Auf Wiedersehen, Nala!

Last May 28, 2009, Mama and Tito Jim took Nala to the Wildberry Garden in Lorega. She will be staying with them from now on. The pack will surely miss her. Now that i think of it, her non-stop all-day barking wasn't that annoying at all. Now that i look back at the day she was here, her digging habit wasn't really that bad -- i can't say the same for those who tended the plants and flowers though. :)

We're pretty sure Nala's going to be fine with Mama. The weather there is cold and would really suit her. There's a fish pond there in case she's in the mood to get herself wet. Sheena (Mama's only remaining female mutt) is a pretty good mother figure whom i'm sure will welcome her with open arms (or paws).

Besides, we will visit her next sunday and we will bring Chuck Bass and Beka just to make sure Nala won't miss them too much. 

Don't Bite Back

Most new puppy owners have a single similar question about the new member of their family, "why do puppies love to bite?" 

One of the puppy's most important social activity is play-biting. That's why it is essential not to take a puppy away from its litter at less than 8 weeks old as the puppy will develop most of its social traits within that span of time and the litter is a lot of help. Play-biting allows the puppy to gauge how hard it can bite without actually hurting someone else. Puppies will bite each other until one squeals in pain and stops playing their biting game, which would tell the other puppy that the bite did hurt and if that pup continues on like that, nobody will play with him anymore. This is essential as the pup will carry this learned lesson to adulthood, having gauged on how hard his jaw can bite to hurt or not to hurt someone else is a very good thing for the dog, other dogs and their humans.

Lexie and Nala are at it again

Play-biting may also be the reason why a puppy will bite on your table legs, chairs and most of your furniture, especially if the pup doesn't have someone else to play with. If your puppy starts to play-bite with you, don't push him or her off, just react in a productive way whenever his bite becomes painful by turning away from the pup and giving a high pitched squeal to indicate pain and make the pup learn its lesson. Taking your finger away and giving affection at the same time would only make them think you weren't hurt at all and that the bite the pup just gave was okay. 

these pups are full of energy and could play the whole day

If you have a dog in the house, introducing a new puppy could actually initiate play-biting between the two (which is good). Don't try to stop them even if it gets a little rough, that is ofcourse you have complete confidence that your dog will not hurt the puppy. Remember, settle the issue with you and your dog/pup by yourself, be dominant -- but let the other dogs settle their issues by themselves, this will create for a natural hierarchy in your pack without any confusion.

Chuck gets in the fray, pinning Nala to the count of 3

I read a story about this very docile adult dog who's never shown any aggression in all his life, but one day while this child was playing with the dog, he was accidentally hurt and bit the child as a reaction. The puncture wounds would indicate that the dog didn't actually know how to control his jaws and that could probably indicate the dog's lack of play-biting when he was still a puppy.

Remember that playful pups, play-biting or no biting at all, does not lead to aggressive dogs. It always depends on the owner.

Domino Black Kennel

It's official! We are now Domino Black Kennel. 

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We just received our papers from the Philippine Canine Club, Inc. (PCCI) which includes my PCCI Associate Member's ID (my photo sucks!) and the transfer papers of Lucas and Chuck Bass.

Labsatian's He's D One (Lucas)

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Nate of Yellow Knight (Chuck Bass)

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And to answer your question -- No, we are not planning to go get more dogs for breeding purposes, nor will we be concentrating on breeding or selling dogs.  We just had to transfer our dog's papers to my name and that requires us getting a PCCI membership and a Kennel name. We are purely against puppy mills and irresponsible breeders.

Anyways, we're still waiting for Beka's papers and will have it transfered to us as soon as we get it. Lexie Grey and Nala aren't registered pups, but it really doesn't matter, they're part of our pack no matter what.

Home Coming

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We arrived home yesterday afternoon from Cavite City. Coming home with us are Lexie and Nala. Lexie Grey is a two-month old female American Pitbull Terrier, while Nala is a three-month old female yellow Labrador Retriever. Nala will be staying with us until June just to make sure she gets her necessary vaccines and rabies shots before she leaves and stays with our mother for good. 

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Nala was shy at first (the whole afternoon actually). She wasn't mingling with the others that much and she was obviously nervous (infact, she didn't eat that night). She was just beside Ivy most of the time, sitting down by her feet or getting herself wet, just like her daddy.

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Lexie became a member of the pack right from the moment she walked out of the vari-kennel to greet the other dogs. She is what we would call a people-person, or in their case, a dog-dog. She didn't hesitate to start play-biting (being the pup that she is) with Chuck and Beka -- even Lucas.  She was running, jumping and playing non stop.

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The dogs were great together, we didn't have a lot of trouble except for maybe Nala's wound on her tongue and Chuck's hormones. hahaha! It's going to be fun!

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Spa Session

April 19, 2009 -- Today is THE day for Lucas.  For the first time in 3 years, he is going to a spa.  Well, it's the usual wash and brush, ear cleaning, nail cutting, teeth brushing thing -- the usual for most dogs at least, but not for Lucas.  One thing you should know about labrador retrievers is that it is recommended to give them a bath only twice a year. Their coat produces natural oils which frequent bathing will wash away, reducing the waterproofing and shine of their coat. We're making an exception this time, it's time to give Lucas a day he will remember.

I took him to the dog spa at around 9:00 in the morning.  I left knowing he'll be in good hands and will be coming back for him once i get a text that he's done.  So during the wait, i had a short photo session with the beagles, Chuck and Beka.

Okay, who has the longer tongue!?

At around 2:00 in the afternoon, i pickup up Lucas and brought him back home.  I couldn't believe the shine his coat had after the spa. They somehow brushed off all his loose hair (which we couldn't) which is all good.  Ofcourse, vintage Lucas, once he was off and running in the yard, the first thing he did was -- mark.

And to top off Lucas Day, we gave him a nice pool to cool down in and get himself wet.  He loves it.

I wonder when the next Spa Session will be?

Tug-O'War with Mr. Rope

Chuck Bass and Lucas -- and Mr. Rope, playing a good ol' fashion Tug-O'War one lazy afternoon.

It seems like Lucas has the size advantage...

uh-oh, Chuck seems to have gotten the upper hand in this contest...

Lucas seems to be using all his powers...

The final tug...

And the winner is...

Chuck Bass doesn't seem to want to let go of Mr. Rope...

It's the TONGUE!!!

Here is Chuck doing a pitbull.