Yamabushi no Hanzo -- (Updated 2014-Mar-04) Now with More Spam!!
Hi everyone, I'm so excited that we got Hanzo from the Kibou x Ayu litter born Sep 9, 2013. Due to a scheduling conflict I wasn't able to go pick him up from Brad and Jen's until Nov 18, but when I did it was amazing. Thanks so much to both of them for being such great people, with an awesome daughter who was as friendly as their Kai 
) I had a wonderful, albeit short visit. I apparently arrived and left in between 2 snow storms, so as far as I'm concerned it was ordained 
I'm going to post lots of spam...soon. It's been a crazy few weeks with the holidays and having a new puppy to chase around, but I have snapped several pictures and I just have to figure out which ones to post.
Hanzo's been such a great little man. I feel like Jen and Brad couldn't have picked out a better fit for us. He does great off lead near our house and good on the leash outside my office and has fit in fairly well with our dogs. Our akita is a bit of a grumpy old man, but Hanzo is pretty good about respecting his wishes.
I'll definitely write more as time permits and post more pictures soon, but here's a teaser. This is of him at my office, chillin' which seems to be his default mode. Almost everyone exclaims at how calm he is. They haven't seen the crazy zoomies he does in the yard with our other dogs, namely Meg the border collie/lab mix. He'll squeeze underneath the wooden staircase and *pop* out through the step and then blast around the fence and do it all over again. God, I love him!
) I had a wonderful, albeit short visit. I apparently arrived and left in between 2 snow storms, so as far as I'm concerned it was ordained I'm going to post lots of spam...soon. It's been a crazy few weeks with the holidays and having a new puppy to chase around, but I have snapped several pictures and I just have to figure out which ones to post.
Hanzo's been such a great little man. I feel like Jen and Brad couldn't have picked out a better fit for us. He does great off lead near our house and good on the leash outside my office and has fit in fairly well with our dogs. Our akita is a bit of a grumpy old man, but Hanzo is pretty good about respecting his wishes.
I'll definitely write more as time permits and post more pictures soon, but here's a teaser. This is of him at my office, chillin' which seems to be his default mode. Almost everyone exclaims at how calm he is. They haven't seen the crazy zoomies he does in the yard with our other dogs, namely Meg the border collie/lab mix. He'll squeeze underneath the wooden staircase and *pop* out through the step and then blast around the fence and do it all over again. God, I love him!
Comments
Something I meant to tell you, David, but forgot... Hanzo is the first Kai pup we've had start lifting his leg *before* the 8 week mark. It blew me away when I saw it!
LOL Brad, what a manly little dude! My Hokkaido still hasn't started lifting his leg, and he's 8 MONTHS!
Brad (@brada1878), that's hilarious about lifting the leg. Interestingly I haven't seen him do that here. Maybe it was snow related. Of course, the same day I said "Oh, he hasn't humped anything yet" to a coworker, he humped another coworker's 9 month old chocolate lab. Right on his head too, it was hilarious. So I fully expect him to start lifting now that it's been mentioned.
I will say that at his vet visit just a couple days after I got him home, his little boy balls were already visible and making their way back.
At Target, the Friday after we got him (10 1/2 weeks)
The next day in the office where his crate was first set up, taking a nap in his wintry bandanna we got for donating to a local rescue at the vet's office
Day before Thanksgiving, gnawing his latest "kill" (11 1/2 weeks)
Same day, hanging with Auntie Meg, our border collie/lab mix
Later that day, napping
In Virginia Beach on Black Friday, he doesn't like sticks, he likes trees!
Beach nose!!
Playing fetch on the balcony of my work building (12 weeks)
Yesterday, in his Ruffwear WebMaster, with bells on!! Can't hear him coming or going otherwise; he's as silent as his namesake. (13 weeks)
... and with Tips, our master hunter tabby
And finally, since Kai puppy threads aren't complete without some zoomies!!!
I have to get Kiyoshi some ruffwear, that way when he goes to plow down and harass another poor pup I can just pick him up and pull him away. Good grief....lol
That pic of him with the stick is adorable! It's twice as big as him!
I really like the Ruffwear harness. It's great to attach a long line to as well. He's not as thrilled about it, but I plan on associating it with our walks in the woods and that should up the value of wearing it.
It seems like life is so full now having Hanzo around that most of what I do revolves around experiences I can have with him and the family. We've been going out of doors whenever the whether permits. Either wandering the property or at a few of the off-leash spots near our home. He's gone on an easy hike with us and other than freaking out when a runner rounded the corner from the opposite direction we were going, he did great sticking close and enjoying the scenery.
He's a dream with other dogs. He definitely still gets exuberant like a puppy, but he seems to navigate and adjust to the different personalities he meets. We go to a local park/trail that has off-leash days and he's always getting compliments. Sometimes he wants to follow them for a while because they are so much more interesting than I am, but after a little bit of separation he comes looking for me. It's so great to see his connection to me; even when he's having a great time flushing birds or squirrels or playing with other dogs, he doesn't wander too far.
Okay enough talk, here's the spam.
Standing next to an old chimney we ran across on one of our outings:
A look at his brindling:
How he's looking right about now, very leggy:
Obligatory funny tongue shot:
On the move on a downed tree trunk:
Incognito, he says it's duck season!
That's the Ruffwear Webmaster 2 Harness. I love it and use it to tether him in the car. I also use it when we're hiking off-leash since it's easier to see him in the woods. Check it out here: http://www.ruffwear.com/Web-Master-Harness_2?sc=2&category=1131
He doesn't much like being picked up by it, but it's there if I need it. He's wearing an extra small at about 23lbs, but will probably need a small by the time he's full grown. It's got some reflective tape and I bought an LED light that I can switch on when it's fully dark out. Also, Hanzo can't back out of it like he's done once with another harness I have, not that he tries to very often, but it's nice to know he can't.
@mdokic I totally agree. He's okay on a leash, but *loves* roaming the woods. He's most at home in satellite orbit and I'm glad we're able to oblige as much as we are.
@cdenney Thanks! We think so too. My wife sent me this photo of him on the back of the couch, with the caption "Creepy!! And cute. How does he do it??"
@Hinata23 Totally, I can't wait to get his first pack!