Set up a schedule and carefully supervise our puppy.
The little puppy is very curious and will get into trouble every chance he gets.
To save ourselves a lot of pain and to save our puppy from stress, we want set up a fixed schedule which includes crate time, play time, walk time, as well as handling and grooming time.
When our puppy is out and about in a non-dog-proof area, we need to supervise him closely. Close supervision will give us the opportunity to teach puppy right from wrong, without too much damage to our furniture and belongings.
If I do not have the time,
- I usually crate puppy, when he is home alone, or
- I put puppy on a tie-down, when I am home but unable to fully supervise.
If you are concerned about crating your puppy, here is what the Humane Society of the United States and the American Dog Trainer’s Network have to say about dogs and crates.
When I am away for a long period of time (> 3 hours), I put puppy in a long-term enclosure. This can be a secure puppy pen or a safe room (e.g. kitchen). I make sure there is nothing in the enclosure that my puppy can destroy. I also put in some bedding, a water bowl, puppy pads, and safe chew toys.
As a general rule, the longest time to crate a puppy is (age of dog in months) hours. For example, an 8 week old puppy can be kept a maximum of (2 month old) = 2 hours in a crate. Note that this is just a general guideline for the maximum crate time.
Most puppies need to go outside more frequently than that, for exercise and potty training. I take my puppy outside as soon as he wakes up, and right after any kind of vigorous play. In the beginning, Husky puppy Shania needed to potty after about 10-15 minutes of play. Here is a more detailed table of maximum crate time.
At night, I crate my dogs in the bedroom. Sleeping together helps with the bonding process, and shows them that they are part of the pack.
2. Keep a drag-lead on our puppy
I put a drag-lead on my puppy when he is roaming freely in the house.
This will help us control our ball of energy without resorting to chasing games. When my puppy tries to run away, all I need to do is step on the drag-lead.
I use a regular, thick (1 inch wide), flat collar or harness and not an aversive collar (choke chain, prong collar). I make sure to cut off the loop on the leash, so that it does not catch on anything around the house. I start with a longer (6 feet), light leash, and then shorten it depending on my puppy’s behavior. I only do this while I am around to properly supervise my puppy.
Once he matures and is better behaved, I switch to a leash tab or remove the drag-lead altogether.
It is best to use a secure 6 foot leash during puppy leash training and not the flexi-leash. The 6 foot leash gives us better control of our puppy, and is necessary to keep him safe when he decides to go chasing after dogs, cats, or squirrels.
3. Start with reward obedience training
It is most effective and least risky to start our puppy with reward obedience training. I started out with aversive techniques, and it made my Shiba puppy develop additional behavioral issues, including aggression. In fact, my aversive based dog trainer said that it was inappropriate use pain based techniques, such as leash jerks and alpha rolls, on dogs that are younger than 6 months old.
Today, I prefer to use reward training because it is more effective at motivating my dogs, stopping undesirable behaviors, and building a strong bond.
With reward training, we establish ourselves as the pack leader by controlling our dog’s resources through the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program. This simply means that my puppy has to do something for me, for example a Sit, before he gets any resource (e.g. food, toys, affection, freedom) in return. Any bullying will be ignored, or will result in the removal of that resource.
Many people make the mistake of equating pack leadership with the use of aversive training. Aversive dog trainers say that difficult, strong-willed, dominant dogs require stronger, punishment based methods in order to show him who is boss.
This is not true.
One of my dogs (a Shiba Inu) is extremely strong willed, and can be quite difficult, but he responds much better to reward training.
Be careful of advertisements for 10 minute puppy obedience training programs and the like. There are no miracle cures in puppy training.
4. Bite inhibition training
Puppy biting is common because puppies are naturally curious, and want to examine everything with their mouths.
The good news is puppies do not have the jaw strength of an adult dog, and will not do much damage to us when biting. Because of this, puppy-hood is a good time for bite inhibition, or soft mouth training.
One of the best ways to train a dog to have a soft mouth is through hand-feeding.
I hand-feed my puppy at least some of his kibble every day. If he bites too hard when getting his food, I do a sharp ouch or yelp and ignore him for a few seconds. Then, I retry the exercise. If he takes food from me gently, I praise him and continue feeding without any breaks.
We can also combine hand-feeding with obedience commands, and dog grooming sessions. Hand-feeding also helps with food aggression issues, so I continue with it even through adulthood.
Ian Dunbar’s book After You Get Your Puppy, gives a good overview of bite inhibition, and how to best train our puppy to have a soft mouth.
A puppy, and ultimately an adult dog who has a soft mouth is a great asset. Because my Shiba Inu has good bite inhibition, we were able to solve many of his behavior problems, which would have been difficult to deal with if he were biting at full strength.
5. Practice calm and assertive energy
This is something that is always emphasized by Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer) and it is extremely important; especially for a hyperactive puppy.
If we interact with a dog using nervous, submissive, fearful, or otherwise weak (non-assertive) energy, the dog will sense that and start acting out even more.
Anger, impatience, frustration, and all other non-calm energies will only excite our puppy, and cause him to exhibit even more extreme behaviors.
In order to achieve calm, assertive energy, we must first overcome whatever fears we may feel toward our dog, and become his pack leader. This is much easier to do if we have achieved good bite inhibition.
6. A busy puppy is a good puppy
Puppies have a lot of energy, and will get into trouble if we do not keep them busy.
I make my puppy work for ALL of his food. Instead of presenting everything to him in a silver bowl, I use his daily kibble and treats for obedience sessions, bite inhibition training, handling, and grooming. If there is food left over, I put it in interactive food toys.
I also schedule play time with my puppy. Some games that my dogs like include flirt pole, the water hose game, and sometimes soccer.
When I start with a new game, I make it fun by handing out lots of treats for effort. Once my puppy understands the game, I switch to only treating his more stellar performances.
Make sure to always have control of a puppy’s play-time. This means that we own all the toys, and we decide when to start and stop the games. Play-time can be very useful in training our puppy to calm down, and to pay attention to us even when he is excited.
I also schedule two or three short obedience training sessions (10-15 minutes) with my puppy every day. This helps to establish me as the leader, gives my puppy some mental exercise, and provides a good bonding experience.
Other good ways to exercise our puppy (after full vaccination) include neighborhood walks, walks in the park, dog playgroups, and dog sports.
7. We are not alone
The most important thing to remember while bringing up a difficult puppy is that we are not alone!
Our puppy journey will be filled with a lot of joy, but there will also be challenges and pit-falls. Sometimes, we may feel discouraged by our puppy’s behavior, or with his performance in dog obedience class.
We are not alone!
There are many support groups out there where we may post our questions. I also find it helpful to visit these groups when I feel discouraged, or when I feel like my puppy is some mutant strain of devil dog.
Do not think that you are a bad dog owner or trainer when your puppy behaves badly. Many other dog owners are facing the exact same problems. Also remember that with proper rules and training, our puppy’s behavior will improve with time.
I have a 7 month old German shepherd mix. She is a handful, she has decided to pick on one person my boyfriend. He comes to our house or vice versa every weekend. When she sees him she gets very excited, she starts jumping and biting him anywhere she could possible get, his sides, legs clothes. He says off and puts his knee up. This seems to get her madder and contribute jumping and biting, what is the best way to address issue?
This is what I do when my dog jumps and bites-
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-i-trained-my-husky-puppy#bite-training
Here is more on my experiences with dog jumping-
http://shibashake.com/dog/stop-your-dog-from-jumping-on-people
Hello Shibashake!
I am very happy i have found this blog! So much information! 😀
My boyfriend and I have decided to go for a Shiba after checking out other races of similar size (we live in an apartment). I must say that, as many people that have are in the same position, the warnings of Shiba Inu can sometimes be scary, although then you find some great stories 🙂
Just wanted to thank you for your effort in building this site and if we do go for the pup, you’ll probably see me around asking more questions 😉
LOL! Yeah, definitely not one of the easier breeds to train or live with.
I did not do enough research before I got Sephy though, so he really was not what I was expecting or prepared for. I think things would have gone a lot better if I were more on the ball, like you, and did more reading before making a choice.
Definitely let us know what you decide, and share some puppy pictures! 😀
Hi. I have been reading your blog a little here and there. I just got a Shiba recently and I would say they are extremely smart dog. I have faced a few problem with my puppy and I am not sure it is the same for most Shiba. My puppy is very picky on her food. She eats when she feels like eating and she can totally ignore the food if she decided she is not happy with that same food today. Is that normal? Also, she understands basis command like “sit” and “down”. She will obey when there is treat. Other time when I said “sit”, she will do it if she feels like it. do you face the same problem with Sephy too?
Hello Jeslyn,
Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy!
Yeah, Sephy was like that as well when he was a puppy. Switching to a grain-free kibble helped some with Sephy. He is allergic to wheat. Having a fixed eating schedule also helps.
Heh, yeah that’s a Shiba for ya! 😀 They are usually very independent and stubborn. I think Sephy is on the upper end of the stubborn scale.
But when he is motivated, he can do amazing things. One time he even won a Puppy Olympics contest in his puppy class. All the puppies had to do commands during a fixed time period and the puppy with the most commands wins. There was even a Border Collie mix in the class so I was really proud of Sephy.
Still though, a Shiba will do what a Shiba wants to do. 😀
http://shibashake.com/dog/why-are-shiba-inus-one-of-the-most-difficult-breeds-to-train
Hello! I would like to teach my puppy fetch but she never brings the ball back to me
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-play-fun-games-to-play-with-your-dog-or-puppy#fetch
thanks 🙂 it would be my pleasure.
Well I guess we can say that my partner and I just bought our first home together and got Sammi to build a little family. He’s definitely trialling at times but his infectious smile and personality make it all worth it 🙂
Also in the 2 weeks that we’ve had him he now knows his name (both names), to come, sit, shake and lay down. So proud of our little boy 🙂
Thank you! Your words are too kind. Photography is a hobby of mine and I’m hoping to make it into a little business when I have the time. I have registered my business name already – “furtography” haha 🙂 and Sammi will no doubt be the star of my portfolio.
You’re more than welcome to post them on your site if you like, it would be my privilege to have them on there 🙂
Thanks again
LOL! Furtography is awesome! Definitely point us to your site when you have it up.
Thanks for letting me post the pictures here. Is there a Sammi story you would like me to post along with it?
🙂 Hi again,
haha exactly! He picks out the good stuff and then pushes his nose around the kibble as if more goodies will suddenly appear!
I’ve sent you a friend request on Facebook as I assume your page is “Shiba Shake” so hopefully that’s the right one. My little Shiba’s name is Samurai (Sammi) and I have started an album for him on my Facebook page 🙂
Otherwise, feel free to send me an email and I can also send you plenty through there!
Thanks so much,
Frances
Your pictures of Sammi are awesome! He is a very handsome little pup, and the composition and framing of the photos are great. You should make them public, or I would also love to post some of the pictures on my site. 😀
Thank you so much for your reply!
His appetite seems to have come back but he’s getting very smart in his food choice in that he smells what we’re eating and thinks he’s going to get that. Once he’s seen that we’ve finished eating and that he won’t in fact be getting our food, he runs off and eats his. He’s a cheeky one!
We’re currently feeding him what the breeder provided us and recommended to us which is holistic natural kibble but we’ve been soaking it in water to soften it for him.
It’s good to know that they are known for their aloofness so it’s not that he doesn’t like us.
As for his biting, I’ve read that article before and noted to redirect him to a toy which seems to be working well.
Thank you so much for all your recommendations and articles – they really have been a great help to us!
I would be more than happy to share photos of him with you (have taken hundreds already)… what’s the best way to share them with you?
Thanks again 🙂
Hello Frances,
LOL! Sephy did that as well. He will always hold out for the good stuff. I also used to mix in little pieces of cheese or chicken with his kibble to encourage him to eat, and he would just pick out the good stuff! 😀
In terms of the photos there are several possibilities-
1. Share them through facebook.
2. Feel free to post a link here if you already have them online.
3. I can send you an e-mail and we can send pictures that way.
Let me know what works best for you. Hugs to Shiba puppy! 😀
I absolutely love your puppy and have frequently referred to it when we knew we were going to get a Shiba Inu puppy. We now have our little Shiba Inu and he’s in his first week at home. He’s a lot to handle and are now beginning to understand his very different puppy personality. We find that often he will like to be on his own and that he has no appetite. Is this normal for him or is it simply because he’s still adjusting to his new home? Another thing we’ve noticed that he does is when he’s excited to see us, he nips us with his mouth and grabs onto anything with it. What’s the best way to stop this as we don’t want to scold him for being happy to see us. Although he’s very smart and has already learned his name, to come and to sit. Love him to bits 🙂
oops! I meant “I absolutely love your website”… I must have puppy on the brain!
Hello Frances,
Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy!
In terms of appetite, have you taken puppy to the vet for a check-up and shots? What did the vet say about his general health? Also, how is puppy’s stool and energy level? Loss of appetite can sometimes be the result of a physical issue, therefore it is best to rule that out first.
Otherwise, Shiba Sephy was also a very picky eater. I tried all sorts of things to get him to eat his food. Finally, I switched to a high protein, grain free kibble, which helped. I also took my feeding cue from him, and just fed him less. Here is a bit more on how I picked what to feed him.
Shibas are also known for their aloofness so they do not need/want much human affection or attention. Sephy is a lot less affectionate than my two Sibes who are always happy to be around people. My younger Sibe especially will frequently come over to sleep next to me. Less so for Shiba Sephy. 😀
Nowadays, Sephy will sometimes ask for affection by turning onto his back and asking for a tummy scratch. During the evening he will also come to the t.v. room to be with everyone. However, most of the day, he is off doing his own thing.
As for the biting, Sephy was also very mouthy when he was a puppy. As a breed, I think Shibas tend to be more mouthy than many other dogs. Bite inhibition training is very useful for a Shiba. Sephy would also mouth a lot when he got excited, this was what I did –
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop-puppy-biting#timeout
Redirecting onto a toy can also work well for excitement biting.
Here is a bit more on general puppy obedience training.
Remember to take lots of puppy pictures and share some with us when you can. 😀
You mentioned to leave the puppy in the crate at night to further bond with them. Our puppy is 2 months. By your rules, that would be only 3 hours in the crate. Am I to wake up to let her our in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or wait until she is older and can sleep through the night?
Hello Nick,
Congratulations on your new puppy!
I usually stop giving puppy water about 2-3 hours before bedtime, and make sure to take her out to potty before crating her at night. I get her to drink her fill before last call, and make sure she has quiet time after that. Setting up a very fixed eating schedule also helped.
In the beginning, I had to wake up several times at night to take her out. She made noise when she had to go, or when she was lonely.
http://shibashake.com/dog/a-new-puppy-first-10-days-of-hell