KumaAkita

a little OT, but I was looking at the rescue forum - there was a listing for DAS here in canberra. Is it me, or does this little un look like a littermate of Elbies: linky... ETA: not looking for another dog... trust me. One stubbourn Akita is enough ETA Again: re-read the thread and saw that KTB already found him...

We have no tricks. It's something I have to work on! I've been teaching Kuma how to do a figure 8 between my legs. If he grows any taller, I'm going to have to get longer legs! I have just been looking at the Dogzonline home page - the one that has all the breed/show info. It seems 3 of Kuma's littermates are champion Akitas! They look a lot bigger than my boy, probably coz they're entire, and their coats are MUCH nicer than his. Guess that comes from really professional products and not being allowed to roll in the dirt! I like to keep an eye on my breeder's dogs to see how they are going. I'm not quite at the crazy dog-lady phase yet. gimme time

I have been lurking for HOURS here KTB...

Same here!!! We got home at 6ish, and Kuma did massive zoomies in the lounge room and then went sliding down the hall! Dingus. I put him outside for breakfast, but then he ran off before I could get him back inside. When I was leaving for work, he was looking forlornly at me at the back door.... "can I come in mum???" he'll be fine. I think he'll find a warm dry spot for the day. He's a smart boy. I'm sure I've told the story before, but when we had Kuma "snipped" he was 4.5 months old. I was away at a work conference, so the OH dropped him in on the Friday morning, and picked him up after work that arvo. They had a pity party - beer, pizza and watched the footy. He was only quiet on the first day or so, and then was back to normal before I got home. (that was my evil plan ) Boys are easier than girls, less invasive I think... So, before we get inundated with KTB's new vacuum cleaner... I thought I'd share a photo of mine: :D :D ;) ;)

Kuma will probably NEVER be off leash. I could just see him taking off the in the general direction of something way more interesting that me and I would probably never see him again. hurmmm, jumping dogs. Kuma is only allowed to jump up on us when we ask for it. If he's not given the "up" cue, then he's in big twubble. I thought it was best to teach "up" rather than have a giant boofer taking it upon himself to do it. Though, if he were a smaller dog I would probably not allow it at all. Sounds a bit backwards, eh? His "up" is paws on legs, or graduating to paws on shoulders. It is a breed thing, I think.

ooohhh... congrats and good luck If you're thinking of heading to BDOC, best bet is to get your name on the list for Term 1 2011 now. Their beginners classes are always pretty popular, and you'll be competing with those who got puppies for Christmas! Yep, it's Japanese for Bear... that's a whole lotta name for a little dog! We started puppy preschool when Kuma was around 14 weeks old, before we got there he could sit (kinda) and that's about it. The puppy preschool we went to taught us sit, down, stay, leave it and walking on lead. Mostly, it was about socialisation for the dogs. We went off and did beginners at a proper obedience school when he was 9 months old. He knew most of the commands they taught us in that beginners class, but it was more focussed than the puppy preschool.

Thanks everyone... KTB- I know, he's hoping for a treat. God love him

At the Vet with Vicky and Michelle?? We started there and did their puppy preschool and the beyond puppy. Thought it was good. We've moved onto BDOC at Mitchell - same as Wuffles and Koalathebear. Think about joining there if you want to go further with Ike's training than what they do at the vet. Kuma loves the vet now coz he thinks its all about play time! Awwwwww.... Yep... a dog and a towel... awesome cute. So... a few photos: Kuma and the Cardboard: nomnomnomnom ptehww and back to nomonomnomnomnom Dupree sent us a little thank you gifty (about time too! ) Today is my birthday, and the OH was going to tell me it was from him... guilt got the better of him :p Kuma was so entranced by us eating the chocolates he came begging for some. OH gave him a one of his special treats, but wrapped it in the same celophane that one of the human chocies came in, so he thought he was getting the same as us. He was STOKED! And a certain dog (not naming names here) decided that his bed should be outside his kennel Apparently the OH had put it back in there twice this arvo - me, I'm not so kind. He can do without it tonight if he wants to play silly buggers! "wasn't me, mum"

yay... another northsider. Are you guys doing obedience?

what side of town are you on on Spazzz9?

that's because Ike has TASTE :D

Kuma is not a fan of the Dog Whisperer. He will even start barking if he can see the dogs from outside! He'll also get agitated when some of the rural ads are on TV. Oh, and the nature doccos (or ads for said doccos)... He will calmly sit and watch the footy or the cricket.

Some mornings I have to wake Kuma up for his walkies... then he'll collapse on the rug inside and not want to go. I make him, coz if he doesn't have his morning walk, then we und up with destructo dog. Mostly, coz he sleeps outside he can entertain himself in the morning if we're sleeping in. Mind you, a sleep in around our place is 7:00 am. Couple of country kids here! :D Bummer Wuffles... I could use a walking companion!

Ahhh, we go 6am now, that half an hour makes a lot of difference! Do you live near us? We are in Franklin. Where are the Wuffles Clan? I used to go at 6:00 am, but have to start work earlier and that means leaving earlier... yes, the number of times I have wanted to hit snooze in the morning is incredible. We used to run into Jethro the yellow lab (with a bit of mix I think) he is also at BDOC in bronze. You will have heard him yesterday, he's the one with the big deep loud bark!

Ha! We walk at 5:30 am NOW! I'm the only idiot out in our suburb at that time...

ha ha ha ha KTB - you can come next time. There's one at Braddon we've been thinking we'd check out. Remember to wear water-proof clothing coz he shakes a couple of times and we ended up SOAKED! ahhh... 30 mins would be a dream

Morning all! Kuma was all tuckered out from yesterday's obedience that he slept from about lunchtime until this morning. He put himself to bed without dinner! Needless to say he gutsed down his breaky this morning!! We don't use flea treatment either. We will think about that when we go coastal, but at this stage don't worry. poo stories... I'm lucky, Kuma's really picky about when/where he does his business. I'm sure he needs to be facing Mecca or something... no major accidents (yet...) Kuma also gets bits of our food... mainly the crunchy bits of toast, chopping board treats. He is also a huge fan of licking out yoghurt tubs. I don't fret about it. Great piccies all - I'll upload some tonight. Kuma sneaked a bit of cardboard box and shred it into matching pieces. No eating, just shredding Poor Elbie. Hope the little poppet is ok. Could he have gotten hot? Re drying - we have a microfibre towel we use to soak up as much water as possible and then use my old hair dryer. It's a challenge coz he's such a fluffy dog! Last time we washed him we did it at one of those drive in car and dog wash places... he LOVED the dryer! He was lifting his little legs up to dry his pits, and was quite happy to be blow dryed. It was SO funny. We ran out of coins, so we ended up with a semi-dry dog. Takes him about two hours to be completely dry.

ooohh... we have a Dyson. Actually bought a new one last weekend, coz our original one died after 8 solid years of service. Our new one has a motor head to pick up all the fur - it is UNBELIEVABLE! hmmm... Just got back from obedience - nice to have a good trainer who doesn't automatically see a big dog and think "oooh, aggressive!" and he wasn't the naughtiest in the class. Super cool, hope I don't end up looking like the biggest idiot in the class Does help to wear him out with a play/rumble with Merlin the Berner before class. I will have to keep an eye on the weather, Kuma was starting to feel the heat today and it wasn't that hot - hopefully he'll drop his winter coat soon. After class Kuma had a play with Ava and Elbie. Though Elbie wasn't too sure about Kuma at first, so we called Kuma off, Elbie just kept coming over for a sniff and would run away. Soooo cute. Kinda like "I'd like to play, but now I'm not so sure..." Little by little! Ava on the other hand... she can rumble with the best of them! She and Nugget the Shiba playing chase - super fast doggies!

You have a very smart little boy there! He is just so clever.... mwah ha ha designer swedish toys.... Kuma is the muffin tin man! 12 tennis balls, treats and about 15 minutes of hillarity!

yeah, so it's not that bad... some vegitarians would be distressed at the thought that Kuma has a bag of random pig bits in the freezer and enjoys chomping on them. nomnomnomnom I'm so sorry about Puppy. Great stories... he shoulds like a special little guy. Lilli_star: naw... Ruby is soooo CUTE! *off to start training Kuma to sit still long enough* mwah ha ha ha ! Apparently it's a random bag of pig bits that the OH got from Lachlan Valley Meats in Fyshwick, so there is potential that he will eat most of a pig The Great Toy Box In The Sky... Poor Hippo - I've seen those toys but I decided that Kuma is just as happy with the plastic bottle and that he wouldn't appreciate the bottle hugger. Mr Panda was a moment of weakness last visit to Pet Barn when I was buying his food. Man, I should just buy shares in that place for the amount of dosh I've spent there in the last 10 months. Re the Great Partay: I was actually thinking of a Saturday arvo BBQ in Forde near the dog park. They have nice under cover bbq's where the dogs could stay on leash and then head over to the dog park for some off leash fun (Elbie's choice if he stays and plays or not... ). In response to questions re presents: Kuma is a big fan of the discount bin... Don't spend too much, anything that squeaks and he is in heaven! (his "father" and I - not so much ) Think that's about it... sorry if I have missed anything, having posting issues this morning! ETA: Niques - I forgot the James Story! So Sorry... He was a cute bubba! so squishy and wombatty.

ok... photo time... The Carnage that is the pigs trotter. (warning... vegetarians better look away now...) Now, to some toy carnage. Kuma's not too bad with his toys. Bunny went to the breeders for a week before he came home, so it smelt all family like when he left his pack. Now Bunny's armless and legless... I'm a huge fan of the Pet Barn discount bins at the front of the store. I think the star cost me about $5 and has lasted a couple of months... each point has a squeaker (natch!) And the latest discount bin fave, Mr Panda. It has a tennis ball zipped inside (great for covering up nasty tennis ball fuzz, because we have all read those horror stories...) Mr Panda was clean before being trashed outside...

I'm sure I've read somewhere that vodka does wonders for an ear infection and have been contemplating pouring some in his ear. But I think turning up at the vet with a dog stinking of alcohol would bring him a touch to close to his human namesake than one would want I'm sure he wouldn't turn down a martini. Although, I was actually making martinis for my birthday the other week and he managed to filch a twist of lemon - was most displeased with it Can't see him stomaching an olive, either. George is another great person name for dogs. "bear" is very fitting for Kuma! How much growing does he have left in him? not sure. He won't be as big as his grandfather (see photo in the Kuma Story), since he's been desexed and that apparently means he'll be a bit smaller. We think another 10-15Kg and probably another 10cm in height, and a bit in width. He'll chunk out a bit. He's just a big slobbery boofer.

aahh, but you see, you didn't know any of us then... we can make Canberra fun and exciting. Kuma was last weighed at the vet about a month ago at 43Kg. He hadn't eaten properly for a few days and was a bit light on. He's back on his food now and is probably around the 45-47Kg mark. I'm going to try and measure him tonight (height wise...) fanx Poor Oscar! James is super duper proud of himself. ETA: Me, I love a dog with a human name... I was going to have a staffy called George, but that didn't eventuate. Kuma means Bear in Japanese, and it seemed fitting (also quite common apparently - so much for originality!) I'm suprised James doesn't request martini's on a regular basis! And looking at that destruction, it appears he has been in Q's workshop!

Kuma has what we have dubbed "helicopter tail" it wags in a circular motion...round and round and round... awesome for the curled over spitz tail. Love it... when he's super duper excited he will put his whole body into it.

look at that cake! I was thinking of going a little less elaborate than that for Kuma... probably a couple of rissoles with kong treat filler spray icing and a dog bone biscuit for decoration. Great photo of Asti Sammies. Very Nice. Good to see that someone is contributing to the artistic quality of this tread, because I'm fair to useless! I know my worry session last night was unwarranted. Kuma really is a good dog. There are a few issues that could be ironed out, but hey... they aren't life threatening! Just had a moment there and couldn't get passed it. I hate it that i sometimes let other people influence my life. anyhoo, all smiles and roses today Clastic - love to have you and yours to Kuma's party... I'm going to figure some way so Elbie can come too, don't want him missing out on any fun