Monday, June 11, 2012

Doggy Dash

fun times at the Doggy Dash
Chris and I took Kai up to see the events at the Doggy Dash last weekend.  The Doggy Dash is a 5K run sponsored by the Sacramento SPCA.  In addition to the race, they have tons of vendor booths, demonstrations, and fun contests (costume, tallest dog, etc.).  We didn't run this year... Kai is still learning how to walk on a leash... but there was still so much to see there!  Kai did so good.  It was super crowded, both with people and with other dogs.  Kai wasn't scared or monstering at all.  He was just friendly and interested in everyone, both human and canine.  I was so proud of him.  He got really tuckered out, though, and Chris ended up carrying Kai back to the car.

Kai with the Great Dane who won "Tallest Dog"

Kai and another Shiba, who was also named "Kai", watch the festivities.
Kai's leash skills are still somewhat lacking, but he has made HUGE progress as far as his fear of the leash goes.  He used to tantrum and Shiba scream like nobody's business when we would try to attach the leash to his collar, but now he will sit still and let us do it.  I can tell that he still doesn't really like that process, but now he knows that once the leash is on, something fun (like a WALK) will happen.  We were able to get him to accept the leash by first giving him treats while holding the leash in the treat hand... then touching the leash to him while giving him a treat... slowly, over time, extending that out.  And we made sure to use the word WALK a lot when we would start out.  Now, if we ask him "Do you want to go on a walk?" he immediately gets excited and runs to the back gate to get ready.

We're using a martingale collar for walks now.  Kai slipped his regular collar last week when I was walking him and nearly gave me a heart attack.  I had to chase him down the street and lure him back to me with treats.  The martingale collar seems to be working well for now.

Tomorrow will be a big day for Kai... he's finally getting neutered.  It's hard to believe he's already at that age, six months old!  I hope it all goes smoothly.  I hate to think of my little guy having to go under the knife, but I know we need to do it-- and better to just get it over with, I guess.  The vet likes to board the dog after the surgery for a day or two to make sure the dog has calm recovery time, so it's going to be a quiet couple of days around the house.  Poor little Kai.  I hope he doesn't hate the vet (and us) after this!

No comments:

Post a Comment