A Rare Sunny Day!

After what seems like endless rainy days here in California, we finally had a sunny day. So I got to sunbathed outside. Tommorow the rain returns. Poor me!

bunny video

Another stormy day today so Hoppy and I hanged out inside the house and I helped her with her bunny food.

chicken is my middle name

Last night, there was a big storm. With all the patio furnitures got blown around the back yard, I got soo scared that I jumped on my owners' bed and hid under the blanket.

new top dog Stump

This Sussex Spaniel named Stump won the Westminster Dog Show this week. He is 10 years old. Wow, that's 70 human years. I am going to be 6 in a month, so I guess I am still a young pup compared to Stump.

photo source: msnbc.com

Top dog

This top dog from last year's Westminster dog show will soon be replaced by a new top dog for 2009. The competition is next week. I can't wait. I spotted a shiba inu in the show with name starting with "Copperdot" last year, which means that shiba was related to me from the same breeder. I doubt a shiba inu will win the top dog honor. But should be interesting to watch on TV.

More Puppy Pictures

Puppy Pictures

favorite passtime

Hoppy and I just love to look out the windows together and watch the birds in the backyard.

One blog visitor asked why I get along so well with Hoppy because shibas are hunters. Hoppy was one year old when I join the family as a 7 week old pup, so she has been my playmate all my life. I even make rabbit sound when I am with her and I just love rabbit food.

My buddy Hoppy

Hoppy and I had fun today hanging out.

Most popular dog breed

According to the American Kennel Club, Labrador Retrievers are the most popular dog breed in the U.S. for 18 years in a roll. What, no Shibas? Actually, we shibas can "sometimes" be "a bit" difficult to keep, and only those humans who are willing to put up with our unique personalities should look at getting a shiba, regardless of how cute and adorable we may be.

a shiba who can be off leash

My owner told me that another shiba inu, Winnie, can be off-leash. Wow. That is so amazing.

For me, my owners have to have double doors leading to the front yard. They call it our "air lock" so that I don't bolt out of the house.

Winnie is allergic to chicken but not ducks, which is interesting. My owners are going to check in on this as I eat a lot of chicken. Check out her blog at http://awinnieday.blogspot.com/

photo source: winnie's blog

Shiba Cartoon

Check out Mika's blog, (http://mika-gruffs.blogspot.com/) it is hilarious. I love this cartoon from his blog. It is sooo Shiba Inu.

Quick, Give me a boost!

Wow, if only shibas can do that too, I would be over my backyard fence so fast. My owner's previous shiba could jump 6 feet high, but I am smaller (only 18 pounds), so I can jump maybe about 4 feet high.

photo source: msnbc.com

Happy New Year

I decided that my New Years Resolution is to loose weight. I will eat more blueberries and less dog treats. But if my owners force me to have treats, I guess I will have to! Happy New Year.

New Guinea Singing Dog

My owners recently saw a New Guinea Singing Dog at the San Diego Zoo. It was remarkably like a Shiba Inu. The NG Singing Dog had the same red coloring, slanted almond eyes, pointy ears, and fluffy tail just like shiba's. Unlike shibas that bark and sing, the NG singing dogs only "sing", with an unique howls that was eerily similar to shibas. Based on genetic testing by the researchers at the San Diego Zoo, the NG Singing Dog is the missing link between wolves and modern day dogs. I wonder if Shibas are kind of in that category too, which could explain our unique personality and our stubbornness (ie, untrainable to be off leash).
photo source www.rarebreed.com/breeds/ngsd/ngsd_buna.jpg

ho! ho! ho!

I refused to wear the santa hat, so my owners pretended that I was wearing it. Merry Christmas.

Second Dog

While the President-elect Obama still trying to figure out First Dog for his daughters, his VP already chose a puppy, a German Shepherd. What? No Shiba Inu? We shibas are much cuter, although this one is pretty cute.

nice towel

photo source: www.moillusions.com

bye bye, puppies

Well, 3 of the shibas went to their new owners this past weekend, so only 3 left. Two more will be leaving soon. All the puppies no longer have the shiba pup's "black mask", and now all look like adult shibas. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

last chance for shiba pup cam

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

So far the site has had close to 9 million hits during the past 7 weeks. The puppies are 8 weeks old, and will be going to their new homes this weekend. The owners of the puppies have decided to keep one, but the next few days are the last chance to see all of them together. Check out some older clips of them too so you can see how much shiba pups change from tiny stubby nose furball into a fox like dog.

graduation

Check out my graduation picture from my intermediate training class. I aced the test. I was able to be off leash while my owners left. I did the "down" command which none of my previous 4 trainers were able to get me to do. I knew to "go to bed", "leave" the food on the floor while walking pass it, and of course, the "sit" and "come" commands. The only one I am still not sure of is the "return" command where I had to go to my owner, and turn around and sit next to my owner. Next month I will be in advanced camp, where I will be AKC certified (that's Amercian Kennel Club). My owners are not sure I can get that because Shiba Inus are nortorious for running loose when off leash if we get distracted by a bird or something because we are such natural hunters.

puppy pics

With all the excitment of the popular shiba pup cam on the Internet (see post from last week) I thought I would share some of my puppy pictures. Yes, all shiba pups look like giant furballs and with a big appetite for chewing. I was 7 weeks old in these pictures, on my first day in my new home.

return of furby

When I was a young pup, my owners used to annoy me with this talking Furby toy that spoke gibbrish. I used to bark at it because it would not quiet down. I was so happy the toy finally broke (mysteriously). Scientists recently found a real furby in Indonesia. Cute little thing. Hope it does not make annoying sound like the other Furby.

shiba pups cam

This site got 2 million hits since it launched last month. The six shiba pups are five weeks old. Check out
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

and info about the pups
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1858007,00.html

hungry White House dog

One of the presiding dogs in the White House decided to take a bite out of a reporter's finger. Don't they feed the President's dog there? I would imagine there are tons of lizards and birds in the Rose Garden. Hmmm.

White House Dog-Elect

President Elect Obama had promised his daughters that they get a dog if he wins. I don't understand why he does not have a dog already. Everyone should have a dog, especially presidents. Anyway, MSNBC is running a poll of what type of dog Obama's daughters should get, and wouldn't you know it, Shiba Inus are not even mentioned. How sad.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27556702/

let yourself be heard

All you dogs out there, remind your adult owners to get out and vote!

holloween candy rules

By this time you should have collected lots of candy. as I said, chocolate is bad, but there are much other candies that are great to eat. Let me give you a preview.

Chocolate-----------------a no-no!!! i told you.
Licorice-------------------big dogs like this.
Jelly Beans---------------yum!
mints--------------------okay... so-so...
Skittles------------------ooooh!
candy corn---------------just like jelly beans!
Lollipops-----------------easy for owners to extract from mouth.
M&M -------------------you kidding!?!?
Hersheys----------------i warned you.
Cadbury-----------------ooooh la-la!
Gobstoppers-------------take long time to consume.
Hot Tamales--------------hot! hot! hot!
Twizzler-----------------twizzy.
bubblegum--------------sticky. dont eat it.
Ring Pop-----------------easy for owners to extract from mouth.
Baby Bottle Pop----------for puppies.
Starburst----------------just like bubble gum.

of course, I don't eat candy myself because I vainly need to watch my waistline. But make sure that after this you sit very still so your owner can brush your teeth. Remember, don't eat chocolate. And if you find a candy that smells fishy... don't eat it. trust me.

halloween

Hey you dogs out there! Happy Halloween! Wait, did i say happy? Halloween is not happy. Why? As you guys know, It isn't nice that this evening, kids like to boldly arrive at other dog's territories begging for candy. Well i have some advise. There are the three steps toward no more kids coming. I use them every year.

1. When someone comes, bark. naturally.

2. if you are let out, steal *ahem* i mean borrow some candy. it makes them get scared and they go away. usually.

3. chocolate? dont eat it. trust me. (for more information, visit the post: poisonous food for dogs in cats from march)

i guarenteed that if you are ferocious enough, you will suceed.

crazy Holloween costumes

Need I say more?

photo source: http://news/yahoo.com

math genius

Scientists did a study of honeybees and found that they can count to 4. When will human learn that other creatures are good in math too. For example, I am called a "geometry dog" by my owners because I always lie equal distance among my owners. If one is upstairs and one is downstairs, I lie at mid point between them in the middle of the stairs.

Ahh! That feels good

October is almost over. With the cooler weather, my owners are using the hot tub more. They don't let me go into the hot tub because they think it is not safe for a dog. But these Japanese monkeys seem to be having a good time relaxing in the natural hot spring.

photo source: msnbc.com

Food, glorious food!

If only catching those lizards and crickets in the backyard is that easy.

photo source: msnbc.com

bully in training camp

Today I went to my training camp again. There was a big black dog there that has been terrorizing all the dogs in the camp. One tiny teacup poodle was so scared last time that he would not come out from under the bench. Well, this dog was getting really close to me, right at my face, so I growled and snapped at her but did not touch her. Wouldn't you know it, the dog backed off even though that dog was twice my size. Ha! That dog did not go near me again. Shiba power!

adorable me

This past weekend, we had two birthday parties, and I was the center of attention (and Hoppy too). I was friendly, cuddly and cute. I used my big brown eyes to make people pet me. I pawed them to make people scratch my neck. I ran around them to make them gawk at how athletic I am. Once in a while, I stealth lick people hands because they smell like potato chips, cookies, and pizza. For all you attention loving shibas out there, these are good tactics to get people to love you.

my kind of lounging around

Rough life these pandas have!

blessing of the animals

Once a year in October my owners take me to their church for the blessing of the animals day. Yesterday I got a bath and a nice brush with the furminator so that I can look and smell nice for today's service. Hoppy refused to be on her leash so my owners took her in her pink carrier.

There must have been over 100 dogs of all breeds in the church, along with cats and hamsters. Every year there were these horses there but this year the horses did not come. I met a lot of very nice dogs, and most dogs behaved so niced during the sermon and stood in line nicely to receive our blessing. I like going to church for the blessing. I think every church should have it.

another day at training camp

Today I learned the "leave it" commend. My owner leaves a doggie cookie on the floor, and I was to ignore it and go straight to my owner when called. I had no problem with the command since I am not that into doggie cookies. But if it were blueberries, that would be another story.

this is why shibas cannot be off-leash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O8_1SUcqqg&feature=related

Shibas are a bit strong willed!

good-bye, summer

This past weekend was really hot, high of almost 100. So my owners and friends took advantage of the nice weather and went swimming a lot. That meant I also went into the pool a few times and did a few laps. While I am innocently sunbathing outside, my owners would sneak up on me, pick me up, and dunk me into the pool. They think I look cute when I swim. I don't mind going in when it is hot out. My owners make sure I know how to get out of the pool on my own and which direction to swim towards. I am glad they train me to swim because the number one cause of death for dogs is drowning in the backyard pools. Eeek!

the "down" command

Today I went to the training camp again. The trainer tried to have me go down to my stomach. Of couse I refused. That is a submissive position and there was no way I would do it. I had three other trainers during the past five years and I had never done the "down" command. This trainer was so determined. After tricking me with a treat where I went down once, I figured out and stood my ground, literally. Shiba inus are not submissive on command, doesn't she know that?

dogs, the superior species

The truth finally came out. Scientists found that dogs are the most superior in aerobic exercises, adapting to needs for endurance, and better at using oxygen to generate energy. They found this by testing dogs from the Iditarod dog race. Overall, we dogs are just superior to all other mammals physically, including human.

At home, it is so obvious that I am superior. I paw my owners, they rub my ears. I sit by my food bowl, they rush over to fill it. I sit by the door, they take me out for a walk. Of course dogs are superior.

source: msnbc.com

training camp..part 2

My owners are determined to train me to be "off-leash". Ha! Dream on. Yesterday I learned the "wait" command as my owners and I learned in the doggie training camp to not run out the door and to sit by the door patiently until my owners gave me the signal. I performed beautifully at camp, but at home is a different story. Havn't they realized that shiba inus are strong willed?

let the shedding season begins

The weather has gotten much cooler now. The temperature dropped from high of high 90's to high 70's in one week. This means my fur start to get kind of loose. Every time my shake myself, my summer fur starts flying all over the place. My owners are groaning about having to lug out the vaccume cleaner to clean after me.
We shibas are awlful cute, but we do have this fur problem twice a year because we got 2 layers of fur, and the undercoat sheds every start of summer and winter. Soon my fur will start clumping and these clumps will hang off my body where my owners will try to pull them off. My predecessor, Uni, used to lie there for half hour and just let my onwers pull all the clumpy fur off. But I am kind of stubborn and would not let them touch me. They sometimes use the furminator (see earlier post about it), but sometimes they give up and just let me walk around looking like a molting, mangy dog for a couple of weeks till I am done shedding.

"D" is for drama queen

So it is not just me who yelps so loud when I am getting my nails cut. This is a clip of a shiba screaming when having her nails cut! We shibas are pretty good in being dramatic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT2p5latG6o

"C" is For Cookie

Cookie Monster from Sesame Street would not have liked my owners because they do not give me doggie cookies. The cookies get stucked on my teeth, then they have to brush me otherwise I get ugly looking plaque really quickly. But I do love the taste of doggie cookies. Yum.

favorite treats

My trainer at doggie boot camp was complaining to my owners that the normal doggie treats did not work for me. She could not figure out how to reward me as typical beef jerky stuff does not thrill me too much. She should have known that to get me to do anything, I take only fresh blueberries and rabbit pellets. My owners have been using the pellets from Hoppy's feeding bin (Hoppy is my rabbit buddy) to entice me to do various things like sit down the moment I run to them, leaving foods they dropped on the floor alone, etc. I wish they give me blueberries, but I am pretty satisfied with rabbiet pellets, for now :-)

graduating from doggie training class

Today I graduated from doggie training basic boot camp. With my trainer's help, I was able to show my owners how I sat, came, and heel with hand signals. My owners used to train me with a leash and I did not like that. Now with the new training, they do not use the leash. I still have not learned to be off-leash. That would be in the intermediate class.

organic flea killer

Although I do not scratch, so I do not have fleas, my owners thought we should still use flea killers on me just in case because I romp around in the back yard so much. They put some smelly oil on my back, which is made of peppermint oil, thyme, cinnamon, lemongrass, and clove. It is supposed to be a natural flea killer. Smells more like they are ready to cook me by marinating me in all these spices. Now I walk around smelling like a piece of stake ready to be BBQ'ed.

"B" is for nasty bees

b
Today, one of my owners got stung by a bee. I was laying down sunning myself enjoying the beautiful 80 degree weather, and she and her mom were pulling weeds in the backyard. Then a bee tried to sting her. She and her mom made a big deal, while I kept sunning myself. Later, I went over to investigate her neck, (where she got bitten). I think that the bee tried to sting her, but she pulled it off half way. My owner told me Uni, the shiba inu they had before me, was stung by a swarm of bees and had to be taken to the emergency room for several days. I hope I never get stung by one.