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Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:34 pm
by DrewBear
…yet. I’ve a short list of names and I’m fielding ideas from family & friends for another day or two. Meanwhile, here are the first photos of puppy. He arrived in California late Thursday night (5 Dec. 2013) from Tennessee. He’ll be 9 weeks old this Tuesday and my vet gave him the "all clear". He weighed in at 11 lbs., 9.5 oz. the morning after his long flight, but I'm sure he's gained weight in the 48 hours since then. The photos were taken yesterday.

I'm using a new-to-me photo hosting site, so I'm not sure what size they feed to forums like this. I hope the photos load quickly for most of you. Let me know if they're too large and I can resize them manually.

Not sure what kind of pose this is supposed to be.
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Berserker!
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Multitasking: run full-bore and lick nose without biting tongue.
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Nap time. It's a tough job cutifying the world, but someone's gotta do it.
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Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 10:41 pm
by Constantina
Oh My! Had no idea smooth coats are every bit as adorable as Rough! I want to bite him and hug him tight. GRRRRR

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:29 am
by DrewBear
Constantina wrote:Oh My! Had no idea smooth coats are every bit as adorable as Rough! I want to bite him and hug him tight. GRRRRR
Yeah, my sis-in-law has that same reaction. She had to wait until he was well asleep before she could have a good long cuddle. I suspect like most Chows, he probably wouldn't care to be hugged too tightly or for too long. :wink:

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:38 am
by DrewBear
His name is now Thor (son of Thunder) Xiǎo xióng (Little Bear). He met his first group of non-Chow puppies in California last night and surged unhesitatingly into the crowd. He was told off a couple of times and warned off a couple of larger pups who jumped on him a bit too vigorously...normal behavior. These were all pups in the "school" he'll be starting on Jan. 4th, so they have all the proper vaccinations. He wasn't the smallest dog, but I doubt anyone there was younger. Many photo requests from folks who had never seen a smooth Chow pup. The lead trainer held him while I produced his vaccinations record (1st time visit) and jokingly said she better just keep him. She released him into the play area and followed him around for a few minutes to make sure he was ok. Later, a little 3-4 yr. old girl approached him a bit clumsily (directly from his front) and he allowed her to stroke his head and face...I was holding him at the time and ready to intervene. I wasn't expecting 20+ pups, so I was probably more nervous than he was. He didn't really get a chance to play with any pup for long before another pup distracted him in some way. Next time I'm going to arrive early so that he can meet fewer pups at the beginning. Overall I think he did well his first day in the playground.

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Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 6:01 pm
by Rory's Dad
What a beautiful pup Drew. Sounds like he is socializing perfectly. Congrats to you both, looks like he will be great ambassador for the Smooth variation.

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:27 pm
by DrewBear
Thanks, RD...and many thanks for your helpful off-list advice during the puppy hunt. A couple of folks yesterday had vague questions about the negative reputation of Chows, so hopefully we'll be good ambassadors for the entire Chow nation.

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 8:18 pm
by Rory's Dad
Send anyone with concerns my way...I am certain we can correct their opinions.

Send me an email on how you located and decided on your boy...great story given how selective you were with your wish list...really glad to hear it worked out so well. It was really a tough list...lol.

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:35 am
by DrewBear
Edit: Thor was 10 weeks old on 17 Dec. 2013. He weighed ~15 lbs.

Baby blue eyes
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Sometimes looks a bit like a miniature cougar...except for the tongue. :P
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Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2013 5:21 am
by DrewBear
Thor received his 2nd set of vaccinations on 23 Dec., a day short of 11 weeks. He weighed 16 lbs., 4 oz.
Merry Christmas!
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Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 11:09 pm
by DrewBear
Thor turned 12 weeks old on Dec. 31st. Today he weighs ~18 lbs. Here's a short video of him playing with a Shiba Inu & Basset Hound at a "puppy social": http://youtu.be/_WKzP91of3k

The Shiba could run circles around him and just about any other pup there tonight. He played most with a Vizsla who was larger and had a similar energy level...at least for 10-15 min. After that Thor started to run out of gas and turned to the Basset Hound. :) Only 6 puppies in the "rowdy" room (shy pups get a separate area) tonight, so he got to really play this time. The head trainer was very glad to see a Chow so playful.

Edit: here's more about training http://forum.chowchow.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=21086

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 1:12 am
by licorish
Hi DrewBear! Your Thor is sooo adorable! He does look like Chicco, though they're different with the ears. Chicco's ears stand up on occasion, though I haven't seen it do so frequently. Thor is so playful! And he just looks so gorgeous! He is similar to Chicco in so many ways. Glad you've directed me to your post on Thor. He's really a cute furball. :) :D

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:18 pm
by Rory's Dad
Thor looks great. He seems to be adapting rather nicely.

We have always had an issue in our house with the puppy play. The wife is concerned they will hurt each other, while i am fully on understanding the need to explore boundaries...and the lessons learned with it.

Rory and Amber both did play sessions quite well with other dogs/breeds. At home they are separated for large portions of the day and want to play whenever they are together...just not always at the same level of interaction. Still, they have learned to move on rather than argue.

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:13 am
by DrewBear
Rory's Dad wrote:We have always had an issue in our house with the puppy play. The wife is concerned they will hurt each other, while i am fully on understanding the need to explore boundaries...and the lessons learned with it.
I also had similar concerns. Those sharp puppy teeth could do some damage. But my guess is the puppy fur and loose skin helps protect most of their bodies. They also do seem to take note when one of their playmates yelps (actually a rare occurrence) and back off a bit on the nipping. Those are the lessons in communication that I want him to learn. I don't think it's quite the same coming from a human being.

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 2:57 pm
by DrewBear
Rory's Dad wrote:Thor looks great. He seems to be adapting rather nicely.
I'm hoping he continues on the current path. You wrote this on another discussion about a new baby:
Rory's Dad wrote:BTW, pup looks to be a 'back layer'. Go with that and encourage belly rubs, can help to make for a really socialized and agreeable Chow.
I'm very glad to hear this! Thor often sleeps on his back when he can lean against something. He also enjoys belly rubs.

He attended his first puppy class this morning. They went over:
• collar grab (treat, "go play")
• sit using hand signal
• bite inhibition

Plenty of play and interaction interspersed with the actual training. *knock on wood* He seems to have a good balance between confidence and "politeness" (?). He did not hesitate to approach the 2 largest pups, a German Shepherd & Siberian Husky, even though both were twice his size and were growly. He didn't back down, but did give them space to decide whether they wanted to play or not. There were plenty of other pups to play with in any case.

His best buddy from the play group 2 days ago is a Vizsla. They continued today where they left off. He can hold his own until he tires, then he doesn't mind getting rolled (hoping the belly rubs will encourage this "don't mind" tendency) and trying various attacks while on his back. The hound is also well behaved and doesn't take advantage. Apparently they both slept like logs after Thursday's play session. :lol:

The one thing that I did have to watch out for was his attempts to "hump" a couple of smaller, less assertive pups. (good time to practice the collar grab) I'm pretty sure this is not *Censored Word* in nature. I'll ask the trainers about it.

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 7:21 pm
by Rory's Dad
No, at that age, it is not any sort of real intent. It is instinct however. Even at that age, they 'know' what to do, but really it is most likely an attempt to assert dominance.

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 8:09 pm
by maikinda
Beautiful smooth pup! Congratulations on the new baby!

Laura

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 1:34 pm
by DrewBear
maikinda wrote:Beautiful smooth pup! Congratulations on the new baby!
Thanks, Laura! He's a joy to have around. He's 13 weeks old today and weighs 21 lbs. 2 oz...quite a growth spurt this past week.
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Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:25 am
by applebear
So happy you finally got your little guy Drew. :) He is such a cutey and looks like a real character to boot. Have you thought of a name yet?

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 11:56 pm
by DrewBear
applebear wrote:So happy you finally got your little guy Drew. :) He is such a cutey and looks like a real character to boot. Have you thought of a name yet?
Thanks, applebear...and thanks again for your off-list advice. I'm a bit late with this response here, so I think you already know by now his name is Thor. I've been meaning to introduce him to popcorn. Ro shows great discipline in leaving the popcorn on his nose long enough for you to take a photo. :)

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 9:36 am
by DrewBear
14 weeks old today. He received his 3rd set of DHPP yesterday and weighed 22 lbs. 6 oz. Some coarse, longer hair is starting to poke through the puppy fuzz. I know some believe it's too early, but he decided to climb up a flight of 12 steps when I wasn't looking. He was very pleased with himself, wildly wagging his little curly tail. I'm still going to carry him down the stairs for a bit longer, but won't take measures to prevent him sneaking upstairs on his own. He's been sleeping through the night without a potty break in the wee hours. Puppy school & socials continue, but I'll be glad when we can start walking next weekend.

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Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:36 pm
by DrewBear
15 weeks old today and weighs over 26 lbs. He completed his vaccination series so we've started taking walks around the neighborhood. At first he was very tentative and tended to huff at any noise, people or suspicious looking trees/doors/garbage cans/etc. But he quickly became more confident and now wants to sniff everyone we meet. He's always interested in other dogs, though only one stopped to greet him. Today he was finally relaxed enough to poop during the walk. We're both happy the world has finally expanded beyond a few backyards and puppy school.

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:36 pm
by DrewBear
16 weeks old yesterday; didn't get a chance to weigh him. He picked up something from puppy play group or during a walk and has a runny nose. The main symptom is licking his nose frequently, usually after waking up. But his energy level remains normal and appetite has ramped up. He still prefers to poop at home and now regularly lifts his leg (mostly the left one) to pee. Coarse hair continues to sprout all over. Here he is when he first picked up the sniffles and was just a tad lethargic.

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Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 10:52 am
by DrewBear
My brother had a photo book printed (great gift idea, BTW) for Thor's first month here. The last photo in the book is captioned "The End" and catches him in the act of pooping...not exactly something most people would want to see here, but the look he gives the camera is pretty funny. These snaps are more appropriate for public viewing.

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Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 7:04 pm
by gluesticks
Thor is so adorable! Where'd you get him from?? And I love the printed book! Certainly IS an awesome gift.

-Glue

Re: Smoothy with No Name

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 3:11 am
by ika
Ahhh!

I love the picture of him sleeping <3 That cute little smooshy face!