Since I moved into my foster home, I have been learning about Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF,) which is not a training method, but a way for humans and dogs to live together with clearly defined leadership roles. In my previous home, none of the humans took the alpha role, so I thought it was up to me. I didn’t really want to be the leader, but someone had to do it, even though I felt very anxious about all the responsibility. Now my foster humans are letting me know that they are the leaders, so I can relax and enjoy being a puppy again.

The idea behind NILIF is that the humans make it clear that they control the resources, so we puppies have to show them the respect we would give to any alpha. That means that we have to work for them to get all the things we want, like food, treats, attention, and toys.

Here is how it works: first I have to know at least one command, like sit or down, and a release command, like okay, which means I am free to do as I please. I learned a few commands from my former mom, so my foster parents didn’t have to go through that step.
Then all I have to do is follow whatever directions my foster parents give anytime I want something. Before they put down my food dish, they ask me to sit. When I do, they give me the dish, say okay, and I get to eat. If I don’t, they put my food dish out of reach for ten minutes, then come back and try again. They haven’t had to do that yet, though, because I’m always happy to show off how quickly I can sit. Sometimes I sit before they ask, but then they make me lay down to make sure I’m paying attention to them instead of just acting automatically.

If I carry a toy over to them or nudge their hands for petting, they ask me to sit, down, or heel before playing with me or petting me. That does not mean I get any less play, treats, or pets. It just means I have to work to earn those things just like my humans have to work to earn the things they like.NILIF is a nonconfrontational way to show dominant dogs they’re no longer in charge, and it helps anxious dogs build confidence as they come to understand what their people want. In multiple dog households, all the dogs follow the people’s lead, so they are less likely to fight amongst themselves. It’s also a good way to incorporate training practice into every day activities.

When I first arrived here, I wasn’t thrilled about all the work suddenly expected of me, but now that I have gotten used to it, I am glad that I have people who I can trust to be in charge and take care of me.

Hey Puppies! Hey! Codey here again. So Magnum tummy tagged Echo and then Echo tummy tagged me. You know how Magnum said he doen’t like to show his tummy? Well that goes double for me. I do not like to show my tummy at all. In the spirit of the game, though, I did allow Foster Mom to take a picture of my tummy while I was on my side.

Then Dawkin came along and stepped on me. Do you see why we protect our tummies around here?

That brings me to the news Magnum told me to share. Dawkin, who you met briefly in a previous post, has come to live with us.

Dawkin is awaiting his lens replacement surgery and will stay here until he recovers. Right now he is mostly blind, which is part of the reason he steps on us. He also does it because he’s a 1-year-old puppy who wants to play all the time. Here he is in a brief moment of repose using Magnum as a pillow.I prefer a Bailey pillow, but as a 2-year-old, I am naturally much more mature than Dawkin. Don’t get me wrong, though, I like him a lot. While I was a little nervous about the big dogs living here, Dawkin busted in here and started playing with everyone, so then I saw that they were gentle pups living here and I started playing too. My foster humans say I’m still not good at sharing toys (Why would I share? They’re all mine!) so the toys are out of reach for now. That’s okay, we can find plenty of things to do, like wrestle, run, and dig.Dawkin wanted to play the tummy game too, and since he’s the only one who actually shows his tummy, I guess it’s okay.

I have been tummy tagged by the Army of Four! Once tagged I am supposed to post photos of my tummy and tag three other bloggers. I do not really like to show my tummy because you never know when someone will step on you, but here are a couple poses of me requesting belly rubs.

I tag Indy, Echo, and Tasha&Eva. Woo!

Today is a happy day, Puppies. Today is the anniversary of my adoption day! In celebration of joining my family, I will share with you all the story of Magnum.

Long, long ago (three years ago) in a far off land (a two minute drive from here) I completed my Roads Scholarship and joined my foster family at MaPaw. Siberians are an adaptable breed and we do not have long memories, so I cannot tell you how I ended up on the road, but I can tell you it is not easy to find a comfy couch out there. I stayed with my foster mama and papa for two years waiting for someone to want me, but nobody did. I guess I was too big or too slow moving or too easy going. It is true I am not a typical Siberian. At MaPaw events, the junior volunteers helped me demonstrate how cuddly I am, but it was to no avail.

Meanwhile, Mama and Papa wanted to foster homeless dogs and they heard about MaPaw from a neighbor who volunteers. Papa and Bailey had lived with a roommate who had a Siberian. Mama had lived with two Cairn Terriers, a Golden Retriever, a Rottweiler, and a Newfoundland, but never a Siberian. After Ananya turned one-year-old, Mama talked to the vet to get her thoughts about fostering. The vet advised Mama to get Bordatella vaccines for Bailey and Ananya and keep an eye out to make sure they did not get too stressed by all the foster dogs arriving and leaving.

After they began fostering, Mama and Papa kept hearing about a giant Husky. Other volunteers would learn that they live with two giant dogs and say, “Oh, you should meet our giant Husky, Magnum. He’s been with MaPaw for two years.” Of course they could not wait to meet me. They called my foster mama and papa and asked to meet the giant Husky. At first, they were not thinking about adopting me, they just wanted to take me for walks in the park with their foster dog, Chena, but then they got to know me for the fuzzy, cuddly boy that I am.

On May 12th, 2006, Mama and Papa walked to my foster home and took me for a walk that led to my new home. During my first week as a part of the family, we took a trip to the beach to celebrate. I bounced and played with my new big brother Bailey, who takes care of all the dogs here

and my new baby sister Ananya, who is sweet and fluffy.

Mama and Papa saw my potential to be a wonderful representative of MaPaw success and took me to training class, where I learned Sit, Down, Stay, Come, and Heel. At the end of class I had an exam and earned a Canine Good Citizen title, making me Magnum, CGC.

After all that fun and hard work, I decided I wanted to help other dogs looking for homes and began volunteering for the rescue that once took care of me. Now I foster other homeless Huskies and help socialize them. Sometimes I go to events to educate people about my breed and about all the wonderful dogs of every breed who are looking for homes.

I am glad I hung around waiting for the right family. My foster mama said she almost decided to keep me for herself, especially since no one else wanted me, but she is glad I have found a family with whom I can thrive and who lives close enough that she can visit often.

Happy day for me!

Hey Puppies! Hey! Codey here guest blogging for the day. Magnum has been talking to me about listening to the people because they are the leaders of the pack. I’m not sold on that idea, but I’m willing to give it some thought. I have decided that the puppies who live here are fun and not nearly as scary as I originally thought. The water dish is still scary, but that’s another issue.

I will say this for the people, they found some fun for us this weekend. Dawkin and I spent all day at the Walk for Paws hosted by the Chester County SPCA. We hung out with some other MaPaw foster dogs and a couple MaPaw success stories including Echo. Dawkin and I wore donation vests so people could make donations and pet us at the same time. Of course Dawkin had an advantage being mostly blind, but I got a good number of admirers as well. I jumped on people, barked a lot, and zoomed around like a psycho puppy to show everyone what it’s like to live with a handsome Husky. Really, though, I was very sweet. Dawkin and I were both pretty tired when we got home.

Rickee was so excited to join his family again, he jumped and wooed and gave many, many kisses. Speaking of joining a family, we have exciting news here. Both of our one-eyed fosters have found families to care for them!

Jasper stole the hearts of a couple of MaPaw volunteers who helped transport him. They have been following his recovery and now they have taken over fostering. I say fostering, but let us be honest, he is home.Now Jasper has three younger brothers to care for him. Elvis is the gray and white leader of their pack, Sonic is the black and white baby of the bunch, and Nanook is the mix who needed a little time to warm up to someone taking his place as the newbie.

They are all getting along great now. Jasper likes looking (and barking) out the sidelights of the front door, and he even has a big bed there just like the one we have here. We are so happy that someone fell for our little old man.

Maximus also found a great family. He had an upset tummy last week and threw up when he met his new people. A little vomitting did not phase them, though, they loved our big, winking Husky. They have been waiting for a Husky for a long time and were so excited to welcome Maximus home. They even called us the next day to say how surprised they were that he is so well-behaved. Well, of course Maximus is a good pup, and now he has a good home.We also found a home for one of our two-eyed dogs. Munch is a rowdy, young gray and white who needed a constant playmate. He found exactly that in his new all white sister, Kira.

Munch and Kira played until they were both exhausted, then they collapsed by the water dish a while before they jumped up to play some more. Munch’s new people rescued Kira from a shelter where she was very sick, underweight, and missing much of her beautiful white fur. You can see she is now happy and healthy, so we have no worries that they will take excellent care of our Munch.

What a great month for MaPaw!

Hi Puppies, did you notice my foreshadowing in the third photo from the previous post? Mama and Papa went and got another Husky. That is what we do. Codey is a 22-month-old who just joined us this past weekend. Codey’s parents decided to give him up for reasons that are not really clear to us. He is a normal, healthy Sibe with plenty of energy and a desire to play.

This is his “I am thinking of getting into trouble” face. Codey had never been socialized with other dogs. He was living with four cats (imagine the horror!) in his previous home, so when he met us (ten times the size of the average cat) he said, “WHOA, big kitties!” and was rather frightened. Of course we were polite and he is getting used to us now.

He is also getting used to humans who do not permit him to do whatever he wants. Mama and Papa give us plenty of love, food, attention, and toys, but they do not spoil us. Codey has been spoiled, so now he has to learn some manners and respect for his humans. Do not worry, Puppies, Codey is a smart, young pup who will have no problem picking up on the fact that he will get treats and toys just for following some simple requests like sit and come. Since he is also sweet and bright-eyed, he will have no problem finding a family to take care of him.

Hello Puppies. Before I begin today’s post, I would like to say another big big THANK WOO to everyone for supporting us while we help all our special Siberians. We are thrilled to be able to help these Sibes return to good health and find new families who will take better care of them.

On to the news of the week. Do you remember last fall, in the early days of our blog, reading what my papa wrote about the happy tail of Rickee? Well, Rickee is one lucky pup to have a family that adores him and takes such good care of him, but this week they went on vacation, which means we get to hang out with Rickee!

Rickee’s family has been giving him all the best senior care as well as daily trots around the neighborhood to help him continue to lose weight. He was 110 pounds when we first met him in August and now he is down to 85 pounds. Rickee loves being an only dog and getting all the attention from his people.

You have been following the story of Jasper and his heartworm treatment. Recently he spent a night at the vet on oxygen just to make sure he was getting enough despite all his coughing. He is back at home and still resting.

Just this week we took in another dog named Dawkin who has the early stages of glaucoma and we are rushing to save his beautiful blue eyes so that he will not have to lose them.

There is good news among all these challenges.

Standing Stone Media and a “secret” sibe-loving friend have issued a challenge – They will match any donation for our special needs sibes dollar for dollar up to $3500.00!!!!!! Woo Woo!!!!

So now we need all the help we can get. Tell your humans to click the “Make a Donation” button in the sidebar or visit our website to read more and make a donation from there. We try not to beg too often, but right now we really need it and whatever donation you can manage will count double! MaPaw sends out a big THANK WOO to Standing Stone Media, our anonymous friend, and all of you, who I know will give what you can.