Haha wet willies!! @shibamistress Hana doesn't lick, but likes to also smell my eye when she gets close to my face for some reason. Just one. Whichever one is closer to her at the moment. She's not really a licker, unless it's hands and feet. (The tastier parts of humans) She licked my face once! But it was when I was sad about something, and she came over to snuggle with me. :x
and sometimes I can see he can barely get his body balanced there, but he's trying to look casual and cool!
hahahaha!!
the rest down because we were all so boring.
another laugh!! hahaha~ Leo sounds like a funny guy. I've yet to see Hana's lower case "n" tail yet!
@thegela Yeah, I am serious. Something about a man reserving 2 or 3 pups and when it got close to taking them he finally decided to tell his wife!! She was not happy and now the pups are available again.
Brad needs a Hokka! And seriously, thegela, if you're thinking of one...well, maybe this is the time!
I think the "n" tail is boredom! And luckily, Leo is not licky, except for the ear thing! And he actually learned it from our girl Shiba who will do it to him endlessly.
@shibamistress ahhh! don't even say that, because I totally will! Well actually, in all seriousness, my husband and I are discussing the reality and possibility of getting a hokka...
@kuma123 thank you! I like to think Hana is pretty content with life~ Of course I'm still hoping she will one day not be afraid of the outside, but maybe with time, and a (hopefully) sibling, she might feel more confident.
I'm glad she's settling in, and with time (and yes, maybe another dog!!!) she'll even probably adjust to outside. I have to say that Hana was one of the Kai girls I really loved when I met her--very charming and attractive girl! And I hope the Hokka becomes a reality for you!
@thegela Obviously, get Hana a Hokkaido friend. Because that is how the world works. Or a Norrbottenspets. Naturally I'm biased on both counts, though.
@thegela We got Goro for ChoCho... really. Not for us... but for her. She opened up quick a bit afterwards. In the end it really depends if you and your husband have the time and patience for a pup and later for two adult dogs. We of course had to continue working with ChoCho. Getting Goro did not mean things were fixed immediately. So if you guys can take care of a little monster while still dedicating the same amount of time to Hana and her quirks, I'd say GO FOR IT! Two dogs is ALWAYS better than one. They can give each other the attention us humans cannot.
@hinata23 yes, I totally get that. I used to have a small pack of mixed spitzes from korea and they totally had their own community and companionship outside of people. When they started to pass away one by one, it was tough because you could see the ones left behind felt a sense of emptyness and awareness that someone was missing. They would sit by the door and wait for someone to come back, or look out the window for longer than usual.
It's been a while since I've had puppies, so I'm sure the pain of having one has faded in my memory because all I see is cuteness and remember how cute they were. Ahhh~ But we totally want to do this. For Hana. I know Hana won't change overnight, and when she's over a certain level of stress (which is pretty often) nothing registers to her, so that's something we will have to be patient with and continue to work on with her. But yeah. It's just a matter of finances I think at this point. I know it's pretty normal for imports to be so expensive, and we wouldn't have a problem caring for it financially over time, but the inital costs are the ones that we're a little worried about. :S But then again, how often do I have an opportunity like this?? Right??
@thegela Yeah, I feel you. I had to use my graduation gift money, plus some of our wedding money to pay for Goro and ChoCho expenses. It was tough, and it still is, but we think it was worth it and don't regret it.
@hinata23@ttddinh@shibamistress@whobitme ahhhh~~~ I'm really really sad to say, but we've ultimately decided to wait for the next opportunity. There was one point, where my husband and I were like "OK! Let's do it!" buuut there was always some kind of... uncertainty in the back of our minds, and I think it's one of those things, where your heart wants it so bad, but your mind knows it might not be the best time? I mean.. technically, we could make this happen, but I think we would have a hard time right now. Maybe in a few months, or when the weather gets a little warmer, we'll be able to grab the next opportunity (if there is one.. crossing fingers), but for now... I think it's better to let this one go. SIGH. I'm so sad... but this may be better..
@hinata23 How long did you wait until you got Goro? When did you decide it was "time" to finally bring another dog into your family for ChoCho?
----
Oh! I had a question about Hana! She's started to shed lightly recently... and I'm not sure if she's going to fully blow her coat yet, but she's been shedding lightly for maybe about a week or so now? Along with her shedding, she also started to get dandruff, and I see it everytime I ruffle her fur a bit. I DID change her food a few weeks ago because of her diarrhea, and her poop has started to harden (still kinda soft tho) but that's the only thing that's been different in terms of her diet.
The other thing is, she's started to cough/hack more often and I'm not sure if it's the little bit of fur flying about that she's choking on or something else, but this morning she puked yellow bile all over my bed (and then ate it) so I'm wondering if I should be concerned? I think if it were all separate incidents, I wouldn't be concerned, but with the timing, and everything sort of happening at the same time, it's a little different.
@thegela About 3-4 weeks. We got him at 8 weeks. Goro's litter was born the day after we picked up ChoCho. My husband always really liked Akashi (Goro's sire) and I liked Ayu (dam), and we knew from day 1 that ChoCho was unusually good with younger dogs, so we went ahead and made the decision because we knew another opportunity for that specific pairing wouldn't happen again. Plus, things really didn't seem to be improving for ChoCho by herself.
I know what you mean about a feeling of uncertainty. I was so unsure of what we were doing that I didn't even tell my family we were getting a second dog until a week before we picked him up at the airport just in case something changed and I decided to back out last minute. I think that feeling of doubt comes partially from just trying to be a responsible dog owner. Whether or not that's the right instinct to go with, though, I have no idea.
It's pretty rare that someone can import a pup for you and communicate with the breeder for you in Japanese, and I've never even heard of it happening with a Hokkaido here on the forum. Hokkaido are the rarest Nihon Ken in the U.S. by far, I think... And it sounds like Jeff has a good relationship with the breeder and has done his research since he's getting one for himself, so if you want a Hokkaido Ken... I can't imagine another situation like this ever happening again in the near future. The only other way to get a Hokkaido would probably be to fly over yourself.
That said, if it isn't right for you, don't let the rareness of the breed push you into a decision your family ins't ready to make.
With us, I just know that getting Goro was the best thing we could have done for ChoCho. Things improved so much after that.
I second @Hinata23's opinion. If you want a Hokkaido and its just a question of bad timing or not being "ready" I say go for it anyway. The opportunity may never arise again.
@thegela Sachi has had that same Sheffield oh, seven weeks now with no full blow. I changed her food to around this time (she simply wouldn't eat it) so it could be their body adjusting to it? I've supplemented her diet with fish oil and a multivitamin that helps with skin and coat. She isn't coughing at all but sneezing and I'm sure its from season change.
Yeah, that's what I think on the Hokka too. If you can't, you can't, but there's probably never going to be another opportunity like this one.
On the coughing....Leo has been hacking and coughing a bit too. I noticed he does it more in the morning, and I think he's coughing from his own hair in his bed! Planning to give it a good vaccuuming and see if that helps, but I suspect it is. My male Shiba also has the same sort of problem when he is shedding, so it could be that.
Alternately, in our case, Leo seemed more itchy and sneezy when the juniper was very strong here, a time when I was in allergy hell and my male Shiba was too. I think he has some inhalant allergies. Perhaps that could be the case with Hana as well.
@hinata23 aww thank you~ she's been improving lately, and I'm so proud of her progress. We can walk our route 70% of the time with me, and maybe 40% when she's with my husband. Still pretty jumpy about strange sounds/shapes inside, but otherwise doing great.
She is SO pretty, especially that picture sitting on your friends hair haha. Such a great looking Kai She sounds really sweet too.
@jeffnkazuko OH MAN I want to get Ren a Hokka playmate so that she can get more daily canine socialization and have a friend to take confidence from (similar to ChoCho). Not the time though, or I would ask about those Hokka pups without a second though lol.
We discovered that Hana loves the forest (duh) so now we go out every weekend to hike in the woods somewhere. She goes absolutely bonkers. She's still afraid of walking out on the street in my area, but my husband and I have accepted that she will probably never like the city, and that her adjustment will be snail-level slow. We just let her stay in her comfort area and hope that she gets enough exercise during the weekend. The weekend hikes help a lot because she LOVES it. She goes zoomie crazy in the forest dodging trees and branches, jumping over ditches and fallen logs. It's insane. And despite pooing in the car in the beginning, she will tolerate it now. I don't let her loose in the car yet tho. I put her in the crate in the back because it's safer for all of us. A freaking out/pooping dog is not fun. She also recently finished her heat and was driving me absolutely insane, but now that it's over, she's calmed down significantly.
QUESTION: Because of Hana's mushy poop, we've experimented with yogurt and mushed pumpkin. It works well when she eats it, but she's sort of gotten sick of it and won't eat it anymore. Sometimes we mix some cheese in it, and she'll eat it, but generally Hana's appetite isn't the greatest. I don't think there's something wrong with her teeth - because I was thinking maybe it was her teeth - because she chews on greenies and raw hide really well. She'll let the kibble roll around in her mouth and spit it out, and if there's some meat or cheese mixed in it, she'll just pick those out and leave her kibble. Oh, and her poop is still soft. Is there something I should do in her diet so that she can eat more? I don't think she needs to eat tooo much since she doesn't get much exercise during the week, and she's actually gained a little weight since she's got here, but her finicky eating is a little annoying. Without spoiling her too much with cheese and ham, I'd like to find a healthy but delicious way for her to enjoy her food. She always has leftovers in her bowl! Silly girl.
Comments
@thegela Im glad that outside of the walks she is really coming around.
Sorry, i know this is cruel of me!!
These bad boys are 6-weeks old and looking for a home.
(Hana and her friend)
I think the "n" tail is boredom!
@kuma123 thank you! I like to think Hana is pretty content with life~ Of course I'm still hoping she will one day not be afraid of the outside, but maybe with time, and a (hopefully) sibling, she might feel more confident.
@jeffnkazuko hahaha I'm one step ahead of you! I already took a peek at the parents! They're beauuutiful.
@whobitme hahahaha! obviously!
@hinata23 yes, I totally get that. I used to have a small pack of mixed spitzes from korea and they totally had their own community and companionship outside of people. When they started to pass away one by one, it was tough because you could see the ones left behind felt a sense of emptyness and awareness that someone was missing. They would sit by the door and wait for someone to come back, or look out the window for longer than usual.
It's been a while since I've had puppies, so I'm sure the pain of having one has faded in my memory because all I see is cuteness and remember how cute they were. Ahhh~ But we totally want to do this. For Hana. I know Hana won't change overnight, and when she's over a certain level of stress (which is pretty often) nothing registers to her, so that's something we will have to be patient with and continue to work on with her. But yeah. It's just a matter of finances I think at this point. I know it's pretty normal for imports to be so expensive, and we wouldn't have a problem caring for it financially over time, but the inital costs are the ones that we're a little worried about. :S But then again, how often do I have an opportunity like this?? Right??
@hinata23 How long did you wait until you got Goro? When did you decide it was "time" to finally bring another dog into your family for ChoCho?
----
Oh! I had a question about Hana! She's started to shed lightly recently... and I'm not sure if she's going to fully blow her coat yet, but she's been shedding lightly for maybe about a week or so now? Along with her shedding, she also started to get dandruff, and I see it everytime I ruffle her fur a bit. I DID change her food a few weeks ago because of her diarrhea, and her poop has started to harden (still kinda soft tho) but that's the only thing that's been different in terms of her diet.
The other thing is, she's started to cough/hack more often and I'm not sure if it's the little bit of fur flying about that she's choking on or something else, but this morning she puked yellow bile all over my bed (and then ate it) so I'm wondering if I should be concerned? I think if it were all separate incidents, I wouldn't be concerned, but with the timing, and everything sort of happening at the same time, it's a little different.
I know what you mean about a feeling of uncertainty. I was so unsure of what we were doing that I didn't even tell my family we were getting a second dog until a week before we picked him up at the airport just in case something changed and I decided to back out last minute. I think that feeling of doubt comes partially from just trying to be a responsible dog owner. Whether or not that's the right instinct to go with, though, I have no idea.
It's pretty rare that someone can import a pup for you and communicate with the breeder for you in Japanese, and I've never even heard of it happening with a Hokkaido here on the forum. Hokkaido are the rarest Nihon Ken in the U.S. by far, I think... And it sounds like Jeff has a good relationship with the breeder and has done his research since he's getting one for himself, so if you want a Hokkaido Ken... I can't imagine another situation like this ever happening again in the near future. The only other way to get a Hokkaido would probably be to fly over yourself.
That said, if it isn't right for you, don't let the rareness of the breed push you into a decision your family ins't ready to make.
With us, I just know that getting Goro was the best thing we could have done for ChoCho. Things improved so much after that.
She isn't coughing at all but sneezing and I'm sure its from season change.
On the coughing....Leo has been hacking and coughing a bit too. I noticed he does it more in the morning, and I think he's coughing from his own hair in his bed! Planning to give it a good vaccuuming and see if that helps, but I suspect it is. My male Shiba also has the same sort of problem when he is shedding, so it could be that.
Alternately, in our case, Leo seemed more itchy and sneezy when the juniper was very strong here, a time when I was in allergy hell and my male Shiba was too. I think he has some inhalant allergies. Perhaps that could be the case with Hana as well.
@hinata23 aww thank you!!
@sjp051993 goofy zoomies are the bestest. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.
@jeffnkazuko OH MAN I want to get Ren a Hokka playmate so that she can get more daily canine socialization and have a friend to take confidence from (similar to ChoCho). Not the time though, or I would ask about those Hokka pups without a second though lol.
videos:
http://lovehanakoan.tumblr.com/post/43579006961/zoomies
http://lovehanakoan.tumblr.com/post/46173447838/hanabears-zoomies
http://lovehanakoan.tumblr.com/post/47169993709/playing-catch-me-if-you-can
We discovered that Hana loves the forest (duh) so now we go out every weekend to hike in the woods somewhere. She goes absolutely bonkers. She's still afraid of walking out on the street in my area, but my husband and I have accepted that she will probably never like the city, and that her adjustment will be snail-level slow. We just let her stay in her comfort area and hope that she gets enough exercise during the weekend. The weekend hikes help a lot because she LOVES it. She goes zoomie crazy in the forest dodging trees and branches, jumping over ditches and fallen logs. It's insane. And despite pooing in the car in the beginning, she will tolerate it now. I don't let her loose in the car yet tho. I put her in the crate in the back because it's safer for all of us. A freaking out/pooping dog is not fun.
She also recently finished her heat and was driving me absolutely insane, but now that it's over, she's calmed down significantly.
QUESTION: Because of Hana's mushy poop, we've experimented with yogurt and mushed pumpkin. It works well when she eats it, but she's sort of gotten sick of it and won't eat it anymore. Sometimes we mix some cheese in it, and she'll eat it, but generally Hana's appetite isn't the greatest. I don't think there's something wrong with her teeth - because I was thinking maybe it was her teeth - because she chews on greenies and raw hide really well. She'll let the kibble roll around in her mouth and spit it out, and if there's some meat or cheese mixed in it, she'll just pick those out and leave her kibble. Oh, and her poop is still soft. Is there something I should do in her diet so that she can eat more? I don't think she needs to eat tooo much since she doesn't get much exercise during the week, and she's actually gained a little weight since she's got here, but her finicky eating is a little annoying. Without spoiling her too much with cheese and ham, I'd like to find a healthy but delicious way for her to enjoy her food. She always has leftovers in her bowl! Silly girl.
All in all, Hana is doing well!