He Licks Us for Us

We had our first camping adventure of 2011 over Memorial Day weekend. There is so much to recount about the trip that I will break things out into at least two posts. 

"Is this your idea of fun?"

The car was packed to the max which meant Niko's usual sprawl on the entire backseat was reduced to 1/4 of it.


Remember the life vest we bought Niko a few months ago? It was finally time to test the waters, pardon the pun. The week before, we brought out the vest and did some clicker training with Niko and the vest. Every time he approached the vest, we clicked the clicker (a training device) and gave him a treat. He quickly learned that good things happen when he touched the vest with his nose or paws it. We also put the vest on him for practice runs. He didn't mind wearing it as much after a few times.

Hmmm...

At the Thousand Islands, NY, we stayed at a waterfront campsite and brought our kayaks. We put the life vest on him and he was a little hesitant to get off his butt. We walked him around with it on and let him lounge in it.



It was funny seeing Niko in the life vest because it created rolls around his neck, making him appear to be a chubby Shiba.

We eventually put him in the kayak. Ed slowly paddled out while holding on to Niko. He relaxed a little as they floated 
away. However, when they approach shore again, Niko got anxious and made attempts to put his paws up, ready to jump ship. Unlike last year, Niko did not escape and jump into the water. If he were to jump, I was hoping he wouldn't swim away from our campsite, because across the bay in the distance was Canadian land. (Niko didn't apply for his passport yet)


We were able to do 2 trial runs with Niko. Our goal is to teach him that staying in the kayak = not getting wet. And not getting wet is Niko's only wish. We feel that this was a good start and will try to phase him into a kayak rider soon enough!

(paws on paddle ready for action or to jump?)

So, "what's with the title of this post?" you ask. Niko has an obsession with licking things dry. Mostly himself and us. Typically, if my hand or face were wet and I reach towards him, he would lick me dry. I often do it on purpose. After baths, he compulsively dries himself. What's interesting is that every time we came back from kayaking without him, he ran toward us and proceeded to sniff and then lick our wet feet and legs for several minutes.  It feels nice and we think it's funny and weird all at the same time. This habit is probably related to his aversion to water and feeling the need to make it go away. That, or he was just very thirsty.

Water Safety: Sink or Swim

Anyone who knows Niko knows that water is not his favorite element. During Niko's first summer, when we introduced him to the kayak, he did okay. We didn't let him touch the water; we just put him in the kayak and rowed away. He was very curious because he sniffed and looked around.

Four Months Old

Fast forward to his second summer (last year), we did the same thing. This time, Niko jumped ship! It gave us quite a scare but to our surprise, he swam to shore very quickly. We learned that he can swim.

1 Year Old

But, we're not going to take our chances. We are contemplating doing a camping trip where we have to kayak and hike to our camp site this summer. In preparation, we bought Niko a life vest. We are months away from camping season, but we want to be sure he's ready :)

To his confusion, we put the vest on him at home. Of course, he's not a fan. We plan to do this every so often so he gets used to wearing it. He doesn't know it, but it's for his own good. He loves the outdoors and this is one sacrifice he'll have to make.

We have seen little backpacks for dogs to carry on their backs. Maybe Niko will have to pull his own weight on the camping/hiking trip by carrying his food and water. Just kidding, we won't do that unless he balloons up to the size of a husky by summertime. 

"Ugh, I look like a banana"

Labor Day Weekend

It was time for Niko's 2nd camping trip. This time to a place farther away - The Thousand Islands (a 3 hr drive). It was a beautiful weekend with lots of sunshine.  Our campsite was right by the shore and full of shade and rocks for Niko to rest and climb.  He found a spot on a rock that had a great vantage point. He was able to watch us, watch our neighboring campers, and also watch boats in the water and birds in the sky.


Some things Niko did that were new this time:
1) Spent a few minutes in the kayak in the water (he did a nice balancing act)

2) Went on a boat (short cruise to Boldt Island) 

3) Wake up to a beautiful sunrise on waterfront (he would peek out of the tent to observe activity out in the water)

4) Went on castle grounds on Boldt Island. Perhaps he was in search of his princess?

Niko once again received a ton of attention from strangers.  When we toured the island, we overheard comments on how cute he is.  Many came up to us and asked to pet him.  Niko wagged his tail every time he met someone who was interested.  We met a few people who know about the Shiba Inu breed and even met a couple who owns a 1.5 yr old Shiba. They even showed us pictures of their Shiba and told us about him. 

One lady asked if Niko was part fox.  One family took pictures of Niko with their kids, who were enamored with him.  We felt like we were escorting a celebrity.

I noticed how attentive Niko is to other creatures.  I saw him follow and pounce on ants several times.  He followed the crayfish bait that was at the end of my fishing pole.  He also loved watching birds fly in the sky.  He would first notice a bird's sound and his eyes would go to where his ears tell him to. After that, his head moves from left to right as the bird flies around, it's adorable. Added to his list of hobbies is now birdwatching.  

Unfortunately, there was no grass on the site for Niko to rest on like last time.  He got very dirty quick from rolling in the dirt. Once we got home, we had to give him a bath.  He is becoming stronger and more resistant to baths.  It is a very challenging and ear piercing experience to us humans!  He hates baths -