Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy!

When I bring a puppy home, I usually let him go potty as soon as we get there. Then I walk him on leash in the backyard. Then I bring him inside the house and walk him on lead there, and introduce him to each room.

I also make sure to set consistent rules right off and establish a fixed routine.

I start simple obedience training exercises right away (e.g. mark, no-mark, focus exercises). I also start bite inhibition exercises and start to get puppy accustomed to handling. Shibas can be fussy about handling, so that is a good thing to do right away and keep up with.

When I brought Shiba Sephy home, he was kind of reserved the first couple of days. Things were new and he was still unsure of himself. He didn’t start with his Shiba moves until he got used to the environment. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have established rules and some obedience during these first few quiet days.

Hugs to your puppy! Take lots of pictures – they grow up very quickly.

Here is the breeder list from the National Shiba Club of America.
http://www.shibas.org/breeders.html

Some breeders do sometimes ship their pups so that is one possiblity.

Since you are in Greece, it may be better to go through The Kennel Club in the UK-
http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/acbr/Default.aspx?breed=Japanese+Shiba+Inu

Here is more on the different puppy purchasing options-
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-get-a-dog-cheap-dog-cheap-puppy

Heh, yeah Shibas definitely are definitely “characters”!

There was this one class that I went to with Sephy. Usually the sessions are conducted outside where there is more space, and he is ok in that situation. Plus he gets to play with the other dogs before class. However, one time it was raining so we had to move inside, into a room. Sephy spent the whole time making a fuss, and all he wanted to do was get to the other dogs. The instructor barricaded us behind a wall of crates! LOL!

That still didn’t help though, so I took him out for a walk in a rain. He was better after that. Usually I find that removing Sephy from the “excitement stimulus” helps to calm him down. Here is another fun Sephy story …
http://shibashake.com/dog/embarrassed-by-my-dog

Hugs to Yuki, although I think she would prefer cheese a lot more!

Natasha

Anyway, I was just wondering how long it took you to socialize your Shiba,

I am not sure how to answer this question. I guess it depends on what you mean by “socialize”. My Shiba Sephy is pretty good today about encountering new situations. However, there are certain behaviors that he considers to be rude, for example butt sniffing. He also does not like dogs that try to dominate him.

Also, socialization is a life-long process. If we do a lot with puppy when he is young and then stop taking him out when he grows up, he will likely become unused to new situations. Here are a couple of articles on my experience with dog socialization-
http://shibashake.hubpages.com/_srec/hub/Dogs-need-socialize-with-other-dogs-socialization
http://shibashake.com/dog/is-dog-socialization-a-good-thing

Anyway, I know Sephy is 5 years old now, but I was wondering what he was like at 2 years old? Was he still playful and energetic like a puppy at times? Am I missing a lot by getting a 2 years old?

Sephy is still playful and energetic at 5. He is more calm than he was as a puppy, but he plays a lot with the Sibes, and when we least expect it, he will pull-out one of his “Shiba moves”.

Truthfully, I would have been very happy to skip Sephy’s first year of terror.

Congratulations on your new Shiba. Let us know how it goes when you get him and share some pictures with us.

Thanks for in advance for answering my questions!