this little guy in two days!
we haven’t even met him yet but we’re already in love. i can’t stop looking at his pictures
and thinking about how in two days we’ll get to pick him up at the airport!
(and worrying incessantly about his air travel and praying it wouldn’t traumatize him.)
but it’s a BIG SECRET to our girls and we’ll be hiding
this cutie for two days until christmas morning. so shh… π
p.s: we’re both first time dog owners and we’ve read and heard from many people
that the breed we’re getting(shiba inu) is one of the hardest to train.
so while we’re very excited, we’re pretty nervous too.
so any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated and noted, thanks!
CFunk says
Definitely look into local training classes (PetCo and PetsMart have some really good ones), and watch The Dog Whisperer. He is really fantastic and knowledgable. Also be sure to socialize the puppy with other puppies and dogs very regularly so that he's comfortable with both animals and people. It will make him so much more managable in the future. Nothing is worse than having a knot in your stomach every time your dog is around other people/animals and you are nervous he might do something unexpected or dangerous. Other than that, remember that he's a part of the family and treat him with love and patience π So excited for you guys and your girls!!
Ash says
He is adorable! I have two Frenchton babies. (http://luckandirony.blogspot.com/2011/12/puppy-week-day-1.html) As there are going to be multiple people loving and training this little guy make sure you decide what commands to use and all use the same one. For instance if you want to teach him sit, make sure everyone uses the same hand signal. I agree with CFunk, a training class is a great option but The Dog Whisperer is a must. Repetition is key! Good luck!
Steph & Tony says
We found that one of the easiest ways to housebreak our dogs was to put a beel on the door and ring it every time you let them outside. When they get a little older you can show them how to ring it themselves, and eventually they'll start doing it on their own. It's worked great for us!
Victory Carmichael says
Omigosh! That lil fella is adorable! I'm sure your girls will fall in love with him instantaneously (:
Happy Holidays!
Traci says
Your little fellow is adorable. But you are right about the breed being difficult to train. My daughter has a Sheba and we call him the Demon Dog. My daughter has done almost everything you should not do with a puppy. But he is a very sweet and loving dog and very smart. Set the rules and be consistant. Chewing on water bottles or slippers is cute at first but it needs to be stopped right away.
Good luck and enjoy your new family member.
Traci
A. Simpson says
Whenever we had a puppy my parents would always put a blanket and a ticking clock in with him. It soothes them because it reminds them of their mother's heartbeat. Puppies gets really wailing in the nighttime. Be prepared.
Nicole @ Sew Much Sunshine says
I'm coming to your house for Christmas for a cuddle party with that little CUTIE! Oh my goodness! Have fun picking him up! He'll be so happy to have a great home!
Mangotatoes says
how cute! I have a couple friends who've had shiba's and they're pretty hyper all the time. They're apparently hunting type of dogs and I believe one of the owners told me that she couldn't ever take him off his leash because he'd go crazy. lol. I'm sure the girls will tire him out though.
mango
Corinne says
I'd recommend reading a lot of different books and finding out which style of training will be compatible with your personal preferences. There are many different ways to train a dog, and they don't work for everyone. You may like some things and not like others. Take what you like, leave what you don't. Just stay clear of anyone who insists their way is the only way and won't listen to or consider what others have to say – they may be good, but they are missing out on improving their own training abilities and enriching the lives of their clients.
I'm torn sometimes as to my feelings towards "The Dog Whisperer." He's not the end-all, be-all that the media has hyped him up to be. There are plenty of other great trainers out there, they're just not on TV. That said, don't overlook him either. He has a LOT of good information. Keep a calm energy – dogs pick up on your energy very easily. If you are nervous/happy/sad/angry, they know, even if your human counterparts don't. Also, the ordering of "exercise first, structure second, affection third" is great advice.
I got my first dog in April of this year, she's a rescue dog and came with a little baggage. I dove into all the books I could find about dogs and dog training, and worked with a behavioral specialist from the place I got her and she's become quite an amazing girl. The amount of information I have learned from reading books and listening to good trainers is incredible, and I've become more open minded about the varying ways to train/raise dogs.
One book I recommend in regards to how we act around dogs is
The Other End of The Leash – by Patricia McConnell. It talks a lot about how we communicate with dogs, and how we should communicate with them.
Trainers/Authors I like: Ian Dunbar, Pat Miller, Patricia McConnell, Jean Donaldson, Brenda Aloff, and others that I'm probably forgetting!
p.s. Don't let the puppy do things that you wouldn't let a full grown dog do. It's easier to prevent bad habits as a pup than to try to teach them not to do them as adults.
Good luck! He's a cutie!
The Loops says
My friend has several Shibas and they are trained pretty well, but I wouldn't waste my money on training at PetSmart or PetCo. They do treat based training which is not good for if you have little ones with food. It increases food agression which Shibas already have. I would find a local trainer and just give them a call. Try and find someone focused on building the bond between you and your dog so that they respect and love your family.
Kea says
You should have listened to my advice a long time ago when I said DONT GET A DOG! π But good luck!!
Kea says
You should have listened to my advice a long time ago when I said DONT GET A DOG! π But good luck!!
Kea says
You should have listened to my advice a long time ago when I said DONT GET A DOG! π But good luck!!
Talitha says
Ahhh! How adorable is this little guy π He is all ready for the gazillion cuddles he will be getting on Christmas morning π
Hope to see pics of your girls with him hehe
Talitha xx
Holy Craft says
He's adorable! We got a Christmas dog last year. We picked up our 12 week old golden retriever puppy the day after Christmas and for the first three months of dog ownership, it was like the whole babies infancy stage fast forwarded. Be prepared! I rarely slept and there was poo and pee everywhere all the time! Thankfully, that time goes quickly and we are well past that stage of life. A year into dog ownership and I wouldn't trade it. Especially, the responsibility that it's teaching my three kids. I echo the advice to get into a good training program (we went the very first week we had her), because you need to train yourself as much as your dog. Good luck. What a beautiful present!
Traci says
My daughter recommends a site called shibashake.com.
Sarah says
@corinne, wow! Thank you so much for such a detailed advice/recommendations, you are awesome!
@traci: a demon dog? Yikes! Lol, but that site looks perfect, I'll def. be reading up on it, thank you!
And thank you everybody for your tips, they are all really good and we will take it to heart and practice all of them, thank you, thank you! Wish us luck! π
Christine @ Angel Stitch Embroidery and Jezebel says
So cute!!! How is he doing now? From the photos I thought it was a Korean Jindo until I read further down. Any Shibas I have met are way more well behaved than the Jindos I have met π
Sarah says
He is doing SO well, thank you for asking! And yes, every korean I've met has told me he looks like a Jindo. And he is very well behaved. π