Those pics are cute - Maui always lays on top of Jen and I like that. I think its a male Shiba thing. Ninja will slowly get more and more cuddly - Maui never cuddled when he was younger, but now he LOVES it!
I was just reading through this thread and I was wondering if Nija gets bad gas only with the Orijen or when you mix it with the Prairie canned food. The Prairie canned food - although grain-free - gave most of our dogs gas and diarrhea everytime I tried it. I think the only canned food that doesn't upset their stomachs is Wellness Turkey and Sweet Potato (all the other flavors give them gas).
Well before we got the Orijen and Priarie canned food, Portia was on Science Diet Lamb & Rice...she had gas....but not as much as now. Ninja had the runs with Science Diet and always had this smell to him. When I got the Orijen food, I ordered the Prairie canned as well...so ever since we switched..I have always mixed and never just gave them the kibble by itself. I think Portia has way more gas than Ninja though. Her farts are super stinky. When im out of the Prairie, I will try the Wellness Turkey and Sweet Potato you suggested. Thanks for the info! If it doesn't help, did you guys just keep trying different flavors until you finally found one that didn't upset their stomachs? Or is it bad to switch to different food too often?
I agree with Jen, I bet the canned food may be your primary culprit. Try leaving it out for a day or two. If it works out, you can always donate the cans to an animal shelter.
Ninja weighed 16.5 lbs. as of 01/04/08. When I first got him on 12/05/07 he weighed 12 lbs. He's growing fast!
I will try no canned tomorrow. But i know they both really enjoy the juices and chunks...hopefully they're not too used to it and still eat the kibble by itself.
I always try to remember that dogs will eat and love to eat cat poop. They are much less concerned with gourmet than their parents are. We love to apply human attributes to out dogs, but generally they are pretty psyched to be eating.
Canned food is normally pretty rich, it is the equivalent of us eating chili for dinner often. I would be pretty gassy too.
Yikes, I had no idea! Thanks for the info Jessica. Luckily, I don't own cats...so I don't have the cat poop problem (im allergic). To be honest, I never really knew anything about a dog's diet until I came to this forum. I was only feeding Portia Science Diet Lamb & Rice because thats what her breeder was feeding her. But then I heard about Orijen and about grains...all that stuff. I guess i just became more aware that a dog is in fact a living thing, and they do actually need a good diet like a human to be happy and healthy. I guess I was a bit careless and just thought about my dog as an animal that had no choice and could live with anything I gave it.
Well im trying to change that now, and figure everything out...I've been reading some posts on here about RAW foods...and I was looking on k9cuisine for some products. When you guys talk about RAW food, you mean you just get meat, chicken, fish, or whatever you feed them RAW and just give it to them RAW. Or do you cook it a bit? Like on k9cuisines there's the honest kitchen stuff...what is that? It kind of looks like a powder mixture or something....it didn't really say what it is or how to use it. Sorry for all the newbie questions.
About probiotics - the Lacto B is intended for animals rather than humans and has a different composition to the BP8. Although both are probably good I think Lacto B is more adequate. You can have a look at their composition here PB8Lacto B
About fear and socialisation - Rem was also very suspicious to everything strange as a pup and sometimes still is, to be honest. What worried me most was that he did not like pushchairs and little kids - so whenever we met kids or a mum with a pushchair on the street who showed some interest in Rem I asked them to give him a treat. He generally felt braver if I squatted next to him when the kid approached and I made sure he noticed that the kid has the treat. In a similar way I gave him treats when he got close enough to a pushchair he was afraid of. That worked quite well even if I could have been more persistent. So yes, don't cuddle and pity Ninja when he is afraid but ask him to be brave and reinforce it when he is. Only take one step at a time and start with things which are not that 'horrifying' - arrange the trials so that he can be successful and gradually build up confidence in those specific situations.
In my experience exercise is the best way to boost your dog's general confidence. A strong fit healthy dog is very rarely fearful. Sick dogs always are.
Ear mites are commonly assumed to be latently present in all dogs. A disease develops when the overall health of a dog is affected. How did the doctor diagnose ear mites? Did he take a sample and examen it under microscope? He might be able with experience and knowledge of the most common problems of local dogs to guess quite well, but the only way to be sure is after you find the mites in a sample. I would not treat for mites unless such a test has been carried out, because Advantage, Frontline and the like will have a negative effect if the problem is not ear mites. My dogs have always shown mild allergic reactions to them and I don't use them now unless absolutely impossible to avoid.
If you can spare the time to prepare food for your dog at home, that is always the best option. Yes, when I say I feed raw I mean I give my dog raw meat with boiled grains and raw vegetables.
There are a few good recipes and plenty of good advice in Dr Pitcairn's book.
It is likely however that you will have to adjust any recipes you find to the needs of your dog. Don't be afraid that the food you prepare might not be balanced - change the ingredients often and you are perfectly safe. I try to rotate beef with fish and poultry, rice with ground maize and oats and so on. See what is most available to you. All ready made food producers talk a lot about their product being balanced, but several years ago when I was still studying a representative of Royal Canin, a producer of high quality dog and cat food came to introduce their range to us. At one point she said that "Home made food is always best, but our foods are the next best thing" It was a marketing mistake, but also the truth...
Romi - I really suggest a subscription to The Whole Dog Journal. It is very cheap to purchase, and it is always full of good information. Some of the health stuff can be a bit out there but it is always with the best of intentions that they share it with their readers, as maybe it will help some dogs. They have great information about food, training, and products for your dog.
For the fear issues that Ninja is having, it doesn't seem that out of line for a Shiba of his age. Dogs just like human babies can go through a fearful stage as they age. Shibas also can stay aloof, affraid, and even fearful of new situations and people and that is not uncommon. A breeder I know whose Shibas are fantastic dogs, even some of those are not great at the vet, or even happy to see everyone that always comes over. Shibas are naturally suspect of things, some more so than others. Nemo is affraid of strangers, and it takes him a good number of meetings to get comfortable with people, he adapts to people quicker than he used too but it still takes time. His brother Turi gets to go to work everyday with his Mom and he still fears the UPS guy, strangers coming in, and even her dad (coworker) sometimes. And this is with a brave outgoing (Finn) at his side. Nemo and Turi went through a lot when they were young and it has in a way damaged them and their outlook on life.
Many Shibas also hang out in the other room when new people are over and this isn't bad either, they are just aloof dogs. Unlike some/many other breeds (labs, goldens) they don't always have a need to be in your face and sniff your guests crotch.
Ninja is still young so I think you have a good chance helping him adjust to new people and situations and not fear them, however he is a Shiba, he may not ever be the dog that loves everyone and wants to be pet all the time.
I don't really care if he is aloof with strangers and whatnot. I just don't want him to be aggressive towards them. I want him to be able to I guess you can say, tolerate them without being aggressive. He growls at strangers right now if they get too close to him, and when he gets a chance he'll run away and hide...only when they are in our house. But if we go out in public, he doesn't growl, but still tries to hide behind me. So really, the only thing im worried about is his aggression and fear. But I am definately going to use everyone's suggestions and see how it turns out. Thanks for the info guys!
Growling is not a bad thing. It is a dogs way of letting you know it is uncomfortable. If goes from growling to biting, that would obviously be a problem. Right now Ninja is just letting people know that he isn't happy, don't scold for growling.
I agree with Brandon - Ahi growls all the time at us, sometimes its to warn us, and sometimes its because she is being grumpy, its never lead to a bite - her face says more than her growls, if her front lip is up showing her front teeth that means she means business - otherwise if its just a growl with a strait face its more of a grumble... she even growls while licking us.
One thing we try not to do is react to her growling - scolding is considered reacting (obviously). I think its smart if a stranger reacts to the growl of your dogs (or any stranger's dog) by backing away, but - IMO - I don' think you should react to the growling (meaning don't coddle, scold, growl back, etc - just ignore it ). Otherwise your pup may feel it can control you by growling .
The only time Sadie growls is when she is playing. We walk her to a near by fenced playground and let her run around. And she will sprint towards us and go into a playful pouncing position and half growl half bark. She has such a deep voice that when people who come to the door, Sadie, our own personal mobile doorbell, will bark and then when she can see whoever it is she starts wagging her tail like crazy, and is greeted with hey boy or any variation of such.
I don't scold him for growling...he has never growled at me or john before. I hear him growling at Portia sometimes when they are playing. Usually when Ninja growls at my friends or family, they just back away and tell me that he's growling, but i never go up to him or anything...i just let him be. If they tell me he's growling, I get a little scared myself that if i go up to him and try to comfort him or something he might bite, so i just let him chill out. I don't think i've ever seen Ninja show his teeth and growl before. I don't think i've seen Portia ever do it either.
Comments
Romi -
I was just reading through this thread and I was wondering if Nija gets bad gas only with the Orijen or when you mix it with the Prairie canned food. The Prairie canned food - although grain-free - gave most of our dogs gas and diarrhea everytime I tried it. I think the only canned food that doesn't upset their stomachs is Wellness Turkey and Sweet Potato (all the other flavors give them gas).
Hope this helps a little.
Jen -
Well before we got the Orijen and Priarie canned food, Portia was on Science Diet Lamb & Rice...she had gas....but not as much as now. Ninja had the runs with Science Diet and always had this smell to him. When I got the Orijen food, I ordered the Prairie canned as well...so ever since we switched..I have always mixed and never just gave them the kibble by itself. I think Portia has way more gas than Ninja though. Her farts are super stinky. When im out of the Prairie, I will try the Wellness Turkey and Sweet Potato you suggested. Thanks for the info! If it doesn't help, did you guys just keep trying different flavors until you finally found one that didn't upset their stomachs? Or is it bad to switch to different food too often?
I agree with Jen, I bet the canned food may be your primary culprit. Try leaving it out for a day or two. If it works out, you can always donate the cans to an animal shelter.
Your pups really are cute.
Ninja looks big, how much does he weigh?
Ninja weighed 16.5 lbs. as of 01/04/08. When I first got him on 12/05/07 he weighed 12 lbs. He's growing fast!
I will try no canned tomorrow. But i know they both really enjoy the juices and chunks...hopefully they're not too used to it and still eat the kibble by itself.
I always try to remember that dogs will eat and love to eat cat poop. They are much less concerned with gourmet than their parents are. We love to apply human attributes to out dogs, but generally they are pretty psyched to be eating.
Canned food is normally pretty rich, it is the equivalent of us eating chili for dinner often. I would be pretty gassy too.
Yikes, I had no idea! Thanks for the info Jessica. Luckily, I don't own cats...so I don't have the cat poop problem (im allergic). To be honest, I never really knew anything about a dog's diet until I came to this forum. I was only feeding Portia Science Diet Lamb & Rice because thats what her breeder was feeding her. But then I heard about Orijen and about grains...all that stuff. I guess i just became more aware that a dog is in fact a living thing, and they do actually need a good diet like a human to be happy and healthy. I guess I was a bit careless and just thought about my dog as an animal that had no choice and could live with anything I gave it.
Well im trying to change that now, and figure everything out...I've been reading some posts on here about RAW foods...and I was looking on k9cuisine for some products. When you guys talk about RAW food, you mean you just get meat, chicken, fish, or whatever you feed them RAW and just give it to them RAW. Or do you cook it a bit? Like on k9cuisines there's the honest kitchen stuff...what is that? It kind of looks like a powder mixture or something....it didn't really say what it is or how to use it. Sorry for all the newbie questions.
A few things I would add to the said:
About probiotics - the Lacto B is intended for animals rather than humans and has a different composition to the BP8. Although both are probably good I think Lacto B is more adequate. You can have a look at their composition here PB8 Lacto B
About fear and socialisation - Rem was also very suspicious to everything strange as a pup and sometimes still is, to be honest. What worried me most was that he did not like pushchairs and little kids - so whenever we met kids or a mum with a pushchair on the street who showed some interest in Rem I asked them to give him a treat. He generally felt braver if I squatted next to him when the kid approached and I made sure he noticed that the kid has the treat. In a similar way I gave him treats when he got close enough to a pushchair he was afraid of. That worked quite well even if I could have been more persistent. So yes, don't cuddle and pity Ninja when he is afraid but ask him to be brave and reinforce it when he is. Only take one step at a time and start with things which are not that 'horrifying' - arrange the trials so that he can be successful and gradually build up confidence in those specific situations.
In my experience exercise is the best way to boost your dog's general confidence. A strong fit healthy dog is very rarely fearful. Sick dogs always are.
Ear mites are commonly assumed to be latently present in all dogs. A disease develops when the overall health of a dog is affected. How did the doctor diagnose ear mites? Did he take a sample and examen it under microscope? He might be able with experience and knowledge of the most common problems of local dogs to guess quite well, but the only way to be sure is after you find the mites in a sample. I would not treat for mites unless such a test has been carried out, because Advantage, Frontline and the like will have a negative effect if the problem is not ear mites. My dogs have always shown mild allergic reactions to them and I don't use them now unless absolutely impossible to avoid.
If you can spare the time to prepare food for your dog at home, that is always the best option. Yes, when I say I feed raw I mean I give my dog raw meat with boiled grains and raw vegetables.
There are a few good recipes and plenty of good advice in Dr Pitcairn's book.
It is likely however that you will have to adjust any recipes you find to the needs of your dog. Don't be afraid that the food you prepare might not be balanced - change the ingredients often and you are perfectly safe. I try to rotate beef with fish and poultry, rice with ground maize and oats and so on. See what is most available to you. All ready made food producers talk a lot about their product being balanced, but several years ago when I was still studying a representative of Royal Canin, a producer of high quality dog and cat food came to introduce their range to us. At one point she said that "Home made food is always best, but our foods are the next best thing" It was a marketing mistake, but also the truth...
Romi - I really suggest a subscription to The Whole Dog Journal. It is very cheap to purchase, and it is always full of good information. Some of the health stuff can be a bit out there but it is always with the best of intentions that they share it with their readers, as maybe it will help some dogs. They have great information about food, training, and products for your dog.
For the fear issues that Ninja is having, it doesn't seem that out of line for a Shiba of his age. Dogs just like human babies can go through a fearful stage as they age. Shibas also can stay aloof, affraid, and even fearful of new situations and people and that is not uncommon. A breeder I know whose Shibas are fantastic dogs, even some of those are not great at the vet, or even happy to see everyone that always comes over. Shibas are naturally suspect of things, some more so than others. Nemo is affraid of strangers, and it takes him a good number of meetings to get comfortable with people, he adapts to people quicker than he used too but it still takes time. His brother Turi gets to go to work everyday with his Mom and he still fears the UPS guy, strangers coming in, and even her dad (coworker) sometimes. And this is with a brave outgoing (Finn) at his side. Nemo and Turi went through a lot when they were young and it has in a way damaged them and their outlook on life.
Many Shibas also hang out in the other room when new people are over and this isn't bad either, they are just aloof dogs. Unlike some/many other breeds (labs, goldens) they don't always have a need to be in your face and sniff your guests crotch.
Ninja is still young so I think you have a good chance helping him adjust to new people and situations and not fear them, however he is a Shiba, he may not ever be the dog that loves everyone and wants to be pet all the time.
I agree with Brandon - Ahi growls all the time at us, sometimes its to warn us, and sometimes its because she is being grumpy, its never lead to a bite - her face says more than her growls, if her front lip is up showing her front teeth that means she means business - otherwise if its just a growl with a strait face its more of a grumble... she even growls while licking us.
One thing we try not to do is react to her growling - scolding is considered reacting (obviously). I think its smart if a stranger reacts to the growl of your dogs (or any stranger's dog) by backing away, but - IMO - I don' think you should react to the growling (meaning don't coddle, scold, growl back, etc - just ignore it ). Otherwise your pup may feel it can control you by growling .
The only time Sadie growls is when she is playing. We walk her to a near by fenced playground and let her run around. And she will sprint towards us and go into a playful pouncing position and half growl half bark. She has such a deep voice that when people who come to the door, Sadie, our own personal mobile doorbell, will bark and then when she can see whoever it is she starts wagging her tail like crazy, and is greeted with hey boy or any variation of such.