Shiso (AKA) Poppyseed

Jan. 16, 2008

So good to hear from you!

Meesh and I were just thinking of you guys.

Oh, man. Thanks to the 3 hour session w/ the puppy trainer last week, we're making steady progress. The pups are awesome. We're working on sit, stay, come, lay down, to start. They were immediately responsive to the commands. We really do adore them and work on training them 3x/day for short periods.

They even seem to be somewhat responding to their names (what a time that was to choose, and still I wonder if their 1st names weren't the best. Razz is now Ika, and Poppy is now Shiso. This is one of Meesh's favorite sushi combo's (Squid and Shiso Leaf). We like the culinary angle since Meesh is a chef.

I will follow with some updated photos. They are growing so much! The vet's office loves these two! They advised that we feed 3x/day but not exceed the recommended daily total. Accelerating their growth is thought to lead to hip dysplasia.

They have soiled everything of value inside, so we spend a lot of time outdoors and they now sleep/nap indoors inside a big crate. Pee pads were only mildly successful and then become chew toys. We have been able to direct their potty activities increasingly to a particular area of the yard too.

The love to dig, annihilate plants, and beat up on each other. Ika fetches really well and sometimes gets distracted as he loves to taunt his sister with his fetched object. They nip a bit, but I m guessing that that s puppy stuff as much as it might be shepherd stuff?

They do not look like they're of the same litter.

Shiso is thicker through the body, has twice as thick a tail, longer/courser/wavy hair on her back, a shorter nose, broader head, softer ears and head fur. She sways her hips, still smiles a lot, and is a jumper. Thinking that she may do well with Frisbees? A really sweet looking devilish girl. Vet thinks she's double jointed.

Ika is toughening up a bit now. He was really "yelpy" for a while. They have both found their voices, and he barks at his sister as she'll dominate a singular chew toy even though his are well w/in reach. They are both held at the door by our cat, and are all curious about each other. Cat rules this roost though. Ika's ears are standing up and dropping forward at the tips, really cute! Such a handsome pup. He is a bit faster than his sister.

I'm sure there's more to tell...heck we are the proud of the best dogs ever!

Picts to ya soon!

Thanks for writing!

Be well - John