Mohawk

Mohawk has come a long way since we got him in January. He is still very skittish, especially with men, but he is coming along well with his obedience. He can sit, lay down, shake, and even go in his kennel on command. Actually, when I put my coat on, he goes in his kennel because he anticipates my wishes. Today I gave him a treat in his kennel, and then he kept going in there and looking at me, expecting another treat. Smart dog. Since he is bonded to me he is really affectionate (as long as he approaches me on his terms) almost to the point of being demanding by roughly rubbing his face on my hand.

We have devised special ways of training because of his quirks. Because he never can feel trapped without panicking, we use gestures to get him to go in his kennel or to the front door to be let out. I stand aside to allow him to go to the door, where he lets me put his run line on him, rather than make him pass by me through a narrow opening. The pathway to where we want him to go always needs to be the widest path, and I use a sweeping arm gesture to direct him. Weird, but it works.

When we got him he was fluffy but very skinny. Now he has filled out quite a bit, but his summer coat is sort of short haired - I wonder if he has a long winter coat and a short summer coat due to his Fairbanks origins, or if he will be short haired from here on out. He is just over 1 year old now, so we'll have to wait and see.