Our little 4 1/2 month old Kuma is getting closer and closer to his adolescent stage. We've already started to notice a couple issues that we need to up the ante on with our little guy. I emailed my girlfriend this action plan that i came up with today. The issues are as follows...
Issue # 1- Play biting/ Nipping- Kuma has a tendency to go into these nipping frenzies during play. Those puppy teeth are sharp and Kuma is getting older so we need to nip this in the bid.
Issue #2- Kuma is startled easily by sound. Kuma is also skittish in my apt. But only in my apt. He is very outgoing and friendly in public. We don't understand this.
Issue #3- We think Kuma is starting his teething phase.
The Action Plan I sent to my g/f is below. We are open to suggestions as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kuma’s Action Plan
Biting/Nipping
We need to have a plan and stick to it strictly. From now on when Kuma bites/nips, play stops immediately. Give a quick firm no and walk away quickly and ignore him. Do this AS SOON as he starts nipping, do not wait for him to stop and continue playing because he will not get the message. This may mean that we do not get to cuddle with Kuma or play with him for long periods until he learns not to nip. From now on, any nipping results in a quick firm NO! and being ignored. If he continues to follow you and nip at your heels, or continues to nip later, put him in time out immediately. Time out means Kuma is alone and NO ONE interacts with him. Time out should last no longer than 10 minutes. He may need more than one/two time outs a day. If Kuma runs when you try to put him in time out, do not chase him because then he has forced you to engage in his game. If he runs, leave the room and force him to be alone until he calms down. With patience and consistency Kuma will learn that biting/nipping is unacceptable. Patience and consistency is the name of the game.
Socialization
Kuma is a shy pup sometimes and is very easily startled by loud noises. This means it is extremely imperative that we get him out and about around loud noises in public at least once a day. If we do not do this he will likely turn into a shy adult dog. Even though it may be inconvenient at times, now is the window for Kuma to experience the world so that we end up with an adult dog that can be a part of our world. Taking Kuma on walks in highly populated places (mini malls, petsmarts, downtown areas, parks) is crucial for him right now.
Daily Walks
Start adding brief jogs to Kuma’s daily walk(s). I tired puppy is a well-behaved puppy.
Night Time Start turning Kuma’s evening free playtime into a training session. I recommend doing “Doggy Zen” with him. This will teach him self control and the “leave it” command all at once, and will create a rewarding mental challenge for him. Reward him with treats during this session. “Doggy Zen” practice is attached separately in the email, it seems to be a step by step sequenced program.
Chewing/Teething
Kuma is in his teething phase. You’ll notice at times he rubs his paws on his muzzle, this is because his gums are sore. Dogs ease the uncomfortable pain of teething by chewing. Provide Kuma with ample/tempting chew toys at all times. If you can, purchase some. During this phase Kuma will need constant access to an adequate chew toy. Bully Sticks, Himalayan Chews, Ropes (he needs a new one) are great for him and he loves them. If you can, fill his Kong with treats or peanut butter, he will enjoy chewing that. Also, soaking a toy rope or a towel in water and freezing it will make a great chew toy for Kuma. He will enjoy chewing it and the ice will numb the pain in his gums. Remember, if he has a tempting chew toy, he is much less likely to want to chew on us or our property.
Adolescence
Kuma will soon be entering his adolescent period. This is the period that puppies begin to test their boundaries become disobedient. Shibas are particularly known to become little terrors around this age. I read somewhere that the vast majority of dogs surrendered to shelters are surrendered during the adolescent period. Usually because they have lost their puppy novelty appeal and their once cute bad behavior has become destructive and unpleasant. Most dog owners say the toughest time of owning a dog is during the adolescent period. We must be patient, persistent, consistent, and loving during this period, and trust that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. If we put in the hard work now (and it will likely require even more hard work from both of us) we will have a well behaved companion for a very long time. Kuma needs our leadership now more than any period in his life. He will thank us for it later. :-)  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You might want to think about getting Kuma into an obedience class during this time period as well. Not only will it help with training, but socialization and mental stimulation, too.
Casey, with Bella and Nola, hanging out in the mountains of Virginia. I Wander, I Ride
Yes. Currently we have Kuma enrolled in obedience class. However, No one else signed up for the class time slot we signed up for so it is just us, Kuma, and the trainer in the class. This is both good and bad I suppose. Kuma does get a bit of socialization by meeting dogs walking around the store (petsmart) but that's it. Would be nice to get Kuma around some other puppies though. Not sure how though. We don't know anyone else with a pup and we don't think the dig park is safe for him just yet. But then again maybe it is?
Take your dog to your vet just to visit and "hang out" in the lobby? That way you can get Kuma used to visiting the vet (without bad things happening to him). And it will give you a chance to visit and socialize with other puppies.
If you have a Shiba/dog meetup group (on meetup.com) near you you can seek out individuals who would be interested in doing puppy play dates or just see if there's a doggie socialization for puppies at your trainer's or at a doggie daycare you can attend?
We have done the unnecessary vet visits as a tool to acclimate our dog Ichiro to the office and other animals with great success. It’s one of his favorite places and he is quite well behaved every time we go – even for check-ups!
Our second dog Akira has a bladder issue that results in frequent bladder infections and one surgery thus far. We had not done the vet office socialization with her and she is terrified each time she goes in. We have every intention of upping the vet visits to include non-essential visits as a means to curb her fear.
Bottom line – Crimson02’s suggestion above about hanging out at the vet’s has LOADS of merit!
Jenn & Stephen (humans), Ichiro & Akira (shibas), Abraham & Anya (cats)
If you have Lowe's/Home Depot/ACE Hardware stores in your area, I'd contact their front desk/customer service help and see if they allow leashed dogs. It's different for each place, but most do. My Lowe's & ACE stores even have biscuits behind their registers. Those stores are vast and they represent a great venue for socialization with people. There's also a lot of great opportunities for learning the "leave it" command. You certainly don't have to purchase anything, but looking around is enough. Just bring lots of treats, some paper towels to clean up accidents, and maybe a squeaker toy or something for distraction. If you have any kind of outdoor mall, then it's worth it to walk through those too.
If Kuma has all his shots, then I think the dog park can be a good idea. You need to be careful with dog parks, as you have to be the advocate for your vet. Some people just go to play with their phone or talk to other people, and you want your dog to engage with other dogs in a pleasant manner. I also think doggie daycare could be an option too. Since Kuma is already a little shy, I'd advocate going to these places early when there isn't a lot of people/dogs at once. That way you can work up to more activity as it suits the little guy.
I'd work with the "gentle" command with taking treats to see if that will lessen his nipping/biting. And then as you get more confident in his reaction getting strangers to give him a treat can help in both socialization and the nipping.
Twitter: @XabiDjoker & @IkerSafin or Blog: www.MyFirstShibaInu.tumblr.com & www.shibasister.tumblr.com
Thanks for your help everybody. Just got off the phone with the trainer, we switched Kuma to a new time slot for puppy class. He is now in a class with other dogs. He is pretty good with other dogs, though he has a tendency to get over excited, he is will intentioned. We still don't know why he is so skittish in my apt but not anywhere else yet. I guess we'll just keep socializing him in different environments and hope its a phase that passes.
LONG POST EN ROUTE! Your time and feedback is appreciated though :]
Leo is 23 weeks tomorrow (so almost 6 months using a 4 week/month count). This is when adolescence hits right? Online sources typically say 7+ months but then I read on here that it tends to hit shibas a bit earlier?
Couple things I have noticed: 1. Marking - He has begun to mark and pees by lifting his leg now. He pees by lifting his leg even out in the open field sometimes - it's quite funny because he usually ends up in a very awkward looking position.
2. Potty Training Regression(?) - This one is up in the air in terms of whether it's regression or progression. Let me explain. I originally trained Leo to pee on potty pads out on the patio when we were indoors at my girlfriend's place. I took him out on walks still but since water was always available for him, he often needed to go between walking times. He was great about this and learned VERY quickly. At around 4-5 months which was around the holidays, he spent a lot of time at my house down in Orange County. There, I was able to walk him every 2-3 hours for long periods of time and took him to dog parks almost every day since I had time off work. He never had to pee on a potty pad at my house. This was around the time he started to mark and lift his leg too. Now, back at my girlfriend's, he won't pee on a potty pad on the patio. It seems he will hold it until we go outside now. However, a few times he couldn't hold it in and peed in the house - despite the patio door being open and potty pads being outside. On the one hand, I feel like there's progression since he looks to pee outside now. On the other hand, it's regression because instead of peeing outside on the patio, he went in the house. I tried reinforcing the peeing on the patio by taking him out there in the morning when we wake up. He won't pee! He just sits there and then I take him out on a walk and he immediately pees outside on the grass. Thoughts? My current plan is to limit and monitor his water intake now so I can better manage his peeing since he doesn't go out on the patio to pee when he needs to pee if we're indoors.
3. Waking up at 3 or 4 AM - This is a new one. This past week, he has woken up every day at 3 AM and started to whine. Again, we thought it was his need to pee since he no longer pees whenever he wants (see #2) despite the door being open for him. So, being that it's 3 AM, I took him to the patio to let him pee. He doesn't pee and will fall back asleep when we return to our room. It seems like he just wants 5 minutes of attention - but right smack in the middle of the night :P Two days ago, though, he peed on our bed at 7 AM - I usually walk him at 7:15 AM. Sigh. So I suspect perhaps he's waking us up at 3 AM because he wants to pee? But that doesn't seem very consistent - he's been able to hold it throughout the night after the first couple weeks we got him. Also, last night I took away water at 10 PM. Walked him at 11 PM before we went to bed and he peed outside. Same story - he woke us up at 3 AM today. Except, today he fussed around for longer before going back to sleep. Anyone experience this before? To address this, I have started to: 1) Continue to take away his water at 10 PM, 2) Walk him at 11 PM to make sure he pees before we go to bed, 3) Relocated him from our bed back to his pen area, 4) Ignore him at 3 AM - this is harder for my girlfriend who is a light sleeper.
If all this is typical of adolescence, great - I've been preparing for this! I just want to rule out any other reasons...
Long post, I know - but thank you if you took the time to read and leave comments :]
Leo "JD" Hu | Cream Shiba Inu | DOB: 8/19/2011 | Southern California - LA/OC
1. Marking - He is a male dog, they do this. Even female dogs mark. Get used to it.
2. Potty Training - I think we warned you about this earlier. Pee pads are a BAD idea. Get rid of them and stop expecting him to use them. You will need to go back to housebreaking 101. Take him out every few hours and praise the heck out of him when he potties outside. Make sure you clean up any accidents with an enzyme cleanser such as Nature's Miracle.
3. Waking Up - Why not try taking him out to see if he needs to pee? If he does, then praise, take him in, and go back to sleep. If his waking up is because he has to potty then try lengthening the time before you take him out by 15 minutes every night. You may also want to take the water away a little earlier, say 8ish.
If he does not need to potty, then he is probably not getting enough exercise/stimulation during the day. This is easily fixed by training sessions, long walks/jogs, playing games, etc.
Casey, with Bella and Nola, hanging out in the mountains of Virginia. I Wander, I Ride
#1 - "marking" and lifting leg are two different things I think...lifting leg is normal boy way to pee...marking is different and annoying...One advantage of neutering if you get it before the marking begins...I think if you neuter after they've learned to mark may not have an effect...but not sure (we neutered at 6 mo. and he never marked/marks...
#2. He is training you to take him outside to pee :)
I guess he doesn't want to go on the patio...I think very common for Shibas/NK's and spitzy breeds to not want to go close to home...they are generally very "clean"..
Both my Jindo and my Shiba would hold it forever until they were off property..
Thank you all for your comments. Aside from those three new developments, he is behaving the same way. Just wanted to see if they (i.e. marking, potty training regression) were tell tale signs of adolescence?
@sunyata - Just curious, if we had used a soil patch instead of a potty pad outside on our patio, do you think the issue would still exist? I guess my question is - is he not peeing outside on the patio because of the potty pad explicitly or because he wants to pee outside? Remember, even when we used the potty pads, they were outside on the patio - he's never gone on a potty pad inside the house.
From my perspective, I believes he knows to pee outdoors - it was just my mistake in thinking that he would pee outside on the patio if he really can't hold it in much longer, given that he did that all along while younger. Am I just making an excuse for him?
I figured these were all signs of adolescence since I read a lot of times puppies regress a bit on their potty training or tend to test their limits. Just wanted to vouch them with you guys :]
Thanks!
Leo "JD" Hu | Cream Shiba Inu | DOB: 8/19/2011 | Southern California - LA/OC
The patio is still "inside"... So the problem is wanting him to potty inside, not just on the pee pad.
Why not just take him outside to use the bathroom? That is the cleanest, easiest way to get around ALL of this. Especially since it appears that is what he wants.
Casey, with Bella and Nola, hanging out in the mountains of Virginia. I Wander, I Ride
I suppose that's true. Although I feel like he did differentiate between the patio being outside versus the rest of the indoor apartment since he consistently went out there to pee/poo when he was younger.
And of course, the ideal is for him to pee outside and I do take him on walks to pee/poo outside. Again, that is the norm - the exception are the accidents that occurred in the house because I thought he would continue to associate the patio with emergency peeing (his need to pee in between our walks every 2-3 hours). Remember, he has access to water all day - now I'm taking it away around 8 PM per your suggestion.
Anyhow, just brought it up in here to exemplify a regression (depending on how you look at it) in his potty training as a possible indicator of his coming adolescence.
Thanks for everyone's comments!
Leo "JD" Hu | Cream Shiba Inu | DOB: 8/19/2011 | Southern California - LA/OC
