And there is....

Kiyo is pregnant with 3 puppies!!!!! X-ray confirmed the ultrasound 5 weeks earlier. But there could be a possible 4th puppy that we can't see, so when it comes to the day, I'll keep an eye for a 4th pup. But for now, I'm so excited for 3 puppies. (^o^) Today is 8 weeks exactly into here pregnancy, so any day now she can begin whelping!!!! Wish mama Kiyo luck. By the way the website to view Kiyo and the pups after they are born is http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kiyo-s-first-litter-of-puppies


6/25 Update:  Sorry, gave you the wrong website. My boyfriend was testing one out for himself and made that channel.  Here's the correct link.  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kiyomi-puppy-cam
No puppies yet....

Just a Heads Up!!!

Kiyo is 54 days into her pregnancy!!!!!!  I'll be taking her into work with me today to have a puppy count x-ray done!!  So excited!!!  I'll be taking a picture of the x-ray since we don't have a digital x-ray.  So keep an eye out for the next post!!!!

Dog Show Fun and Lessons

Well have a little break from everything today, so might as well do a much needed post.  ^-^  I've been on and off with work and dog shows during the weekends, and school work in between everything.  Today I'm preparing to leave for LA tonight for the Beikoku Shiba Inu Aikokai(BSA) show tomorrow!  I'm so excited to be going this year!  Sadly though I won't be able to show Kiyo in this show because she is not a NIPPO registered dog.  She will just be coming for the exposure.  On the up side, I might be showing a Shiba for a breeder that has a couple of Shiba entered in the show!  I've never been or practice in this type of handling, but I'll do my best.  I've been watching a lot of videos and articles on how to handle the dog in a NIPPO show.  Hopefully this will help me.  My boyfriend and I will be taking pictures, so I'll post them up when I get back(and after class.... -_-;).

Well we've gone to quiet a few shows that have been in the area and to Indio dog show where I meet up with Kiyo's breeder.  That went well.  I had fun showing Kiyo, but the atmosphere there with all the other breeder/handlers was uncomfortable to me.  They kind of kept to themselves a bit and only talked to those they knew well.  They just seemed like they were out for themselves.

Kiyo's breeder did help me out with Kiyo about how she grooms her Shiba, and mention that Kiyo needed some weight.  I did notice that she was a little under but not too much.  Well a month and a half after the show, Kiyo had lost 2lbs and had been vomiting and had diarrhea.  Well it turns out that the grooming products that the breed used and recommended me to use(which I did and followed direction) had been causing it.  Kiyo would groomer herself and would be taking in the grooming products that way.  My vet and I help Kiyo get back to normal and I have made changes to her feeding regiment after suggested by the owner of Kiyo's sire.  I'll go more into details about that later.  So now I'm trying to decided to continue using it in more dilute dose or go all natural with brushing and using a hair blow drier like I was doing before.  From what I've seen in pictures of NIPPO Shiba, what I've read about coat care for Shiba, and what people other then Kiyo's breeder, is to go natural.  Shiba coats have natural oils that protect the coat and give it it's look.  If you bath your Shiba too much, you will strip the coat of those oils. If I continue using the grooming product, that means I would have to bathe her after every show.  I'm going to have to do some experimenting....

Ok back to the feeding regiment, the owner of Kiyo's sire is another breeder that lives not to far from me.  She had very high quality Shiba in her kennel.  The show that we met up at, her 6mth old female took 2nd place overall in breed, and it was the pup first show to boot!  So what she told me, I really paid attention.  She suggested putting Kiyo on a raw diet and to help put extra weight is to feed her Satin Balls.  To help build her coat she suggested a recipe called Growing Hair on the Doorknob(GHDK).  Their are so many different recipes out there for Satin Balls and GHDK on the internet, that it took a while to find the right one for me to make for Kiyo.  Haven't done the GHDK, but I will post my recipe of Satin Balls later if you would like too know what I use.  It's really working for Kiyo. She's almost 17lbs now with in 2wks on this regiment!  For the raw diet Kiyo is give a chicken drumstick at night(skin, meat, and bone), and she eats it with no problem.  In the morning she gets 1 cup of dry dog food with 2 satin balls.  The breeder suggest to use Eukanuba Active Performance.   Having some trouble getting Kiyo to eat the cup of dog food though....  Picky eater she is.  Overall, she is at her best now, much more active, and she is really happy.

Here are some pictures from the shows in January and February.  You can view more on my Flickr page.  Keep in mind, Kiyo was unwell from the grooming products that made her drop in weight.  All pictures taken by Trieu Tran from Lasting Fotos.

Kiyo and I in Indio

Fresno Show

Kiyo has come along way.  She now enjoys the show and thinks the judges are fun people. LOL

Kishu Meet up and Dog Shows

On Nov. 19th, my boyfriend and I headed to the bay area to meet two Kishus and their owner.  It was pretty cold and cloudy day, but once you hit the dog park, the dogs were having a blast.  They were really sweet dogs, especially the female.  It was quite interesting watching them interacting with everyone.  Somethings reminded me of Kiyo and others were something different.  I talked to the owner about the breed and the breeder, while my lovely boyfriend took great pictures of the Kishus.

Pictures taken by Trieu Tran of Lasting Fotos

There are more pictures of the female because she was more active then the male for my boyfriend.  All and all, we learned a bit more about the Kishus that day and are considering adding one to our family.  Still up for discussion. LOL

Before that fun event, I had an appointment made for Kiyo to have her OFA done and have a health exam at work.  She was a little pill for the VD pelvis film, but we got all the xrays done without sedating her.  Dr. said her hips, elbows, and stifles look good and her heart and eyes are great too.  But I had to get Kiyo's eye certified by an opthamologist.  So thank goodness that one of the shows we went to had an opthamologist doing an eye exam clinic and certified her eyes. He said they looked perfect.  So over all I have a healthy little Shiba girl. ^-^ I was so happy to hear that from all of them.

Thankgiving weekend Kiyo and I were busy at two dog shows.  It was our first shows we've ever been in.  It was lots of fun.  I learned a lot on how the show works, then from just watching the shows.  My boyfriend came along to support us and to take pictures. ^-^  Anyways, the first show on Saturday, Kiyo and I were entered in the amateur handler class.  We were the only ones in that class..... But it was our first time so it was all right.  No pressure.  The judge was very nice and helpful, but after he was finished judging her, he said she wasn't the best.....  I know she might not, mostly because of her coat, but she's my best.  She got a blue ribbon.  Sunday was the show i was more into doing since I've been going to it for two years and my shiba breeder friend goes to that show too.  She had a front row seat and watched us compete against another female.  Much fluffier. This show we were in the open class.  And as I figured, Kiyo got second place.....  But really it wasn't her day.  She was having a reverse sneeze while I was taking her around the ring.  Anyways we watched all the Shibas in the ring and they were nice.  After the show and got hold of the pictures, I notice I was looking at each picture seeing the difference between Kiyo and I, and the other Shibas and their handlers.  There's a big difference.  I still have a lot to learn.  Kiyo and I will be practicing a little more for the January show.  ^-^ 

Here are some pictures of those shows.

"It's too early in the morning to do this mommy...."

I like this male's stack.

This male here won.  He isn't my favorite....

This male took last but he is my favorite.  Not short and stocky as the male who won.

Getting Ready For the Show!

It's almost here!!! Thanksgiving weekend is almost here and the two shows Kiyo and I are in are almost here!!! I'm starting to get nervous about it.  But I just need to keep on practicing and keep focus to get through it and trust in Kiyo on what's right.  :D

Another subject I'm nervous about is Kiyo's exam and OFA certifications.  I have a list of things that need to be check.  I need her elbows, hips, knees, eyes and heart checked out..... That's a lot for a little dog, but it must be done to make sure she is healthy and that's all I want for my little girl.  I'm just nervous about the results.  I'll post the results when they come in.

I've been in touch with a breeder for a couple of months about another nihon ken.  My boyfriend and I are looking at the Kishu Ken.  We think that its the good between dog for us.  I'm actually surprise how excited he is about the breed and getting a dog.  But it's still in the early stage.  I've been talking to the breeder to meet a Kishu in person and she's helped me get into contact with a Kishu owner that lives near me so I can meet the breed.  Right now I'm trying to figure out a day to meet them.  Once the day comes, I'll take pictures ( I hope ) and post how the day went.