Little John/Loki

kaikenone

Due too un-forseen circumstances Little John aka Loki has moved back to Mijikai for a while. As you may be aware he was having a difficult time adjusting to his new home. The twins said he was fine with their neighbor and at her house but at home he was shy and withdrawn. Peggy and Bob picked him up for me and when I met them he was at the back of the crate in hiding. I got him out and within about 10 minutes he was almost totally acting normally. He is now acting normal and interacting with visitors and the other dogs. I am not sure what caused him to withdraw from his new owners.

My hope is to find him his perfect forever home that he deserves so much....

tjbart17

I posted this on the yahoo group.

Do you think that he would do better in a home with another Kai?

I'm beginning to think that Kais who are raised in multiple dog homes have a difficult time adjusting to a home alone. Shakko at my house with my Kais was outgoing and happy. He was animated and confident on walks with Koda, and happy to be at my house. But his new owners said that he was withdrawn, fearful, and shy at their house.

About a month ago, Koda sprained his other knee and was on strict bed rest. I had to take Mika out for the first time without him on walks. She was terrified! I couldn't believe it. My confident little out-going girl was scared of the world without Koda there. I was scared that she would bolt and I'd lose her it was that bad. She's never lived without another Kai around, and I learned that I don't think she ever could. She gets her confidence from dogs and not from me.

I realized with Mika how Shakko was probably acting. I had never put it into perspective like that before since he was always so happy to be with Koda. I didn't quite understand, and I wish that I had.

I hope Little John (aka Loki) finds a good home where he can be a happy Kai.

BradA1878

I agree Tara, I think Kai do better in homes with other dogs if they were raised with other dogs. Actually, I'd even argue that Kai do better in homes with other dogs. (period)

BradA1878

Sorry it didn't work out with Loki @Travis

ttddinh

This really sucks...sorry to hear that!!

tjbart17

@brada1878 I will say that before Mika's little Valley of the Dolls incident last week, I would've said that Koda did fine without her, and in perspective he did. But now that he has Mika it's a whole new ball game. The vet said he was great at their office for two days. I couldn't believe it. Koda cries and screams at the vet's office, but not with Mika by his side. With her there, he was just fine. He's also not as sensitive as he used to be.....unless it comes to her.

BradA1878

@tjbart17 - That's interesting!

tjbart17

@brada1878 My mom says that Mika was the best thing that ever happened to Koda. :-)

ttddinh

@tjbart17 and @brada1878 you guys make me wish I had a kai instead of a crazy shiba

tjbart17

@ttddinh Ha ha ha. I do think Kais tend to get along well with each other. Even Mei likes the company of her Kais.

WrylyBrindle

I'll add to the anecdotes- at least if Sage counts?- Walking Sage myself alone he will walk a short distance, to the top of the hill before he gets balky and worried and wants to go home. Walking him with Jeff and one or both of the girls, he will go over the hill and some way s around the corner before he begins to worry. In the woods, when I walked Sage on leash and let the two girls run free, he walked our whole local trail to the meadow and back comfortably. Sage is at best half kai, but I always chalked this up to him being anxious in general, not his kai side. That said, he has made great leaps forward in keeping cool, paying attention, staying in his front brain, coming when called, and being comfortable in close proximity- since we got Juno. It used to be that if I tried to put his (flat, nylon) collar on him by the door and Reilly was next to him, he'd stand a 50/50% chance of lashing out at her just because he felt crowded/pressured and restrained. I can put his collar on him by the door now with no redirection, and Juno can even walk right under his chin while Im doing it and he doesnt even look sideways.

Juno is a very confident kai, and she is a little different w/o Reilly on hikes, but she seems to happily rely on her connection with me for security. Encountering a stranger though goes better for her with Reilly along though to lead the way. I sure appreciate having Reilly to carry the culture to the younger dogs.

lindsayt

Akuma seems to like being with people more than with other dogs and has a great time when out on his own with or without other dog friends. He has favorite doggy buddies and loves being with them, but he doesn't ever come across as a dog who needs other dogs for security when out of the house. I think it is more important for him (in his perspective) to have people to visit and things to explore rather than another dog buddy, but of course he wouldn't say no to walks or play dates with his dog friends.

Kuma123

I am sorry his new home didn't work out =(

cezieg

Aw that's a shame that it didn't work out I hope he finds his perfect home soon

MirkaM

Would you say that Kai would do better in home with other Kai or does anything go? And would other animals (like cats) be the same thing as dogs? Ife lived with my mums schipps five months and then we lived six months together and then the cat moved in. Since that day Ife has always been more into to cats than other dogs. That's why I think Ife had such a hard time to accept Nuuk to our pack because there has always been she and Rusina.
I hope Loki will find home soon .

kaikenone

I think it just depends on how they are raised and their personality. Taka is a velcro dog and she could care less about the other dogs, just as long as she can be wherever I am and Jewel is the same.

I think they do tend to follow or learn from other animals... John was rasied in total chaos he stayed with my sister in law and her family when younger off and on and their was never a problem. They have 2 cats one of which is very mean...LOL and they have 2 kids at home still and everyone is loud all the time and it doesn't seem to phase him at all.... I know the girls had a cat and another dog. He went on weekly walks in town with strange dogs and people and never flinched......

I think it is strange that he was comfortable with the girl who lived downstairs and even in her apartment but not with them. The best I can figure out is that they just simply worried to much about him and he picked up on that and it bothered him.. I dont know what else to think. Whenever they were less worried they said he seemed differant, for instance when they got a new job they said he was a differant dog, upbeat and friendly. I dont think they did anything worng, I just think they worried too much..

BradA1878

@kaikenone - I'm reminded of ChoCho (Shikoku) and @Hinata23. ChoCho was a total nut with them at their place in UT. Then they moved all the way to Miami and she became a different dog. They added Goro to their home in UT because they wanted a Kai, but we all hoped it would help ChoCho too. It did help her, but not totally... She was still scared of things.

So, point is, it can be as simple as the environment and it's not always Kai specific.

ETA - Most of the time I would't want to hear what my dogs have to say, if I could "speak" to them and they could "speak" to me. I think they'd be pretty annoying. lol ... But time like with Loki and Cho, it's when I do want to be able to "speak" with them. Just be like "Buddy, what's bothering you? Tell us and we'll fix it..."

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Hinata23

@kaikenone Oh man, I can't start to tell you all the things we tried to help ChoCho adjust. In her case, it did take a change of location like Brad said. Goro helped her... more like distract her from her discomfort. When my in-laws were home (she was TERRIFIED of them) she literally ignored Goro. He would bit her, run into her, anything to get her attention and she just ran back and forth with anxiety. It wasn't until my in-laws were gone out of town for 6 weeks that she somewhat relaxed and even then she was still skittish in the house. Yes, we wanted a Kai, but we planned to get one in a few years! But it was just one of the many things we did for Cho. We just loved her that much

Hinata23

@kaikenone Here something the vet told me when I took ChoCho in for an anxiety medication that I thought was interesting. She asked me if someone in the family was on some sort of medication. She said that sometimes dogs can smell the medication on the person's skin and are bothered by it to the point where they avoid the person. ChoCho was always uncomfortable with my bother-in-law who was on a ton of strong medications for various health issues. She wasn't really scared like she was with my in-laws, but she avoided him and moved away from the room when he entered.

tjbart17

@brada1878 Oh no!!! I wouldn't want to hear all that Koda has to complain about or is scared of. He's too sensitive sometimes. And the only time Mika talks to me is when she's annoyed with my decisions, ie to put her in her crate while driving, not allow her to eat cat food, tell her to get off the kitchen counters. No thanks. I'll keep the communication how it is with my dogs. lol.

@Hinata23 Mei gets scared of Koda when he's on anti-inflammatories. She won't go near him and you can see her smelling him from across the room.

BradA1878

@tjbart17 - Exactly... and I'll add to those the "I'm so horny" screams we would hear from the boys. LOL

Hinata23

@tjbart17 I guess that theory has some grounds now lol The vet used the example of a dog who didn't want to get near the owners' daughter because she was on acne medication (pills). Once the girl stopped using it the dog was back to normal.

@brada1878 LOL

MirkaM

@Hinata23 That medication thing was new to me and now I totally understand why Ife don't like my grandma. My granny eats tons of drugs and she is the only person in our family to who Ife parks and avoids.