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I read below that you were going to take him home on New Years. How is he doing? Was the transition smooth? I bet he missed you......
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Joni, her husband John, and their two furbabies Sidney and Zelda

Aww, thank you for asking : ) He did miss me, he slept with me every night I was there and was very upset any time I left, to go shopping or whatever. We brought him home and he seems very happy to be here. I think all the activity of my dad's house, with the other dogs and constant flow of people, was a little much for him. He spent the first few days here just digging at his bed to make it right, and pulling his toys around the house to his favourite spots. He's funny, it's almost as if each toy has a specific room in the house that it needs to be in. When I got all of his toys out he picked each one up and seemed to know exactly where it went. Each toy is still in its designated room of the house two weeks later. : )

He has learned "drop it" and "leave it" quite well. It takes a little while, as if he needs to think about it for about 30 seconds before he's ready to do it. But he does it, every time, and every time he gets rewarded with praise and scratches. As a result, he hasn't snapped at us once since he's been here.

His snapping and biting at strangers is still very unpredictable, I never know what he's going to do. Because of that, he's always muzzled around strangers. The muzzle actually seems to calm him somewhat.

I'd say overall he's doing well. Of course it's not perfect and there is still a ton of work to do, but he seems to be improving and our methods of management have improved tenfold, so we're very happy to have him back. I almost forgot how much more amusing life is with him here : )

Over on the Behavior/Emotions board I posted about the thyroid thing we're going through right now. His trainer thought that he wasn't improving quite like he should, and based on her knowledge of his temperament she thought he might have a thyroid problem causing his aggression.. The whole story is over there if you'd like to read it : )

How are your pups doing? They look very similar, yet just from their faces they seem to have such different personalities : )

It sounds like he is doing great!! I am very happy to hear it. About the thyroid issue - it is a VERY good possibility that this may be what is causing the aggression. Anything at all that is wrong or bothering an animal can cause them to act aggressively, even if they are the most sweet and calm creature under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, it is going to be very hard to know what his reactions will be to strangers, so for his safety and theirs it is a good idea that you are keeping him muzzled. I have heard in many cases that the muzzle acts as a calming agent, as in Kaiser's case. It creates more of a comfort zone. Sidney, my older dog, hates it. She gets extremely aggitated if she even sees one, nevermind trying to put it on her! Again, I am really happy to hear how well Kaiser is doing. It's also nice to see an updated pic of him! He's a beautiful pup!

My girls are doing pretty good. They were actually staying with my mom for a few months while I was in the process of moving states... I definately know how it is not having them around...once you get them back it's a wonder how you could carry on without them! It seems like only a few months ago that I brought Zelda home..... She'll be 2 in March! Sidney is doing well, but is starting to show signs of her age. She'll be 10 yrs old in about 2 weeks.

We had a concern with Zelda a few months back with signs of child aggression that we had never seen before. We have come to realise it isn't children specific - it is anything that moves very fast or makes loud, high pitched-type noises. For example, if we use a fly swatter, or if somebody on a bicycle rides by, or if children are running/jumping...this seems to either upset her or just makes her very nervous. So, we have been working with her on this. She's getting a LOT better!

We had a wonderful Christmas - the girls got bunches of new toys. We participated in a Secret Snowdogs event over in the Shiba forum, as Zelda is a Shiba mix. (It is a Secret Santa, but with dogs!) I have attached some pictures below of the gifts they got from their Secret Snowdog.

Their gifts

Sidney enjoying her new squeaky ball!

The girls playing with Daddy

Sidney eating her Greenie

Zelda, after a LONG day of playing

Posing Pretty