I think Katsu's mom, Suki (I love that my phone autocorrected that to sukiyaki), is only 30 pounds. I wouldn't worry too much! We also found that Katsu gained and maintained weight better when we fed him raw. I think it's mostly because of his disdain for kibble though.
Haha. "Svelt".. that is a nice way of putting it! I am looking forward to her winter coat, though. So much fluff. So much roundness. Though, I know it will be nothing like what she was last winter (puppy fluff!).
@emi802 Mmm sukiyaki. I know Kaja eats a lot better when she can steal other dogs' kibble... I assume if it's more adventurous or there's a risk factor involved it gets tastier. Heh. Orijen's freeze dried dog food hits pretty well with her! I really recommend it. Sadly it's been out of stock around here lately.
I do want her to get more fat on her bones because she tends to not eat so well when she's at the sitter's. I haven't gone full out raw before, but I'll spend some time looking at the freezer next time I'm at the pet store! Thanks!
AND! Something for fun: You know how shikoku can often get the coyote/wolf comments, yes? Well. Here I've plopped Kaja on a (real) coyote fur blanket. Look at that camouflage!
She does look very camouflaged!! We just get raw foods from the grocery. I haven't tried out freeze dried as food, but I suspect he'll like it a lot. I got a sample once and I thought it was a treat, so i broke it into little pieces and used them as treats instead of rehydrating as food..... :S
so i broke it into little pieces and used them as treats instead of rehydrating as food..... :S
Hehe that's OK, both ways work! Sometimes I put a couple on her kibble and she enjoys it dry. Sometimes if she's not eating much that day I water it up and it works better :P
I wonder if there's a big price difference between grocery + pet store freezer meats. I'll have to check it out!
Grocer meats are often cheaper than the pet store since it's not being sold for specialty purposes. If there are ethnic markets in your area, you may even find the meat for even cheaper as well as find other rare treats (such as chicken feet). Contact local training and show clubs to see if they know of any co-op meat orders, there's one by me that gets round beef for $0.89 per lb (vs $5+ per lb a the grocer). Also don't forget to visit the local farmer's market and make friends with any meat sellers, might be able to get waste parts (heads, feet, organs) for cheap or free. In some areas there are fees to dispose of unwanted body parts, so some farmers may be more than happy to give you some.
@Calia $0.89/lb?!?!?! That sounds cheaper than kibble. I need to find myself something like this! I've been looking for a local butcher to try to get waste parts, but they seem somewhat uncommon in my area....
Decided to just go all of the above and alternate things. So far so good!
Also quick question about coats, if anyone might be able to answer for me: Kaja is a year old now, so do Shikoku coat colours change much after a year old?
I'm curious if she would be considered a red sesame, or a sesame (aka goma or goma). Thoughts?
How often do you guys bathe your shikoku? I usually only have to do it after she's been with a bunch of other dogs. All the dried drool.... mud... dirt... yeah. You know. But she has gotten very tolerant of it and it's not a chore at all. Kaja is a big baby when it comes to baths... if I'm in the water with her, she will cuddle as close as she possibly can. Here you can see her eyeing the running water with apprehension, haha.
We bathe Katsu 2-4 times a year as well, depending on how gross he gets.
Edit: He's like Kaja too. He'll stand in it but he'll cling to us. He also usually tries to simply walk out of the bath once, but if we keep him from doing it, he stays put. He's pretty easy to bathe but he does NOT enjoy it haha.
Rollo is an absolute nightmare to bathe. We have had many bathroom battles to try and bathe him. The last time we bathed him he was teething, and lost a tooth in the process. The bathroom looked like a murder scene, and he ripped the tub faucet right out of the wall. We are going to take him to a groomer soon to have him bathed in a more controlled environment.
He is NOT a water dog. Thankfully he never gets smelly and generally avoids mud. If he got dirty often and still hated water, life with him would be a real challenge!
We bathe Katsu 2-4 times a year as well, depending on how gross he gets.
Edit: He's like Kaja too. He'll stand in it but he'll cling to us. He also usually tries to simply walk out of the bath once, but if we keep him from doing it, he stays put. He's pretty easy to bathe but he does NOT enjoy it haha.
Heh I get the feeling Katsu and Kaja are alike in a few ways! That's exactly her -- she doesn't enjoy it but gets through it. Speaking of, where are some recent Katsu pictures?! I haven't seen that thread updated in a while! Yes, peer pressure.
Rollo is an absolute nightmare to bathe. We have had many bathroom battles to try and bathe him. The last time we bathed him he was teething, and lost a tooth in the process. The bathroom looked like a murder scene, and he ripped the tub faucet right out of the wall. We are going to take him to a groomer soon to have him bathed in a more controlled environment.
He is NOT a water dog. Thankfully he never gets smelly and generally avoids mud. If he got dirty often and still hated water, life with him would be a real challenge!
What?! That's outrageous! My mind can't even comprehend the tub thing. Rollo is an ox.
Speaking of grooming: brushing teeth, that's a battle. I've tried, and I've failed miserably every time.
We owe you all pictures! I've just been really lazy.... I've been meaning to update for months now. I think we haven't updated since our first few months with him. We have exciting news this week, so I'll definitely update soon! And yes, I've noticed that Kaja and Katsu do sound really similar in many ways--even the first syllable of their names is the same
Edit: @Kaja@TheYeti I got curious if Kaja and Katsu are related in any way. Along the way, I noticed that there aren't entries for Kaja and Rollo on http://www.shikoku-pedigree.com. Make it happen! (Either that, or I'm terrible at using search....)
@jigzzor hehe... I haven't gotten any good photos of her in the snow yet, but once I do I will! Go and update Miyuki's thread with more spam tho! Can never have enough puppy photos
So! Little story time. My brother's friends have a pack at their house who like to play with Kaja... and he took her over there recently. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to everyone, there was a breach in the fence. The dogs got out. No one had a sharp eye on the backyard at the time so no one noticed!! Well... I shouldn't say all the dogs got out: three did. For whatever reason, thank goodness, Kaja and one other dog stayed inside the backyard.
Afterwards, the people went out to find the dogs and in the commotion Kaja did get out the front door, but she was quickly brought back inside.
All the dogs were found and were safe!
I wasn't there, and I'm so glad she didn't escape and get near the traffic nearby, but now I'm worried. I don't want to be overbearing and set a slew of rules for anyone watching her (I already have a lot of rules!), but I want her to be safe. -_-
@Kaja@TheYeti I got curious if Kaja and Katsu are related in any way. Along the way, I noticed that there aren't entries for Kaja and Rollo on http://www.shikoku-pedigree.com. Make it happen! (Either that, or I'm terrible at using search....)
I tried adding Kaja to the database, but it gives me a syntax error every time I try to add a dog. It just doesn't like me xD
I did a test with Katsu's entry and Kaja's full sister Sakura's entry though. It doesn't seem like they are immediately related. Genetically, anyway! Though they sound very related personality wise, haha.
Kaja really -loves- her cousin, a catahoula cur/pitbull mix. And he is the sweetest friend she has. They spend most of their time wrestling, though when they're too tired to put much energy in to it... they'll just tangle themselves up and lay on the floor mouthing one another's face. They're gentle, but it looks like he left a couple marks on her this time. Poor girl! I think the healing is itching her, because she has been pawing at her nose once in a while.
Do your guys' shikoku ever get marked up like this from play? xD
Rollo has come home from the dog park two times so far with minor nicks, one on his snout and one on his ear. Nothing too serious, smaller than the pics above. Kaja may have a sore nose for a couple of days, check for infections. Its usually Rollo that initiates the rough play. Even with my coworkers dog, Atlas the bull mastiff.
This little dog has no fear, wrestling with a dog that's 4 times his weight! He's way too fast for the mastiff, though when he tries to wrestle Rollo usually gets body slammed and stomped on. He goes right back for more so he's obviously a sucker for punishment.
Katsu tends to scare off dogs in his play style, the larger dogs also can't compete with his speed. I usually have to police katsu to make sure he isn't playing too rough when we take him to play with the dogs at the dog park. He had a gigantic mastiff friend when he was younger but he always managed to get that guy on his sides. I think the one time he really got hurt was when he was a ignorant pup that tried to pick on an akita. Big mistake, that akita is usually friendly but shikoku tend to piss off even the gentlest of giants.
Yeah, @TheYeti! Thanks! I've decided to dab a little Vaseline on it just in case. It's mostly welts, and more than anything it just makes her look rougher than she is. The funny thing is it's not even rough play, it's very mellow wrestling. And mostly quiet xD
This is what they do, it goes on and on until eventually they fall asleep or get distracted:
Hahaha jigzzor, rollo had a run-in with a friends' Akita tonight. Rollo is highly play-driven and loves to socialize. This Akita doesn't have much interest in other dogs, and Rollo is pretty relentless in trying to get him to play. They had one snarly standoff, and they seemed to work things out, Rollo gave the Akita his space. They aren't exactly a good mix, you have to definitely police them.
Rollo was chewing on a bully stick later on, and he looked away from it for a second. It was just long enough that the Akita snuck in and stole it from Rollo. This made Rollo really upset, and after a minute, he told the Akita off and snapped at him. I've never seen that kind of behaviour from him before, as he has never been territorial over his toys.
Having the treat taken from him and being on edge all night must have set him off. It was really odd. Luckily these two dogs don't spend a lot of time together as they were kind of like oil and water tonight. I'm guessing it was his way of dealing with a fairly stressful situation?
I snuck up onto him chewing it once I got home, and no problems with me stealing it from him. This is definitely something I will be watching for closely, though with other dogs around he usually doesn't have toys around. From now on I'll keep chew toys and bully sticks out of these situations. That was my bad on introducing something really tasty into the scenario last night. Once I took it away they both settled back down again.
@Six thank you! That was during a recall practice. Practising recall is one of her favorite things, because she always knows there's treats or scratches involved haha.
@emi802 It's that dainty lifted paw that does it, isn't it? xD
Something funny today: had a Japanese language disk going.
Kaja came to see what was up, looked at the speakers intensely.
Every time they spoke a word she'd tilt her head. Look at the speakers again.
Then she started to bark. Every. Single. Word. You know how the audio says something, and then it pauses for you to repeat it? She would bark during the pauses. A couple times she even did as many barks as they did syllables, and I laughed at the coincidence of it. xD
She was totally trying to learn it too I guess? Her Japanese is terrible, if so. xD
She never minds when we have a show going on, but the Japanese language learning thing totally struck a chord. Hahahaha. Guess it really sounded like a stranger in the house.
Comments
@emi802 Mmm sukiyaki. I know Kaja eats a lot better when she can steal other dogs' kibble... I assume if it's more adventurous or there's a risk factor involved it gets tastier. Heh. Orijen's freeze dried dog food hits pretty well with her! I really recommend it. Sadly it's been out of stock around here lately.
I do want her to get more fat on her bones because she tends to not eat so well when she's at the sitter's. I haven't gone full out raw before, but I'll spend some time looking at the freezer next time I'm at the pet store! Thanks!
AND! Something for fun:
You know how shikoku can often get the coyote/wolf comments, yes? Well. Here I've plopped Kaja on a (real) coyote fur blanket. Look at that camouflage!
I wonder if there's a big price difference between grocery + pet store freezer meats. I'll have to check it out!
Also quick question about coats, if anyone might be able to answer for me: Kaja is a year old now, so do Shikoku coat colours change much after a year old?
I'm curious if she would be considered a red sesame, or a sesame (aka goma or goma). Thoughts?
Kaja is a big baby when it comes to baths... if I'm in the water with her, she will cuddle as close as she possibly can. Here you can see her eyeing the running water with apprehension, haha.
I bathe him about twice a year, though.
Edit: He's like Kaja too. He'll stand in it but he'll cling to us. He also usually tries to simply walk out of the bath once, but if we keep him from doing it, he stays put. He's pretty easy to bathe but he does NOT enjoy it haha.
He is NOT a water dog. Thankfully he never gets smelly and generally avoids mud. If he got dirty often and still hated water, life with him would be a real challenge!
Speaking of grooming: brushing teeth, that's a battle. I've tried, and I've failed miserably every time.
Edit: @Kaja @TheYeti I got curious if Kaja and Katsu are related in any way. Along the way, I noticed that there aren't entries for Kaja and Rollo on http://www.shikoku-pedigree.com. Make it happen!
So! Little story time. My brother's friends have a pack at their house who like to play with Kaja... and he took her over there recently. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to everyone, there was a breach in the fence. The dogs got out. No one had a sharp eye on the backyard at the time so no one noticed!! Well... I shouldn't say all the dogs got out: three did. For whatever reason, thank goodness, Kaja and one other dog stayed inside the backyard.
Afterwards, the people went out to find the dogs and in the commotion Kaja did get out the front door, but she was quickly brought back inside.
All the dogs were found and were safe!
I wasn't there, and I'm so glad she didn't escape and get near the traffic nearby, but now I'm worried. I don't want to be overbearing and set a slew of rules for anyone watching her (I already have a lot of rules!), but I want her to be safe. -_-
I did a test with Katsu's entry and Kaja's full sister Sakura's entry though. It doesn't seem like they are immediately related. Genetically, anyway! Though they sound very related personality wise, haha.
Do your guys' shikoku ever get marked up like this from play? xD
This little dog has no fear, wrestling with a dog that's 4 times his weight! He's way too fast for the mastiff, though when he tries to wrestle Rollo usually gets body slammed and stomped on. He goes right back for more so he's obviously a sucker for punishment.
This is what they do, it goes on and on until eventually they fall asleep or get distracted:
Rollo was chewing on a bully stick later on, and he looked away from it for a second. It was just long enough that the Akita snuck in and stole it from Rollo. This made Rollo really upset, and after a minute, he told the Akita off and snapped at him. I've never seen that kind of behaviour from him before, as he has never been territorial over his toys.
Having the treat taken from him and being on edge all night must have set him off. It was really odd. Luckily these two dogs don't spend a lot of time together as they were kind of like oil and water tonight. I'm guessing it was his way of dealing with a fairly stressful situation?
I snuck up onto him chewing it once I got home, and no problems with me stealing it from him. This is definitely something I will be watching for closely, though with other dogs around he usually doesn't have toys around. From now on I'll keep chew toys and bully sticks out of these situations. That was my bad on introducing something really tasty into the scenario last night. Once I took it away they both settled back down again.
@emi802 It's that dainty lifted paw that does it, isn't it? xD
Kaja came to see what was up, looked at the speakers intensely.
Every time they spoke a word she'd tilt her head. Look at the speakers again.
Then she started to bark. Every. Single. Word. You know how the audio says something, and then it pauses for you to repeat it? She would bark during the pauses. A couple times she even did as many barks as they did syllables, and I laughed at the coincidence of it. xD
She was totally trying to learn it too I guess? Her Japanese is terrible, if so. xD
She never minds when we have a show going on, but the Japanese language learning thing totally struck a chord. Hahahaha. Guess it really sounded like a stranger in the house.