Elbie, Hoover, Dodge & Friends!

[lilli_star]

Popping in quickly (200 words to go!!! Would have finished, but mowed the backyard- took over an hour and a half! ) to say OMG! How CUTE is Asti????!!! The ears! The name! That smile!

Welcome to our converts. There's so many of you now who live in Canberra! I've loved reading your doglet stories. I can't believe how big Genevieve is now, Wizzle! And 7 cats, MM???!!! That's committment! I have one rather grumpy moggy Jasper (well, he's grumpy around Roo ;) ). I'll post a pic of him when I do Roo's story. Going to see her mama dog on the weekend hopefully. Roo is currently munching on part of a deer ear that she's had for a few days. Its...gross really, all soggy. She is unable to just eat it in the one place though- keeps picking it up and moving to another place to nibble, before starting all over again. Who knows what that means...

[MavericksMission]

Asti is gorgeous!!

[SammieS]

Asti is gorgeous!!

Thank you! She's great when she's sleeping and tired but when she's all fired up... watch out! hahaha

[koalathebear]

OK, finally catching up on posts. OH gave me a disapproving head shake when I told him I posted outside of the Elbie and the Kelpie thread today. ;) I find it sad/funny that when I was talking to breeders they said to me: "You need to stop reading those dog forums."

clastic: Maybe we could share a shiba inu. I want one, too but I worry that a spitzy dog will be Too Much Dog for me.

Mini-Mars is soooooooooooo cute. I feel dorky but I never knew that border collies came in tricolours. He is such a handsome young man. LOVED the photo with one ear up and one ear down, also love this one where his eyes are all limpid and innocent and he has yet to grow into his Ears of Awesomeness. He is now a very good-looking grown up pup .. I also like that he has the little golden eyebrows like a kelpie. ;) I see that you have cliff-hangered us and that Clastic's Fur Kids: The Sequel is yet to come ...

I think my OH would kill me if we had any kitties.. he's not really a cat person and has said no........ I'm sure I can convince him though. Hehehe...!

KTB, maybe your OH can convince mine...?

I've found a compromise. There's apparently volunteer work at the RSPCA in Canberra where during Kitten Season, you go and sit with all the kittens and they climb all over you and you play with them help them get socialised. I'm not sure I'd be able to let OH back in the house after that, though.

Max#1: We loved the photos of Mini Max and chatty Max - particularly the way he did the flopsy rollover. OH thinks he looks like a little cat. He also has a more high pitched voice than Elbie does. He is so cute - I like his dramatic eye make-up, too.

lilli_star: I hope your essay is done now. Also, the topic is somewhat obscure so I query your success in finding a website that has the topic already

KumaAkita whom I keep calling KumatheAkita because I am spethal: hope you finished your meeting minutes and _{didn't get busted for sneaking Kuma into that hotel.}

wizzle: loved the scenes of G at the beach but the elegant and lady-like Genevieve with her head in an ice cream bucket probably wins. The photos of Genevieve as a baby. :D She actually looks like she could have been Mini-Mars' second cousin twice removed (not on the akita-side of the family). I especially like the 'tude that she's showing in this one. "What are you lookin' at, punk?"

primedogs: I'm bemused by the fact that there's a Kuma-doppelganger out there somewhere. Sounds like a photo-op waiting to happen - a Kuma on other side and a shiba inu in the middle.

SammieS: Asti is so cute. This photo made me laugh so loud, I startled both Elbie and OH

Also loved the look on her face in her birthday photo. Did she get any cake or was it just to look at? OH and I have been wondering what kind of cake we can give Elbie when he turns one next year given dogs aren't supposed to eat all kinds of things that are yummy.

Asti is definitely an entrant in the Ears of Awesomeness competition ... At what earsage (Freudian slip) do Frenchies' ears generally start sticking up?

And as a final note ... I dug up one of Elbie's old surveillance videos from when he was very wee and we were filming him when we first started leaving him alone in the yard (when we had to go out). We wanted to see what he did/whether he was destructive/distressed.

.

The thing that gets me is that if we'd just got him five minutes earlier, everything would have been different ...

Edited October 6, 2010 by koalathebear

[lilli_star]

Hee! I love Elbie's videos :D The captions are great too.

I couldn't believe how big his cushion was- it was growing before my very eyes! And then of course, buh-bye cushion. I hope it wasn't one of the Very Expensive Dog Futons made by the same people as the dog basket/bed things

My favourite part though was when Elbie is up close and personal with the camera. Like he was saying "So are you happy now? Huh? Enjoy the show?" :D

PS I didn't know Border Collies came in tricolour either til I came on DOL. *blush*

Edited October 6, 2010 by lilli_star

[SammieS]

Also loved the look on her face in her birthday photo. Did she get any cake or was it just to look at? OH and I have been wondering what kind of cake we can give Elbie when he turns one next year given dogs aren't supposed to eat all kinds of things that are yummy. :D

Asti is definitely an entrant in the Ears of Awesomeness competition ... At what earsage (Freudian slip) do Frenchies' ears generally start sticking up?

We bought Asti that icecream cake from Woolies and sang Happy Birthday and everyone got a mostly small piece of cake (minus the chocolate layer which meant the humans got extra!)

We got Asti at 8 weeks and they started coming up around 10 weeks of age and it happened over about 4 days, she looked like the flying nun at one stage... Sometimes it can take up to 6 months for them to stay up.

Thanks for welcoming me into the thread!

[Niques]

Ah! Too many new posts! I have caught Lilli's procrastination bug and should really be writing some sort of critical essay on Pride and Prejudice...too many adorable puppies though!

I am completely in awe of Asti's ears. I don't know how I could stop myself playing with them all the time She is gorgeous in that last photo!

KTB, that pup's a cheeky looking boy! I am rather partial to the black/tans, myself, but they're all so damn squishable!

MM, I've not seen any of Maverick's puppy photos before. He has such a formidable "hard stare", it's a little bit of a surprise to see him as a wee puppy. He and Hector have such clever, curious expressions - I can just imagine the fun they get up to. Although I certainly don't envy you the yard full of fluff!

Clastic, I definitely see the Mars Bar thing happening. Just the slightest touch of caramel to him - it's really spunky colouring. Add me to those who were in the dark on tri-colour BCs.

I do believe I've skipped over a few. I will have to reread in the morning.

Today a courier guy who clearly more than a few brain cells missing, apparently came around the back of the house when no one answered the front door and left his parcel on the back deck. The same back deck that housed a rambunctious, black dog, at that particular moment. I mean really, what on earth could have been going through that man's head? Given the mess on the back deck, it would seem that James was immensely pleased to receive a package all to himself. I can just see him offering his paw to sign for it :D

...how on earth are there so many Canberrians on this forum!?

[wuffles]

And as a final note ... I dug up one of Elbie's old surveillance videos from when he was very wee and we were filming him when we first started leaving him alone in the yard (when we had to go out). We wanted to see what he did/whether he was destructive/distressed.

.

The thing that gets me is that if we'd just got him five minutes earlier, everything would have been different ...

:D :rofl:

We are actually considering leaving the dogs inside while we are gone Are we crazy? At least they won't annoy anyone with their barking inside, although I'm not sure our house would survive.......

[KumaAkita]

Morning all... so I had a crap nights sleep, kept thinking how much I have broken my dog and that I should really spend more time training him. Damn this forum. :D

KTB: mwah ha ha @ Elbie... that's just so funny! poor bed, it didn't stand a chance I reckon that the pup in that photo is a bundle of cuteness, think a visit to the breeder couldn't hurt, just be prepared to walk away if it's not perfect. (Just my opinion there, feel free to ignore me altogether).

KTB & Clastic: You're more than welcome to try your had at spitzies with my boy... he'll try your patience, but will love you forever! I so want a Shiba... one day, one day...

Wizzle: @ head... in ice cream bucket...

Max#1: Watching the clip, OH asked me what that noise was! I told him to just be thankful we have a quiet dog! (who then proceeded to bark at shadows for about an hour!)

Primedogs: hmmm, must be one of Kuma's siblings. I think there may be a few around... and I agree with KTB, that's a photo op if ever the was one.

SammieS: Asti is adorable. Is she a fiesty Frenchie... the ones I have met seem to have so much personality.

MM: Lovin' your doggies... (but you can keep your 7 cats. don't get me wrong, I love kitties, but yikes... :D )

Niques: Why are there so many Canberrans on the forum??? Coz Canberra is the coolest place in the world You should come visit some time.

I gave Kuma a bone this morning... well, it was a pigs trotter. It kept him amused for the 45 minutes between the time I gave it to him and the time I left for work. I don't think he was giving up on it any time soon. He was so into chewing this thing that he ignored the builders who were working on the block behind our house (very rare) and I could even get in for photos... I'll share those tonight when I get home - oohh the carnage! so gory!

And last, but not least... It's Kuma's 1st birthday on 11 November and I'm thinking of having a partay... any of you lot wanna come help the boy celebrate??

Edited October 6, 2010 by KumaAkita

[koalathebear]

I couldn't believe how big his cushion was- it was growing before my very eyes! And then of course, buh-bye cushion. I hope it wasn't one of the Very Expensive Dog Futons made by the same people as the dog basket/bed things :D

Fortunately it was just an dog cushion from Aldi and not too expensive … we misjudged on size and didn’t realise our dog was so tiny and the cushion was so large at the time we bought it.

We got Asti at 8 weeks and they started coming up around 10 weeks of age and it happened over about 4 days, she looked like the flying nun at one stage... :D Sometimes it can take up to 6 months for them to stay up.

Too cute … I just remembered our old family dog (lab/border collie) used to get Flying Nun ears that gave him a crazy, demented expression. Used to make us laugh when he’d turn around his ears were in orbit.

KTB, that pup's a cheeky looking boy! I am rather partial to the black/tans, myself, but they're all so damn squishable!

I love both, but lately I've had a hankering towards red-tan, OH likes gold & tan. After a lot of discussions, we decided we'd go with whichever colour had the best pup. With all the other breeders, I admit that I did mention my colour preference towards the beginning but with the breeders of the pups you saw, she started talking about the personalities first and the most suitable pup. Right at the end of the conversation, I said: “Oh … by the way – what colour is the pup????” Turns out he’s a red and tan.

I can’t believe that the courier guy left the parcel in the back when you have a Dog!!??? It’s lucky that there wasn’t anything Dog-Unfriendly in it!! Maybe James said: “Put it over here!” Funny thing is, most parcels that come to our house these days ARE for Elbie – from vetdirect/wagsalot.com.au/topbuy.com.au etc. Elbie’s such a spoiled dog, he’ll stand there as the box is being opened in full expectation that he’s going to receive prezzies.

Also – how did James end up being called James? OH is insisting that pup does not get named a human name, no idea why.

We are actually considering leaving the dogs inside while we are gone Are we crazy? At least they won't annoy anyone with their barking inside, although I'm not sure our house would survive.......

I am so sorry that the Home Alone Ball didn’t work. You sure don’t want to try the Tucker Ball or the Kong Wobbler before you take the step of popping doggies inside? Like Satch and Ava, Elbie is an angel when we’re at home and either doesn’t chew on anything or will ‘leave it’ upon command. When we’re away though, he’ll prowl the yard and if we haven’t left enough juice bottles for him he’ll get restless … Can you give them access to just one room maybe, rather than the whole house just to ‘test’ them out? We’d love to give Elbie access to the kitchen but he can open the door into the next room :p

Morning all... so I had a crap nights sleep, kept thinking how much I have broken my dog and that I should really spend more time training him. Damn this forum.

Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!! (Yelled out Star Warsian style). You haven’t broken your dog. I think no one here on this forum has the perfect dog. We’re all working away at it – none of us are perfect people. You would not believe how many people I know who seem to have very well behaved dogs but their children run amok and are holy terrors! It’s not realistic to get it 100% right. It would be wrong if we were complacent and said: “My dog’s fine, I don’t need to do anything” but I don’t see why we should be made to feel bad because our dogs are dogs and get it wrong sometimes if we’re still working with them and trying to make them better-behaved.

For us with Elbie, it’s a constant struggle to get him calm and quiet in new situations/environments. He’s soooooooo excited for the first 5 minutes of everything new. I’m sure most DOLers would shrink back from in horror and think that I was a Bad Owner if they saw Elbie the way you have during the first minutes of Dog School each week …

In terms of new pups… we’re still Pondering. More info and photos coming from the breeder today. I’ll keep you posted.

And last, but not least... It's Kuma's 1st birthday on 11 November and I'm thinking of having a partay... any of you lot wanna come help the boy celebrate??

Hee! OH and I should be able to come and celebrate. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to bring Elbie unless we bring his soft crate, too. Hmmm. *ponder*

ETA: Also, I will share an embarrassing Dog Story from yesterday. Elbie had eaten something that didn’t agree with him yesterday and was mildly vomitous – nothing too serious.

Elbie knows the touch command. If we say “touch” he uses his nose, if we say: “paw” he uses his paw to touch the object. Yesterday he was in his dog bed looking at me expectantly as if expecting me to do something. I was too lazy to move from my chair to play with him so instead stretched my leg out, pointed my toes at him and said: “Touch!”

Elbie obediently touched his nose-tip to my bare foot - big toe to be precise.

Five minutes later, he started making gagging noises and threw up. It was because of some grass he’d gobbled and NOT to do with my feet but you can imagine how much OH was hassling me for the rest of yesterday about poisoning our puppy with my stinky feet.

Edited October 6, 2010 by koalathebear

[Clastic]

clastic: Maybe we could share a shiba inu. :D I want one, too but I worry that a spitzy dog will be Too Much Dog for me.

And as a final note ... I dug up one of Elbie's old surveillance videos from when he was very wee and we were filming him when we first started leaving him alone in the yard (when we had to go out). We wanted to see what he did/whether he was destructive/distressed.

.

The thing that gets me is that if we'd just got him five minutes earlier, everything would have been different ...

I did read up about Shiba Inu's later on and was like.. woah.. totally different to what I expected, if I didn't live in a matchbox apartment in Japan I probably would have ended up with one. But now I don't think I would get one.. even though they are gorgeous!!!

Oh yes, we love Mars's ears.. they haven't changed since they went up, but it was so exciting when they were changing constantly.

Love the vid of Elbie on the deck, tumbleweed fluff!! I'd be too worried to film our dogs.. but I think its a must at some stage. Would be interesting to see what they get up to though.

PS I didn't know Border Collies came in tricolour either til I came on DOL. *blush*

Clastic, I definitely see the Mars Bar thing happening. Just the slightest touch of caramel to him - it's really spunky colouring. Add me to those who were in the dark on tri-colour BCs.

I feel dorky but I never knew that border collies came in tricolours.

Hehe.. don't worry, I thought that BCs only came in chocolate and B&W only. It wasn't until I was looking for BC breeders and reading up about BCs that I found out they came in so many other colours.

We are actually considering leaving the dogs inside while we are gone Are we crazy? At least they won't annoy anyone with their barking inside, although I'm not sure our house would survive.......

My sister keeps her dogs inside, but they are like 5 years old now.. they still manage to find things from time to time to pull off some of the shelves. I think the main reason she keeps them inside now is because Orson likes to chase the birdies and bark and bark and bark. But its more like constant barking throughout the day instead of just 10mins here and there.

Morning all... so I had a crap nights sleep, kept thinking how much I have broken my dog and that I should really spend more time training him. Damn this forum. :D

KTB & Clastic: You're more than welcome to try your had at spitzies with my boy... he'll try your patience, but will love you forever! I so want a Shiba... one day, one day...

I gave Kuma a bone this morning... well, it was a pigs trotter. It kept him amused for the 45 minutes between the time I gave it to him and the time I left for work. I don't think he was giving up on it any time soon. He was so into chewing this thing that he ignored the builders who were working on the block behind our house (very rare) and I could even get in for photos... I'll share those tonight when I get home - oohh the carnage! so gory!

And last, but not least... It's Kuma's 1st birthday on 11 November and I'm thinking of having a partay... any of you lot wanna come help the boy celebrate??

Goooood Morning!

I'm pretty lazy with training my dog, we're actually going back to Bronze class tonight after a session's break. We're also going to be doing extra classes on Saturday too, although I think that Pepper may be the one that needs more of the training.. she's rather broken... don't think I have spent nearly enough time with her than with Mars. Naughty Clastic!!

Oooh you want a Shiba too? We could go three ways now! Maybe it wouldn't be as bad if we each had a bit of time with our shared Shiba.

Photos of Kuma, yay!! I gave Mars & Pepper a bone last night to much on.. and ofcourse Mars has stinky mushie poopies now.. His gut really isn't that great..

Pick me pick me, can we come celebrate your boy's birthday?

ETA: I agree with KTB, no ones dog is perfect. I love my dogs to bits and they both have a few undesirables in other peoples eyes but it doesn't mean they are broken. Even though I do joke and say they are, they're not broken in the way some people seem to think.

Edited October 6, 2010 by Clastic

[SammieS]

SammieS: Asti is adorable. Is she a fiesty Frenchie... the ones I have met seem to have so much personality.

This thread gets updated so much its hard to keep up! Yes Asti is a fiesty one!!! She thinks she's a big dog! Personality Plus! I wouldn't have her any other way...

Puppy Birthday Parties are so much fun! There is a company in brissie that specialises in dog parties and birthday cakes... they're pretty impressive with their biscuits and potato, I'll see if I can find a photo of the birthday cake from a party we attended 3 months ago.

Seen as this is a photo thread - here's one from last weekend! its Asti and her mini-me frenchie play mate Ella (note the one ear up and one ear down...)!

[KumaAkita]

*steals Asti and Ella*

[SammieS]

This is the special dog birthday cake that puggies Lola and Max had at their birthday party...

Lola thought it was great licking her chops before it was cut!

[SammieS]

Another photo so that this awesome thread doesn't get moved out of the photos section...

I have a new-ish camera so thought I'd add an artistic photo!

[KumaAkita]

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

[Niques]

Niques: Why are there so many Canberrans on the forum??? Coz Canberra is the coolest place in the world You should come visit some time.

Was in Canberra several years back for a uni debating tournament and can't truthfully say I was all that inspired to make a return trip anytime soon :D Although Kuma's birthday would surely be a worthwhile occasion! How big is Kuma, out of interest? I adore large dogs. Not that the littlies aren't cute, but there's an extra something to a big, boofy dog.

I can’t believe that the courier guy left the parcel in the back when you have a Dog!!??? It’s lucky that there wasn’t anything Dog-Unfriendly in it!! Maybe James said: “Put it over here!” Funny thing is, most parcels that come to our house these days ARE for Elbie – from vetdirect/wagsalot.com.au/topbuy.com.au etc. Elbie’s such a spoiled dog, he’ll stand there as the box is being opened in full expectation that he’s going to receive prezzies.

Also – how did James end up being called James? OH is insisting that pup does not get named a human name, no idea why.

^ He had much fun with the bubble wrap and cardboard packaging. There's bubble wrap strewn across the whole deck. I honestly cannot fathom why someone would give a parcel to a dog. Bizarre. James will soon be expecting packages of his own, and those he can open I have discovered Clean Run from another thread and there will be many presents for him soon

As for his name, the official story that gets told to people is that my younger brother and I share the first names of James Bond's parents and thus we thought it would be amusing to have a little James Bond in the family. However, James also happens to be my older brother's middle name so he got a rather sheepish phone call one night, going, "Look, do you mind if we use your name on the dog?" Of course, the official story has nothing to do with the actual decision making process - I shall get around to doing his Origin story tonight and mention the name troubles there.

I love people names on dogs. Of course the problem is that you're more likely to actually run into someone with that name. I know quite a few James' and always feel a little awkward saying their name now ;) I'm liking Thomas for a future dog.

Gosh, they're remarkably photogenic little dogs, aren't they? You take excellent photos! Although the subject certainly helps ;) What was the dog cake made of?

KA, you are most definitely not raising a broken dog. Anyone on this forum can see that your heart is certainly in the right place and I have absolutely no doubt that Kuma is having a fantastic upbringing. Case in point - you actually care that he's turning out okay!

While we're in a photo thread, Oscar's head is practically being held together by stitches:

Someone is very pleased by his handiwork!

I'm feeling very chuffed this afternoon. I just made a vet appointment for James as I'm pretty sure both his ears are infected. The vet nurse who ran his puppy classes (who we haven't seen in probably 5 months) not only remembered his name when I told her who I was, but then followed up with "James the wonderdog" Nice to see that despite his obnoxious behaviour he made a good impression! And, I'll finally be able to weigh him this afternoon! Exciting.

[KumaAkita]

Was in Canberra several years back for a uni debating tournament and can't truthfully say I was all that inspired to make a return trip anytime soon Although Kuma's birthday would surely be a worthwhile occasion! How big is Kuma, out of interest? I adore large dogs. Not that the littlies aren't cute, but there's an extra something to a big, boofy dog.

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...)

KA, you are most definitely not raising a broken dog. Anyone on this forum can see that your heart is certainly in the right place and I have absolutely no doubt that Kuma is having a fantastic upbringing. Case in point - you actually care that he's turning out okay!

fanx

While we're in a photo thread, Oscar's head is practically being held together by stitches:

Someone is very pleased by his handiwork!

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!

Edited October 7, 2010 by KumaAkita

[Niques]

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!

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?

[KumaAkita]

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!

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.