In terms of biting, here is what worked well with Shiba Sephy -
1. Putting him on a very fixed routine and schedule. This helped to keep him calm because he knows exactly what to expect.
2. A lot of exercise, making him work for his food through interactive toys, a lot of obedience sessions, and play sessions with other vaccinated and healthy puppies. This gives him positive outlets to expend his Shiba energy.
3. Following the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program. This means Shiba always has to do something for me first before I give him anything, even affection, going out to the backyard, etc. This teaches him that the best way to get what he wants is to first do what I want.
4. Using a drag lead (only with a regular collar, not a training collar). This helps a lot with controlling him and getting him to timeout.
5. Bite inhibition training.
http://shibashake.com/dog/bite-inhibition
6. Timeouts work really well with Shiba Sephy because he really values his freedom. If Sephy does not respond to the yelp, I stand up, fold up my arms, and turn away from him. If he continues to bite, I calmly say timeout and take him directly to timeout.

In terms of the fear, that took a bit more time. Here are some of the things that helped me with Shiba Sephy -
http://shibashake.com/dog/pack-leader-to-an-aggressive-dog

Here are a few more things I did with Sephy when he was a puppy -
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training

I would love to take Shania on a roller blade ride. I’m sure if my lazy German mutt can pull me, she sure can!

That is an awesome idea! I did that really early on for my Shiba with sardines but that got too messy. Nowadays I do that with a small bully stick. He is currently really into those things.

When Shiba Sephy was a puppy he escaped a couple of times from his collar. Luckily he just ran to meet the people who were passing by. He even sat nicely next to them, and they were kind enough to wait there for me. After I switched to the Premier no-slip martingale, there were no more collar escapes. I really like that collar for walks.

My two are doing well. Sibe Shania is still always on the go. She slowed down a bit over the summer because of the heat, but fall and winter are really her seasons. Every time we go out on a walk, she never wants to come home even after 3-4 hours. She is such a happy exuberant dog, which is good for Sephy who is more of a gloom bat.

Always good to see you Alex.

It’s Kristina – wrote awhile ago about puppy teething (it’s getting better, thank goodness, but he has his moments) I love your tips on bite inhibition. As I previously mentioned I did have a Shiba for a very long time and sadly he passed away due to cancer. After our grief subsided (it never really goes away), we did decide to get another Shiba Inu.

I wanted to see if any of you guys do this. Because yes, I was ALWAYS afraid of my Shiba running away and think about it with my new pup as well. I do one thing, it’s my Emergency Plan. Pretty simple, every once in awhile I whistle. When I do this I have an absolute irresistable treat. My Shiba puppy almost ran into a wall trying to get to me because he knew I had his favorite treat. This is not to be used all the time, mind you. Just every once in awhile, surprise him as best as you can. You might whistle while your walking him, or inside, or even at the Vets office (uh oh, shudder, scary…..) But, as you all know Shiba’s – it better been a darn good treat He always comes, and it does give me some peace of mind.

Lupin is doing splendid. He’s really starting to calm down now. All he does is sleep! We still run him almost every day, either on the treadmill or outside… when the weather isn’t freezing. All the training we did when he was younger and more hyper is really paying off; everyone thinks he’s the most well behaved dog they’ve ever met.

I haven’t started looking back through your posts. How are your two?

How have you been? How is Lupin?

I, too, believe that an animal cannot trust you unless you trust it. Whether it’s a dog, cat, bird, horse or elephant, if you’re afraid of it, chances are it’s not going to act too much kinder to you.

I have a two ounce little Quaker Parrot who is the most socialized bird I’ve ever known, but on a daily basis he doesn’t particularly like a person or two. The reason is almost always their fear of being bitten. They’ll put their finger up only to jerk it away when he acts kindly, or unpredictably try to stroke him without warning. What must these movements look like to him? We’re 1200 times larger than he is, with hands that weigh at least three times than he, and still he trusts any human that is willing to do the same.

No matter how aggressive, fearful, or scary an animal acts, there is no hope for that animal to trust you unless you trust it first.