All Discussions - The Nihon Ken Forum

big dog=good pet??

alban — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:19:45 -0500

What are some big breeds(over 60-70lbs) that can be good home pets as well,live longer and healthier lives then most?

Does your NK do this...

poeticdragon — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:55:37 -0500

http://9gag.com/gag/2337870

I saw this and laughed out loud.

Clan and Pack Adventures - New Shuran Photos

ShikokuSpirit — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:46:45 -0500

I know! I am really bad about spamming you all with updated photos! I kinda just "lurk" in the shadows. I see my crew every day so it's more fun to look at everyone else's spam, lol. I'll try my best to provide quality spam to you all.
Perhaps this should be my New Year's resolution for 2012? Hmm...well, I'll reserve this thread for that. Once the winds die down a bit in Southern California...I plan on going for another hike. I swear, I'll take photos this next time! I always bring my camera but hardly ever use it. Pointless indeed.

Anyways, here is an updated photo of Miss Kotomi (and Aislyn, our cat). We went out to lunch today. Unfortunely, for them, I was the one who ate. Kotomi and Aislyn just watched. Well, Kotomi was very good but Aislyn kept climbing up on my lap and begging for food! Silly kitty.

Neutering and anxiety

Nekopan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:06:05 -0500

Yes, yet another "should I neuter my dog?" thread... But I swear this one has special circumstances!

The backstory: I have a six month old puppy. Not a NK, but a small breed. I have had him since he was about 3 months old, and he has exhibited anxiety ever since the beginning. In some ways it has improved, and in other ways it has gotten worse. I have a plan of action to reduce his separation anxiety and it seems to be working, but his dog reactivity is starting to get out of control.

When I first mentioned it to my vet, (and yes, I know vets are not behaviorists) she mentioned I might want to keep him intact because it could boost his confidence. That was all well and good when he was 3-4 months old, but now that he is 6 months and the testosterone is obviously starting to kick in, I wonder if it's causing added stress. Would his dog reactivity be eased at all if he were neutered? Should I just wait it out and see what happens?

I hope you guys can help me shed some light on this... It's my first time dealing with a severely anxious dog and at times I feel very overwhelmed.

Save Heidi

Megaen — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:01:34 -0500

**Not Nihon Ken related but thought I'd share**
Came across this if you are able to sign the petition this is ridiculous

http://www.saveheidi.com/

Toki met a Pomeranian today! THIS THING WADDLES! :))))

jellyfart — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:07:40 -0500

So, I know that pomeranians are not nihon ken, buuutttt....Toki made the CUTEST little friend today, a pomeranian. WATCH THE WAY HE WAAALKKS. HE WALKS LIKE A PENGUIN!!! he waddles, its too cute....too cute, i can't handle it.

This pom is sort of like the apartment complex's mascot in a way. His owner's story is rumored to be that he is handicapped, so he leaves the garage door open for the little guy to wander around, do his business, ect... Everyone in the complex loves this fuzzball, and Toki is curious in the little fella too :))))

Dog beds.....what does every one think?

shishiinu — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:35:49 -0400

I have gone through quite a few dog beds and the other day, my wife comes home with two dog beds to replace the ones Sammi and Taro tore apart. Well now Taro is being a little devil and he has already tore through these two new beds.

What does every one recommend for a durable outdoor dog bed that wont break my wallet. I'm tired of cleaning torn bed foam and bed covers. I been thinking of sewing a couple of old towels together to make some beds but I think they need some thing softer.

Help please!!

Toki spam.....updated 2.1.12

jellyfart — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:31:23 -0500

Aight. So. Here is Toki. I'm not much of a forum person, and like I said I pretty much use the forum for information, so I don't know how much I'll actually update, but who knows. Someone on my welcome introduction said they wanted to see him and of course, I am all about showing him off because he is simply awesome in every way ;)

I found out last night that I will actually get to take him home this weekend, yay! He will be 9-ish weeks old when I take him home this sunday, of which, i am super, super stoked that I get to take him home a week early! The breeders said the litter was growing and learning pretty fast, so it wouldn't hurt to take him home before 10 weeks. Hooray! :)

So he started out rather red, then three weeks later he pretty much loses all red. Then, i suppose three weeks after that, he starts to gain some red back (or rather, fawn?). Also, he has lightened up considerably, way more than I expected. Just for funzies, what color do you think he will end up? Its fun to guess what he'll look like week after week because he looks so different each time I have visited him. It is wild, haha

I think here he is 19 days old.

Here is he three-ish weeks old

Here is Toki is 6 weeks, I think.

Here is he is 7 weeks, i think, haha. My memory isn't so great. I didn't take this picture though.

And here is last week, at 8 weeks :)

A thought on the Shikoku's decline in Japan...

brada1878 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:44:06 -0500

Just thinking about the Shikoku and it's shrinking registration numbers in Japan. I wonder, would it be in the same shape as it's in now if there had been a separate preservation society created for the breed (like many of the others have)?

Thoughts?

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Do dogs love?

jellyfart — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:00:42 -0500

I've been thinking about dog behavior a lot lately, as much of my former ideas about dogs have taken a completely different direction, so i wanted some feedback.

People tend to push human emotions onto dogs and I am trying to figure out what emotions dogs feel. Is love a human emotion pushed upon dogs because we want them to love us back? Or do they really love?

Are they just drawn to certain people because that person controls the resources (food and social interaction) and treats them nicely and rewards them for doing good things? Are they an animal that was domesticated because it was easily pliable into a being that would strive to please humans so it could be trained, not so much because it loves? Well, I'm not very knowledgeable about dog domestication, but I've always wondered why the Dog.

Some examples of emotions dogs don't have would be pride, shame, humping (well...as a disgusting and vile thing that humans tend to make it out to be but it really is just dogs playing and just dogs being dogs, they don't think it is disgusting and it doesn't mean much other than play to them.... But i could be wrong). I was at the dog park and someone told me to get Toki off his dog (Toki was humping). I respect other people's ideas, so I did it. I asked why he doesn't like my dog humping his male dog and he said his dog wasn't defending his honor. ..Um... dogs don't have honor!!! That is the kind of human emotion I am talking about that is pushed upon dogs.

I've read that when a person cries, the dog will "comfort" the person, but it actually is the dog concerned that their "leader" is weak and they don't want that. They are not actually comforting the person, they are trying to make them stronger, so... to me, they don't really mind the emotions of the human, but are more interested in the pack as a whole or in their own self interests. To sum it up, in the article I read, "comforting" is basically a human emotion pushed upon a dog. Dogs don't comfort people. I don't know how reliable that article was, but it did get me thinking.

On the other hand, I would think that a complex animal such as the dog is capable of loving because there is a lot more chemicals inside their heads, like oxytocin. ("complex" might be the wrong word here, perhaps more developed, further evolutionized, i don't know the best word). If, after all, all love is, is a chemical reaction, and if oxytocin is present in their brains, then that would be my answer. The end. Dogs do love.

I always try to apply any emotion to how it would benefit the dog if it were in the wild 10,000 years ago next to humans in the paleolithic era. If social interaction is a resource for such a social animal, then there would have to be some level of "love" I would think. Having a social emotion towards the individuals in the pack would keep the pack together if it came down to survival. Being larger in numbers equals survival, and having a symbiotic relationship with another being can equal survival as well.

I always end up going back to playing devils advocate, that they don't love. I love to debate both sides before I make up my mind :)

as a side note, Toki just farted as I was finishing this up. It was a really long fart, like out of a fart joke :P

-julia

Pit Bull Killer At Large: 7 Dogs Dead

Sangmort — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:20:12 -0500

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/pit-bull-killer-at-large_n_1237088.html?ref=crime&icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl8|sec3_lnk1&pLid=130847

"A dog killer has struck panic in the Mykawa district of Houston, where the community is mourning the loss of seven canines, six of them pit bulls.

All seven dogs -- six of them pit bulls -- were found dead in Houston on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, according to CBS Houston. Three of the pits had been fatally shot, while the other four were found beaten and bludgeoned to death.

“We started finding an unusual number of dead dogs, all of them pit bulls,” Emily Crossley, founder of Backstreet Brutality & Relief, told CBS Houston. “Two were found on top of each other … another one was found shot in the head inside a crate.”

Crossley first suspected that the deaths were connected to dog-fighting rings in the area, but none of the corpses bore evidential scarring consistent with a pit bull bred for fighting.

Worse, one of the bullet-ridden pups was found just minutes after the killer struck, but there's no evidence pointing to a clear suspect. Backstreet workers discovered the dead animal inside a brand new dog crate pock-marked with bullet holes.

The killer didn't even give the dog a chance to run away, according to a blog post by relief workers.

Another pit, Ginger, had just given birth to a new litter of puppies before she was killed.

Workers said that they're at a loss for leads in the hunt for a mass dog murderer. CBS reported that cops believe the deaths are connected and that there is likely only one killer, but they have not named a suspect."

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Horrible!!!! :( Breaks my heart. Those of you in houston...be careful with your pups!! ~

Tuula

Kevin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:23:05 -0400

We got home rom Tennessee last night after a 12-hour drive with my KBD pup, Tuula, in tow.
We got to select Tuula after observing her litter for a couple days. I believe she was the right fit largely because of her interest in people in general and me in particular. She was more inclined to come when called and to spend time playing than some of her littermates. I would strongly recommend spending a lot of time with a litter before choosing a pup. During different periods, Tuula acted differently--sometimes she was hyper and really a pistol; sometimes she was the lazy one who wanted to sleep in the shade.
She's zonked out on the couch next to me. She played with Darcy all morning in the backyard even though she was weirded out by both Darcy and Solomon last night. She made it through the night with only one trip outside at 3.30.
She's a smaller KBD and interestingly has one blue eye, considered a major show ring fault. Thankfully, I consider show standards a major pain in the ass.
Thought I'd attach a few photos--they were cell-phone, so they're probably not great quality.

Laika Fans! Check out The Laika Forum! :o)

brada1878 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:33:46 -0400

Hi All -

I have considered starting a Laika forum for many years. Since I've been working with Vladimir Beregovoy recently the idea has crept back into my head. So, I built The Laika Forum...

I invite anyone who is interested in Laika to join the forum and help me build it into a nice community like this one.

The URL is: http://www.laikaforum.org/forum/

As you can see right now, there is very little content - so join and help me build it (please)!

Thanks!
~Brad

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KBDs in the US

MirkaM — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 10:43:34 -0400

This question has bothered me since I heard about the mixed Karelians via this forum. Could someone please tell me the reason why breeders mix Laikas and Karelians and why on Earth they get registered to be Karelian Bear Dogs? For me, as a native Finnish, this is the same thing as mixing some Nihon Ken with any spitz breed. I really don't understand why to some Americans it's cool to create their own (and better) version from some breeds and then have the nerve to register it under the name of original breed.

JACA Show Feb 11th 2012 and LA-Branch Akiho Official Show Feb 12th 2012 Information Thread

*JackBurton* — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:29:23 -0500

JACA Japanese Akita Show - Feb 11th 2012 10 am.

Location: Arthur Lee Johnson Memorial Park (aka South Park)
Garden California 90274

This show is open to all registered Japanese Akitas. Entry $25 and you do not need to be a JACA member to be in the show. Like the Akiho show, the JACA show is geared to education and preservation of the Japanese Akita. Classes begin at 3mo puppy class all the way to the 7yo veteran class. We will also have an Altered class so that fixed Japanese Akitas can participate as well.

Entry form and instructions can be found here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/57279344/ShowEntry2012a.pdf

Los Angeles Branch Akiho Show - Feb 12th 2012 10 am.

Location: Arthur Lee Johnson Memorial Park (aka South Park)
Garden California 90274

Akiho Flyer: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/57279344/325322_285200548196376_115590385157394_741932_836861856_o.jpg

Open to all Akiho members and registered Akiho dogs. This will be the first official branch show since 2006. Akiho Headquarters will be sending a judge out from Japan for this show. If you are interested you must be an active Akiho member with an intact Japanese Akita. The Akiho pedigree must be in your name as owner.

This is a fantastic way to see lots and lots of Japanese Akitas. My hope is to get some JA entered in the Akiho show that are registered through an FCI country, or AKC.

Dogs & Fiber...what do you think of this?

Sangmort — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:58:56 -0500

Got this in an email from my vets' practice as a part of their monthly newsletter.

"Fiber is important because it helps dogs feel full, supports natural, healthy digestion and aids in moving material through their digestive tract. Is there fiber in your pet's food bowl with each meal? Does your pet need fiber, or more fiber? Grains like wheat, barley, corn and rice contribute small amounts of fiber to pet foods. Pets require adequate amounts of fiber in their foods."

~

Wraith & Fate Photos [ Warning...LOTS of pics ]

Sangmort — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:49:35 -0500

More then a few people have chastised me for not posting enough photos on here...especially the ones who aren't on FB lol So thought I'd overload you guys :p I had them out separately, so none of them playing together this time around.

Fate, Shikoku Ken male [ about 1 year & 4 months now ]

Wraith, Dutch Shepherd male [ about 20 months now ]

Hope you guys like! :) ~

What did your shikoku weigh at 3 months?

the_november_rain — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:35:37 -0400

Hey Guys!

I was wondering what your shikoku pups weighed at 3 months...

I found this old thread, but the the info was for older pups,

http://www.nihonken.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=57

kaito taigan

isitizzy — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:42:06 -0500

we had word of our pup.. we got a picture of our little darling that soon will be in our family..
he's the son of yuu and ikyuu van de egmato in holland.. i'm so excited!! so kaito will be a new years present :-)

Interesting article on waiting to spayed/neuter

jfunk — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:23:55 -0500

This article contains some great references to studies that would seem to advocate waiting until latter 14-18 months to spayed/neuter.

http://caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

Shikoku talking....

Edgewood — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:46:04 -0500

Some video spam (playing with my new iphone) :-)

Marking

ivanmeza03 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:59:24 -0500

Hello all,

Sushi started marking like 2 months ago, he is not neutered, what worries me (or contents me) is that he seems not interest in doing it inside the house. When I first got him I prepared my mind knowing that he was/will going to do it since I didnt want him neutered. Outside he goes crazy when it comes to marking, he will even mark a little dry leaf in the middle of the road, and he has been around females in heat.

What do you guys think?

NK training day in the works.

shishiinu — Mon, 02 May 2011 20:20:05 -0400

Now that things have settled down a bit and I can finally clear my mind, I am planning a training day for my Kishus. I found a place Riverside county that has wild hogs in a large fenced area. The operation is high fenced hunting op that caters to first time hunters and for people who want to hunt with their dogs.

Now here's what I am planning, well I'm planning a trip up a few times from now to september. What I wanted to ask every one here is who would be interested in meeting up for a little NK hog training day? The cost is $450 per pig at the most (usually between $350 to $450 depending on the hog you end up harvesting). Its in a confined area so there are no worries of not findingyour dog although the place is some what big.

Once I have some who are wanting to try this out, I will call them to see if they have smaller pens to "test" dogs. Now if you dont end up harvesting a animal, there is a $50.00 fee for the visit. I have plenty of guns to share and nice thing is that its a license free area so no hunting license or tags are required. It would be a great oppotunity to fill your freezer and to get out and learn how to hunt.

If any one is interested please let me know. I am planning on going up once Koyuki is off her rag.

The Kai

TheWalrus — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:43:12 -0400

The Kai Ken, also known as the Tora Inu (Tiger Dog), is one of the six, native, Japanese spitz type dogs. The breed's brindle coat distinguishes it from the other medium sized Nihon Ken. In size, the Kai is larger than the Shiba, but marginally smaller than the Shikoku, Kishu and Hokkaido, giving it a unique place among the Japanese breeds.

The Kai originated in the mountainous region of Kai (modern day Yamanashi) which gave the breed its name. Historical records tell of the famed brindle hunting dogs of the region, and their hunting prowess was believed to be second to none. While traditionally used to hunt Kamoshika, a type of mountain antelope similar to a chamois, their versatility and athleticism allowed them to be used to hunt many types of game, ranging from pheasant to bear. Today they are primarily used to hunt pheasant, wild boar, and deer.

A young male aka-tora Kai

It is believed the first domesticated dogs arrived in Japan with the Jomon and Yayoi peoples. Over thousands of years the dogs remained essentially the same due to the country's geography and isolationist policies. However as Japan opened up to the outside world, the native dogs crossbred with Western dogs leaving fewer and fewer of the original Nihon Ken (Japanese Dog). As the Showa period began efforts were made to classify and preserve the remaining Nihon Ken. Research teams scoured the country searching for and cataloguing the remaining pockets of native dogs. Thanks to the Yamanashi region's mountainous terrain and limited accessibility there were considerable numbers of quality specimens to be found.

A kuro-tora Kai male with a curl type tail

In 1931 Dasuke Adachi, a prosecutor in Kofu city, saw one of these brindle coated dogs and it made a strong impression on him. After some research he discovered that these dogs could be found in Ashiyasu village. He began efforts with other prominent citizens to locate and preserve this rare type of Nihon Ken. After much difficulty he was able to locate and return to Kofu city with 2 of the best available specimens. Hence began the preservation of the Kai as a breed. In November of the same year the Kai Ken Aigokai was formed with Mr. Adachi as its chairman. At the first Nihon Ken Hozonkai (Japanese Dog Preservation Society or NIPPO) show, the Kai drew much attention from the attendees, which helped lead to the classfication of the Kai as a Natural Monument in 1933.

Kai numbers increased under national and prefectural government protection, with the prefectural government awarding tax breaks to owners of these national treasures. Thanks to this the Kai emerged relatively unscathed from the period during and following World War 2. While the other Japanese breeds faced harsh conditions, and extremely depleted numbers, the Kai was left primarily intact, with many of the dogs being kept at local government offices and police departments. The fact that post war over half of the registered dogs in Yamanashi prefecture were Kai Ken shows just how effective these measures were.

A chu-tora Kai male

The FCI Kai standard describes the breed as: “A medium-sized dog, well balanced, sturdily built, muscles well developed. The dog has the characteristics of a dog living in mountainous districts of Japan. Limbs strong and hocks remarkably developed.” The are three recognized breed colors, all brindle: aka-tora (red), chu-tora (medium), and kuro-tora (black), with aka-tora being the rarest of the three variations. There is a recessive gene in the breed which occasionally produces non-standard white (or cream) colored Kai. Most Kai have dark spots on their tongues.Like all the Nihon Ken, the Kai has a double coat made up of protective coarse outer guard hairs, and a fine thick undercoat that is shed seasonally.

The JKC, Nippo, and KKA offer differing standards for the breed, with the Kai Ken Aigokai having the largest variation in size and type. The KKA standard recognizes Kai between 40-50cm, JKC 47-53cm for dogs, 42-48 for bitches, NIPPO 47-55cm for dogs, 44-52cm for bitches (a special allowance of 2cm under the NIPPO 'medium' standard has been made for the breed), FCI has dogs at 50-56cm, bitches at 45-51cm.

A chu-tora female with a sickle type tail

The Kai as a breed is intelligent, athletic, and alert, with a strong desire to hunt. Like most Nihon Ken the Kai is an independent thinker. Many are very attached to their owners, and they can make excellent companions for the individual prepared to give them the attention and exercize they require. They can be territorial, and make reasonable watch dogs, but are not by nature guard dogs or protection dogs. They have shown the ability to be quick learners, with some active in Japan as search and rescue dogs. They are a rare breed even in their native country with an estimated population of around 12,000-14,000, and yearly registrations of between 900 and 1,100, (all registries combined). The main breed registry is run by the Kai Ken Aigokai.

Man's best friend for 33,000 years

dlroberts — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:46:29 -0500

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/24/dog-mans-best-friend-for-over-33000-years/

An article recently published in a scientific journal describing the remains of a domesticated dog from more than 33,000 years ago. According to the Fox News article linked to above, the remains of this domestic dog cannot be traced to modern domestic dogs, probably due to extinction during the last ice age. This may indicate that dogs domesticated themselves multiple times throughout human history. Pretty interesting!

What the experts say about "The Dog Whisperer" (Cesar Millan)

brada1878 — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:50:05 -0500

Taken from this source: http://www.urbandawgs.com/divided_profession.html

Dr. Nicholas Dodman - Professor and Head, Section of Animal Behavior
Director of Behavior Clinic, Tufts University - Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
"Cesar Millan's methods are based on flooding and punishment. The results, though immediate, will be only transitory. His methods are misguided, outmoded, in some cases dangerous, and often inhumane. You would not want to be a dog under his sphere of influence. The sad thing is that the public does not recognize the error of his ways. My college thinks it is a travesty. We’ve written to National Geographic Channel and told them they have put dog training back 20 years."

Jean Donaldson, The San Francisco SPCA-Director of The Academy for Dog Trainers
"Practices such as physically confronting aggressive dogs and using of choke collars for fearful dogs are outrageous by even the most diluted dog training standards. A profession that has been making steady gains in its professionalism, technical sophistication and humane standards has been greatly set back. I have long been deeply troubled by the popularity of Mr. Millan as so many will emulate him. To co-opt a word like ‘whispering’ for arcane, violent and technically unsound practice is unconscionable."

Dr. Suzanne Hetts, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
Co-owner of Animal Behavior Associates, Inc., Littleton, Colorado
"A number of qualified professionals have voiced concern for the welfare of pet dogs that experience the strong corrections administered by Mr. Millan. My concerns are based on his inappropriateness, inaccurate statements, and complete fabrications of explanations for dog behavior. His ideas, especially those about "dominance", are completely disconnected from the sciences of ethology and animal learning, which are our best hope for understanding and training our dogs and meeting their behavioral needs. Many of the techniques he encourages the public to try are dangerous, and not good for dogs or our relationships with them ."

Vyolet Michaels, CTC, CPDT (Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Counselor)
Owner of Urban Dawgs, LLC of Red Bank, NJ
"Cesar Millan employs outdated methods that are dangerous and inhumane. Using a choke chain and treadmill to treat fear of strangers and dogs is completely inappropriate. Hopefully the National Geographic Channel will listen to the scientific community and discontinue production of The Dog Whisperer."

Janis Bradley, Instructor at The San Franciso SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers
Author of the book, "Dogs Bite"
"On his TV show, the main method Millan uses for aggression is aversives (leash jerks, kicks, snaps of the hand against the neck, and restraint, among others) applied non contingently. The aversives are non contingent because they are so frequent that they're not connected to any particular behavior on the part of the dog—the dog gets popped pretty much constantly. This results in a state called learned helplessness, which means the animal hunkers down and tries to do as little as possible. This is what Millan calls "calm submission." It's exactly the same thing you see in a rat in a Skinner box that is subjected to intermittent shocks it can do nothing to avoid. This can happen quite fast, by the way, shall we say in ten minutes? The dangers to the dog are obvious, ranging from chronic stress to exacerbating the aggression, i.e., some dogs fight back when attacked. This latter is the simplest reason that aversives are a bad idea in treating aggression. Even used technically correctly as positive punishment for specific behaviors like growling and snarling, aversives do nothing to change the underlying fear or hostility, so the best you can hope for, in the words of famed vet and behaviorist, Ian Dunbar, is "removing the ticker from the time bomb." Thus such methods substantially increase the risk to humans of getting bitten."

Excerpt of letter from Lisa Laney, Dip. DTBC, CPDT, CBC
to National Geographic before airing "The Dog Whisperer":
"The intended program depicts aversive and abusive training methods - treatment for some serious anxiety and fear based issues - being administered by an individual with no formal education whatsoever in canine behavioral sciences. The "results" that are shown are more than likely not long lasting changes, but the result of learned helplessness, or fatigue, neither of which impact behavior to any significant long term degree - at least not in a good way. For those of us who are pioneering the effort to end the ignorance that drives the cruel treatment administered upon our canine companions, it is disappointing to see that this programming will reach the masses - especially on the NG Channel. The ignorance that this program perpetuates will give equally ignorant people the green light to subject their dogs to abuse. In turn these dogs will react even more defensively, will bite more people - and end up dead."

http://www.urbandawgs.com/divided_profession.html

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Belgian Shepherd Dogs

Losech — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:15:23 -0500

I am very interested in these breeds, particularly the Malinois and Tervuren.

Though I am generally attracted to dogs that are aloof and independent, I would also like to own a dog that can easily (compared to a Shiba) be trained for things like obedience, agility, etc. that is active with a protective streak thrown in there. Some of the things I do I do alone and often in the middle of nowhere, and a 24 pound Shiba isn't very intimidating. (That's not the main reason I want a bigger dog, but it's a point I do think is valid.)
I've whittled the list of breeds down some and the Malinois or Tervuren sticks out the most to me as a breed I might peruse sometime in the near future. As much as I'd like that to be a Nihon Ken, I don't think that one's going to happen for a good many years and I am okay with that.

While reading breed profiles does give you a good idea of what the dog can be like, I think it's often better to learn from someone who's actually had experience with the breed and know what they are like.
So I was curious if any forum members have had or currently own one (I think there's at least one?) and what the particulars of the breed are that you've noticed. Like temperament/personality quirks, trainaibility, activity level or whatever else might pop into your head.

Koji's SPAM - Videos of 4 Shibas Getting Their Rally Novice titles added 1/21/2012

sandrat888 — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:56:35 -0500

Here is a video of Koji's first herding lesson.

It was taken by another instructor at the facility who happened to walk by while we were in the ring. She stopped because she saw a Shiba and not the usual herding breed and took the video, so she could send it to her friend who has a Shiba to prove to her friend that a Shiba can be trained. :)

I obviously did not know what I was doing, but Koji seems to have a better idea than I do. I wish we could go back more often for herding lessons, but with Rally, Nosework and Agility, it is just very difficult to find time to keep doing herding.

American Mastiff?

alban — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:54:31 -0500

Hi to all,

I am looking Into the American Mastiff.i like what I have learned so far about the breed but I did want to ask what are the thoughts here

Canny Collar

ayk — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:55:15 -0500

http://www.cannyco.co.uk/home.html

My local obedience club is selling Canny Collars at cost for $17 and so I decided to buy one for my 70 lb rescue dog who is a puller. The Canny Collar is a UK product that is just making its way into the US. Amazon sells it for $29.95 the last time I checked. Below is a stock photo of the product on a dog:

Sizing is very important since this is based on a buckle collar. When measuring below the jaw, the tape measure should be snug. I thought I had a size too small based on my loose measurement, but once on the dog, I had to cinch the collar several holes tighter.

I only had it for an hour and so far I like it better than the Gentle Leader for walks. My dog would steadily pull on a Gentle Leader with his head twisted and so this is much safer for him. He seems to get it that even pressure from both sides of the head means slow/stop.

Can't wait to try it out during the daytime on a full walk.