The Misanthropic Shiba

Archive for March, 2010

I posted about this almost exactly a year ago on March 30, 2009.  On Monday, March 29, 2010, I printed out the paper Shiba on the Canon Creative Park site.  The pictures below prove that, after three hours of cutting, cutting, cutting, pasting, pasting, cutting, pasting, fiddling with the damn paper, trying to get it to look like the picture… I have a paper Shiba.

Differences between the Shibas

1)  The first thing you note is that my Shiba appears to have a skin condition.  This is because there was a torrential downpour when we ran from my friend’s house to the car.  Rain + inkjet printed paper = paper Shiba that will never win a show.

2)  The Shiba appears to be emaciated.  I bet some of you are emailing PETA right now.  Well, maybe I was in a bit of a hurry and didn’t wait for everything to dry before I tried to glue on the next thing.  My gentle hands failed to coax plumpness out of the ornery paper, so my paper Shiba is doomed to looking hungry

3)  There are suspicious red markings that look like missed guidelines.  Nope, I didn’t hit them all.  And I’m not sorry, you hear!  Not!

This was a fun project, but did it ever take a long time to cut everything out.  Check out the .pdf in the link above – there are 6 sheets of stuff to cut!

I used Aleenes Original Tacky Glue, which dries pretty fast and a crappy pair of scissors.  Next time, I’ll still use the Tacky glue, but I’m getting a better pair of scissors – actually two; a medium-sized one to cut out the general shapes and a short, thin, pointy-bladed set for cutting the little tiny wedges that this project takes.

Three years ago, Tierce was born!

Photo by Mike & Marg Jones of Anautuk Kennels

He’s a lot bigger now.

Happy Birthday, Tierce!

I’m thinking of making a taiko happi coat or a shirt like my gi wrap shirts with ties.  Decisions, decisions…

You may remember the post where I mention that we got something in the mail.  I’ve been spending quite a bit of time perusing this book – because it’s a ginormous resource on Akitas.  The book even has a website.

I must confess something: The first thing I thought and felt was not, “Wow, this book is the definitive book on Akitas!” or “This book is a valuable part of any Japanese dog breed owner’s collection.”  It was more like:

SQUEE!!! I GOT SOMETHING IN THE MAIL!  BECAUSE OF MY BLOG!  I. GOT. SOMETHING. IN. THE. MAIL.  THIS DAY IS AN EPOCH IN MY LIFE.

You know, the kind of mature response that marks me as the serious blogger that I am.

Fortunately for my overtaxed nervous system, this book is everything that Darryl promised and I’m really glad that she introduced me to it.  I’m going to make a few comments on a couple of things (dear Dog, not on the whole book – I don’t have that kind of lifespan):

First of all, Barbara Bouyet, the book’s author, is pretty much the last word on Akitas, from what I’ve read.  I don’t know Barbara, but I found out a little about her at her website Akitas-4-U.com.  She got into Akitas in 1977.  I was born in 1977.  She’s been involved with almost 1,500 Akitas.  I’ve been involved with 2.  Maybe 20 if you count the number of Shibas I’ve goo-gooed at over the years.  I’ve got breed-experience envy like you wouldn’t believe.  Bouyet is also heavily involved with Akita rescue.

Being a Shiba owner, I felt that the information on socializing and training Akitas was good advice.  There’s some sharp stuff in there about Alpha rolls and positive vs. negative reinforcement that I feel is equally valid with either breed.  (Of course the fact that the Akita is a breed that often hits the 100 lb mark is a point well taken.)

I’m not too much into holistic nutrition, although I have a healthy (ha ha, you get it?) respect for the principles.  I feed Tierce dog food that looks like Corn Pops because he does well on it – better than raw, better than Orijen or Go! Natural.  However, the chapters on proper feeding of the Akita and the elements of a good diet were fascinating.  I also paid particular attention to the information about auto-immune disease developing from vaccines, since as some of you know, we have been dealing with Tierce’s problems after his rabies shot in late 2007.

Akita: Treasure of Japan II is the definitive work on the Akita, from history to modern-day issues facing the breed, including rescue, disease and alternative nutrition, including the BARF diet.  ‘Nuff said, because this glowing review has been articulated by better writers than myself.  It is a worthwhile read for dog owners in general for the information it contains about dogs, their behaviour and health.  Go read it.  And go say hi to Darryl of Kari-On Akitas & Shibas, who sent it to me and who is full of awesomeness.

Tierce is in the dog park, Shassi is out.

I don’t brush Tierce’s teeth. I am a bad, evil dog owner. I give my dogs bones and lots of chew toys. It’s not because I think that teeth cleaning is a waste of time – it’s not! But I don’t do it. However, if you’ve come here looking for teeth cleaning advice, I’ve compiled some Youtube videos that can help you out.

Here are some useful videos:

Here are some videos of Shibas having their teeth cleaned.

I am childfree, which means I neither have nor want children.  I am quite happy with the idea of having Shibas and other dogs instead.  I can tell you that my “puppycrap” meets or exceeds the amount of my friends’ “kindercrap” strewn about the floor.  Tierce even has annoying toys!  Such as the stuffed toy vampire that he enjoys running around with, that says “I vant to suck your blood!” in classic Bela Lugosi style.

I have always maintained that a Shiba can do just fine with kids, provided the kids are trained to respect the dog’s boundaries and the dog is trained to respect and obey the kids.  This alone would probably make a Shiba better for families with slightly older kids, but there must be some families out there who have had Shibas around infants and toddlers without problems.

Despite the above, in my online travels, it has occurred to me that more than a few of the Shiba people I have encountered over the years don’t have kids or seem to have plans to have any.  Now, this isn’t the result of careful study and data gathered through personal questions; this is just my impression!

Do the childfree, childless and empty nesters gravitate to the Shiba more than families?

On the weekend (well technically on Monday – I stay up too late), I got a half-yard of this fabric from Etsy store sonatine.  It was mentioned on the page that this was the last piece of fabric and I’m not sure if they’re getting more in.  It was $6.80 USD plus $4.80 shipping, which ended up being 12-something in Canadian funds.

I’ve had my eye on this fabric for a while now, but the notice that it was the last piece spurred me to buy that last half-yard.  I had wanted to make a short-kimono-style shirt, but I’m not that tiny!  Maybe I can make a travel-bag for Tierce, since he accompanies us on many outings and his stuff usually gets thrown in with mine.

While murdering your Shiba will allow you to put it in any position you like, it is not recommended for the sake of the health of your future relationship.

One school of thought on discipline is that if your Shiba is getting all uppity, a good way to show him his place is to flip him on his back and pin him there.  While this may seem good in theory – put the dog off-balance, forcibly remind him that you’re the boss, dammit and don’t you forget it – there are many problems with this approach, especially with dominant or fearful dogs.  Many “Alpha roll” advocates also sport decorative scars on their arms and hands.

The Alpha roll is a controversial training technique that has been panned by many, including the Monks of New Skete, who at first advocated it.  They removed it from subsequent editions of their famous dog training book How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend, citing that it was too easily abused.

There are studies that indicate that the Alpha roll is more of a ritualistic behaviour and it is initiated by the submissive dog rather than being forced by the dominant dog.  It is also theorized that the only reason that an alpha animal would forcibly flip and pin a subordinate was if it was planning to kill it.  (Now all those scars seem to make sense… it would be if a parent lunged at their child, flipped Junior on his back and brandished a dagger aimed at his throat.  I’d bite someone doing that, too.)

The Alpha roll, like many other training techniques, has its place in modifying your dog’s behaviour.  However, an Alpha roll that works has more to do with Nothing in Life is Free than with immediate discipline.  Don’t use an Alpha roll for discipline and you and your puppy will be a lot happier and can skip into the sunset together.

The Alpha roll that works is the one you start as soon as your puppy enters the home.  When you introduce submissive postures as part of daily life, there is a lot less resistance to them.  Your puppy should be accustomed to being put into all sorts of positions and the handling of all body parts.  By getting your puppy to voluntarily assume a submissive position, you are setting the groundwork for taking the Alpha position in his life with him barely knowing you’re doing it.

How do you get your Shiba started on Alpha roll work?  BRIBES! Cheese! Sausage! Treats! Stuff that puppy’s gob full of hamburger.  Shibas are small enough that you can flip him on his back without too much effort.  Before he erupts into outrage, fill his face with something he thinks is awesome.  Try this around dinner time, when your puppy is already hungry.

Other strategies:

• Make teaching the Down command a priority.
• Randomly approach your puppy when he is lying quietly and pop a treat in his mouth.
• Once your puppy starts associating food with a submissive posture, start doing it randomly with food.
• Teach a command to go with the submissive posture.
• NEVER associate the Alpha roll with discipline.  It should always be a FUN activity.
• Be VERY careful when dealing with a rescue or a dog that you don’t know well – you don’t know what’s going on in that furry little head.
• If your dog initiates the Alpha roll with you, throw him a PARTY.  Break out the filet mignon.

What I did with Tierce was feed him as many meals as possible kibble by kibble while he was cradled in my arms on his back.  Pretty soon, being rolled on his back meant dinnertime.  For Tierce, food trumps dignity every time.  More importantly, his protests at being put in a submissive position gradually faded away AND his overall attitude got better.

The Alpha roll is not a disciplinary technique.  It is a lifestyle technique; one that should be practiced in non disciplinary circumstances in order to accustom your puppy to the submissive position in a positive way.

The poster at right is one of the entries (not mine!) in the Love, Hate, Propaganda Contest at CBC.ca

From the website:

The contest is open to secondary & post-secondary students in the following age groups:

14-17 years of age.
Poster or video category.
18 years of age & over.
Poster or video category.

Your poster or video can include a slogan or a catchy phrase but it does not necessarily have to. The important thing is that it conveys a message. You can use photos, moving images, graphics, illustrations, sounds, and music to support your message but only if you have created them.

Participants must reside in Canada and be at least 14 years of age before the closing date of the contest on March 12, 2010. Employees of CBC and their immediate family (father/mother, brother/sister, son/daughter) or persons living under the same roof are not eligible to enter this contest.

This is a great project for young animal lovers to promote animal welfare with a poster or a video. Find out more here.