Comments on: Happy Doggy Birthday

By: shibashake

shibashake — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:30:07 +0000

In reply to Anonymous.

Shibas are so silly.

LOL! Yeah they definitely are. Also very original in their silliness. :D

she makes the weirdest facial expressions!

Hahaha, yeah I love that about Shibas! Big hugs to puppy! Take lots of puppy pictures and send us a link if you can.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 04:37:20 +0000

I love this article. Shibas are so silly. We have a little shiba puppy who is such a character! She always make everyone smile. Just like Sephy, she makes the weirdest facial expressions! Hugs to Sephy and Shania! 🙂

By: shibashake

shibashake — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:34:03 +0000

Hi Renea,
Thanks for the update. I am very glad to hear that things are going well.

Yeah Sephy really needs his multiple walks as well, or else he will definitely be up to “no good”. I think it is a favorite Shiba pastime 😀

Hugs to Memphis and congrats to all of you for helping him onto Santa’s good list!

By: Renea

Renea — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:44:28 +0000

Memphis, our 10 month old Shiba is doing better. We are still taking him for at least 2 walks each day. We have had a couple of guarding incidents in the last couple of months. We put him in his kennel and cover it. We ignore him completley. After a couple of hours, he is calmed down and is let out of his kennel. The object of his desire (usually a sock, hat or glove) is left in the kennel. One of the kids distracts him while another gets the item. He hasn’t wrecked a sock yet!! hahaha

Overall, it has been a good couple of months.

Our family is at the perfect age for this type of dog. Our kids are ages 13 and up. Memphis likes attention and active play. He loves the snow!!

Renea

By: shibashake

shibashake — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:35:22 +0000

We have also gone back to walking him several times a day. We notice his guarding behavior is worse when he has had only been walked once a day.

That is very good advice Renea. A busy and well-exercised Shiba is always a better behaved Shiba. Another thing you can do is make your Shiba work for all of his food. Use Kongs and other safe interactive food toys. My Shiba likes his Buster Cube and Omega Kibble ball. Here are some interactive food toys that I have tried. Let us know how things go.

By: shibashake

shibashake — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:29:11 +0000

Hello Kaiks,

Senbei has been perfect so far.

Good to hear that not all Shibas are hellions 🙂 Also a lucky Shiba to have found such a good home.

When I got my Shiba, I didn’t do enough research, and made a lot of mistakes with him. I don’t think he was very happy then, and neither were we.

He is much better now though, and I think also much happier. Not quite a model citizen; more like a rogue moocher 😀

By: Renea

Renea — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:24:41 +0000

Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. Your dog sounds just like ours. hahaha. I will try the techniques and let you know how he is doing.

I have hand fed him since we got him at five weeks. He has a very soft mouth and doesn’t guard his food.

We are giving him high priority items when he is in his outdoor kennel all day. He is inside at night and when my son goes to school, he goes to his outdoor kennel. I feel he still needs to chew and that way he has all day. He comes back inside in the late after-noon.

We have also gone back to walking him several times a day. We notice his guarding behavior is worse when he has had only been walked once a day.

thanks for the great web-site. Shibas are very rare in our area so I always find something I can use on your site.

Renea

By: Kaiks

Kaiks — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:11:30 +0000

My wife and I got a male shiba named Senbei on the 4th of October, he is now 3.5 months old.
We are expecting a lot of fun and troubles in the future but Senbei has been perfect so far. He’s been doing extremely well at puppy pre-school and will graduate on Saturday, then on Sunday we will meet at a park for a reunion with his parents and two brothers, unfortunately his sister is about 2000 miles away.
I really appreciate you making this site and sharing your pack experiences with the world, this site is the most comprehensive I have found in dealing with a shiba.
I’ve yet to read a lot more and look forward to future entries.

By: shibashake

shibashake — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:13:02 +0000

Hello Renea, What you describe is a common problem with Shibas - resource guarding. Shibas are bred to be guard dogs so they have a strong guard instinct. However, it is a behavior that you want to correct because it can become dangerous for everyone involved. More on the how and why of resource guarding. Bite inhibition training was also invaluable for my Shiba, but only do that if your Shiba is fine with hand feeding, and will not resort to aggression. I would also follow the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program so that your Shiba learns that you are the source of all his resources and he has to work for you to get what he wants. If Shiba escalates his aggression, it may be best to consider getting a professional trainer.

By: shibashake

shibashake — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:49:51 +0000

Thank you Kaiks! 😀 Shibas are such fun – they have all these weird looks and poses. Sephy comes up with all these funny moves both when he is awake and asleep. I have never seen other dogs with such a large repertoire of poses – lol. Shibas truly are a unique breed.