There’s nothing better to welcome the Chinese New Year than “landscaping” the front and side yard by doing shuttle runs and making sharp turns while kicking up dirt all over.

Before we got Mango, our breeder told us that Shiba Inu as a breed in general does not like water. Mango’s behavior around water since we took him home in July 08 certainly matches this trait. Specifically, Mango does not like to walk into puddle of water. If we come across puddles of water during our walk, he would always walk around them. He has absolutely no problem with rain, as much as we get them here during the wetter months between mid Fall and late Spring. One of my wishes for Mango is for him to be able to swim fearlessly. We have met owners whose Shibas love to be in water so we know it is probably a matter of getting Mango used to it.

The past few weeks, we have been taking Mango for his evening walk along Myrtle Edwards Park. Whenever we approach the small beach closest to the Sculpture park, Mango would always force us to make a detour to the beach area. When i took him a little closer to the water, he would literally jump when a wave hit the beach. No amount of encouragement or treat would entice him to be in the water.

Yesterday evening, as usual, i took him for a walk on the same route. Like the previous few days, we noticed several dogs swimming in open water while fetching items tossed by their owners. One of the dogs happened to be a French Bulldog and she was being trained to get used to being in the water. The owner took her shoes off, carried the dog and then dropped her in chest-deep (French Bulldog-wise) water. I thought this was a pretty good idea.

So i took Mango to a more isolated rocky beach further north. After getting into the water myself, i started encouraging Mango to follow suit. After a while, Mango finally took the courage to gingerly walk into knee-deep water! I was exhilarated. Mango was not jumpy toward the oncoming waves. When he was in the water, he did not tuck his tail between his legs, which meant he was not too nervous. I am so proud of him!

Here’s a video of Mango in the water.

1. Ohhhhh…..he’s so cute!
2. He looks like a fox.
3. What kind of dog is he?
4. Is he a Basenji or is he a Husky?
5. Shiba Inu!!!