People ask me if I can recognize every dog of mine. That’s really a weird question. Whoever has fifteen friends knows that it’s perfectly clear who is who, not only by looks and names but also by their personalities. So, let me tell me about some of my friends in the Yabasta pack!
Let’s start with Gantu. Now Gantu has always been acting like an old and wise dog, even when he was a small pup. And he IS wise. He is very intelligent and has a high emotional quotient, I mean he easily reads other dogs and situations in the pack. Gantu is the one helping me out if there are arguments between dogs in the pack, because he also is very good at reading me. He simply goes where I want and interrupts whatever situation is going on. But Gantu is also a very playful and happy male who loves his toys and can play with it for hours!
Trooper is totally the clown of the Yabasta pack. His body are constantly moving, mostly forwards and/or upwards and is like a magnet to human faces. Whatever Trooper does, he puts all his effort into it. He is really a funny guy to spend time with, even though it’s useless trying to have some kind of deeper connection with him. He wants things to go fast. Always. Trooper could have been a really stressed dog, but he also has the ability to rest. After a while, at least.
Kite is like a pizza with extra everything on it. She over-communicates in every situation and has a very easy-to-read body langugage. I believe that very special way of the Yabasta Accelerating-litter might come from their upbringing, not spending all the time with their mother who was in bad shape for a while after giving birth. Kite loves people and will crawl onto the lap of just anyone who wants to cuddle her. You can carry her around like a bag of beans and I actually call her “the ragdoll dog”.
If you didn’t already know it, the Yabasta pack has its own Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Maybe not considering fotball skills but definitely when it comes to self confidence. Sauron is the kindest and most loving dog who really knows the art of charm both people and dogs around him. He acts like he is perfectly aware that everyone wants to cuddle and/or flirt with him – no matter sex, purpose, breed nor species.
Who will get the ball? This is one exercise I regulary do with my dogs for them to learn not to fight for toys as well as for my attention. I say one of the dogs’ names and that particular dog will get the toy. Same thing works just fine with candy, most important thing is that every dog will get something eventually. I am also very selective and give my attention only to the dog who shows a good behaviour at the moment. That encourages the dogs to behave well and feel safe together with me as well as among the other dogs.
Sonic is not particularly interested in the other dogs in the pack. She likes to work and she really loves spending time with humans. Other than that, she keeps a low profile except when it’s necessary to educate youngsters in the art of respecting the elder. In the vlog that I posted the other day, you can see how she puts effort into teaching them about “finders, keepers”.
My is really the queen of f****ng everything. She is experienced in every way and has a high integrity towards humans. But she is also a very patient and caring mother, especially when it comes to her daughters. My can really enjoy a nasty bone and is very clear (and loud) whenever she decides there is something she really craves. My is also patient with the other dogs but if they cross a certain line even My can have enough of it.
Bolt is the guy always following me around whatever I do. He is very curious and very fond of people. Too fond sometimes, I am consistently working on his impulse to grab human hands when he is excited. But Bolt is smart and easy to learn so he already came a long way with this not-very-socially-accepted behaviour. Attention and cuddles are the best things in Bolts life so far, but that might just change when he gets to try the harness on..
Karma.. This small and very intense lady has now come a long way finding herself in the pack. It took her a lot of time, though. She has had a hard time trusting other dogs and her insecurity combined with an edge in temper has not been the optimal foundation to build on. During the moving, Karma got to live indoors with me for quite some time and suddenly one day, the pieces started to fall into place.
When introducing a new dog in an established pack, it’s highly important that (s)he connects with someone else. From that relation it’s then possible to build further on trusting the rest of the dogs through the acts of his/her mentor. For Karma, I became the mentor and she now knows that whenever she feels insecure, she can come to me and be safe. Actually the hug on the photo is one of my ways calming her, it’s called “wrapping” and is something I learned during a Ttouch workshop!
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Today is six week since Raven and Nitro mated and now is really time to start counting the days until the puppies are born! These last three weeks we will enter the heavy part of the pregnancy. Nitro is put on proper mother and babydog food and is now doing her basic workout with no weights on. I’m so happy joining Nitro on this journey!
