Shiba Inu Training Secrets
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I’m in need of some help with my 12 month old Female Shiba Inu. My wife and i have brought her to training classes and she has done great. We all graduated from class. The trainer even said that our shiba is the most friendly shiba she has met out of the last dozen or so. The only problem is that she has grown be more obedient to me the male or dominant one in the pack. With my wife she has turned very aggressive (growling, barking, showing her teeth) to her the second i leave the house, and as soon i return to the house she is back to being an angel. I think she is trying to take over the pack and by doing that she is being aggressive to my wife. I need some advise as to how my wife should handle this situation. I told my wife to put her on her back and hold her there until she calms down. That doesnt seem to be working. Any other tips out there?
Hello Justin,
My Shiba acted in a similar way towards me at the beginning. It happened because when I tried to stop him from biting at some books, he redirected his frustration onto me and started mouthing my hand. This made me back away and become afraid of him. Then it just went downhill from there because his behavior got worse, I became more fearful and on and on it went.
Shibas are very sensitive to the emotions of the dogs and people around them. I think that when they sense fear, they get stressed out themselves and may use aggression to protect themselves from possible threats. It is not so much that my Shiba wanted to take over the pack, but rather that he sensed unbalanced energy from me and got affected by it himself.
Also, I was inadvertently rewarding my Shiba’s aggression because of my fear. Every time Shiba shows me teeth, I would get afraid and back away, and Shiba got to do whatever he wants. This rewards his aggression and the next time I try to stop him, he will just keep using aggression because it works and he keeps getting rewarded for it.
To stop this cycle, I had to get rid of my fear and get my Shiba to follow house rules. The best way I found to properly manage my Shiba is by strictly controlling his resources – including his food, toys, affection, and freedom. Shibas tend to value their freedom a lot, so by controlling his freedom I was able to gain better control of his actions. The more successes we had, the more confident I became, and Shiba’s behavior improved significantly.
Here are a couple of articles about what I did with Shiba Sephy -
Pack Leader to an Aggressive Dog
Are You Afraid of Your Dog?
Hi
I have a 2 year old Shiba male, last year he want on a digging rampage, I re-seed the yard and all summer he did no digging, however 2 weeks ago he started back digging holes again, my husband is so angry at him I am afraid that I might have to put him up sale.
Please help.
My Siberian used to do this as well. She was actually digging for gophers and such in our lawn. Now, I have a dig area where there is no-grass and a no-dig area where there is grass. This way, she gets to enjoy her digging but just not on the grass.
To stop her from digging on grass I would only let her out when I was around to supervise her. Then when I notice her digging, I non-mark her (No or Ack-Ack) and body block her away from the area. If she does not listen, she loses her freedom to roam outside and has to come back into the house. She quickly learned where she could dig and where she should not dig.
Now, I don’t even need to supervise her when she is outside and she doesn’t dig on the grass.
Also try increasing his exercise and walks. The more things he is engaged in during the day, the less likely he will be to devise his own activities.
Another possibility is to bury some chicken wire in the areas where he likes to dig. Dogs don’t like digging on chicken wire because it is uncomfortable on their nails. Make sure to cut away all of the sharp edges on the chicken wire so that the dog does not get hurt.
Hello,
We have a 5 month old Shiba Inu named Bruin. He is constantly nipping and is very mouthy. Is there a way to stop that behavior?
Thank you!
Hi Grace,
Yeah Sephy was very mouthy as well. I think it is another one of those charming Shiba breed traits.
Here are some things that helped with Sephy -
1. Bite inhibition training.
2. Redirection. Most of the time, Sephy was play-biting with his mouth. However, he is easily excitable and can go from 0 to 60 mph in about 1 second. When that happens, I calm him down by getting him to do various obedience commands for food rewards. This redirects him into some other activity to release his energy and away from biting on me. For this to work, I had to catch him early, before he gets so excited that he is no longer listening to me.
3. Stop play and ignore. Sometimes, if puppy gets too over the top, I stop play and ignore him. Shibas are very stubborn and determined though so they will likely continue to pester you. This will work better if you play with Shiba inside a pen. If puppy plays too rough, just leave the pen and close the door. This shows puppy that if he gets too rough, he doesn’t get to play with you.
4. Time-out. There were also times where Sephy was biting me out of frustration or because I stopped him from doing something that he really wanted to do. In this case, I found that time-outs were the most effective for him because he really liked his freedom.
I bought Shiba Inu puppy in May (she was born in February), and have been socializing her with other dogs on a regular basis. I bring her to the dog park, and most of my family has dogs, so when she is at other houses, she is around dogs. She had been doing fine with other dogs, lots of tail wagging and play bowing, but this past weekend when I was home, she started barking and charging my parents’ dog and now she is acting aggressively towards most of the dogs she comes in contact with. I am starting to get worried, and not sure how to handle her when she charges and snaps at other dogs. Do you have any suggestions or insight?
Hmmmm … with cases of aggression it helps a lot to identify the aggression triggers – e.g. does it only happen with certain dogs? (large dogs, small dogs, dominant dogs, fearful dogs, nervous dogs) Does it only happen when they come close to her? smell her butt?
Also make sure that she is physically healthy. Sometimes, when dogs have body pains, they may feel more vulnerable and start showing aggression to protect themselves.
In my experience with Sephy – I tried to identify the aggression triggers and then carefully managed him so that he does not keep practicing aggressive behaviors. The more they practice it – the more likely it will become a habit. I also stopped taking him to the dog park because he was showing the most aggression there due to the unstructured setting that exists in many dog parks. Sephy was picking up bad habits from the other dogs, and getting overly stimulated.
Here are some of my experiences with Sephy and dog parks -
http://shibashake.com/dog/enclosed-dog-parks-good-or-bad
Instead, I started doing one-on-one play sessions with other dogs that are friendly and balanced. We visited the SPCA and played with the balanced dogs there – one on one and under supervision.
I also did distance desensitization exercises with him and other dogs. Here are some of my experiences with Sephy and other dogs -
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression
In general, it is best to set Shiba up for success and only expose her to situations with other dogs that she can handle and be successful in. Getting a trainer to observe her behavior and identify the aggression triggers can also be very helpful.
Let us know how it goes.
Thank you!
She’s certainly a star, there are some awful pictures of her here:
http://www.irishrats.co.uk/otherpets.htm
I don’t know how else to post them here! Is there a forum?
I will certainly make use of this site, there’s so much to read and so many great ideas and tips! 
xx
Hi!
I have recently acquired a lovely Shiba girl, Portia, and she is proving a bit of a handful. She’s 7 now (a retired breeding girl) and she does exhibit a lot of the behaviour above, most notably stealing and she never comes when called. I’m trying to work on her, so any advice is much appreciated. The breeder I got her from is wonderful, and has been so helpful, however the more people who give advice, the more things we have to try with her! She’s a joy to be with, but is certainly a challenge!
This is a very useful website, with much to think on
xx
Congratulations on getting a Shiba!
Heh – yeah those are Shiba favorites. Sephy’s favorite game is the catch-me-if-you-can game. He loves playing this with other dogs as well.
In terms of stealing, I try to properly manage Sephy’s environment so that if he does steal – he doesn’t get away with it. Otherwise, I just leave him be and he loses interest very quickly when nobody chases him – lol.
In terms of coming when called, Sephy will come when it suits him, and in his own time
When I have something really good he will definitely come whether I call him or not – but otherwise, he is doing his own thing. As a result, I rarely let him go off-leash.
He loves other dogs though. I used to go to the park with a neighbor who has a Golden with good recall. Sephy really loved sticking to the Golden – so in those cases he got to go off-leash.
Hugs to Portia. She must be a very beautiful girl – so share some pictures with us.
Hi, I was wondering! I just bought a male shiba at three months old and he is already humping one of our other dogs. Is this just part of their nature or is he just on some extreme testosterone booster? By the way his name is Isaac; awesome little guy!
Sephy was like that too. We used to take him to the SPCA to socialize with the dogs there and he tried to hump every one of them. Nowadays, he will stop with just a verbal warning, but initially, I stepped in and stopped play whenever he tried to hump.
Congratulations on your new pup! Shibas are pretty awesome dogs but they do tend to have an attitude and their stubbornness is off the charts.
Share some pictures of Isaac with us when you can.
do you suggest neutering male puppies? does it greatly affect their temperment?
Hello Crystalia,
Based on what I have read, neutering is a good thing to do. Shiba Sephy is neutered and Siberian Shania is spayed.
A dog that is not neutered will feel a biological need to mate. When that need does not get fulfilled, he may get frustrated. If that frustrated energy does not get properly channeled it may get released as aggression or some other destructive behavior.
Neutering can also improve health and make is easier for the dog to get along with other dogs.
This is not to say that neutering will get rid of all aggression or behavior issues; it is just another contributing factor.
In terms of whether neutering changes a dog’s personality, all the information I have read says that it does not. One thing that may help is to ask your breeder or other breeders about it. Breeders probably have the most experience with this issue given that they have both neutered and un-neutered dogs.
Based on conversations with my Sibe breeder, she spays her females as soon as she has finished showing them and after about one or two litters. According to her, the dogs still keep their awesome personality.
We just got our shiba yoshi a week ago today and are head over heels for him. He is the most curious and unique dog I have ever met. So far we’ve had our ups and down with his training. He learned his name and how to sit after two days. He follows us around without a lead on. We take him to the bathroom inthe backyard, which is unfenced. He stays by our side (my boyfriend, pitbull malta and I) and doesn’t try to venture off into other yards or toward the street. He has made a few mistakes in the house suprisingly. I bring him outside every few hours but it seems that he holds more in his bladder than any other dog I’ve ever owned.
He is starting to catch on to our teaching him not to chew on anything other than his toys.
We were having trouble trying to walk him on a lead until I started walking him on a choke rope. Today he finally caught on and stopped trying to be so persistent.
The one thing that is giving us the most trouble is crate training him. He doesn’t want to be in his crate at night and just cries and cried for hours on end. I’m hoping that with repitition we will be able to get over this.
He doesn’t seem to be that hyper after he has been up for an hour or so. Just becomes lazy or curious and spends a good portion on the day sleeping in the sun under the window.
he is a bit of a challenge at times but that’s what I wanted.
Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy! Yoshi sounds like a really awesome Shiba.
“He doesn’t want to be in his crate at night and just cries and cried for hours on end. I’m hoping that with repitition we will be able to get over this. ”
Yeah Sephy was like this too. Moving the crate into our bedroom helped a lot. He mainly just wanted to be with everyone and make sure everyone is ok. I also give him a frozen Kong to work on. Just put some wet dog food into a Bubble Kong and then freeze it.
Big hugs to Yoshi!
I have to laugh when I read some of most of this, especially a certain someone up there whom “seems” to have had an easy time with his shiba. I had NO idea what I was getting into. I actually got him from a very well-kept pet store in Fort Myers Florida, who either knew nothing about the breed, or didn’t want me to know! Napoleon (fitting, don’t you think???) is 3 months old, and I am determined to win this battle. You know which battle I’m talking about. It’s like training a dang cat.
I’m getting ready for work tonight, so will definately be coming back to read all of this later. I feel so much better.
I’m sure my neighbors have gotten a show watching me chase him round and round in my back yard.. ughhh! I of course learned since then that this does not work. later
LOL – Napoleon – that is apropos.
Yeah I know what you mean. I got Shiba Sephy from a local breeder who had AKC papers etc., but all she wanted to do was make the sale. She didn’t care whom she sold her puppies to. It is really sad, but at the time I didn’t know better. There should be stronger laws that protect people and especially the dogs from these puppy sellers who treat puppies like a sack of shoes are just in it to make a buck.
Haha – I had a great battle with Sephy. The first few months were the hardest but after over 1 year things really improved significantly. After Sephy turned 3+ he got even more mellow – by Shiba standards. He still tries to push his boundaries now and then, but only in amusing rather than frustrating ways
Definitely tell us more stories about Napoleon. It would be really funny to put him in a Napoleon outfit! But then, I think he might not like it much. Sephy really hates wearing any type of clothing.
Hugs to the little guy and share a picture link with us when you have the time.
Hi Luke,
How is Shiba doing?
Yeah Shibas can be pretty stubborn when they don’t want to go something and often when they are stressed, they will shut down and not respond to anything at all.
My Siberian was like that with loud noises, especially with the garbage truck. When the truck came she would get really afraid, go into a panic, and want to run home at high speeds.
What worked best for her is to expose her to the things slowly. Every garbage day I would do obedience exercises with her inside the house so that she is focused on me and getting rewarded for doing work. Then we slowly moved closer and closer to the door. Then we did exercises with the door open, etc.
One thing you can try is to use puppy pads for now. Only bring it out during potty time and place it close to the door. Then make it into a fun game where you combine commands with the “Find-it” game. In the “Find-it” game, throw a very good treat – only a very small piece (my Shiba loves cheese) – some distance away from Shiba and say Find-it. He will likely go get it, at which point praise him well for being so clever and keep going. After he is into the game, start throwing the cheese closer and closer to the door, and let him go on the pad if he wants. The pad is just a temporary thing so that we can keep sessions short and fun and have been be successful.
Once he is comfortable with that, you can move the pad outside the door and repeat. Then keep moving the pad closer and closer to the outside together with playing the “Find-it” game.
This way, going outside becomes a fun and positive experience rather than something that he is afraid of.
Re: dog park – yeah I stopped taking my Shiba to the dog park after a very short time. He was starting to pick up bad behaviors etc. What worked well for Sephy are smaller dog play groups – just one or two other dogs in a more structured setting.
What is Shiba’s name btw?
Sorry this may be a long post, lots of new things for us in the first week.
The dog park (we have been 2-3 times) is good and bad. He is very timid. He does ok with 1-2 dogs, the smelling and stuff but absolutely no interaction (playing, aggression, etc.) As soon as 3 or more dogs approach him he goes into submission and runs for the fence (which I think he could get out of if he tried).
The biggest issue we have is taking him out to potty. We use a 16ft retractable leash (more freedom) but he doesn’t like to go out (we have tried the dreg leash also). The horrible thing is that when he doesn’t want to do something he doesn’t react to treats at all. So I try to bribe him, etc. to go out but I still end up have to practically drag him out of our stairwell (first floor so no stairs) then he sometimes gets better and explores and does his business but sometimes he just locks up and doesn’t want to do anything. He has a harness with the leash attachment between his shoulder blades. This issue is one we need to fix in order to make bothe of our lives better (a dog has got to pee and I prefer not taking 45 minutes to coax him into it).
On a good note he is pretty much crate trained in only a few days, though it still takes a little coaxing. He isn’t protective of his toys or food at all (my 14 month old daughter can take stuff from him w/o issue). He occasionally nips but nothing bad and normally just with new people, this goes away quickly after they introduce themselves.
That is all I can think of right now. Any suggestions for socializing him or potty/leash training him? It seems like he is a little different than some of the traits you explain about Shibas, but I guess they are all their own individuals. Thanks for any help.
Hi Luke,
4 paws up to you for helping a Shiba in need.
How did he do with the walk at the dog park?
I would go slow with him. In the beginning I just focused on gaining my Shiba’s trust and made sure not to expose him to situations that would be overly stressful.
Sounds like you are doing the right things with him. Several things helped me greatly with my Shiba -
1. The NILIF program – This means Shiba has to do something for you first before he gets anything in return including any food, affection, freedom to the backyard, etc.
2. Using a drag-lead in the house (only with a flat collar). This allowed me to more easily control him when he decides to get into mischief.
3. Time-outs – For serious offenses, especially biting on people and any kind of humping he goes to time-out. I put him in a very boring room (laundry room) where he has nothing to do and doesn’t get to be with people. This way he learns that if he bites people, he doesn’t get to be with people.
4. Setting him up for success – This is one of the most important things for Shiba Sephy. In the beginning I would push him too far too quickly, which forced him to frequently resort to aggression. I found that it is best to go slowly with him. I do challenge him – but only in situations that I am confident he can handle and be successful in. In this way, he doesn’t practice aggression, and he gains confidence and trust with each successful task.
Here are some of the things that helped with Sephy in the beginning -
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training
Here is one on potty training -
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-potty-training-facts-and-myths
Make sure to always supervise closely when he is interacting with children. Shibas are a primitive bunch and have very strong prey drive. This may sometimes be triggered by fast movement, which is common with children.
A BIG WOOF-WOOF to you for fostering a dog in need.
Just started foster care for a shiba yesterday. My wife is still a little scared of him after reading all of this stuff on the internet. He was lost in the city is not neutered and is about a year old (vet checked teeth). We have a one year old and he seems to do fine with her. He is still working on house training. He does a few things for treats but ignores us completely when we call him. I almost have to drag him on the leash sometimes to get him to go outside to do his business. We are planning on walking him around the dog park today to see if he is okay with others. Any suggestions or ideas? We live in an apartment and are working hard to make him apart of our family in case this becomes permanent. Thanks.
Some things that may help -
1. When he starts barking, non-mark him and give him and alternate command.
2. If he ignores you, then move him away from the other dog. Keep moving until he is more calm. As soon as he is calm, you can stop and let him watch if he wants to. Make sure he doesn’t become too fixated with the other dog, by getting his attention from time to time.
3. If he starts acting wild again, non-mark and repeat.
4. If he escalates his behavior and redirects onto you (e.g. leash biting), non-mark and end the walk by marching him directly home. Do not pass Go and do not collect $200
This way he learns that -
barking at other dogs = don’t get to be around other dogs, and
escalation of bad behavior during walks = walk ends.
Hey i have been trying neutral experiences with my dog Hank, and he seems fine with other dogs. However, when a dog steps somewhere Hank just peed, Hank goes crazy and starts barking at the dog. I’m not sure how to get him to stop this bad behavior. Any suggestions? Thanks
Congratulations Martin! That is indeed a very amazing achievement especially for a Shiba.
Sephy will work for cheese up to a point. Other dogs and new people are much higher priority for him so he will always choose those over cheese or anything else.
Hi Robert,
I know what you mean. My Shiba used to be very reactive to other dogs as well. He would want to go meet them and sometimes gets into trouble because other dogs may not want him getting into their space or want to deal with his craziness.
What has helped a lot is to just create as many neutral experiences as possible for him so that he learns that –
see another dog = we just pass by calmly and nothing happens.
Here are some of the things I tried with Sephy when we meet other dogs during our walks -
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression
our 4r old shiba has just been awarded the gold citizen from the kennel club uk. Her training was simple….treat her like a dog …we walk her off lead with a instant recall….cheese in the pocket works wonders..she also jumps over obstacles on command. shes is an absolute pleasure to work with and have around
Hey i have a quick question about my shiba. He’s 6 years old, and doesn’t have that many bad habits. The only problem with him is when we pass by other dogs he immediately becomes aggresive and starts to bark and try to jump at the dog. I don’t know if he’s trying to fight the dog or just play rough. Any suggestions?
Hi Mahogany,
Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy!
In terms of the biting, I know what you mean. My Shiba was extremely mouthy as well, and he drove me nuts in the beginning.
Some things that helped me a lot -
1. Putting him on a drag lead.
The impulse for most people is to push back when a dog jumps on them or mouths on them. This actually just made it into a fun game for my Shiba and he would bite even more. By using a drag lead I could quickly control him and take him to timeout without having to chase him around and without having him mouth all over my hand and arms.
2. Following the NILIF program.
My Shiba works for all of his food either through interactive food toys or by doing stuff for me. He also needs to do commands before I do anything for him – e.g. opening doors, getting toys, getting tummy scratches, etc.
3. Calm and consistency.
Consistency is very important with a Shiba. If Sephy gets away with something once, he will definitely try it out again and again. Set some rules and be very consistent about enforcing them. Timeouts worked very well for me for serious offenses.
Here are more things that helped when Sephy was a puppy.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training
I also had a lot of problems with Sephy wrt. leash biting. It was probably the worst issue I had to deal with.
http://shibashake.com/dog/train-your-dog-to-stop-biting-on-the-leash
Finally – this article on pack-leadership may also be helpful.
http://shibashake.com/dog/pack-leader-to-an-aggressive-dog
Hello. I have had my Shiba for two days. She is doing beautifully with potty training but the chewing thing is out of control. Not so much the things in the house but our clothes when we are wearing them like socks and pants. I don’t pull away and she seems to get worse. She bites on her leash. I want to start her on the right track. She even tries to bite the older dog. He is big but he will not rough play with her. I have bite deterrent spray and do not jerk away. I will try the constant calm mood. Any other advice that you can offer will be great.
Hi Mike,
Yeah it was pretty bad with Shiba Sephy as well, in the beginning. First 6 months were the worst though. Things improved bit by bit after that.
After about 1.5 years, Shiba Sephy really calmed down a lot.
Two things that made a big difference for Sephy –
1. Controlling my own energy and not letting him get my goat as much.
2. Switching to reward training.
It will get better.
Life was so much better before we got our shiba. It’s been 5 months of hell! We’ve spent so much money on him and we’ve been miserable ever since.
I wasn’t sure if it posted a recent picture, so here is the link again.
Great pictures Scott! You can really see how she has grown.
Akiko is too cute for words.
Maybe I will get a creme Shiba next but I am not sure if I am ready for 2 Shibas in the household
Would love to see more pictures.
Hey:-) Here is an updated pst on Akiko. She is 15 weeks now…the experience has been awesome thus far.
Congratulations on getting a Shiba Peter:-)
Congratulations Peter!
I think that describes the Shiba very well! After 3 years, my Shiba definitely understands all the house rules, but the attitude is still there – lol.
Gotta love that Shiba attitude – they are a very entertaining dog breed
Just brought home a 12 week old red male shiba, He is already showing signs that he understands my home’s culture but he definitly has some attitude. I didn’t realize that they are this strong, luckily he doesn’t mind the leash but holding on to it really lets you know that they have some power. My wife and daughter are really enjoying him and I believe we have already started trading trust with each other. He is a blessing to my home already.
lol – she is totally adorable! That is a lot of snow for this early in the year.
My dogs have never seen snow. I think they would both love it. Ice – probably not so much
Thanks for sharing your video.
Here you go. I uploaded it on YouTube:-)
Hi Scott, I would love to see the video! Can you please post us a link to it?
Yeah video embedding doesn’t currently work in the comments section. I should look into getting a plugin for that
Well, I guess it didn’t work…
Thanks again for the suggestions. I will look into upcoming classes. Here is a video of shiba-Akiko out in the snow this morning.
lol – love the squeaky toy alarm system. I know what you mean though. When my Shiba is quiet is when I know he is really up to no good
You could consider enrolling Akiko in puppy class. Try and find one that lets the puppies play and socialize during class breaks.
Both my dogs went to puppy class and they really enjoyed it. Shiba Sephy really loved playing with the other puppies. We went to SIRIUS puppy class, and then later we went to some classes at our local SPCA.
I have had really good experiences with the SPCAs in my area. They have pretty good trainers there, their fees are very reasonable, and they have some really fun classes. Agility could be something fun that you could do with her later on.
Make sure that the puppy class checks everyone on shots and such. For safety, puppy class usually requires at least second round of shots – if memory serves.
Another possibility is to look for puppy play sessions in the dog training centers or daycare centers nearby. The daycare center in my area organizes free weekend puppy play sessions – and that was pretty fun as well. The great thing is that the sessions were well supervised and all the dog owners were very good about making sure their dogs played nice.
Again make sure they check that all puppies are up to date on shots, and that they clean the facilities well. You don’t want her to pick anything up from adult dogs.
Would also be a great time to start with leash training – just in your backyard though.
Lol:-) She is far from innocent… I have to keep my eyes on her at all times. I give her a squeaky toy that she loves because she can easily make it squeak. If I don’t hear it squeaking than I know she is up to no good lol. What should I be doing with her at 9 weeks? I don’t know any other dogs or children to socialize her… She can already do the normal sit, stay, come, down routine:-)
Wow you have a super Shiba! Mine is more like a hellspawn
Did you get her from a local breeder?
Sure will:-) The vet did her nail cutting for us this time, so it went very well. He also gave her a booster shot and she didn’t even flinch. She was too distracted with her treat lol.
Thanks Scott! She is beautiful. Hope you will post more photos of her as she is growing up
How did the nail cutting session go?
You are welcome to post the link on your blog:-) Yea, she was very calm through the cleaning process. I think that she is going to get her nails cut tomorrow so we will see how that goes. Thank you for the compliments on her.
Thanks Raras
Scott – Your Shiba is absolutely beautiful! Can I link to your photos on my blog? Love that bliss shot where she is on her back.
I am impressed that she looks so calm while you were giving her a bath! Was she calm from the start?
whoaa!! thanks for your tips! your tips will be my guide when I owned one someday.
Here are some pictures of her. Her name is Akiko and I picked her up last friday, the 16th.
Thank you for the tips:-) It is so hard not to react to the screams, but I am doing just that. She has always stopped eventually lol. I put her crate next to the bed last night and she slept most of the night. I still had to get up to take her out, but at least she was willing to go back to bed afterward. It has been a tough week, but I can already tell that it is going to be a great ride with her. She is so adorable:-) We go see the vet for the first time on Friday… Any suggestions on what I should be asking him?
Hi Scott,
Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy. She will definitely keep you on your toes
As for the Shiba screaming – make sure not to let her out of her crate while she is screaming. If you do, she will learn that screaming gets her what she wants. In general, don’t give in to the scream. Just ignore it, or leave the area. This shows her that screaming means she gets left alone. When she stops, praise her, and come back to be with her.
Shibas can be extremely stubborn though, so the screaming could go on for a long while. One time I put my Shiba in daycare and he screamed the whole day while he was there – lol.
He also used his screams to good effect with my dog walker.
Shibas are really smart and if they sense that they can manipulate you with screaming, there will be more screaming than ever. So never reward the screaming behavior – always wait for some quiet before letting her have anything. And you can slowly extend the amount of quiet time required.
You could also try letting her sleep in a crate in your bedroom. That is what I do with my Shiba and it helped a lot. He really just wanted to sleep with his people.
I finally took the plunge and decided to get a Shiba Puppy…I am a first time pet owner, so I definitely didn’t know what I was getting myself into. First off, thank you for all the tips, I spent a few nights reading through the blogs and articles posted:-)
I have a cream-colored female who acts like a true Shiba pup. She is 8 weeks old. I am having an issue at night. I was told that she slept well in her crate, but whenever I put her in it (night time or when I leave the house) she screams and boy is it a terrible sound lol. Are there any suggestions on what to do now while she is still young? Thanks in advance:-)
Hi Jenn,
One thing you can try is to slowly desensitize your Shiba to being alone. First, get her used to the ritual of your leaving, then get her used to you leaving for very short periods of time, then slowly extend the time that she stays alone.
Separation anxiety and desensitization
Also leave her with some fun toys to chew on, such as frozen kongs or rubber chew toys with cheese. There are also Kong dispensers which will drop out kongs based on a timer – which may help keep her occupied.
I like the desensitization exercises best though. That and keeping to a fixed schedule has helped most with my Shiba.
I have a one year old Shiba female who does not like to be home alone. She is crate trained, but regardless, she will find away to tear up the carpet.
We are new owners to a pet and am trying diligently to break her from this. I have left her roaming in the house alone and she got into the curtains and other things. Other then the dependency she has on us she is a great dog.
Hi Matt,
Sounds like Wylie is learning all those behaviors from the other dog. In general, it is necessary to apply the same type of discipline to all the dogs that are living together. If not, one will see the other getting away with all kinds of things, and will start to copy those behaviors as well.
It will be difficult, I think, to establish yourself as the leader, when your dog sees that the lab/pit can do whatever he wants.
What does your roommate think about you helping to train his dog? It would be even better if he participates in the training as well.
Hi, i have a 3 year old male named Wylie. I have had similar problems as everyone on this board at one point or another, but through it all, he really has become a good dog and hes my best buddy. Last year i moved in with two roommates who have a lab/pit bull mix, he is not very well trained he constantly whines and growls and barks and is very aggressive with Wylie, but Wylie seems to love it. In the last couple of weeks wylie has begun whining constantly, especially when he is downstairs and the other dog is upstairs. I have tried to start separating them more and more to assert myself as Wylies “pack leader” because it has gotten to the point where he only wants to go upstairs and wont play with me or anyone else…I have tried to do things like shortening his leash on our walks, remaining calm and assertive and trying to have more of a routine for him etc.. but i cant figure out why he keeps whining and its really frustrating me. I have tried everything from using a squirt bottle to removing him from the room to positive reinforcement when he stops whining but hes too smart, he knows if he stops he will get what he wants and then when he gets it he just starts whining again and tries to go upstairs… any thoughts??? Thanks!