# Kato - First Night



## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

After a long wait we picked up Kato at the airport last night. He was eager to get out of his crate after the long travel day. After a little exercise and checking him out, I put him back into the crate for the ride home. He slept the whole way home. 
Once home, he was happy to finally get fed and then checked out the backyard and the house. After giving his approval he hung out with us calmly in the family room watching tv which made a good impression  
He is getting along great with my wife which I was a little worried about.

He carried on a bit when I put him in his crate for the night but not too bad and he slept through the night until about 5:30am when he wanted out. So we went out and I took him for a walk. He doesnt pull the leash but he trips me up a lot. We'll have to work on that. Its VERY hot and humid here so we are both content in the AC for now. 

We need to work on going up/down the basement stairs too. They are 'open' and he does not want to tackle them. Other than that he seems pretty easy going and we are getting along pretty well/starting to bond.

BTW, after a lot of discussion with the breeder we decided that Kato was a better fit for us than Kevo. He is 4 months old.
Here are a couple of lousy pics for now. I have to reinstall lightroom and photoshop and then I'll get some more.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Kato is one handsome boy! :wub:

Congrats to you!


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## dogless (Jan 7, 2005)

Gorgeous boy!! And I love that name too. 

This brings back memories of picking up my puppy at the airport 6 years ago. Boy was I excited. Then we found out the airline sent her on the wrong plane and we had to wait a few more hours for them to send her back. We didn't get her till about 1:00 in the morning but I was still wide awake with excitement. Nothing like getting a special delivery of a new puppy :wub:


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Very, very handsome boy! Congrats!


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## billsharp (May 3, 2011)

What a great looking dog! Rescue?


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

billsharp said:


> What a great looking dog! Rescue?


Thanks. Not quite a rescue, no, LOL. Kato is out of Ozzy Barnero x Uny Milvel. He is 4 months old. The litter was held back so that hips could be checked.


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

dogless said:


> Gorgeous boy!! And I love that name too.
> 
> This brings back memories of picking up my puppy at the airport 6 years ago. Boy was I excited. Then we found out the airline sent her on the wrong plane and we had to wait a few more hours for them to send her back. We didn't get her till about 1:00 in the morning but I was still wide awake with excitement. Nothing like getting a special delivery of a new puppy :wub:


Thanks.

Yeah we were pretty excited. Got there early. The cargo guy says, "you need to go and come back!" Then the plane was a little late and of course they took their sweet time getting him to the cargo place. 
There were 4 dogs on the flight. The only one making noise was Kato! He wanted out.


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## Hillary_Plog (Apr 3, 2011)

So cute! Have fun!


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

thanks everyone. He is a real trip so far.


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## DanielleOttoMom (May 11, 2010)

Kato is a hunk!! What a cutie pie!!  Congratz on the new pup.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

:congratulations: Kato is a very handsome boy!


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

Thanks to everyone.

The second night was just a little tougher. He cried for quite a while but eventually slept through until 6am. He is sticking to me like glue. Its hard to get away from him long enough even to go to the bathroom! 
I stuck him out in the kennel this morning and he has been howling like crazy. I'm going to give him a little while out there though. He needs to get used to it and to being alone once in a while. Hope the neighbors do not complain!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

he's gorgeous! CONGRATS! and get used to not going to the bathroom by yourself anymore


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## Mom2Shaman (Jun 17, 2011)

NICE looking dog! I haven't been to the bathroom alone since 2002. Often, two dogs and a cat or two!


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

Gorgeous pup! Congrats!


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

thanks again.
Night 3 was a success! He went into his crate and slept all night without a sound. Slept until 7am! YES!


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## Micky (Jan 1, 2011)

awesome pup congratz and a wish for a happy life together


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

1 >>>> why were you worried about your pup
getting along with your wife???

2 >>>> as my pup was learning to walk
steps i use to go places so my pup could
walk on different types of steps.



TechieDog said:


> 1 >>>> He is getting along great with my wife which I was a little worried about.
> 
> 2 >>>> We need to work on going up/down the basement stairs too. They are 'open' and he does not want to tackle them. Other than that he seems pretty easy going and we are getting along pretty well/starting to bond.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

He's gorgeous! Sounds like he's making himself right at home


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

Yeah he is making himself right at home...like he owns the place.



doggiedad said:


> 1 >>>> why were you worried about your pup
> getting along with your wife???
> 
> 2 >>>> as my pup was learning to walk
> ...


My wife was not really excited about getting another dog. She isn't a huge animal person and really doesn't put up with obnoxious dogs and since puppies can be pretty obnoxious, I was a little worried. But by the time he came she was excited to get him and they have bonded better than I could have hoped for. He really adores her and she has welcomed him into the family. She isn't even complaining about the dog smell.
He has been so good though. I think that has helped a lot.

The basement steps have been a challenge. They are open. He can be coaxed up the first few but then he freezes. Literally won't move, ears back, stressed, won't accept food (and he is highly food motivated). My wife coaxes him from the top and I am on the steps with him. I have to help him up the next few and then he will cruise through the last few. It took 30 minutes to get him all the way up! Is pretty excited once he makes it up! He won't even consider going down.
Other steps have not been an issue.


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

My husband is not an animal person either. Poor guy, we have ponies, cats, dogs, guniea pigs. lol. He tries to ignore them.

But, this last puppy I really wanted him to learn how much fun dogs are. I have really made sure to include hubby..having him attend training..we all three go places together, hiking, farmer markets, etc. 

NOw, I come to bed and find Tim with his head on my pillow getting a belly rub from my husband! Hope your wife comes to love Kato!


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

Oh she loves him! ...even if she won't admit it. I've never seen her this interested in a dog before. All of our other dogs she liked but was never as interactive with it as she is with Kato.

Here are a few pics my daughter took from the airport. Its hard to believe a week has gone by.


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

BTW, one of the reasons my wife was not that crazy about getting this dog is that she had a bad history with GSD's. When she was a little girl she used to ride her bike to her friends house and along the way there were a couple of GSD's that used to chase her and bit her several times. Ever since then she disliked the breed. SO it took some convincing before this was even OK'ed. So it is really great that he is working out so well.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

I've read every post on this thread and LOVE it, it's like reading an awesome book!! I'm so happy for you!! He is SO HANDSOME!!! Keep an eye on him, if he goes missing, he is SURELY not at my house!!  :wub:


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

TechieDog said:


> We need to work on going up/down the basement stairs too. They are 'open' and he does not want to tackle them.


Enjoy having a natural puppy-free zone while you can, at least you know the basement will be safe for a while. 

We have an spiral staircase to the basement, it's very tight and very steep and the steps are open--no way, no how, will my puppy go down those steps. Personally, I don't see that there's a need for her to go down to the basement anyway, so I haven't worried about it. We've done some encouragement with food and toys but she will stop at the second step and absolutely refuse to go further. My older dog did the same thing when we first moved here. She was intently curious about the basement but afraid to go down the steps. Finally one day I walked her down and she screamed in protest the first time--then once she figured it out, she would run up and down the spiral staircase like it was the funnest thing EVER.  

I don't think I will teach the puppy to go down the steps. We'll see if she figures it out on her own--if not, it simply means I have a natural puppy-free zone, which the cats will appreciate.


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

The upstairs (bedrooms) is our dog free zone. He seems content with that and I prefer it that way too. 
We had a few sessions on the basement steps but so far he really does not want to deal with them and I don't want to push him too much. It would make my life a little easier if he could go up and down those stairs though. For now we'll go all the way around the house and through the garage each time we need to go up/down to/from the basement or garage.
I'm intent on taking my time with this dog. Not going to push him too fast on anything and we have plenty to work on for now without pressuring him to do those steps.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

Wow 4 months old he looks nice and healthy and think already in the pics...my poor little rescue girl is 4 months too and skinny as a bag of bones...she def looks much better after her 4 feedings of raw the last 2 days since we got her! 

Handsome man he is!!! Enjoy


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

I can't believe it has been two weeks already. Kato turns 5 months old today and he weighs 55lbs. He seems to be getting bolder and pushing the boundaries a little more each day. But he has been absolutely great, we are really enjoying him.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

Awww, So he stole your heart, just like that!! :wub: Hehe!!


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

WarrantsWifey said:


> Awww, So he stole your heart, just like that!! :wub: Hehe!!


LOL, and my wifes too which is frankly unbelievable.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

what a handsome dog that is -- 
stairs -- instead of making an issue of it coaxing and bribing , put the dog on a leash and walk up those stairs. If the dog freezes, keep on going apply gentle pressure till the dog takes the next step. After one or two of these difficult steps the dog processes , what the heck , he's doing it , I did it, there was no harm. Lead by example. In your scenario everyone was frozen on the steps. The dog. You bribing it. Keep the motion going. First encounters on steps are different because the dog tends to put his head through the openings. That is why you use the leash . You point the nose up and forward and the dog can only follow his nose.

Carmen


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

Thanks Carmen. 
I tried leading with the leash but he started pulling back pretty defiantly and I did not want to drag him up or make a conflict out of it at the time (first couple of days).
We went back to the steps the other day and he is doing much better now. No more of the long freezes where he is stressed and he is attempting to go up. He still has a hard time with a couple of them but once he is past those he cruises right up. I'm sure he will have UP mastered shortly. Then we can work on going down!


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## DaveWallerCB (Jul 26, 2011)

Congrats! He 's a very handsome dog.


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## Freddy (Apr 23, 2009)

Glad to hear he's settling in well, David. 55 pounds already, he's going to be a big boy. At 2 yrs 5 months, Tango is a very lean 74 pounds. He could probably carry a few more but I like him lean and he moves like a panther. 

When we were doing the steps I held a whole hotdog between my thumb and index finger, and let him nibble it all the way up 17 stairs. He was on lead but he was so into the food he totally forgot about the stairs. At the top I threw a couple pieces down and he shot down to get them. Another thing I liked doing was getting him on some different surfaces, like the sway bridge on playground equipment when it was not being used. I am in the middle of a deck building project (I know, I can't believe it's taking so long) and I literally have all the tools and lumber in the basement due to rain. I climb over the mess and try to make it as hard as possible to get to me but Tango has been climbing over lumber, jumping over chop saws, etc. We've also explored the concrete room under the garage, which is pitch black. I hide things in there and we go with a flashlight and search. It's amazing to watch that drive kick in. 

You're going to have a lot of fun with him!


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

uggh wrote a long response but hit a key and lost it!

Kato has pretty much mastered going up those steps now. But he refuses to go down them regardless of what I use to coax him. He gets quite vocal about it too! We'll keep working on them.
He's still pretty uncoordinated. I think he has a lot of growing to do before he can carry his feet around properly.

He is not phased at all by different surfaces or noises and charges fearlessly through the brush and into the woods after a stick or kong. He is pretty good at searching things out too. 

He pretty much respects our stuff too but once in a while he needs a reminder. He doesn't like to be scolded at all though and pouts afterward. Luckily it doesn't happen much. 

He seems to seek out cement for some reason. He'll dig pieces up from around fence posts and eat it! There was an old bag thrown behind the shed in the backyard and he found that and tried to eat it too. I'm not sure what the attraction is but he is drawn to it. He knows not to touch it now though and I think he has stopped trying to sneak it. 

He's a lot of fun. Just wish the heat would break so we could do more.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

TechieDog said:


> Yeah he is making himself right at home...like he owns the place.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

i know i'm getting to this thread late, but for the stairs, Zena was terrified of our apartment stairs because they were open between. We adopted her when she was about 4 years old. She would get this terrified look on her face as she stared between the steps like they were going to eat her. After a few weeks of positive coaxing and dragging out of desperation and eventually carrying her up the stairs when she weighed 80lbs.... she FINALLY got to be okay with the stairs. Just LOTS of positive encouragement and praise when she reached each landing. We lived on the 3rd floor. . . It'll happen.


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## Management (Aug 1, 2011)

really cool. happy for you guys. Capone is coming up on 4months after getting him at 7 weeks and it's just crazy how quickly is goes by.


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

Kato Update:
Kato turned 7 months on Wednesday. His growth rate has slowed way down now and he weighs 74lbs which was pretty much the same as he weighed a while back. He is getting longer and looking thinner though. Still seems small to me. I'm increasing his food just a little because he has become more active and looks a bit thin. His drive is increasing noticably too and it takes a lot more to tire him out.

We had a Vet appointment yesterday and he was great. They loved him. They told me that most shepherds pups that come in are very scared and standoffish. Kato was not at all. I think he was expecting to work or something. He was a bit jacked up. The vet said everything was great...he does look a little thin but thats par for the course.

Also, we are going through a nosework course (just for the heck of it) with a very experienced SAR person. She has shepherds and really likes Kato so it is working out well and Kato likes it -does well.
I'm still looking for a group to train with. We've visited a few groups and investigated some other options but I want to check out a couple of other things before deciding on which to join. Hope to resolve that soon as I'd like to do more with him. For now I am working him on my own, pretty much daily, obedience.


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

Kato Update2:
After writing the last update this morning, it started to bother me that he hadn't gained any weight over the last several weeks. So I took a stool sample down to the vet and sure enough, positive for Giardia . He'll start the meds tonight.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

It will be interesting following Kato on the forum; I thought that litter looked interesting indeed...I knew she had been holding the males back for further evaluation as it was a major breeding for her.

Sounds like a big boy though!


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

Thanks Nancy. Kato has been awesome, really. There have been a couple of minor quarks but I am really enjoying him.
Your new pup looks fantastic btw. Did you ever do that gravel?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

LOL not yet and now it is getting to be too cool for the urethane to set....just been too busy.....thanks for the compliment.


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## TechieDog (Jan 13, 2011)

Well if you can wait then I'd suggest waiting to see how mine survives through the winter. If it comes through that ok then I'd say its a success.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Sounds like a plan. We will probably put down gravel but put fence under it for digging and do the urethane later if we decide on it.....as long as we rinse and dry it we should be fine though gravel can get pretty dirty. .......... Oh, yes Kato is one handsome dog!


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