Tiki is doing very well. He has a nice soft coat which if anything has gotten softer.

Tiki is very playful, loves playing with Sofie. He is high energy and inquisitive. Tiki has really improved with giving up items he sees as valuable. Over the last couple weeks, I have been able to take things from him without trading. I still always make sure I have a treat with me just in case.

Tiki is just an overall friendly and affectionate dog. He’s happy to see ALL people and gets along with all dogs he has encountered. He loves Sofie and Syd, gets along well with Sheba and respects Sawyer. Curious of the parrots.

Tiki is friendly to all and only barks at my husband in his police uniform, but no aggression.
He can tend to be a “bully” with treats. We’re working on that.

Tiki is coming along nicely with his commands. He sits, and lies down on command, and only needs a treat sometimes in order for him to do this. Tiki walks well on the leash when walked alone, working on it with multiple dogs walking with him.

For the most part Tiki comes when called. The only time he becomes stubborn is when he’s outside and wants to stay outside.

He could be a door bolter without consistent training. Wouldn’t trust not to bolt with an inexperienced person.

Tiki has a tendancy to snap, should be in a home with no children and should be with another high energy dog.

Posted on June 24th, 2008 by michele m
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Jenn says:

Tiki is in wonderful shape with a beautiful coat. He is very energetic and fun loving. He loves to run, play fetch & tug. He loves being with other dogs and people. He doesn’t like you to take things from him, but these items are things like tin cans, tupperware bowls, and food that he finds on a walk. He will easily switch you the item if you tell him to sit and give him a treat. He is not aggressive with toys and we haven’t found him to be aggressive with treats (although he does want to be the first dog to get his treat). We continue to work on trading with him and he is very good at that. He will sit on command, but other commands (down, come, wait) he will only do for a treat. He walks well on a leash.

Tiki is a very lovable dog. He loves his people and playing with other dogs. He is really a sweet dog with a great personality. Everyone that Tiki has met loves him. He is very friendly with all people (adults, kids, men, women) and has done well with a lot of people (local baseball games and events). The only odd thing is he does not like my husband in his police uniform. He will run away from him, not go outside for him or eat his food when my husband is in uniform. He is sensitive to sounds, so it may be the police radio that bothers him. Even though he is sensitive to sounds, I have not observed any problems in a thunder storm.

Tiki is very friendly with my other dogs, and curious of the parrots. I would definitely suggest that he be placed in a home with other dog(s), preferably either younger dogs or high energy dogs.

Tiki is good with children, but because of his tendency to snap at objects he finds (particularly on walks), I would recommend a home with mature children that will understand that you need to trade him a treat for the object that he has.

For the most part Tiki is not destructive in the house and can be left out when we are not home. But, if you leave a pair of shoes or a remote within his reach, he will snatch them and chew them. He does not chew furniture, rugs, etc.

Tiki is very good in the crate, but often needs to be lured into the crate with a treat. When inside, he may whine a little bit, but that is just because he’d rather sleep in bed with his people. He settles down very quickly and prefers to be in the dark rather than with a night light.

Posted on April 26th, 2008 by michele m
Filed under: Tiki | 10 Comments »

Here’s an update from Jennifer:

Tiki still shows some aggression towards items he sees as valuable (tin cans, tupperware, etc.). But, he easily trades the item for a treat. His adopter will need to make sure they have a really good smelling treat available at all times in case he gets something and you have to trade for it. I have not had any aggression feeding him dog food or dog food mixed with venison. He’s also had scrambled eggs every weekend and is just fine with his food. He simply eats it (which is pretty quickly) and gives no problems with removing his bowl.

Tiki has proven to be a remote thief and a shoe thief. Oddly though, he doesn’t really chew them. It seems like it is kind of his way of playing chase. Its like “I got the remote, come get it”. He’ll run around with the remote in his mouth for a little bit with me chasing him around, then when he’s done playing he drops the remote. Other than that, he is doing great. He’s very active-loves being outside, going for walks and playing fetch with the tennis ball.

TIki does get along really well with other dogs, although he is best with dogs younger than him. He also does not seem to have any problems with larger dogs - I catch him playing with our neighbors Rottie through the fence all the time.

Tiki has really not shown himself as a doorbolter or escape artist, but as soon as you go to the door he is right behind you wanting to either run in the backyard or go for a walk. He does respect baby gates and has not tried to climb them. Because he is such a social dog, he does not really like being seperated from his humans and will whine and carry on to be with them.

All in all, Tiki is a sweet high energy dog.

Posted on March 29th, 2008 by kathy
Filed under: Tiki | 1 Comment »

Last week, Tiki moved from Foster Mom Molly to Foster Mom Jenn. Jenn shared the following update with us:

After a few days, Tiki has adjusted nicely to his new home and foster siblings. He plays very nicely with his foster brother and 2 foster sisters. He does especially well with Sofie puppy. Tiki and Sofie have become play buddies and I think Syd likes it because it gives him a break.

Tiki immediately fell in love with me and has been by my side all the time. It took a couple days, but Tiki finally stopped barking at his foster dad and after a solo men’s bonding walk they were like old friends. Now, Tiki’s training is really stepped up a notch. Tiki is able to sit and down on command, walks nicely on a leash and is able to heel.

TIki is generally good in his crate, but will whine a bit when first put in. He seems to prefer being in total darkness when it’s bed time rather than with any lights or nightlights. When its dark, he immediately settles down and knows that it is time for bed.

Although Tiki gets along great with other dogs, he would probably prefer to be the only dog or the older of 2 dogs. He does seek a lot of attention from his humans, so a home with multiple pets would probably not be best. Tiki does not like cats and seems to be curious of birds. He gets along well with all people - kids too - but would be best suited for older children.

So far, we have not experienced any food aggression from Tiki… although I haven’t tried his “favorite” value item of a tin can. Any item he’s had so far, I was easily able to take from him by calling his name and offering him a treat. (Molly did very good with teaching this.) He has been fine with treats, feeding (even when I mixed in a little canned food or venison gravy), durable nylabones, and toys (there is no aggression toward people or other dogs with toys, but Tiki does like to have all the toys).

Posted on March 14th, 2008 by jenna
Filed under: Tiki | 1 Comment »

Welcome Tiki! Tiki is, as you can see, a very cute red boy who is just under 2 years old. He is up to date on his vaccinations, neutered, housebroken, leash trained and crate trained.

Tiki was surrendered to us by his former owners as he was exhibiting food aggression towards family members. They came to us for help in placing him in the right environment for training and then in finding the perfect forever home.

Foster Mom Molly says that he’s a ‘…happy, outgoing, very friendly…’ boy. Tiki is good with other dogs in the home and seems curious about cats and birds. Tiki also love attention from humans, he is ‘very playful and affectionate. A major cuddler.’ He enjoys playing fetch and playing with stuffed and rope toys.

We are currently working on Tiki’s food aggression towards people. He has been displaying food aggression with only high value foods- not dog food or treats. High value foods for Tiki are human foods and food scraps found on walks, etc. He can become very possessive and protective of these food items and bite. We’ve had much success with our foster dog, Ella, with this issue and are confident that we can expect the same progress with Tiki.

Check back soon for updates on Tiki!

Posted on January 7th, 2008 by zennia
Filed under: Tiki | 7 Comments »