Scratch and Peck

OMG, I love this blog! I made the switch to Scratch and Peck feed a few months ago, and really like the quality of the product. So, check out this chicken blog and I think you will like it, too.

Auction Supporting NW Shiba Rescue (Shibas 4 Life)

Check out this amazing Shiba Inu Rescue near Portland, Oregon. They are raising money to build a new facility to house their rescue Shibas and have started an auction with some great Shiba Inu gear, some of it from Bark and Giggle. They started construction a few days ago, and here is a blueprint of the plan. Be awesome and make a bid!

Harbor Hounds 2011

Grym and some Shiba friends went for a somewhat drizzly walk along the Gig Harbor waterfront this weekend. It cleared up enough to allow us to enjoy a great lunch at the Red Rooster cafe on their patio over the water. The owner, now affectionatly known as "the Bacon Man" to the canines, brought them all a piece of awesome bacon in celebration of dogs.

"Where's the Bacon Man?"

"Comrade, I would like some beer!"



"Is there bacon over here?"

"Phooey, no more bacon makes me a sad panda"

Signs

It's good to know this stuff

Training Supplies

Here is my latest order from Clean Run: 

10 Rally cones, I can print the signs for free from AKC
2 Contempo Arc bully stick holders from Ethical Products
1 tub Paws Gourmet soft cheddar training treats
1 Benny Bully's Cheddar Chops
10 Bison Achilles chews
1 Bison gravy for Ike
1 Kong Squeak Tug for Farrah
2, 32 oz Dogswell Vitality Chicken jerky
4 pre viewed Whole Dog Journals from Pam

In addition to the Harbor Hounds dog walk in Gig Harbor and
the Puyallup Fair, this should be a great weekend!

Shiba Inus Are Horrid

To whomever had this google query which brought them to my blog:

"shiba inus are horrid"

Quite a bold cow poke aren't you, telling google how Shibas really are and such. Why are you reading about them them? Go read about poodles, I'm sure there was never any horrid poodle in the history of the world. Put that in your book.

Craigslist I Can't Quit You, Revisited

Another jem from Craiglsist:

"still looking for a grat dog

i just got married and was told i cant have kids but me and my husbend has lots of love for a new puppy are dog we live in a traller with a yard we just spant lots of money to get ready for a new dog so we dont have any money left to pay for a dog but we have lots of time and love to give so plez call are text"

In regards to not having children, in this case I believe Martha would say, "It's a good thing."

The Cutest Thing Ever Is...

A pipsqueak Shiba Inu herding pipsqueak Babydoll Southdown Sheep. It's like a (very small) match made in heaven.

I had wanted at some point to get some Babydoll Sheep. They always seemed very "charming" with their faint little smiles, small size, and gentle nature. Now I can get my fill by visiting them at Ewetopia!

Shiba Inu are not what can be considered a herding breed, as in, they have not been specifically bred to specialize in that task, in contrast to Border Collies. There is no native herding dog in Japan. I like to consider this breed, however, as more of a jack of all trades dog. For me, this describes a dog that is not a specialist, but a generalist, a multipurpose dog who has many potential uses, such as pest control, hunting (baying, pointing, flushing, retrieving), companionship, watch dogging and alerting, and garbage disposal.

The term "proto-collie" seems very apt in describing the behavior I observe in my Shibas, and I have had a lot of opportunity to compare and contrast as my dogs have competed and been successful in traditional Collie/Cattle Dog/Shepherd/Sight Hound events. All the instinct is there for herding, hunting, guarding, etc, but it just has not been heavily selected for and is often buried (in some cases deeply) due to stronger selection for conformation, with more focus on selecting for an "easier" companion temperament.

So, while I can't title or compete with any of my dogs in Herding Trials, I can certainly give them the chance to explore their primitive instincts in between dog shows, and marvel at how versatile this breed truly is.

Q and A About Drive in Shibas

First, I ordered this sick Agitation Collar with felt lining and handle for Grym. He is at the right height for me so I can collar walk him without having to bend over, but his current Lupine martingale gets buried in his coat and is near impossible to grab in case of emergency. COs also tend to carry their heads really low, so collar grabs are difficult, and I usually end up holding on to his tail instead. This new collar has a grab handle, so will be perfect for when he needs to leave the house, or if guests come over. It is wide enough and padded so it won't hurt him by pulling either.

Agitation collars are used mainly for sport work such as in Schutzhund. The dogs will throw a lot of weight in to the gear during the tests, so they need to be supremely durable. I don't do any of that with Grym, but I liked the functional design of the collar and I think it will prove useful. He is after all, well over 100lbs. He gets to wear it next time he goes herding.

Grym goes herding part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eLvrAMhCjo
Grym goes herding part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnparnuxNlw

Question time: Shibamistress asks, "Can you tell us the difference in behavior between a "sharp" or "drivey" Shiba and a more laid back one? How would that play out in every day life? How could you tell if a puppy was likely to be sharp?"

Well, I'm no expert on drive, or with dogs, but I will give it a shot. There are different drives in dogs, basically some internal factor (instinct) that motivates an individual dog to do something that is rewarding to the dog. These things are inherited, but not always obvious. If a dog has a strong response to a certain instinct, then it can be said that the dog has a strong drive for that instinct. Most often discussed are prey, play, food and defense drive, but there are others such as sex drive, and social drive.

The instincts are all there, in varying amounts, and training can do a lot to nurture them. I'm definitely not saying a Shiba will ever become a world class pointer, or personal protection dog, or take to dock diving with a little training, but training will help to bring to full potential whatever the dog already has.

I think "drive" and "sharpness" can still be pretty subjective terms, and sharpness of temperament does not necessarily correlate with drive or describe it well. I consider a sharp dog, as one who tends to be a bit quarrelsome, alert, keen, edgy and can be more "aggressive". Here is an explanation of sharpness, although there is some dominance nonsense at the end. The definition in that PDF for sharpness is fairly accurate for Beebe.

I don't think a dog with a slightly sharper temperament is a bad thing however. The dog that appears more lively and alert with a slightly higher degree of reactivity may be beneficial in a dog that is expected to hunt dangerous animals or alert to danger, so I actually do tend to favor a slightly sharper Shiba, as is described in our breed standard, "alert and agile with keen senses, he is also an excellent watchdog and companion." However, this type of Shiba may require more management and may not do as well in larger groups of dogs. A very sharp dog sounds quite difficult to manage, IMO.

So, what I look for in puppies that I know I will be wanting to do performance or competition with, is play and prey drive, with a little sharpness. I want to see a puppy that is bold, engaging and biddable (social), but not effusive, who is alert and keen and motivated internally to want to interact with people. These types of puppies like to play games such as chase the human, and tug, and they are not shy. I am thrilled when they do retrieves and come to find me to show off and try and get me to play some more. It also makes me grin when I watch one of these kinds of puppies see or hear something spooky and march right up to it like a little show dog and give a pip squeak bark, then toddle off to play. I mean, how cute is that?

The laid back puppies are more chill and pretty darn sweet. They would likely be the best and easiest temperaments to live with as long as they are not too shy or fearful, and those puppies would be suitable for most people. They should be pretty agreeable, sweet, attentive and gentle. There may be some really good play or prey drive there also. In general, this type of puppy would be fairly non reactive and steady, and would probably be easier to run with other dogs in a group.

Funny Shiba Nonsense

I'm bored and sleepy and out of ideas. Here are some silly picture links that I found thru a half assed search of the net:

Dogs in Duds
Shiba Shake
icanhascheezburger
giggledaily

Seriously, I need some ideas. What does anybody want to know? Want an opinion? I have a bunch for free!

Hairless Bear

Chupacabre? Naked sewer rat? A 16 year old Pomeranian? Hairless bear? Apologies if this has been done.

Sunset on the Farm

There's a lovely little dog park next to Ewetopia out in Roy, Washington. The dogs had fun exploring it after a hard day of learning to herd sheep (more on that later), just as the sun was starting to set with the sounds of sheep, barn swallows and working dogs in our ears. It's the profound, yet peaceful moments like these, that help me appreciate the complex relationship humans and dogs share, side by side, doing what they have done for thousands of years. What a remarkable thing.

Herding Instinct Test

Taking the dogs (5 Shibas and the Caucasian Ovcharka) for their first ever Herding evaluation at Ewetopia

The owners feel it is safer for the Shibas to work with sheep instead of ducks. I'm relieved since I wasn't looking forward to "you break it you buy it" duck for supper. Wish us luck!

Craigslist, I Can't Quit You

No wonder the Japanese think we are fucking retards:

"$ 100.00 REWARD My cats were Cat Napped and then excapted in the RentonHighlands near the Ice Skating Rink the are a 2 year old male nuitered mail short hair gray with some stripes in the gray and white his name is BOY KITTY and I love and miss him so much, He has gotten me through some hard times , The other cat is just as Loved and she is a femail 5 years and she is a Calico dark in colars her name is STORMY and she is a little lieary of people but she is also loved and missed she also has been their for me so please if you have seen my cats call me and leave a message for xxxxx Like I said the we Cat Napped and excaped throught the dryer ducted and I know they are trying to return home to me and I used to live in the Renton Highlands behind the GoodWill.., Where the excapted at was also in the Highlands by the Skating rink and the IGA that closed , Thank You"
Guess and Go spelling does NOT pay off after Kindygarden!