Could she be..... (guessing the breed)

So, I did some research the other day, and saw a picture of a dog which reminded me far to much of a little furry girl I know. So, I pulled up a few links about the breed. I started off with the basic article on Akitas: Akita (Wiki).

Some of the temperament notes sounded familiar as well as the whole "fastidious and somewhat feline in their grooming nature" thing.

Then I saw a dog on the Wiki which looked VERY familiar. It was called a Japanese Akita, so again, the research began, and I found the Japanese Akita Club of America.

I read about the Japanese Akita Breed Standards and then read about the differences between Japanese and American Akitas:  Akita (Japanese vs American)   Comparing the American & Japanese Akitas.

Top 3, Japanese Akitas. Bottom Left, Japanese Akita. Bottom middle is a golden retriever Japanese Akita mix.
Finally, Bottom right is a cream colored golden retriever.

 Finally I double checked the breeds who are known for having a spotted tongue, and what did I find? That both Golden Retrievers and Akitas are known to have spotted tongues: Dogs with spotted or blue tongues.

And here is the final Analysis.
Left: Japanese Akita, Middle: Leia, and Right: Golden Retriever.

Leia's 1 Year Adoption Anniversary and 3rd Birthday

 Well, can you believe it has been a year already? One year ago today Leia came home and stepped tentatively in to our apartment.

Since then she has gained some confidence and become affectionate to us. She talks a bit now and will try to call me across the room to pet her belly. She now knows how to sit, lay down, give paw, give other paw, and "pound it."

We celebrated  by taking 3 good walks today, one in the morning, first thing, another a lunch and one right before dinner. Leia found ducks hiding in a bush and was so proud of herself, but didn't bark or try to scare them away. The ducks were startled but seem to understand she wont harm them (Lucky Ducks!).

Bellow are some pictures from her walks.

















After Lunch Leia opened her Birthday card from my mom and discovered she got a gift card to PetsMart which will likely fund her green Dentastix habit. We made a cute video of Leia and I opening the card together.

Then, after dinner Leia got to have a "Frosty Paws" frozen treat. OH MAN did she love that. She did, of course, refuse to keep it in her food bowl and instead smeared in across the carpet but who cares, it's her birthday, she's allowed.

When she thought I might take it (because I was putting the bowl under her mouth to catch the ice cream) she tried to scarf it down so I just left her alone so she could enjoy it.

Then, she crashed like a ton of bricks, and Tom and I enjoyed the lemon cake I made earlier in the day. Notice who is out cold in the background. We believe this is her third birthday, and her first anniversary with us.

Next week she'll see the vet for her yearly exam and then later in the summer she'll get to experience the beach, possibly for the first time in her life. We'll be moving back to Virginia before her 4th birthday and 2nd anniversary with us and will adjust to a new home. She'll have to make new friends, as her Buddies Chief and Ellie Mae won't be able to come with us... She'll see a lot more of Mr. Henry and our families as well.

I am so excited for her. . .  

Happy Birthday sweet baby girl. 

Mommy Loves you!

Today, I listened to my dog.

Concerned at the wind.

As I walked Leia tonight I found my  mind preoccupied with how she always seems to get fearful when another dog sniffs her. most recently, she whirled around growling (like she was prepared to fight, but didn't want to) and then, when corrected, went as far away as possible and sat down. I was so concerned she might become dog aggressive that for two days I had been plotting and planning all sorts of ways to socialize and get her used to dogs and increase her responsiveness to commands outside the apartment. As I walked alongside the lake, the wind blew, briefly distracting me from my thoughts as Leia trailed along beside me. The she stopped suddenly and gazed up at the tree tops. The palms moved in the breeze and she stared, panting, at the trees. The next thing she did struck me so profoundly I decided to write this post about it... Leia flinched.

Sniffing everything.

It was so profound to me, in that moment, that I don't think a truck driving out of the lake could have created such a change in my thinking. Leia was scared. She was SCARED. Anxious, unsure, whatever you want to call it, she wasn't confident.

Inside the house she plays, bounces, spins, wags, can sit/give paw/lie down/etc on command, and loves just about everything, but outside the wind (The WIND!) stopped her in her tracks. I stood there, looking at my dog with new eyes and then walked her to the bench beside the lake, and sat down. We sat for about 15 minutes and she walked around on her 5' leash, sniffing and sniffing, looking at the trees, the wind, the lake, me, people, the pool, everything. The we walked alongside the lake, in the grass, and let her look into the lake. I showed her the fish and tossed them flower blossoms to make them kiss the surface. Leia was stunned, and a bit nervous. It was one of her first times meeting the fish. She almost fell in the lake for all the exploring. Then we continued our walk. Occasionally we would pause and practice sitting, giving a paw, "pound it," etc to work on concentration and it took a lot of patience on my part as this brand new world she was in was very distracting.

Looking at the water and fish.

At one point a palm branch smacked the side of a building causing her to jump and spin toward the sound as if she had been shot. It wasn't a quiet sound but a car door shutting is louder. Yet again the understanding sunk in, if the sound of a tree scares her, no wonder she growled at the dog! Was it ok? Well, maybe, after all she was essentially saying "You scare me! Get away!"   What was worse was that I, unknowingly set her up. She wants to meet other dogs, but then gets anxious. I need to slow down the meet. Maybe start by walking them past each other at a distance, then closing the distance until they walk alongside each other and then eventually do the introduction, but just walking up isn't working yet.

A Hopeful Looking Sunset

As we returned from the walk the new plan solidified: Build Confidence.  She likes people, meet people. Be outside more. Get comfortable out there. We don't have a yard but maybe on cooler days I can let her chill on the tennis court and watch the world, or make a long leash and sit by the lake and just let her adventure. We can take big walks to new parts of the neighborhood and maybe walk through the mall until she isn't so scared. We'll work on basic training both inside AND outside so she knows she needs to listen to me in both places, and have to security to be able to focus. We're going to work on recall and waiting to build patience and responsiveness. I am still expanding the plan, and it wont be easy, but she is so worth it, and I only want the best for her... We'll go slow, so as not to overwhelm her, but at the same time we'll keep moving forward so we don't stall. Hopefully Leia will come to love this new order.