Questions & Comments

October 27, 2008

by shibashake

Thank you for visiting. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here. I will definitely get back to you.

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! Thank you for visiting with Sephy and Shania and for sharing your dog stories with us. It has been great to have such a nice group of people to talk with about Shiba and dog issues. In between drinking eggnog, take many dog pictures and share some with us next year. That will be great fun! ...

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Super Shiba Inu Dusty!

Kawaii! Dusty is an awesome Shiba who actually comes when called - Imagine that!! Here is a comment excerpt from awesome Shiba parent Brendan - Just a quick note to offer hope to others that read that you cant take your Shiba off a lead. Well we have had Dusty a while now and after getting her over the panic of having a lead on we are...

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70 Comments

shibashake

Hi Jamie,
That is really interesting. Shiba Sephy is the same way. He does not like strange dogs sniffing his butt. Butt sniffing can sometimes be seen as a dominance move- especially when the dogs don’t know each other well.
http://shibashake.com/dog/the-butt-sniff

When I got my second dog, Siberian Shania, I had Sephy on a lead with me and I had some yummy food that Shania wanted. Shania was a bit shy at first because Sephy was very excited. She would come over and get some of the food and then move away. She repeated this a few times, and then started playing with Sephy and they have been best friends since.

In the beginning I closely supervised all of their play sessions so that each knew their limits and boundaries. I also set up a routine for puppy so that she didn’t go bug Sephy when he wanted to be alone to sleep. Here are more of my experiences of getting a second dog -
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-double-the-trouble-or-double-the-fun#after

Congratulations on your new puppy! Sounds like your Shiba is already a very good boy so

8:18 am on July 14th, 2010
Jamie

Hi, I like your site. Very informative. I have a question and you seem to be familiar with shiba inus. I have a 10 month old shiba (boy). I got him a playmate, a girl shiba. She is 2 months old. Do you have any suggestions on how I can introduce them? He is very calm. He plays with other dogs at the park but he also doesnt like them to sniff him. I dont know if this is normal behavior for shibas or my dog is just shy. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

7:40 am on July 14th, 2010
shibashake

LOL yeah – I also found Dunbar’s book to be a bit ‘too alarmist’. However, his techniques worked well – except for the restraint technique which did not suit Sephy.

In my experience, the first few months in a puppy’s life is important although I certainly did not fulfill all of Dunbar’s extensive socialization goals. I enrolled Sephy in SIRIUS puppy class I think at around 12 weeks and I also introduced him to the people in the neighborhood. Sephy really enjoyed puppy class and playing with the other puppies. The SPCA or humane society is also a great resource for dog-to-dog socialization. Sometimes they may even organize puppy play sessions.

The most important thing in my opinion is bite inhibition training – which I think the sitter can do with Koji. It will also make it easier if the sitter follows your rules etc. so that there is consistency throughout. But even if not – you just need to re-establish them when you get back. Sephy really needs structure and routine or he gets stressed and unhappy.

I was very clueless in the beginning and made very many mistakes including using aversive techniques, but Sephy and I have bounced back from that. In general, I have learned to get dog training information from multiple sources and use what I think is best for Sephy and Shania. You may also enjoy Karen Pryor and Patricia McConnell.

Don’t Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training

The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs

My most favorite dog book is Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs by Suzanne Clothier. It is not a dog training book but more of a dog relationship book. However, it really changed how I thought about Sephy and significantly helped to improve my relationship with Sephy.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes with Koji!

4:36 pm on July 11th, 2010
Becca

Love your site. I am bringing home a 6 week old male Shiba puppy next Friday. I am reading a book by Dr. Ian Dunbar and plan on raising “Koji” with his methods.

(I just put down my rescue Jindo dog after 15 years – who I loved dearly, but he had trust issues with strangers and I want to do what I can with this puppy to make him more friendly)

Unfortunately, I have a couple of trips planned from a long time ago – if I don’t get this puppy I may have to wait over a year or more -I live on an island with only one real breeder – we can not import dogs because of strict quarantine laws..

My question is, if I’m doing dunbars crate, chew toy. socialization, bite inhibition training, do you think it will mess everything up if he has two separate one week breaks with a sitter who may not be as vigilant as I?

one trip at 8 weeks, one at 12…? The book makes it sound dire if you aren’t super vigilant///your experience??

Mahalo & Aloha-
Koji’s new mom…

10:41 am on July 10th, 2010
shibashake

Hello Quinn,
I would call up your vet and ask him these good questions. My vet told me that getting the dosage exactly right on HeartGuard is very important.

I did not use tick/flea medication on Sephy until he was older. I only went on short neighborhood walks in safe places with Sephy until he got all of his shots – so that was at least a few months in.

Best to get advice from your vet on these issues.

9:14 pm on June 23rd, 2010
Quinn

My Shiba is about 10 weeks old now, should I start her with deworming meds and frontline plus? should this be given every month from here on out??

12:15 pm on June 22nd, 2010
shibashake

Yeah I had very similar experiences with Sephy. What worked out for him ultimately is to have his crate in our bedroom. That way, he gets to be with us (he wants to make sure everyone is ok) but he is contained so he can’t get into trouble. Since his crate is right there, it will also be much easier to stop break-outs and other Shiba hijinks. However, I think he will be very happy to be with everyone and will probably just settle down.

I have also tried putting Sephy on a lead and tying the lead around the bedpost. I usually only do this after vet visits or when he is sick, then he really does not like being in his crate.

1:54 pm on June 1st, 2010
Kati

We have recently adopted a male shiba inu mix. He is beautiful and so well behaved all day, until we try to go to bed. We have 2 cats who already run this house and they have the upstairs, and he has downstairs. He however is not pleased with the arrangement of us leaving and going upstairs for bed. We didnt originally want to use a crate, we tried a gate, we have a very small kitchen area where we would have liked to keep him with his belongings at night, well he jumped that. So we moved it and he knocked it over, he whines alot but the first 4 nights calmed down and went to sleep, well last night he got so worked up, he jumped the gate, ate the carpet on the stairs and then dug the carpet outside of our bedroom door, needless to say we ended up all sleeping together in the spare bedroom. Today our neighbors gave us a crate to try. he opened the door in 30 seconds, then he actually took the crate apart, he got the top off of it! He is currently downstairs protesting as I type. What do I do? I am most concerned for him hurting himself, he just gets so worked up! Please help!!

8:10 pm on May 28th, 2010
shibashake

Hello Pam,
Sounds like something really spooked her. Did something happen recently that Makita reacted strongly to? Loud noises? Change in environment?

One way to help her with something like this is to identify the cause/trigger of her stress and then slowly desensitize her to that trigger. If it is a particular noise – then you can record it. Then start playing it back really soft, while doing commands with her and getting her to focus on you. This teaches her to ignore the sound, and rewards her for focusing on you.

My Sibe used to be really afraid of the garbage truck. Every time we saw the truck, she would go into a panic and want to rush home. Therefore, every garbage day, I would sit and do commands with her – first inside the house. Once she was ok with that we slowly moved closer and closer to the door, then we did it with the door open, outside the door, etc. Nowadays she has learned that the garbage truck isn’t so scary after all

Hugs to Makita.

11:25 am on May 5th, 2010
Pam

Hi, my Shiba is acting totally different. Her name is Makita and all of a sudden she wants to be a lap dog. She is scared of everything and I don’t know what happened or what is wrong with her. Makita has always slept on my bed and kept to herself but now she wants to be on my lap every second and when I go to bed she hides in the bathroom and she never goes in there. Please any advice you can give me would be great. Thank you

8:45 pm on May 2nd, 2010
Eric

Our Basenji is a mix. We never had her tested, but sometimes it looks like she has some pit in her, but as she ages I suspect she looks more like she’s mixed with a lab. She’s around 50 lbs. She learned to bark from our old dog, so she’s not barkless like a typical basenji.

We had our first class last week and I brought our Shiba alone. He was much better behaved than the Basenji was, and my only real complaint is he didn’t want to sit on command. Once seated, however, he stayed seated until told to do otherwise. I want to attend another class or two alone with him before I bring Trixie in, and I can tell right now that she needs a lot of review and brushing up.

Trixie is also wary of barking, aggressive dogs, but Rocky, the 21 lb. shiba, wants to jump in with both feet first. There’s a beautiful full size German Shepard in class that barks a lot and appears aggressive. Rocky isn’t afraid of him at all, but I keep him away for now as I don’t want him to get hurt. After a few classes we’ll see what happens.

Both dogs play very well together without any real dominance issues. If Trixie brings a toy for me to play with, Rocky will get involved, and sometimes she will put him in his place at the sidelines and he obeys for a short time. Also, Trixie is virtually silent when they play, while Rocky is constantly snarling and making really weird noises. My daughter pointed out that he sounds like a monkey, and she’s right. Both dogs always want whatever the other is playing with, but Trixie will wait until he’s distracted and take it, where Rocky will lay on his back, wave his paws around, and make monkey noises to try and draw Trixie to play with him and ignore the toy, which he’ll then steal. This only worked once or twice, but he keeps trying it and it’s hilarious.

2:55 pm on April 5th, 2010
shibashake

Hi Eric,
Yeah I like the Basenji breed as well. They have a very nice sleek look to them – kindda like a cross between a Shiba and a Greyhound. I was thinking of getting a Basenji as a second dog, but finally went with the Siberian instead.

How did obedience class go? Should be interesting with a Shiba and a Basenji

Based on your experience, what are the key differences between your Shiba and Basenji? Both breeds seem very similar in temperament on paper, but I imagine things are quite different in practice.

10:37 pm on March 23rd, 2010
Eric

I just wanted to say that I enjoy your site very much. We adopted a young shiba just over a month ago, and I have found some good information here. Our other dog is a 2 year old Basenji mix, also a stubborn and free thinking dog, but she has calmed with age and has learned just enough obedience to keep us both happy. Our shiba has learned a lot from her and is basically a very good dog, but he’s also the trickster as you described. We start obedience class next week, so we’ll see how this unfolds. I will probably take both dogs to brush up the older one and give our shiba something of a role model.

1:00 pm on March 19th, 2010
shibashake

I mean like i said she can be awesome but we would like to be awesome more often.

LOL – I love that saying! Would probably apply to almost all Shibas.

Re Fear of garbage trucks -
My Siberian was also very afraid of garbage trucks. What worked for her is to slowly desensitize her to the noise and then ultimately the truck. Every garbage day, I would stay with her and engage her in doing commands with me inside the house.

In this way she learned to ignore the noise and focus on me since she was getting good rewards.

Once she was totally comfortable with that, we started moving closer to the door and did commands there and so on. Very soon, I had her on a leash and left the door open while we did our fun obedience sessions.

Nowadays she pretty much ignores the garbage truck.

Make sure to go very slowly so that Mia never gets too stressed and is unable to focus on you. If she gets stressed and bolts, then you have moved forward too quickly, so move back and repeat the exercise.

To speed up training, you can also tape the sound of a garbage truck and slowly use that to desensitize her. First start with very low volume and then very slowly increase the sound while repeating the exercise above.

Re aggression -
What helped with Shiba Sephy is to provide him with a consistent set of rules and a consistent routine. There is no biting on people and I also do not allow him to bully my other dog (who is a three-legged dog).

He is also not allowed on furniture, no chewing on carpets, etc.

For serious offenses, he gets a warning (No or ack-ack) and if he continues with his behavior, he goes to time-out.

Following the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program also helped a lot with Sephy. This just means that Shiba must do something for you first before she gets anything in return including all food, all toys, affection, freedom to the backyard, etc.

In this way Shiba learns that the best way to get what Shiba wants is to first do what you want

Here are two articles that may help –
http://www.shibashake.com/dog/puppy-training-tips-and-advice

http://www.shibashake.com/dog/pack-leader-to-an-aggressive-dog

7:44 pm on March 11th, 2010
Rob G

My roommate has a 6 month old shiba inu female name Mia. She can be so awesome sometimes but some serious issues have developed with her and we would like any help and advice we can get with her. First she developed a fear of the outside when on a normal morning in the backyard on the leash doing her business a truck was emptying a dumpster and she freaked out started screaming and bee lined for the house and since then we are lucky to get her to do her business outside before she starts freaking out wants only to run inside. Next she is very aggressive with people, our 4 year old Cat is always getting bitten and attacked, and tears everything she can get at apart. Then when right after we got her fixed she started peeing on the carpet. I mean like i said she can be awesome but we would like to be awesome more often. Thanks in advance.

3:06 pm on March 9th, 2010
shibashake

Hi Brian,

Shibas are very independent and stubborn dogs, and they need a lot of structure, routine, and discipline.

I think it may be best to look into getting a good Shiba trainer who can help you set up some rules and boundaries for your Shiba, as well as help retrain alternative positive behaviors.

http://www.shibashake.com/dog/finding-a-dog-trainer

12:44 pm on March 8th, 2010
Brian

My Shiba has terrible aggression towards our Pug. She just recently bit our Pug so badit split her ear open. I don’t know what to do I love my dog but she’s very aggressive and has even snapped at me. Please help

9:31 pm on March 3rd, 2010
Kate

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I am a bit nervous that we have totally tainted the situation because we are perhaps being too forceful — holding her tight and using a muzzle. I think your approach is a good one, and definitely something we are going to try. Adding the muzzle to the ear drops I think heightens her anxiety, so we are going to start with no muzzle. Also, those are great treat ideas. Maybe I will use your Sephy Surprise. Thanks again!

Kate

7:06 pm on March 3rd, 2010
shibashake

Hello Kate,

This is a tough one. I have had the same issues with my Shiba, with very similar results.

The thing that has worked best for him in this situation is to make him an offer that is too good to refuse and to go very slowly. I basically used the same desensitization exercises that I do for his teeth and nail grinding.

One person gets some really good stuff – and I mean really good that he usually does not get anywhere else. I use mackerel for nail grinding, cream cheese for muzzle training etc, and Sephy Surprise (plain microwave chicken, melted cheese and a little bit of bacon) for teeth brushing.

Then let her come to you – which she probably will because it smells so good. Get her to do a down-side, reward a small bit. Touch ear briefly, reward a small bit. Repeat until she is comfortable.

Then you can slowly progress to just dripping a bit around the ear area. My vet told me that I had to put the drops right into the ear and then massage the base of the ear, but I started with just trying to drop in the general ear vicinity. Then slowly worked my way towards my end goal.

I only did very short sessions, and usually waited until Sephy was on the more hungry side. This keeps him very interested in what I have to offer and he is usually willing to let me do the handling that needs to be done.

Make sure to go very slowly, especially in the beginning, because she is probably somewhat wary about the ear drops.

Let us know what works out. I think this is a common issue faced by most Shiba owners.

Hugs to Kibo and hope she feels better soon.

8:54 am on March 3rd, 2010
Kate

Help!!!! My shiba inu, Kibo, (1 year old) has a yeast infection in her left ear. We are having THE hardest time figuring out how to administer the ear and treat it. Kibo is so squirmy and strong. She can’t hold her right or get her to sit still. We use a muzzle and two people, but still have the no luck. Any suggestions on the best way to hold her down, calming her so we can put the drops in or any advice at all to letting us treat her? The infection is getting worse, and the poor thing is constantly shaking her head. Thank you so much!!!!

7:59 pm on March 1st, 2010
shibashake

So glad to hear that your Shiba did so well at the dogpark

I used to take Shiba Sephy to several dog parks, but we were not able to find one that really worked for us. Sephy is always trying to make friends with dogs that don’t want to have anything to do with him.

One of my trainers said that Sephy is like that awkward guy at the party that tries to talk to you even when you are just trying to get away. Guess maybe he can’t understand why other dogs don’t recognize his awesomeness. Poor Sephy

5:11 pm on February 11th, 2010
Mari & co.

Thank you so much! That is very helpful! At puppy class, he behaves similarly. He doesn’t play with the other puppies (there are 3 others). He just goes, smells them and returns calmly to our side. He doesn’t mind the humans there, he just doesn’t care. I think he’s used to them by now. We’ve noticed that he seems to accept humans that have other dogs with them more easily. It’s almost like he is thinking “okay, you have a dog, you know how this works, I accept you a little bit more, but not THAT much either”.
This weekend we took him for the fist time to the dog park. He got put in his place right away by other dogs. The rest of the dogs “harassed” him. He behaved real submissive and although we wanted to “rescue him” from the situation we let him deal with it in it’s own dog way. By the end he was really happy but he always wondered, run and played with other dogs close to where we were.
So as you can see, it looks like he’s pretty selective of his friends, dogs AND humans.

12:13 pm on February 9th, 2010
shibashake

Hello Mari,

We don’t comfort him when he behaves that way. We’ve been exposing him to new situations and he is going to puppy training.

That sounds great. You are definitely doing all the right things.

My Siberian used to be afraid of loud trucks – especially the garbage truck. What helped with her is to do desensitization exercises with her and the garbage truck. Initially, we would look at the truck from inside the house and I would reward her for staying calm while inside the house. We would also do some obedience commands.

Then when she is totally comfortable with that, I put her on a leash, opened the door and left the door open. Then I repeated the same exercise. Then we start moving closer and closer to the door, then we started doing it outside etc.

You can do a similar exercise with your Shiba and people. Have a friend or neighbor help you out with this. Have them stand a certain distance away from your Shiba in a quiet and calm environment. The person should read a book and totally ignore your Shiba.

Put your Shiba on a leash and reward him for staying calm, you can also do some obedience exercises so that he has something to focus on. If all is well then walk one or two steps towards the person and repeat. In this way, your Shiba will learn to focus on you when he is stressed or fearful. This will also help him gain confidence.

Don’t move toward the person too quickly. If your Shiba starts to show any kind of stress, then you have moved forward too quickly, so move back a bit and repeat. Make the sessions short and fun, and always try to set him up for success so that he gains confidence.

Once he is close enough to the other person, you can even have them throw him some high priority treats. Make sure – no eye-contact, no touching, and no talking. If he wants to go up and smell them – let him do so but make sure the person is completely ignoring him (no eye-contact is very important).

Once he is ok with that – then you can start doing soft talking and so on; then move on to a little eye-contact, turn away and so on; and finally brief touching – but only go slowly so that he always has positive experiences with people and learns to enjoy his time with them.

How is he in puppy class? Are there many people there? Does he avoid the people and just play with the dogs?

12:42 pm on February 4th, 2010
Mari & co.

We are first time dog owners. We are also first time shiba inu owners. We made a huge research before adopting a shiba inu and were well aware of all their personality traits. None the less, we have a problem with our 4 month old puppy that we don’t know how to handle. He is very scared of humans and new situations. He does well with animals (we have a cat) though. When meeting someone new he tries to run away. If he’s not trying to run away, he turns his back on us and completely ignores the situation. We don’t comfort him when he behaves that way. We’ve been exposing him to new situations and he is going to puppy training. Still, we would love if you have any shiba advise/suggestion for us. Thanks for creating this web site, it’s very useful!
Mari & co.

2:00 pm on February 1st, 2010
shibashake

Hi Mina,
Kudos to you for adopting an older dog.

Some things that may help -
1. First let them meet on neutral ground (e.g. a quiet park or school field)
2. Go for a walk in the park and see how they act while walking with each other.
3. Female Shibas tend to be a lot more dominant than the males, so it is important to supervise all their interactions in the beginning to make sure that nobody is getting bullied. It is best when both dogs learn that it is the humans who set the rules, and do the disciplining.
4. Consistency and fairness are key. Usually when I reward my dogs I reward them both. I also do obedience with them together so they learn to work together. They get better rewarded when they work together
5. I also make sure that each dog gets quiet time when they want it. My Siberian is a ball of energy, so I will stop her from bothering my Shiba when he has had enough and just wants to rest.

Hope this helps. Congratulations on your new Shiba! Let us know how it goes.

1:16 pm on February 1st, 2010
Mina

Hi,
I have a 3 year old shiba inu who has lived with us since he was 8 weeks old. Now I am thinking about adopting a 6 year old female shiba, who has recently been retired from breeding. I really like the idea of giving this older dog a new home, and a new life. My only concern is that she won’t bond with our dog, who is the current lord and master of our house. Any advice or suggestions would really be appreciated!
Thanks,

8:08 pm on January 31st, 2010
shibashake

Hello Andrew,

Sounds exciting! Congratulations and good luck on your new job.

Personally, I would wait until things have settled down to a regular routine. If you spend a lot of time with the puppy initially, and then suddenly change to a different routine, the puppy may get stressed and anxious because of the big change.

My Shiba really wants to have a fixed routine or he starts to worry and becomes unhappy.

You deserve a holiday first anyway – once you get your Shiba there will be little time left for yourself

Mine was a holy terror for the first 6 months, and a regular terror for the 6 months after that.

12:28 pm on January 25th, 2010
Andrew

Greetings!
I have been looking forward to getting a shiba for a long time but I’m not sure what is the right timing to get one. I’m moving into a new apartment in June and then starting a new job in July, so I’ll have a good month of free time. Would this be a good time to get a puppy so I can train and bond with it before I start work or would it be better to be settled in the working routine (8am-4pm) first?
Thanks!

11:15 am on January 25th, 2010
shibashake

Hi Colleen,
We had some problems with earth critters (voles and their other rodent friends) when we moved in. After we just put in a new lawn, it looked like it was about to get eaten

We tried Shake Away – which only had natural ingredients. Supposedly the smell will keep away the critters – but it didn’t really work very well. They would stay away from one hole for a small bit, but then another hole would sprout out close to it.

It really looked kindda bleak, but then – suddenly – they all disappeared. It was because my Siberian started spending a lot of time outside and she would keep the critters out, as well as mark all over the lawn. She is great at keeping the backyard clear. Shiba Sephy is pretty lame because he doesn’t like marking at all in the backyard, is to lazy to chase after the critters, and even if he did magically find one, he wouldn’t really want to touch it.

I have not tried blood meal so I don’t know much about it.

Try posting on the nihonken forum, maybe other Shiba owners have tried it and can give you more information.
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/

10:51 pm on January 14th, 2010
Colleen

Hi there. We have a rabbit problem in our backyard and Reptar goes crazy eating the rabbit poop. I would like to use some sort of deterrent to try to get the rabbits out of our yard however am having a hard time finding something that is safe for my Shiba in case he ingests it as he loves to put everything in his mouth. Blood meal is often used to deter rabbits and is also safe for the gardens. I have read mixed reviews on if it is safe for household pets. Do you have any information on Blood meal or any recommendations to get rid of the rabbits.

10:10 am on January 14th, 2010
shibashake

Hi Eric,

I have the medium sized crate (36 inches long) for my Shiba. But he is a big Shiba and weighs about 32 pounds. Females will probably be smaller than that.

Most Shiba owners that I know of go with 30 or 36, and use dividers if necessary.

Shibas grow really fast in the first few months as you have noticed, but things really trailed off for Sephy after about 5-6 months. Just to be sure – you mean 18 pounds right?

12:41 am on December 22nd, 2009
Eric

Hello again,

Seem like our puppy is growing out of her crate .. She has doubled her weight at the 4 months mark . she is now 8 lbs and doesn’t seem to fit her crate very well. Does anyone know what the best size crate will be at adult age ?

4:51 am on December 21st, 2009
shibashake

Hello Shuan,
I would take him to the vet as soon as possible. Shibas generally hate relieving themselves in their living space – so it could be something physical. A vet will be able to tell and give you peace of mind.

Hope your Shiba is ok- let us know what the vet says.

8:39 pm on December 19th, 2009
Shuan

My male shiba, Kai, is 4 years old, and had been well behaved till about 3 months ago when he became more resistance to our command. he does not want to go for a walk, he sleeps all day, and he relieve himself in the house for no good reasons. you website is very educational and i learned a lot. But I wonder if you have dealt problems like these. Thanks,

7:17 pm on December 19th, 2009
shibashake

Hi Christen,

My other dog is a three-legged Siberian so I am very careful not to let my Shiba overwhelm her. Whenever they are playing together, I will always supervise and step in as soon as I see my Shiba escalating. What helped the most is to interrupt him before he escalates into Shiba-intense levels I found that it was better to stop him earlier rather than later.

If you stop them early, then it is easier for them to calm down. After I stop my Shiba I will do some obedience commands with both dogs. This way they can get rewarded for doing something else, they get to work together, and it also gives them an outlet for their energy.

I only use the timeout if my Shiba will not stop and redirects his craziness onto me. He also goes to timeout for humping.

Once I started stepping in and ‘redirecting’ my Shiba, he learned that if he gets too rough, fun play stops but if he plays nice he gets to keep going.

In the beginning, I only let my dogs play when I had time to supervise. Other times, they are separated – my Sibe stays in a pen and my Shiba stays outside. Consistency is important here so that Shiba will learn that [rough play]=[no play] rather than [rough play]=[maybe no play]. Shibas love challenging maybes

Now they are older and are good about regulating themselves, so they get to play whenever.

More exercise will also help. The more I walked my Shiba, the better behaved he was. I also hired a dog walker for a period of time so that he got to walk and socialize with other dogs.

Another thing to try is to make them do work for you together – e.g. synchronized obedience commands. Do they go on walks together?

As for the laser pointer it is probably best to stop it altogether. Laser pointers can often encourage obsessive type behaviors in dogs. This is because they are encouraged to chase something insubstantial that they never really ‘catch’.

Some fun chase games that my Shiba like are the flirt pole and the water hose game. Make sure that you institute strict rules when playing games with a Shiba – for example, no getting too intense, no jumping on people, no nipping on people, do commands before the game starts, take short breaks throughout, etc.

2:56 pm on December 19th, 2009
christen

Before we got our shiba Sam, we had our pug Fred. Sam grew up with fred and used to play with him all of the time. When Sam was about 2 we got another puppy..a shiba-sheltie named clyde. Clyde grew up with sam as they are closer in age. Sam only picks on fred now! For example: she will run around chasing and biting is tail and legs. Or when they are in their pen and I run upstairs I will hear her screaming at him…and I know she’s biting him too. She does the same thing to clyde when she gets riled up. She gets way too imtense playing and she will start snapping and screaming at him. Meanwhile he comes over near me and cowers while bearing his teeth. We give her time outs when she gets into things. Also, my brother showed her a laser pointer and ever since she’s been chasing shadows on the floor and lights on the wall. Its so bad sometimes that at night she has to sleep in her play pen. She screams at clyde when she’s in there someTimes too!! I need a behavior-ist. Any advice in the mean time? Thank you!

5:31 pm on December 16th, 2009
shibashake

Mara is very quiet and calm, almost pouting after she comes out of a timeout. Soon afterward she is back to biting again.

That sounds a lot like Sephy. He sulks when he comes out then after a bit he tries biting the curtains or whatever again to see if he can get away with it

I just ignore him when he comes out. Then when he goes for the curtains or books or whatever I non-mark him and body block him away from the area. Then I get him to do something else – e.g. obedience commands, chewing on toy, etc. If he refuses and goes back to curtain chewing, I say time-out and put him in time-out.

Shibas are stubborn – so usually a fair amount of consistent repetition is needed before they will give up the ghost. Even now Sephy will test the waters now and then – mostly with trying to chew the rug. He only does it when I am home to get a reaction – such a scamp.

The ducky was something my wife and I bought for her before we picked her up from the breeder. It was one of her first toys. She carries is around like a security blanket, but also plays with and bites it.

Hmmm, my Siberian had a blanket from her breeder that she really loved but she lost interest in it after a couple of weeks.

I think as Mara gets used to her new home she will become less interested in the toy. What you are doing now sounds great in terms of socializing her to new people.

Puppy training class is great coz she gets to meet and play with new puppies too. As she meets more new people and does more new activities with you, I think she will become less dependent on the toy.

Just make sure she doesn’t start guarding the toy. You can play the object exchange game with her or food exchange game to discourage guarding.

Hope this helps. Let us know how things go.

11:16 am on December 10th, 2009
Eric

Mara is very quiet and calm, almost pouting after she comes out of a timeout. Soon afterward she is back to biting again. The timeouts vary, but they are generally not more than a few minutes.

As for the ducky, Mara usually whimpers with the ducky in her mouth after coming out of her crate. We’ve had her for almost 2 months. The ducky was something my wife and I bought for her before we picked her up from the breeder. It was one of her first toys. She carries is around like a security blanket, but also plays with and bites it.

4:19 pm on December 9th, 2009
shibashake

Hello Eric,
Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy!

“We have our hands full with the bitting all the time. We have been giving her time outs in her crate”

In terms of other methods -

Some people suggest using a spray bottle. That didn’t work too well for me because my Shiba would just attack the spray bottle. There are various ways that people suggest to hide the bottle but it never really worked out for me. My Shiba just got even more wild after being sprayed.

Other people suggest doing leash corrections or even muzzle slaps but all that ever did was make my Shiba lose trust in me.

What worked best for me is to do timeouts in a different (not the crate) but really boring place. I use the laundry room. The advantage there is that I close the door and Shiba has nothing to do, nothing to see, and it is totally boring. He really does not like time-outs.

In general you want to maintain the crate as a good and safe place. Some place that they want to go in. This will allow you to crate them when you are out or during the night. Also the crate still allows them to see interesting things, and they are still in the middle of all the action.

When I let my Shiba out of timeout I usually ignore him for a while. He will just want to go off and sulk anyway. What does Mara do right after she comes out of timeout? How long do you generally do timeouts for?

Another key thing that helped me a lot with the biting is to stay totally calm. It can be difficult to do, but the more nervous or angry I got, the worse my Shiba would behave. Just stay calm, non-mark (Ack-ack), and if she continues, calmly say timeout and remove her to timeout with her drag lead.

The NILIF program also helped me a lot. Rather than giving her all the toys at once, only give her one or two and cycle through them so that she doesn’t get bored. Make sure she does commands for you before she gets anything in return.

I also make my Shiba work for all of his food.

Here are some things that helped when my Shiba was a puppy.

Mara has a favorite stuffed animal(ducky) that she carries around in her mouth and she does little whimpers for awhile.

Hmmmm, not sure about this. How long have you had Mara? Is the ducky from your breeder? Is there are particular time of day or event that triggers this behavior? My first thought is that she could be missing her litter-mates.

8:29 am on December 8th, 2009
Eric

Hello, Thanks for this great blog.

My wife and I just got a new creme female Shiba Inu puppy -Mara. She is about 3 1/2 months old and we have her going to puppy training class every Saturday. She has been doing very well around people and even the dogs in our training class. I have a few questions for you.

1. Mara has a favorite stuffed animal(ducky) that she carries around in her mouth and she does little whimpers for awhile. she does this about twice a day and it is kind of sad like she misses something . Any ideas on what this could be ?

2. I think this seems to be very common from all the reading on this blog. We have our hands full with the bitting all the time. We have been giving her time outs in her crate, but not much improvement also we have been giving her tons of toys. if you have any other ideas i would love to hear.

Thanks for the great blog .

Eric

6:30 pm on December 7th, 2009
shibashake

Hello Angelina,

If you are looking to adopt a Shiba Inu, here is a list of Shiba Rescue organizations. There is a great Shiba rescue in NYC -
http://nycshibarescue.org/

You can get a lot of information from the people who run Shiba rescues. They all have great love for the Shiba breed, and have had a lot of experience with Shiba Inus.

If you are looking to buy a Shiba puppy I would only get one from an accredited AKC breeder. Here is the breeder list -
http://www.shibas.org/breeders.html

They also have a useful article on how to choose a breeder.

Here is an article I wrote on where to get a puppy.

Please let me know if you have more questions.

3:57 pm on December 4th, 2009
Angelina

I really want a shiba inu, but I don’t know where to buy/adopt one! I want it to be healthy, a orangeor red female puppy,not named, 11 weeks or under and not a SCAM! I have no clue where to get one in New York! Please HELP ME!!!

12:56 pm on December 4th, 2009
shibashake

Congratulations on your first Shiba!

In terms of leash walking, what helped with my Shiba is to fasten the leash onto the collar, and just let him drag it around. This will help him get comfortable with the feel and weight of leash.

Make sure to supervise so that the leash does not get caught on anything. And only do this with a flat collar.

You can also play the Find-it game with him while he has the leash on.

Fasten the leash and bring out some of his favorite treats. Throw one a small distance away and say find-it. Once he gets it, praise him a lot and throw another one and so on. This way you get him moving around and playing something fun with the lead on inside the house.

Once he learns to Find-It you can throw in some recalls. Walk a few steps away from him and call him (e.g. Spartacus Home!). Praise him a lot for coming to you, treat him, and then do a Find-It, then just keep repeating.

Then you can move on to holding the leash and playing the game, then holding the leash and playing the game outside. He will quickly get used to the leash and see it as something really positive.

6:12 pm on November 28th, 2009
FirstShiba

Hello, We have just gotten our first Shiba named Spartacus who is 14 weeks old. However, I have been working with trying to get him to walk on a leash and wants no part of it. I love going on walks and they are suppose to love going on walks also. Do you have any ideas or tips to try and get him to WALK?????

10:01 pm on November 27th, 2009
shibashake

For the loud noises you can start to desensitize him to them. Create a taping of the noises that scare him. Then play it at a very low volume. Make sure you start at a very low volume.

Praise and treat him for being calm in the presence of the noise. Do some obedience commands with him and continue to praise and treat.

Once he is comfortable with the low volume noise, slowly increase the volume and repeat the exercise. Do it slowly and over many short but rewarding sessions.

This will help him associate the noise with positive, non-stressful experiences, and eventually, he will become more confident in terms of handling the noise.

If he gets spooked, then you have increased the volume too quickly, so start again with a softer volume. You may also want to put him on a lead during these training sessions so you have more control. Make sure not to push him too far too quickly though. The key to desensitization sessions is to make them short and fun so that Shiba learns to associate the scary event with something positive, low stress, and calm.

Not sure about the depression. Hard to say without observing things in real-life. Sometimes my Shiba gets depressed from the weather – if it is too rainy. He also gets depressed when he has digestive issues or when there are big changes to his routine.

2:10 pm on November 24th, 2009
Lala

We have had or shiba for three years and he is a great dog, very friendly and very social. A couple of issues have arisen. One he has become very skiddish. Any load noise such as fireworks, lond bangs or load screaming gets him upset and he will lock himself in rooms and cower. Our female shiba doesn’t seemed fased at all by the noise, we cant seem to calm his nerves. Any Suggestions? He aslo seems very depressed alot of times. He gets regualr exersize and plenty of toys, and a friend but he constantly needs attention and affection, and becomes very “mopey” when not petted or attended to. He is healthy ann has all is vaccinations, what can be causing this depression?

8:27 am on November 23rd, 2009
shibashake

Hello Kristen,

I do not breed dogs, and therefore have little experience with unfixed dogs.

One thing that really helped me a lot when I was having troubles with my Shiba is visiting the Shiba breeders that lived nearby. They were very helpful and let me know what to expect from my Shiba and what were normal Shiba behaviors.

They may be a great resource for you as well. I used the breeder directory at the National Shiba Club
http://www.shibas.org/breeders.html

The nihonken message board can also be a great resource –
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/

A professional trainer with Shiba experience can also help you troubleshoot some of these issues.

10:54 am on October 27th, 2009
Kristen

Hey there,

So I have an 8 month old intact shiba male and on Friday I brought home a 2.5 year old intact shiba female. The female is so aggressive towards my male, her lip comes up when he is just walking by. I don’t know what to do. I want them to get along and possibly breed them since they are both gorgeous dogs. They each are fed in different place and sleep in different places in their own crates. She won’t play with toys or anything, she just sits and acts depressed. I don’t know if it’s because she misses her old owner or what, but I’m getting worried about her. Whole reason I got her was so my male had a companion….What do I do???

6:19 pm on October 25th, 2009
shibashake

Hello ShibaGirl,

What you describe sounds like separation anxiety. My Shiba really likes routine, and can get very stressed when I leave him alone unexpectedly, or for longer periods than expected. When my Shiba gets stressed, he starts chewing on things to relieve stress.

Do you only leave your Shiba alone when you go to work? Is it always at the same time? Is it always for the same period of time? When did this behavior start, or has it always been that way?

If it is separation anxiety, then you want to try and desensitize your Shiba to being alone for short periods of time at first, and then slowly lengthen the duration. Hiring a dog walker or doing dog daycare may also help.

7:11 pm on September 28th, 2009
shibagirl

I have a black and tan shiba inu. she is one year old,very friendly, and well trained. although, when I leave her alone at home she always ends up chewing somthing up, shoes,rolls and rolls of toilet paper,the legs of chairs. I have tried locking her up in a kennel,i have bought her chew toys, she just doesnt want to listen. any suggestions on what i can do?

6:07 pm on September 27th, 2009
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4:30 pm on September 12th, 2009
shibashake

Hi Heather,
Congratulations on your soon-to-be new pack member

Babies and young children are small, and smell different to dogs. They also do not move or sound like adults. As a result, dogs often view them as prey. And as you know, Shibas tend to have a pretty high prey instinct.

It is very possible however to get Shibas used to children and babies. I got my Shiba Inu from a breeder with 7 girls. When I visited her, she had her youngest toddler supervised, but around all her dogs, and she was totally ok.

I don’t have any children so I am out of my depth on this topic. But definitely repost your question on the nihonken Shiba Forum. There are a lot of Shiba Inu veterans there who know a lot about the breed.
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/?CategoryID=16

I think it would also help to get a professional trainer to help you with the desensitization process.

There was also a pretty good It’s Me or the Dog episode on how to desensitize a dog to a new baby.
http://animal.discovery.com/tv/its-me-or-dog/ask-victoria/new-baby.html

9:30 pm on July 7th, 2009
Heather

Hello,
Over the fourth of July weekend my three-year old shiba was outside with two friends and their one-year old baby. The baby was placed on a pool deck with food and the dog came up and bit her in the face (she had to get stiches). Needless to say, we were devastated and felt horrible. We keep running over the many things that could have prevented the situation. He is not typically aggressive and from what I have read about shibas, appears pretty normal. However, I am concerned… especially because my husband and I are expected. Have you heard of any similar situations or do you have any advice? We do not want to give him up, but human safety is a priority. Thanks for your time!

10:13 pm on July 5th, 2009
shibashake

Hi Cassie,
My Siberian and Shiba get along really well. They really enjoy each other’s company and play a lot together. In fact, I chose a Siberian because they have a play-style that suits my Shiba well – energetic, rough play, full of wrestling and tumbling.

As you already noted, Shibas tend to be more dominant so I was very careful to find a Siberian Husky that is very submissive. I got her as a puppy (8 weeks old). I had her on trial-run for 1 week to make sure that she would fit in well with my Shiba. I was a bit concerned that my Shiba would bully her because she is so submissive, but it turned out that my Shiba loved her so much that he let her have her way most of the time.

Couple of things that was a bit surprising:
1. Siberian Huskies shed A LOT. Even though they have the same double coat as a Shiba, they shed a whole lot more. Be ready for hair all over the house, all the time.
2. Siberian Huskies are extremely energetic. My Sibe easily tires out my Shiba even though she is a three legged dog. After an active play session, my Shiba will be totally tired out while my Siberian is still hopping around looking for adventure.

Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have further questions.

8:23 am on May 14th, 2009
cassie

Hello!
We have a shiba and are contemplating getting her a husky friend. How do your shiba and husky get along? Are they compatible? The husky we would be getting is a very laid back and docile pup, and our shiba is little miss alpha female, so we would need a more submissive dog. Is this sort of the dynamic yours have?

9:16 pm on May 13th, 2009
shibashake

Hello Jamie, Thanks for coming by.
I do not show my dogs, so I am not really “hooked-in” to the show circuit. As I understand it, the cream colored Shibas cannot be shown because their white markings cannot be seen. Apparently, the white markings are an important part of the breed standard.

Conformation dog shows, as I understand it, have less to do with good looks and more to do with how the physical characteristics of a dog conforms or comes close to the “breed standard”. This breed standard is often determined by well-respected breeders in each particular breed.

I also read somewhere that cream Shibas may have mixed ancestry with the Jindo, and this may be where the white coloring comes from. This could be another reason why they are not allowed in conformation shows.

Personally, I love Shibas of all colors and I believe that the temperament of a dog is much more important than his/her looks.

3:50 pm on April 27th, 2009
jamie miller

Why is the cream color Shiba not allowed to be shown?
I have one and she is gorgeous. She is the best dog and was trained easily. Very loving.
thankyou

3:42 pm on April 23rd, 2009
shibashake

Thanks Deborah! Twitter sounds like a lot of fun. Once I get my lazy butt in-gear, I must definitely join in.

3:30 pm on April 20th, 2009
boulderdog1

I love your website and blog and just gave you a shout out on Twitter.

Deborah in Boulder, Colorado

3:03 am on April 16th, 2009
shibashake

Hi Paula. Rusty sounds like an awesome boy. Send him over so my Shiba can take some lessons from him

It can be difficult to pinpoint the source of an allergic reaction, and sometimes, there can be multiple sources.

Usually with food allergies, the itching is also accompanied by loose or watery stool. My Shiba is allergic to wheat, and he used to get really itchy from it. I started giving him really plain meals (boiled chicken and rice) to see if he got better, and he did. Note that it may take a few days before things get better and the allergians clear out of his system. Some dogs may be allergic to poultry, so if the boiled chicken doesn’t help, then switch to an alternate meat source e.g. duck, venison or rabbit. Then I slowly introduced his normal food back into his diet one by one until I found the problem food. Usually you want to use kibble that is grain free, and has good protein sources.
http://www.shibashake.com/dog/feeding-your-dog-a-healthy-diet

The itching can also be from skin allergies to plants, pollen, or other chemicals. My dogs often stick their muzzle into all kinds of holes, bushes, etc. The best way to deal with this is to keep the dog away from the offending chemical(s). Try keeping your Shiba inside only during the weekends or try to get someone to shiba-sit for you, and see if the itching improves if he doesn’t explore outside. One time, I visited a Shiba breeder with a very handsome, long-haired Shiba. Unfortunately, she told me that the handsome Shiba is allergic to grass.

The itching can also be from mites, fleas, etc. My Siberian just recently got a mite attack and started losing hair around her mouth and eyes. This can be easily diagnosed by the vet with a skin scraping.

These are the three main reasons that come to mind, although I am sure there could be other causes. Try to find a vet who is willing to come up with a program to help you identify the source of the allergy rather than just treat the symptoms with shots.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.

3:57 pm on February 5th, 2009
Paula Peeper

I have a Shiba (Rusty) 3 yrs old-he rubs his eyes and face on the snow and ice also inside on rugs. He has such sore places around his eyes (looks like a racoon eyes). I do not think it is food allgeries as have tried that theory-have had him to vet 3 times wants to give him shots again but can’t keep from going inside while I’m at work. Normally he is kept in kitchen when I’m gone & does not seem to have any anxiety when I leave or come home. We have gotten so very close & he trained to come upon command but I want to help him out with the terrible itching by his eyes & on his face.

7:46 pm on February 2nd, 2009
shibashake

That Shiba puppy cam was so addictive. I found myself going to it every time I had a few minutes to spare – and even when I didn’t
Shibas are fun dogs to live with, but they are extremely stubborn and strong-willed. They are often not what you would expect in a dog.
Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions. There are also some really good Shiba message boards.
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/?CategoryID=16
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ShibaInuInfo/

Shiba owners tend to know a lot about dog behavior issues – trial by fire

7:05 pm on February 2nd, 2009
Ldngrl

Mei Chuah, I just stumbled across your site. It’s very well presented and looks to have some very useful and interesting articles which I will be returning to read when I have more time. Also, your dogs are adorable!
I’m ‘personal assistant’ to my cat but I have fallen in love with the Shiba Inu breed whilst watching the Shiba puppy cam on Ustream over the last few months.

11:19 pm on January 29th, 2009
shibashake

Hey Dino, Great to hear from you! Thanks for pointing us to the Dogs with Blogs site. I looked it over but I am not sure if my blog would qualify since it is not written from my dog’s point of view. I had fun checking out some of the blogs there though. Definitely a fun site!

Sephy and Shania receive all of their e-mail at “sephy” in the “shibashake” domain. Merry Christmas from all of us, and lots of licks from Shania!

5:19 pm on December 17th, 2008
Dino

Sephy and Shania, can I please have your email address? I want to send you an e-card.
Love, Dino

3:02 pm on December 16th, 2008
Dino

I am extremely happy to know that you have included my blog link here. Thank you so much! By the way, I highly recommend that you join Dogs with Blogs. http://dogswithblogs.com.au
I have made so many friends there and I think your articles are going to come in useful for many of us. Keep posting them!
Love, Dino

2:51 pm on December 16th, 2008
shibashake

Dear Dino, Thanks for your very kind words and well wishes. I love your blog; so I am very honored that you included a link to my site. Sephy and Shania insisted that I add your blog on their friends list, so I hope that is ok with you. Hope you will keep in touch!

5:40 pm on December 1st, 2008
Dino

Dear Mei Chuah,
Mom is so happy that she stumbled upon your excellent site and blog! She could identify with so many things that you have written and we will be visiting often to learn more from you! I have added a link to your blog on mine, hope you don’t mind.
Happy weekend and big furry hugs to you, Sephy and Shania.
Love, Dino

3:44 am on November 30th, 2008
shibashake

Thanks for visiting bots. I am not a dog trainer. I just try to learn as much as I can about dogs so that I can make good decisions for my own dogs.

4:28 pm on November 10th, 2008
bots!

Are you a dog trainer? If so, where did you study/get certified?

9:46 am on November 10th, 2008

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