Also, there may be dogs that do not want to play or dogs that want to dominate Sephy, and well … Shiba will not back down and will not surrender.

I prefer more structured and smaller play groups. One-on-one supervised sessions tend to work best with Sephy. In our old house we did not have a backyard, so I cleared out one of the rooms and made it into a play area for Sephy. Then we would often invite our neighbor’s very friendly dog over.

We also visited the nearby SPCA a lot because they had an enclosed play area which they allowed people to use.

Dog-to-dog desensitization exercises also helped a lot with Shiba Sephy. We did many sessions at the SPCA because they always have many different dogs that we could practice with.

Here is an article on my experiences with enclosed dog parks -
http://shibashake.com/dog/enclosed-dog-parks-good-or-bad

Shiba Sephy is good about most things because he knows that if he shows any kind of aggression he loses his stuff, whereas if he does not, he gets even more stuff. However, there are a couple of things he is more intense about, including new toys and bully sticks.

Some of the things that helped with Shiba Sephy in terms of food guarding include -
1. Careful supervision during meals times and when there are new toys. I make sure each dog has their own interactive toys to work on and I prevent any kind of stealing. In this way the dogs understand that I am there to ensure the peace and they don’t have to do it themselves.
2. Training the dogs together. I train the dogs together so they get used to working together and being rewarded together. In this way they don’t see each other as competitors, but more as partners in crime.
3. NILIF program. I always follow the Nothing in Life is Free program with all my dogs. Before they get anything, they have to do something for me first. Before they get any of their food toys they have to wait calmly in a Sit position. Any kind of rude/excited behavior including grabbing, biting, growling, etc. means I will walk away and they don’t get the stuff. They only get what they want if they do what I want first.

Other things that helped with Shiba Sephy – bite inhibition training, object exchange game, etc. I write more about them here -
http://shibashake.com/dog/stop-food-aggression-stop-resource-guarding
http://shibashake.com/dog/resource-guarding-shiba-inu

Space, and bedding can also be highly valued resources. As such, some dogs may protect their space, sleeping areas, bedding etc. I know that Shiba Sephy is not very tolerant of new dogs coming over and invading his space. He also does not like other dogs sniffing his butt, which he sees as a dominance move.

I carefully observe him so that I can desensitize him to these triggers. I also try to carefully manage him so that he understands that I will be there to protect him and he doesn’t need to do it himself.
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/_srec/hub/Bad-Dog-Dealing-With-Bad-Dog-Behavior

Also meal time is the worst. Anytime I touch my Lab’s bowl or touch the dog food my Shiba starts barking loudly and bares his teeth and scrunches his snout. It’s odd to me because he’s not aggressive toward me or my Lab at this point, it’s like he’s barking to bark. It’s really aggressive, so much so that I feed the dogs in separate areas. My Shiba closed off in the kitchen with baby gates, and my Lab in the dining room. Once they’ve both finished eating and I let my Shiba out he’s fine and goes back to being a happy little dog. I call it his Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde moments.

Is there any way to curb these sudden bouts of snapping at my Lab and the aggressive dog barking while their meal is being poured?

My Lab is 10 years old and is oddly unaffected by my Shiba’s behavior. He doesnt attack back, he just walks way, plays with another toy, or decides to take a nap.

Any advice would be appreciated! I know I must be doing something wrong, but my Shiba didnt use to be like this. The only thing I can think of is that my Lab isnt home every other month. He travels with my dad on various country road trips since my dad likes having the big dog around.

When I was looking for a second dog I made sure to observe which types of dogs my Shiba got along with and which ones he did not. For example, he does not play very well with smaller dogs because he is too much into wrestling and the smaller dogs don’t really like that. So I made sure to get a larger dog who also likes wrestling.

This article has more on my second dog experiences -
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-double-the-trouble-or-double-the-fun

In terms of buying a new puppy, all I did was make sure I found a good breeder. I visited the puppy and her mom, played with both of them, got to see their health certifications, etc. The breeder had already socialized the puppy very well – she had puppy parties, brought the puppy to work, and much more. This made a huge difference in the puppy’s temperament.

In contrast, I didn’t know too much about dogs when I got my Shiba, and didn’t get him from an experienced breeder. He was a lot more difficult to deal with in the beginning, and was very nervous about collars and being in the car. My Sibe was totally fine with both those things when I got her at 8 weeks old.

I just wrote an article about the process I went through in finding a good breeder for my Siberian Husky. It may also be helpful -
http://thedoginc.com/siberian-husky-puppies

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

That’s a great suggestion. I have tried using this coins-in-a-can technique at home but I have never tried it outside. With Sephy, I had great results in the beginning, but after he got used to it, he just ignored me – Shiba-style.

I will definitely have to add this to my biting and dog aggression articles.

Fred seems to have recovered very well from his stroke/attack.

So glad to hear that Fred has recovered. He sounds like such a character. I would definitely like to see his winsome face. I’ll send you an e-mail so that you can include some photos when you have the time. Thanks!

I like this:
“Shiba cannot rest until all his enemies real or imagined are vanquished.”
That is my Fred, too! Stress cadet – you said it!

But here is GREAT NEWS for all owners of barky, lungy, naughty dogs: the penny shake can WORKS! This is apparently an old-fashioned remedy, but my goodness, it is the first thing I’ve tried that truly and instantly works. Get a small dry empty ginger ale can (7.5 oz). Fill with about 25 pennies. Seal shut with strong tape. Now, when your dog starts to bark or lunge, shake the can loudly and watch your little beast instantly become a little angel! I have been doing this for the past 3 days with Fred, and wow! Hallelujah! He does NOT like the loud sound, and he falls right into line. This is the very first time with any technique that I’ve seen submissive body language from him, and he seems to retain the message. After a couple times of loud can shaking on an outing, any further misbehaviors stop with just a little rattle of warning. You’ve got to try this!

In other news: Fred seems to have recovered very well from his stroke/attack, even though various heart disease symptoms continue and he has slowed down his pace. The vet confirmed last Friday that he has a distinct heart murmur (= probable valve disease). He’s a tough, sweet little cookie. I don’t know how to upload pix here or I would show you his winsome face!

Often, I also want to give Sephy a brain transplant. He is such a stress cadet – if he could just let go of things and live more in the moment like other dogs he would be so much happier. But he is Shiba – and Shiba cannot rest until all his enemies real or imagined are vanquished.

I want somehow to give him as happy a life as possible in whatever time he has, while maintaining my own sanity…

That sounds good – I would probably do the same thing. Big hugs to Fred. If you can, please share some pictures of him with us.

Fred, however, has revved up again to a lot of barking and anxiety on walks, and I think part of this is, alas, owing to no more jerk-correcting from me. I feel that regarding his reaction to other dogs, his case is basically hopeless: without calming drugs or a brain transplant (just kidding, black humor), Fred can’t seem to control his outbursts against other dogs. The state of his liver prevents the use of sedatives. It gets very wearing indeed on me, and I think he may be killing himself slowly with all his hysteria. What to do? I love him and yet I say to myself, when he finally goes, I will miss him and not miss him…

Very briefly: I adopted Fred in January when my long-time friend, his master, died of cancer. I was Fred’s “mom” each weekend, out in the suburbs, but then I came back to my own place in the city for the work week. Fred no doubt misses his dear “dad.” However, we were very bonded for years before Master’s death, took long walks, and Fred was, even in quieter streets, very aggressive toward all others, and he was used to barking a lot to defend his turf. Old habits die hard – if at all. I just don’t see that at Fred’s age and with his state of health, he is going to change much. Fred was much better off as a suburban dog with his own back yard! I read an article that some city dog owners have resorted to – brace yourself – having their dogs’ vocal cords cut to eliminate their barking. Goodness gracious. Can’t do that. I think I would send Fred to Doggie Heaven before I did that.

Well, Fred’s and my story is not very cheery right now, but with colder weather coming along, we should see fewer people and canines on our early-as-possible A.M. walks, which will help. And then we’ll see how long the dear dog’s heart will hold up. No treatment can repair heart disease or lengthen life very much, but the cost of trying is very high (thousands), and in this dog’s case, I am not going there. I want somehow to give him as happy a life as possible in whatever time he has, while maintaining my own sanity…