Fist Pound

Forget the too common "handshake" trick.  Our latest trick with Niko is the "fist pound."  It was the easiest trick to teach Niko. He's very dexterous with his paws. I held my fist out when he was sitting and he raised his left paw to touch mine. I don't even have to add a cue word. It's fun to say "fist pound" to him though.  

A Cub in the Den

For awhile now, we stopped crating Niko at night.  At first, he slept on the rug in the bedroom. Then I found a nice size doggie bed that fit perfectly in the closet. We cleared some space and Niko now sleeps in the closet! It sounds funny, to stick him in the closet. But we keep the door open and it makes sense because he's out of the way and we don't risk stepping on a shiba by accident in the dark.  

The bed in the closet makes for a nice cozy den for Niko. 

Interesting Niko fact: he doesn't like to jump on the human bed. Lots of dog owners have trouble getting their dogs off their beds. We have the opposite problem.