinda feel the same way with Conker's lack of playmates. The Girl's don't (won't) play with him, he wants them to but they just ignore him. He's not exactly dog park material anymore since he HATES dogs that rush up to his face, and that's how all the dogs around here seem to greet others, so I hardly take him there anymore. I'd like to find a playmate for him though, he needs one.
Ren was AWESOME with Fate!!! It was so amazing to see him have fun playing with another dog. Dragoon eats his legs, and the dutchies either ignore him or accidentally knock him over when running by.
She's also so sweet I miss her already! haha I think Aggro misses his girlfriend too
I need to get that video uploaded!!!
It was fun having you over too Charles! Next time we'll try Wraith & Ren ~
Charles, I LOVED reading this this morning! Thanks for taking the time to write it all up and post the photos. You are a *great* dog owner for Ren- don't doubt yourself! and you have some great, wise friends with good dogs, too!
Thank you for the nice story too! It's so nice to hear about our sometimes crazy and standoffish dogs let loose and have fun. BTW, Ren is an absolute doll! I love reading about her!
@Losech It was a ton of fun I just wish either we all werent so spread out, or the country was smaller lol. That sucks that the girls wont play with him. I'd always just assumed they did, since they all go hiking together. Tsune clicked pretty quickly with the girl Shiba that he's now living with. Hopefully you two can find another Shiba in the area that matches up well with him.
@Sangmort That was really awesome seeing Fate having fun! We're definitely meeting up again soon! It sounds like Wraith would do well with her too, since she's small enough for Wratih to think he's her sized too hehe :P
@WrylyBrindle Thank you, and you all definitely are very wise dog owners that always have great stories to learn from
@ttddinh It's a huge relief seeing them let loose and have fun for sure! Ren says thank you I'll try to update with her more often, it's definitely a "give it time" thing with her.
Well I've been away forever while working, taking classes, and moving several time. Time for some pics from our current location in Mississippi! We had some fun today running around in a field flushing some birds
Comments
We all love Ren and are happy to help each other in any way- all of us. that's what the Nihon Ken Forum is.
Upon reaching @sangmort's house, her and Brian had Aggro and Wraith out front on leash. That way they could meet Ren on semi-neutral turf. I'm sure being cooped up in the car for 3 hours had her ready to get outside and stretch her legs, but she surprised me by barking at them a little bit and then being the one to go forward (with tail up) to go sniff Aggro! Granted, Aggro and Wraith were both suspended in the air by their collars because they were pulling so hard lol. It was still really good to see her walk around on her own, tail up, ears forward, sniffing around the trees and lawn, with interested sniffing of the other dogs. We'd donated enough blood to the mosquitoes after 15mins of introductions, so we headed inside. Wraith and Aggro got crated up so Fate could say hello. He really liked Ren which was great! They sniffed each other a bit and then we took them outside. Fate was too distracted by Ren to pee, and also kept coming over for pets haha. He's an awesome little guy
Exploring just a bit after arriving
So for the next 2 hours Ren, Fate, and Aggro go to know eachother. Ren actually followed Osy and Brian around on different occasions. She even left the room to follow Osy around and explore the house on her own while I was setting up in the guest room/Brian's office! I was so proud of her and totally didn't expect her to do any of that. Since at home she won't leave my side and follows me around every chance she gets. She absolutely does not like to be around my parents on her own, and tolerates my brother when I'm not home. Aggro kept attempting to play with her, got corrected once when he was too physical, and then he adjusted his play style to play bows and trying to intiate a game of "keep away" with his favorite ball (good boy Aggro!
We all overslept and got to the park late... ack. But everyone had a really good time and I'm very thankful that everyone was patient enough to wait up for us! While getting ready to go Ren was again very outgoing and hanging out with Fate, even going into the other dogs crates to check them out and say hello to Wraith through his crate.
Aggro was very nervous of the car, and apparently has been since getting his splint removed by the vet. So Osy and Brian patiently worked with him to get him into the trunk. Meanwhile Ren hopped into the trunk right away and walked around like "What's the big deal?" lol, then got bored and hopped the backrest into the middle seats and front seats.
What's taking so long?
Still waiting, Aggro!
Eventually Brian just picked up Aggro and set him in the back lol. Once we got under way he was really nervous and starting to salivate a lot (he gets very nervous and tends to vomit). A little ways in Ren decided that he needed some company and hopped in back with him on her own. He was doing a bit of pacing and ended up stepping on Ren or something at one point, not sure, we were all looking away when she corrected with a bark. The windows got rolled down after that and they both got preoccupied with looking out the windows, smelling the wind, and just hanging out. They were really cute together and we all agreed that Ren's presence was helping to relax Aggro.
Here they are checking out the sights, with Aggro still worked up with nervousness.
Here they are further into the right with them just hanging out and Aggro being really chill. He was initiating face licks (on me), giving Ren a lick every now and then, and coming over for neck scratches instead of sitting in place panting and salivating. They're both giving us their NK faces.
Pulling into the park area, lots of stuff to see!
At the park Ren was very outgoing too! She was a bit nervous at first while coming in the gate after I removed her leash. I think it's because she's used to our dog parks where the dogs don't play like the NK do, so she usually just goes straight for a bench to spectate. I hooked her lead back up and we walked over to say hi to everyone. Once we got there though I took her leash off and she started sniffing Goro, ChoCho, and Jiro right away. From that point on she walked around, followed different people on her own, Aggro came over to initiate some play and she initiated back before being rudely interrupted by a yellow lab that all the NK agreed was a little too rambunctious (with Ciqala, Goro, and ChoCho all deciding he needed to go away LOL). All this while I was talking or sitting on a bench. She roamed off by herself with the other dogs, ran around, got pursued by a very friendly Goro who she didn't seem sure of haha, and didn't have her tail tucked underneath her at all (except when noses touched her tail). The majority of the time it was in her low-slung "investigating" position, where it's angled down but the tip is curved back from her, and was up at some points too.
The best part of the whole trip was when we got back to Osy's house. When we got back, Ren jumped up on the couch and Aggro did some running around with his ball... then Aggro came over to the couch and started pawing at Ren. She leaned back a little bit and I was thinking "Hmm she's probly just going to jump up on the couch back or tell him No". Instead, after leaning back she moved forward real quick and pawed Aggro in the face! Then for the next 15mins they were all around the room slap fighting, grabbing each others scruff, and just running around having fun! Fate ran over too to join in and Ren initiated play with him! She wasn't rough with him to knock him over, just mostly going back on her rear legs while pawing at him with her front legs. I wish we'd gotten pictures of it! But we were just having too much fun watching them all go at it
It was really good to see all of them having fun though. Aggro has the same attitude my sister's dog has, the "I'm going to keep trying to get you to play until you say yes!" attitude and is really really good at adjusting his play style to match what the other dog is comfortable with. Him and Fate are such awesome pups, we're definitely going to have to do a monthly play date or something! It was really relieving in a way to see her fully playing and having carefree fun! I'm sure it's the same way @WrylyBrindle feels when she sees Sage just having fun and being confident without any anxiety
Her passed out with an eye semi-open, hour of driving left
@sjp051993
I kinda feel the same way with Conker's lack of playmates. The Girl's don't (won't) play with him, he wants them to but they just ignore him. He's not exactly dog park material anymore since he HATES dogs that rush up to his face, and that's how all the dogs around here seem to greet others, so I hardly take him there anymore. I'd like to find a playmate for him though, he needs one.
She's also so sweet I miss her already! haha I think Aggro misses his girlfriend too
I need to get that video uploaded!!!
It was fun having you over too Charles! Next time we'll try Wraith & Ren
@Sangmort That was really awesome seeing Fate having fun! We're definitely meeting up again soon! It sounds like Wraith would do well with her too, since she's small enough for Wratih to think he's her sized too hehe :P
@WrylyBrindle Thank you, and you all definitely are very wise dog owners that always have great stories to learn from
@ttddinh It's a huge relief seeing them let loose and have fun for sure! Ren says thank you
shes beautiful good to hear shes adjusting well
@mdokic All the kisses! And a special road trip taco, can't forget the tacos!
@sjp051993 We're slowly migrating closer and closer lol