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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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 Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:09 am Post subject: Fantastic puppy: *new home fell through* :( |
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Last week, I was volunteering at a pet shelter, walking and washing dogs. One of them was so perky and amiable that I immediately fell for her. They called her Co-be at the shelter (she resembles a mix between a COcker spaniel and a BEagle, so they combined the terms.) She had been at a kill shelter, but thanks to the generosity of Dr. Choi at Dr-pet Animal Hospital, she was spared.
However, her life was still a bit grim, being confined to a cage for most of each day, so I couldn't resist the chance to spend some more time with her, care for her, and train her to be a great pet for some lucky person. I went back the following week, and right now I'm fostering her at my place. She's proving to be extremely affectionate, playful, bright and tolerant.
Here are the basics:
sex - female
appearance - beagle-like colouring, small spaniel-like fur and body
age - estimates have ranged between 4 months to 2 years! Quite puppyish in her behaviour, though.
temperment - great with strangers, children and other dogs. Not aggressive or fearful. Doesn't like to be left alone. Moods range between extremely frisky and very mellow. Doesn't bark, but occasionally whines. Also, this dog is smart! Adapts to training very quickly.
health - has had her first round of vaccinations, and will be spayed before arriving in her new home. Right now, she has a slight cold, and her ears hadn't been properly cleaned in ages. The vet gave them a thorough going-over, which should help with her upper-respiratory health (ears and sinuses are connected.)
I've invested a lot of time and money in this dog, because I have high hopes for her. She deserves a loving, stable home. If you're interested, please contact me! I'll give you everything I've bought for her (toys, food, crate, etc.,) but there's a $50 fee payable to the vet (http://dr-pet.co.kr/)
If you'd like to know more about adopting a dog, or if you want to look into fostering a dog, check out http://AnimalRescueKorea.org
PICS TO FOLLOW SHORTLY
Last edited by kermo on Sun Apr 26, 2009 3:30 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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xDh89
Joined: 26 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:12 am Post subject: |
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aw shes so cute~
where are you located? |
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ryoga013
Joined: 23 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:09 am Post subject: |
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| I'm not usually a dog person but from the description and the pictures, even I will say she's a cutie! I can't make a commitment for how long I'd be here etc, or I was thinking about seeing this dog. Shame I don't live in an area with a pet shelter so i could help volunteer with some of these animals as well. |
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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I think you're quite right. Her hair isn't as long as some of the King Charles Spaniels pics I've seen, but there's definitely a resemblance.
I'm in Yongin right now, and if you're interested, feel free to drop by or arrange a meeting!
She's such a loving, lively dog. I've never actually had a dog of my own, so it's been a learning experience for both of us. House-breaking is going really well. The only problem I'm having is that when she feels ignored, she'll grab something she's not supposed to have, to try to draw my attention.
I'm doing a lot of reading on dog behaviour, to try to read her properly, and correct her when she's acting dominant. She's not aggressive at all-- tolerates other dogs and strangers perfectly-- but when she puts her paws on me, or tries to lightly chew my fingers, I think I need to assert myself as the Top Dog.
I have a question, which I might as well pose here. When she gets her meal, she'll often get a mouthful, and then run to me and chew it in front of me. Is that a dominance gesture as well?
Thankfully, she has learned not to jump up while I'm having my own meal. It's only been three or four days, but it's amazing how much she's learned. |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:29 am Post subject: |
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Learning more and more each day (both of us, actually.)
It's Day 4 of The Cobe Project, and so far she will sit and stay for treats/meals (yay!) and housebreaking seems to be established (knock on wood.)
I'm training her every way I can think of, including leash-work (not running ahead and pulling, for example) and general etiquette. What a value-added dog!
Anyway, in my reading, I've noticed something that I wanted to share. One thing that's apparently characteristic of spaniels is a constant need for attention. I'm trying to teach Cobe to deal with being ignored. I realized today that she's got a very specific strategy for dealing with this. When she's not getting the attention she wants, she doesn't bark or bite. She'll try to initiate play. She'll sit and stare, using the Power of Cuteness. If this doesn't work, she'll just walk around the house, picking things up until she grabs something you definitely don't want her to have. I've tried puppy-proofing the house, but she'll just grab anything that she can fit in her mouth. She's not possessive about it-- you can just walk over and take it back, but once you've taken it, she'll go ahead and start again.
Obviously, our next project is How To Amuse Oneself. I know this doesn't paint the rosiest picture, but I'm sharing this information because I think Cobe would be happiest in a situation where there is more than one person in the house available to cuddle up to/play fetch with. Matching a person with one set of habits and preferences with a dog with a temperment and genetic predisposition toward the opposite is a recipe for trouble. Cobe has been rescued from a kill-shelter once-- I'd hate to put her at risk again.
She's not fearful or dominating like some other problem dogs. She just really desires attention, and that could be great for the right person/people.
p.s. She's outrageously smart. Embarrassingly smart. Today I was doing a workout video, and she was putting herself in harm's way, trying to play with my feet as they were kicking about. I put a leash on her, and tethered her to the couch. Five minutes later, she saunters over to me. She has quietly and deliberately chewed completely through the leash! She spent the rest of the workout sitting quietly in an enclosure beside me. I pulled her out when the danger of being kicked had passed, and started to do my cool-down, but as I settled into the cobra pose, I immediately got a faceful of fur as she jumped up to greet me... Maybe that should be a yoga pose along with Downward Dog. Dog-in-Face. |
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:47 am Post subject: |
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Haha! Kermo, here's something you might want to look into to... "Doga, Yoga for Dogs". That's the book excerpt site I was reading a couple weeks ago, but today I'm getting an 'access forbidden' thing.  But Amazon has a link too if you google to read more about it.
I'm a big fan of Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. If you've ever seen his National Geographic shows, most of it is about walking the proper way to build the pack follower mentality in your dog, and make you the Pack Leader.
Instead of taking things off of her, you want to teach her to 'drop it'. You're on the right track with 'sit/stay' before meals. That's the discipline part of Excercise/Disciple/Affection (in that order). The Walk before her meal is the excercise part, and the meal itself is Affection to a dog. So practice walk, sit/stay, before her meal and you'll have it in the proper order. Remember, it's important to never reward (with affection) excitement--only calm-submissive behavior. So before she jumps up on your lap, she should sit calmly and have permission.
Here's a good Facebook group you can join to help understand some of the dominance behaviours:
Facebook Teachings of Cesar Millan. In the Discussion links is an Episode Index where you can watch online all the shows from the first three seasons.
Now be the Pack Leader! |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:18 am Post subject: |
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Kiko, thanks for that. I'll definitely check out Cesar and his thoughts on doggie communication. To my relief, I've done a little reading on dominant dogs, and Cobe definitely doesn't fit the profile. She'll let other dogs take her toys, she doesn't mind being hugged and handled, and she doesn't get aggressive when I take her food away. In fact, I've never heard her growl, or even bark (the closest thing is a yip, when I'm going off to work.)
Right now, Cobe is showing great progress on "stay" and we started leash training today (with a new, unchewable leash.) The vet cleaned her ears again, and her respiratory health has improved a lot since she arrived from the shelter. She hasn't been sneezing, and only snorts when she gets really excited.
I have heard from one person who was interested in taking her, but I think he was looking for a more independent dog. I know it'll be tough to find a stable home for her among the expat crowd (especially on this board, with so many one-year contracts, and one-room apartments, but I haven't given up hope!
If you know anyone who could use a cuddly friend, please spread the word! |
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:23 am Post subject: |
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The respiratory thing could be kennel cough from the shelter environment--bordetella. Either she was vaccinated for it or it cleared up on it's own. It's more or less like a common cold, takes about a week or so once she's out of the kennel environment where it gets passed back and forth like kids at school!
Now if she starts wheezing or hacking like she's coughing up a hairball, that could be reverse sneezing:
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If you witness a dog having a reverse sneeze it may seem alarming, but in most cases it is not a harmful condition, there are no ill effects, and treatment is unnecessary. Usually the dog is completely normal before and after the episode. However, in some dogs, especially brachycephalic breeds such as Boxers or King Charles Cavalier Spaniels, sounds similar to a reverse sneeze may be a sign of a respiratory problem, such as an elongated soft palate. In these cases, there are usually other respiratory symptoms as well, and these dogs should be examined by a veterinarian. |
Cobe sounds like a real sweetie, too bad I'm in the states and not allowed any more dogs! I have my poodle pack and have been fostering a chihuahua, Speedy, who looks like a miniature jindo complete with the curly, wispy, spitzlike tail. But just 7 lbs, like my Mimi and Fifi (the Mishka and the Mooshka). He's a handful, but he fit right in and he's the biggest lapdog of the bunch, never wants to leave my side.
I think you'll really like Cesar's philosophy. He believes that most dogs are born followers and only become dominant in an unstable environment. Then they want to take over the pack leader position as a means of survival, as they would do in nature. He also has a very zenlike quality which shows by his connection to nature and how he explains his dog psychology. Many people think his methods are outdated, unscientific, but they still make more sense to me than the 'positive training' methods of constantly treating good behavior. His harsher corrections can be dangerous and shouldn't be attempted by non-professionals--forcing a redzone (biter) case to submission. But his pack of bully breeds certainly attests to his claim that there is no dog he can't handle, and the power of the pack. |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:07 am Post subject: |
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Elongated soft palate? Yowza!
Yes, I've heard this "honking" and hacking, but it's become less frequent over the last few days. Her nose is looking wetter, and she's not snuffling as much.
Because she's got these lovely floppy ears, she's more susceptible to ear problems (especially when they get wet, or they aren't cleaned for extended periods.) The vet gave them a second cleaning today, and they are looking much, much better. He also gave her a little squirt of medication just in case she had ear-mites too.
Since the ears and the sinuses are connected, I figured that the two problems would be related, but I didn't realize that there was a possible genetic susceptibility.
It's hard to say what she's at risk for, since she's not 100% pure King Charles Spaniel (her colouring is a bit off, and her hair is too short.)
In any case, that doesn't stop her from racing up mountainsides!
Today, one of my students expressed an interest in Cobe, and thinks she might be good company for her Maltese. They'll meet on Tuesday. If you'd like to meet her first, make a date for this weekend!
Today, Cobe had the sweetest encounter with an off-leash dog who sidled up to her on the street. They caressed each other's noses a bit, then Cobe hit the deck with a very impressive play-bow (which scared the bejeezus out of the other dog.) I think she'd do really well with another dog around. |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:34 am Post subject: |
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| kermo wrote: |
I have a question, which I might as well pose here. When she gets her meal, she'll often get a mouthful, and then run to me and chew it in front of me. Is that a dominance gesture as well? |
Lots of dogs do this. It's just the neediness again. |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Draz wrote: |
| kermo wrote: |
I have a question, which I might as well pose here. When she gets her meal, she'll often get a mouthful, and then run to me and chew it in front of me. Is that a dominance gesture as well? |
Lots of dogs do this. It's just the neediness again. |
Ah yes. I've concluded that she's just keeping an eye on me.
There's been plenty of training going on this week! Sit and stay is well-established. Today I started teaching "shake-a-paw." House-breaking has been tricky, because my schedule is so erratic, but we've figured it out. She knows "off" and "out" and "come," and I've been working on teaching her to go to the bathroom on command, though that's going to take a while.
She's still a bit naughty when she's bored (picking up odds and ends to chew on) but I'm trying to offset that by prompting for more appropriate toys (she understands the words "Where's your toy?" and will initiate games of fetch.)
She's just so damned cute. I love watching her floppy ears as she scampers after sticks. Please, someone, take her before I get too attached! |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:32 am Post subject: |
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Did you have her clipped, Kermo? She's looking more like a Beagle now without the feathery legs and ears. Still cute as a button though.  |
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