Mya Goes to School

Just a few convincing photos showing the value of patience and persistence in socializing dogs and teaching them how to "share".  Mya used to get snarky when she is with other dogs and suddenly, yummy treats come into the picture.

Here she is, practising self-control during a session of desensitization- desensitizing her to the presence of other dogs during treat-giving. Just look at the intensity of her stare. Ears focused and all.

Good job, Mya!

You deserve a treat!

Acknowledgements:  Pup Culture

Ladies at Morning Coffee

Weekend morning coffee made extra special with good company...

She patiently sat on her chair, looking on while I was eating my ensaymada.  But of course she was rewarded (actually, more of bribed) with small cheese shavings

Battle of the Ear-drops

The daycare staff and I lost today.  We had a 3 human grown-ups versus 1 slippery eel of a small canine battle with Mya which lasted 30 minutes.  Then I decided that we will try to put those eardrops in her ear at another time.

When a dog has a traumatic experience from a careless handler, you pay for it for a long long time. 

Mental Note:
If and when I get a new puppy, his ears will have the least possible handling from the vet.  Also, his nails will only be cut by me.

Toys and Tugs

It seems like since Mya became a part of our lives, I have been infected with a virus that makes me whip my wallet out everytime I see dog toys.  I'm  slowly recuperating from this disease but as you can see here, the ill-effects are irreversible.

As a puppy, Nylabones were great!  So were anything else that could withstand heavy chewing, are not toxic, and are not digestive blockages waiting to happen.  From adolescence, Mya specially loved squeaky stuffed toys and her favorite throw pillow that she would pounce on and dig into. She became more trustworthy with toys that she could manage to shred as she has learned to spit out the shreds and little pieces that she manages to tear away from her toys- toilet paper cardboard rolls, empty mineral water and Gatorade bottles, and other stuffed toys. As an adult dog, she still loves all of the above, and also plays with interactive toys, as she enjoys the mental stimulation from these.

One regret that I have (though it isn't too late) is not having played tug with Mya as she was growing up.  I read more than once in dog behavioral books that playing tug, which is a game of strength, increases the aggression in dogs and should be avoided.  ("Child-proofing Your Dog", Brian and Sarah Kilcommons, (C) 1994) Though tug was Mya's favorite game, I banned playing tug with her as we were preparing her for the arrival of our precious baby boy. We simply didn't want to encourage overly playful, aggressive behavior that time.   About a year later, I learned from Jojo Isorena, Dog Behaviorist and owner of BetterDog Canine Behavior Center, that there is actually a proper way of playing tug that does not lead to aggression problems.  He demonstrated it with Mya and it indeed looked so much fun!  I should have known better than to believe the overly-simplification of the dog training books that I read.  I wish I knew this when Mya was still a puppy. Nonetheless, I will be practicing this with her from now on.

Proper Way to Tug

Start with a proper tug toy. 
1.  A good tug toy is made of fabric that can withstand your canine's teeth and the heavy pressure of tugging.  It should be soft enough to be comfortable in his mouth.  Avoid stiff as well as rough fabrics that could cause abrasion and sores inside his mouth.
2.  Mind the size of the tug toy.  Make sure that it fits comfortably in your dog's mouth- not too big, not too small.  Mya rejected my past 2 attempts at a home-made tug toy as they turned out a bit too large for her shiba (small) mouth to grip.  Instead of going for the tug, she would go for the rope handle, which was, on the other hand, very narrow.  I discouraged continuing the game with her just gripping the rope between her teeth because the prospect of having to treat a dog with rope-burn in her mouth did not appeal to me at all.
3.  Use a tug with a handle. This is for your own safety.  Sometimes, in the middle of intense tugging, your dog would have to adjust his grip.  You wouldn't want your fingers to accidentally get caught in between the tug toy and his teeth.  That would be ugly.

The Game
Catch his attention with the tug toy.  Using the handle, hold it in front of him and swing it around, back and forth until he gets the urge to grab it with his teeth and pull it.  Your tug game has officially commenced.  Make sure you don't lose, as you need to keep your place in the heirarchy.  He needs to know you are stronger than him.  But once in a while, give him slack so he can also enjoy the game. Now this is the most important part.  Throughout the game, you should have intermissions, when you command him to let go.  A simple "drop it" command will do.  When he obeys and lets go (acknowledging your leadership), you start the game all over again.(reward)

End the game by taking the tug toy and keeping it. (sealing your leadership role)

With a highly playful dog like Mya, almost nothing else comes close to a game of tug in terms of bonding- unless giving her a bath in a very cramped shower enclosure counts! ;)

It's Playtime!

Mya has been my constant companion and since I work from home, I would have to ignore her for long stretches.  That isn't good when you want your dog to see you as the most interesting thing in the world.  Apparently, this is the key to getting a shiba inu's attention when doing agility off-leash.  Haven't had the success in this area yet.  She aces the obstacles, but with zero focus on me, we won't get anywhere.

I have trained her to expect something fun whenever I say the magic words "It's playtime"!  Hopefully it will work when she's off-leash.  It usually gets her attention, but making her obey is another story.  She knows all the commands very well, but being a shiba inu that she is, when I give a command, I can almost see her thought-balloon that reads "Why should I?" 

This morning's Playtime was a search game- DIY-style.  She used to have these rubber balls that she eventually split in the middle, creating half-spheres.  I would hide a treat one at a time, and she would guess which half-sphere contains a treat. To get the treat, she would have to pick up the half-sphere and overturn it, as no amount of simple nosing or pushing would reveal the treat.

Mya and Her Half-Spheres

(They used to be balls.)

Mya searching. Sniff...sniff...