Property Laws: MINE!

Shiba Inu Property LAWS:
(there are really some, and I tell you, it really applies)

1. If I like it, It's mine.
2. If it's in my mouth, it's mine.
3. If I saw it first, it's mine.
4. If it looks like mine, it's mine.
5. If I can take it away from you, it's mine.
6. If I had it a little while ago it's mine.
7. If I saw it first, It's mine.
8. If it's edible, it's mine.
9. If you have something and you put it down, It's mine.
10. If I chew something up, all of the pieces are mine.
11. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours.
12. If it used to be yours, get over it.
13. If I get tired of it, it's yours.
14. If it's broken, it's yours.
15. If I want it back, it's mine.

I came across this list and it has a funny way of telling how the breed is possessive in nature. They tend to be aggressive with their food and toys but not with the proper training.

When Boredom Strikes

Hey Dad where have you been? Look at what I did, aren't you proud of me? I'm a proud pup!

As I mentioned on my earlier post, crating Chloe didn't work for the two of us. So Chloe has the freedom of roaming around the apartment even if I'm not around. But when boredom strikes, she exhibits destructive behavior and takes it out on her puppy pads.

What's amazing is all the pee and poop is still on the puppy pads even if it's torn apart. Yey! I got a potty trained pup!

Tail Chasing and Spinning, A Seizure?

As I was reading an article in dogtime.com about health issues concerning Shiba inus, this excerpt caught my attention:

"Tail chasing or spinning is an unusual problem that's not well understood. It usually begins at 6 months of age. The dog is obsessed by his tail and may circle for hours. He loses interest in food and water. All attempts to get the dog to stop the behavior fail. Sometimes the dog yelps while spinning and may attempt to bite. Research suggests that spinning may be a type of seizure. Some dogs respond to treatment with phenobarbital either alone or in conjunction with other medications." 

- Dogtime.com

It didn't occur to me to blog about this topic, but minutes after reading it, Chloe just started tail chasing and spinning. It's usual for me to see her chasing her tail and I see it as one way of her playing, but then she started barking and yelping while doing it, now that's unusual. She only barks when she wants attention from me, she never even barks at strangers or other dogs. So I tried offering a toy to distract her, which didn't work. I also tried offering her my hand to play with, but she just ignored it. Determined to stop the behavior, I carried her and tried to calm her down which she did after a few seconds of struggling and biting.

So is it a seizure like what the article suggests? I honestly don't know, I'm quite knowledgeable with seizures in humans but not with a dog. I guess it's too early to tell. I'll keep on monitoring for now.

Stressful First Bath

Bathing a dog can be stressful for both the pet and the owner and can often prove to be a challenge. Chloe's first bath was no exception. I placed her on a tub full of warm water with dog shampoo, and I think she's not too happy being held and submerged in that much water.

 Hey dad, get me out of here.

I got myself wet all over. She whined, cried, and jumped a lot during the whole process of bathing. She even had the chance to jump out from the tub, and I ended up chasing a wet puppy having a running marathon around the whole apartment (my fault, i forgot to close the bathroom door). 

She got furious even more when we started with the drying process. Even with the most quiet blower that i got for her, it didn't matter for her, a blower is still a blower, and it's considered an enemy.

           

When can I go down? It's cold.

Color Variations

Shiba inus come in all different colors, well not all, but these dogs come in different color versions. They have three accepted colors: red, red sesame, and black and tan. These colors represents the main color of the coat covering a large portion of it's body. In addition, all Shibas should also have urajiro or a pattern of white colored hair on the sides of the muzzle, on the cheeks, inside the ears, neck, belly, inside of legs, on the abdomen, and the underside of the tail. 

Red is the most common color of the breed varying from pale orange to a deep mahogany red, ideally a vivid orange. This color with the urajiro pattern gives them a fox like appearance.

(This picture really resembles Chloe, don't you think?)

Red sesame, black tipped hairs on a rich red background or simply red shibas with black hair inserts The color is really beautiful and is rare as well. Many breeders consider the red sesame as the most difficult color to breed. Hope I'd be able to see one in the future.

Black and tan shibas, often referred to as a tricolored dog. Nothing much to say, what you see is what you get. I was thinking of adopting one someday to be Chloe's partner in crime.

The cream color, it was not on my list earlier because this color is considered a major fault in the show ring because it doesn't display a distinct urajiro pattern to be correct. However, this cosmetic characteristic has no bearing on the suitability of it as a companion and there is no doubt of how elegant the cream color is.

Confinement

I wonder how sunbathing was like?

As my dad said, I can't go outside yet because of  this cough I have, and  my shots are not yet enough for me to be completely protected out there. Seriously , how many times will you have to poke me until I get to run around outside? 

I'm really excited to go out and explore the world outdoors. I can imagine the smell of grass, dirt on my feet, fresh air through my face, the sun shining through my coat and numerous fun things to see and do out there.

I think it will just be a few more weeks before they would allow me to conquer that world outside our home. So you all better be prepared for me.

For now, I'll just enjoy the little sunlight coming inside through our windows.

I really love the sunlight. I can stay here all day.

Sneezing pup

A week after I got Chloe, she started sneezing occasionally. I didn't mind it at first cause the vet stated that i should be concerned only when she sneezes ten times in an hour. The next day, I was woken up by a puppy sneezing non-stop accompanied by dry coughing at times. The situation had me really alarmed so I quickly dressed up and took off with Chloe to have her checked up by a vet. 

I looked up on local animal hospitals around the area through my phone and went to the nearest one, unfortunately, it is closed. I went to the next one near my current location, and it is also closed. I've come across two more hospitals, but they're also closed. What wrong with these places? maybe because it's a weekend and it's really early in the morning, around 6:30am. At last I arrived in an open emergency animal hospital, but still they declined me service for the reason that they will be closing in minutes and won't offer me much service, so she referred me to a hospital 5 miles away that is already open at that time. 

I arrived in the animal hospital and got Chloe examined thoroughly, it turned out to be kennel cough, a highly contagious canine illness characterized by inflammation of the upper respiratory system caused by a bacterial or viral infection. I have no idea where she got the disease, maybe from the car travels, or from our first vet visit where there are obviously a lot of dogs but what's important is we caught it early. The vet placed her on antibiotics, to be given twice a day for two weeks. I feel bad for Chloe getting sick as soon as she moved in with me but also felt relieved knowing that it's nothing serious and that she'll be fine soon.

That morning was really stressful, going on an adventure in search for open hospitals was no fun. But I'm glad that the two of us ended up in that hospital. The place was neat, the staff were really nice and reassuring, and I love the vet. I even enrolled Chloe on their puppy plan which includes her shots, lab works, and a lot more discounts. So I think I'll be sticking up with them for Chloe's care.

I'm scared, what are you going do to with me? I don't want no shot.

Escape Artists

Shiba inus are clever escape artists who will go over or under fences in search of adventure. As for Chloe, she's living up to this phrase. I guess setting boundaries is not working at all. There are five instances that Chloe made an escape from me. Three of her escapades happened while I was away from home. When I open the door to my apartment as i came home, there's always a happy Chloe greeting me as she roams around the living room and bedroom. She always finds a way to escape from her crate and pen. I kept on changing the set up and placement of her pen, but she outsmarts me every time and always finds a way out; Clever pup.

I was thinking that this is one of the ways of how she got out, by slipping through this tiny hole here. I also found out that she uses her mouth to move the crate and create enough space for her to go through. She might be climbing it too, who knows. Either way, I guess setting boundaries is not that effective at all. I came to the conclusion not to use the pen to restrict her movement around the house. I don't want to risk Chloe getting hurt or injured by getting stuck on the wirings of the pen or something just because she wants to be out and free.

So what's next? Puppy proofing the whole house I guess.

That furry thing behind me

That furry thing behind me, Dad help me catch it!

At 0:15, that's my favorite pose of Chloe. Isn't that the cutest thing ever?

Separation Anxiety

February 20, 2011 - Sunday

(entries were dated by the time it was composed)

Chloe has terrible separation anxiety. She hates the crate and exercise pen that I got her. Everything that separates her from me is considered an enemy. 

On our first night together, I left Chloe inside her pen and went to my bedroom to sleep. The first night was horrible, she cried and whined all night long. 

On our second night, I tried a different approach with her. I still placed Chloe on her pen, but I tried sleeping in the sofa so she knows I'm around. I ended up not getting enough sleep because of her whining. 

Third day, I went out for a bit to buy some stuff and i left her inside the pen as usual. On my way back, I"m still a couple of doors from my apartment and i could already hear Chloe's whining and screaming from afar, and in addition, I see a couple of children usually playing around the apartment complex gathering around my apartment door wondering what's happening inside.

Fourth night, I tried having Chloe sleep with me on my bed. Our night went really well and we slept peacefully for the first time. But I can't have her get used to that set up. The next day, I went to talk with some of my neighbors and asked if they are getting bothered by the noise, and they said it was fine and they're not bothered at all. Am I the only one thinking that her whining and screaming was really loud?

During her first week with me, I thought I'll  just let these things pass because she is still a puppy, and assumed that she only misses her mom and litter mates. I've tried some things I learned from research and advices from other people. Some thing I've tried was giving Chloe one of my shirt so that she could smell my scent on it, didn't work. I bought her a stuff toy of her size to substitute for her litter mates, didn't work either. I gave her a lot of toys and stuff to chew but she just ignores it. I also tried desensitizing her and making her get used to being by herself and not having me around, but I think that would take more time and patience than I expected.

Hey Dad, I want to play, so let me out of here.

Setting Boundaries

February 18, 2011 - Friday

(entries were dated by the time it was composed)

When I brought Chloe home, I have certain areas on my apartment that I don't want her to have access to some places like the kitchen, bedroom, and the bathroom. So I bought a crate and an exercise pen for her with the goal of crate training her as well.

This is ideally what I want to happen because i don't want Chloe running around every part of the house. I''ll let her stay inside her own little space whenever I'm away from home, then have her run around the house with  my supervision if I'm around. Let's see how this works.