@WrylyBrindle I love the last pic too! I wish it were in better focus, but it really captures this "thing" that he likes to do...nose up with eyes closed and very relaxed...just taking it all in. It's a cool sight.
@Hinata23 Yes, he reminds us a lot of Ayu too. There are certain expressions that seem pretty Nio-ish, and he seems to be a nice mix of both, but I think you're right in that at this age he's showing a little more of an Ayu look. It will be really interesting to see him develop. I got to meet both Ayu and Nio in person and they're both incredible looking (and super nice temperaments too)!
@rafatturi Thanks! he's definitely a little stud in our opinion, and seems to know it...he really eats up all the attention he gets when we're out, lol. His brindle is really nice. It's hard to tell from the pics because of the coloring, but it's not quite as red looking in person as it is in the last 3 pics....it's really more blonde. Orry is very dark where he's dark and very light (blondish) where he's light, if that makes any sense. I really like this strong contrast on Kai.
Orry looks awesome! I can't wait for the chance to take Ren to some real snow, Orry looks like he's having a blast in it. That last picture says it all
Thanks everyone! This is a little off topic, but does anyone happen to know the best size for a Kuranda Standard Bed for a Kai? I ordered a medium for Orry because of the company's weight chart (medium=40-55pds), but when it showed up I thought it looked tiny. I'm thinking I'll return it and get a large.
@Hinata23 Thanks. If it fits Goro, then a medium should definitely work for Orry. I've gathered from the forum that he's a pretty good sized Kai. I hadn't actually put the bed together yet, and was just judging by the fabric so maybe that's why it seemed so small. I called the company and the sales guy told me that their size chart is misleading (of course, why would they make it accurate??) and that I'd need a large. Maybe he was just trying to upsell me though since the bigger one is more expensive. Thanks again for your help.
@MontanaKai - Thos pics are really cool. I LOVE taking pics of Kai in the snow as the refraction creates the perfect light to show their brindle.
Jen is gonna email you RE: bed sizes, she ordered them originally so she knows the sizing.
About the "chase me" game - whatever you do, don't chase him. I would hold a treat out and ask him to come to you, then hold his collar and leash him. Give him the treat while you grab is collar.
@brada1878 Thanks Brad. I received the email from Jen, and she pretty much confirmed what the others said about the medium working fine for adult Kai. Thanks too for the advice on the "chase me" game. He's seems to be pretty good with me when it comes to this, however, he definitely likes to push it with Samantha. He starts class next Wednesday, so that should help.
Yes, snow pics seem to be the way to go when photographing Kai. Do you have snow down there yet? I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of Jaaku and hearing about his personality. I've seen a few on FB...he looks really cool! It will be fun keeping track of this litter as they grow.
Yes, MT is awesome! I feel pretty lucky to have spent the majority of my life here.
@WrylyBrindle Orry is a very good hiker. I'm glad Matsu is too! I think Nio and Ayu are as well, so they must've inherited some good hiking genes. I thought he was a little young to go at first based on what I've read about puppy development, but I discussed it with two different vets, and both gave me the "green light." Essentially, they both said to keep the distances relatively short and not allow him to run down steep hills yet. Apparently, the concern with hiking with young dogs is more geared toward the large breeds, and especially those with known developmental issues. I'm glad I asked though, because I think it's been extremely good for his socialization. It makes hiking much more fun too!
Orry looks awesome and Ren & I are super jealous of your snowy mountains! The snow really brings out their coats too, he looks great! How'd he do with his recall? Did he do the "come close but stay just out of reach" or did he come right up to you?
@cezieg Thanks! His recall has been really good overall, although it's still not as consistent as I'd like. It seems like he goes through phases--one week his recall is exceptional and the next it's just average. I think consistency is key so that's my goal. So far I'm just happy that he's never gone through a bad recall phase. Although when other dogs are around, I will say getting him to come is difficult. His drive to go play with them is very high.
When we're out, he's never had a problem coming right up to me. I think rewarding auto check-ins, a really helpful tip given by @WrylyBrindle above, has made a huge difference. When we're hiking, he'll hang back or go in front a short distance, but he always comes back to me to check in without me calling him. I've been rewarding this behaviour with treats, and I definitely think he's getting the idea.
I've still been using a combination of on and off leash on each hike. Coming down back the trail, for instance, I'll often put the leash on to help keep in check his instinct to run downhill. Switching up the leash seems to work well for him overall.
He looks great! I wish I lived in MT, I love that area. I'm envious.
Hiking him on leash and off leash is really smart, I know I've ended up with a few dogs who hate to hike on lead because they always got to hike off lead in the woods.
Also, I only let my dogs off lead when we are in remote low-traffic areas, so I have run into an issue where some of our dogs (Kona, for example) are GREAT on the trail but kinda freaked out when we walk in a more urban environment.
Anyway, just sharing my experience, not saying you will have that issue, Nate.
@brada1878 Thanks Brad. Orry is growing really nicely and I think he's definitely enjoying MT. He's changed a ton over the short month and a half that we've had him, which has been fun to watch. His color has lightened up (it's turning more reddish which is really cool) and he's more than doubled in size. He's still the smallest pup in his class, but he sure as hell doesn't seem to care much, lol...he goes right for the big guys!
You've had many dogs and your input has a lot of value, so I'm always glad to hear of your experiences. Yeah, variation with the leash, I think, has been super helpful. I do need to get him used to a more urban environment, which is something I haven't done yet. I really need to take him downtown Bozeman on a leash. Several of the stores are "pet ready" with treats to give out, so it'd be a good thing while he's young. Thanks for putting that thought in my mind!
I've really been enjoying the photos of Orry's littermates (and all the other Kai of course), so I thought I'd keep the pics coming too. Here's some recent photos of Orry hiking...
Finally got a face shot.
Since the last time I posted, he's obviously grown a lot, but I've really noticed his tail thickening up quite a bit. I'm guessing this is pretty typical from 4 to 6 months with Kai.
Unfortunately I cut off his tail in this pic...bummer.
Orry loves the rocks. He often stands in perfect pose on them and looks down the mountain as if he owns it. Two more examples of this are shown below.
Although this does not do it justice, I shot a video on my phone of a part of one of our favorite hiking trails, which is only about 5 minutes from our downtown. I tried to pan around at one point to get a view of the valley, but it really only showed so much. For anyone out there that may know the area, I'm in the Bridger Range and the quick pan is looking toward the Gallatin Range.
@WrylyBrindle Yeah it's very open in the valley, and even in the mountains where it thickens up, there's still nice patches that open up....I think that's why we're known as "Big Sky Country." His tail has definitely started to fan. Not sure it will ever be quite like Ayu's, but these little guys seem to change so much in regards to coat and color as they age so who knows. He does look very much like her. His right back leg is basically Ayu's coloring, but the rest of him is still much darker. There's a photo of her on Brad's site that looks so much like him it's crazy...kind of a mommas boy I guess.
@Hinata23, If I remember correctly from your posts, you live in Florida. I have cousins there so I'm somewhat familiar. You definitely need to hike out west some day! I'm sure Goro would love it! We're an hour and a half from Yellowstone National Park, so there's lots to see...one day.
Comments
@MontanaKai and his brindle looks like it will be really nice! Glad he's biting less and has been such a good pup!
Snf
@Hinata23 Yes, he reminds us a lot of Ayu too. There are certain expressions that seem pretty Nio-ish, and he seems to be a nice mix of both, but I think you're right in that at this age he's showing a little more of an Ayu look. It will be really interesting to see him develop. I got to meet both Ayu and Nio in person and they're both incredible looking (and super nice temperaments too)!
@rafatturi Thanks! he's definitely a little stud in our opinion, and seems to know it...he really eats up all the attention he gets when we're out, lol. His brindle is really nice. It's hard to tell from the pics because of the coloring, but it's not quite as red looking in person as it is in the last 3 pics....it's really more blonde. Orry is very dark where he's dark and very light (blondish) where he's light, if that makes any sense. I really like this strong contrast on Kai.
Jen is gonna email you RE: bed sizes, she ordered them originally so she knows the sizing.
About the "chase me" game - whatever you do, don't chase him. I would hold a treat out and ask him to come to you, then hold his collar and leash him. Give him the treat while you grab is collar.
----
Yes, snow pics seem to be the way to go when photographing Kai. Do you have snow down there yet? I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of Jaaku and hearing about his personality. I've seen a few on FB...he looks really cool! It will be fun keeping track of this litter as they grow.
On the way up....checking back on me to make sure I'm keeping up, lol.
Forgive the slanted horizon, the photo was taken looking downhill.
Once again, Orry is showing that he's simply too cool to look directly at the camera! lol.
BEautiful there in MT!
@WrylyBrindle Orry is a very good hiker. I'm glad Matsu is too! I think Nio and Ayu are as well, so they must've inherited some good hiking genes. I thought he was a little young to go at first based on what I've read about puppy development, but I discussed it with two different vets, and both gave me the "green light." Essentially, they both said to keep the distances relatively short and not allow him to run down steep hills yet. Apparently, the concern with hiking with young dogs is more geared toward the large breeds, and especially those with known developmental issues. I'm glad I asked though, because I think it's been extremely good for his socialization. It makes hiking much more fun too!
When we're out, he's never had a problem coming right up to me. I think rewarding auto check-ins, a really helpful tip given by @WrylyBrindle above, has made a huge difference. When we're hiking, he'll hang back or go in front a short distance, but he always comes back to me to check in without me calling him. I've been rewarding this behaviour with treats, and I definitely think he's getting the idea.
I've still been using a combination of on and off leash on each hike. Coming down back the trail, for instance, I'll often put the leash on to help keep in check his instinct to run downhill. Switching up the leash seems to work well for him overall.
Hiking him on leash and off leash is really smart, I know I've ended up with a few dogs who hate to hike on lead because they always got to hike off lead in the woods.
Also, I only let my dogs off lead when we are in remote low-traffic areas, so I have run into an issue where some of our dogs (Kona, for example) are GREAT on the trail but kinda freaked out when we walk in a more urban environment.
Anyway, just sharing my experience, not saying you will have that issue, Nate.
You've had many dogs and your input has a lot of value, so I'm always glad to hear of your experiences. Yeah, variation with the leash, I think, has been super helpful. I do need to get him used to a more urban environment, which is something I haven't done yet. I really need to take him downtown Bozeman on a leash. Several of the stores are "pet ready" with treats to give out, so it'd be a good thing while he's young. Thanks for putting that thought in my mind!
Finally got a face shot.
Since the last time I posted, he's obviously grown a lot, but I've really noticed his tail thickening up quite a bit. I'm guessing this is pretty typical from 4 to 6 months with Kai.
Unfortunately I cut off his tail in this pic...bummer.
Orry loves the rocks. He often stands in perfect pose on them and looks down the mountain as if he owns it. Two more examples of this are shown below.
Although this does not do it justice, I shot a video on my phone of a part of one of our favorite hiking trails, which is only about 5 minutes from our downtown. I tried to pan around at one point to get a view of the valley, but it really only showed so much. For anyone out there that may know the area, I'm in the Bridger Range and the quick pan is looking toward the Gallatin Range.
Orrys got nice color and his tail looks more fanned out already than Matsu's tail. Orry has a sweet face
@Hinata23, If I remember correctly from your posts, you live in Florida. I have cousins there so I'm somewhat familiar. You definitely need to hike out west some day! I'm sure Goro would love it! We're an hour and a half from Yellowstone National Park, so there's lots to see...one day.