The Shiba Inu is a beautiful Spitz dog. You will get many compliments and turn many heads, while walking next to a Shiba.
A Shiba can get you a lot of attention, and open doors to many social encounters. Get used to hearing, “He looks just like a fox!”.
In fact, it is this foxy look that often gets Shibas into trouble.
Many people fall in love with the ‘Shiba look’, but are not equipped to handle his larger than life personality.
If you like the Spitz look, there are many other breeds that fall into this group, that may better suit your lifestyle.
The Good
1. A dog that is more like a cat
A Shiba Inu is independent and very clean.
My Shiba Sephy, spends a fair amount of time not just grooming himself, but also helping to groom my Siberian Husky.
Their inborn cleanliness make them generally easy to potty train.
Sephy only had potty mistakes on the first day that we brought him home (10 weeks old). After that, he has always let me know when he needs to go outside. In fact, he naturally dislikes soiling his living space, and even prefers not to go in our backyard.
Shiba Inus like having their humans around, in the general vicinity. However, they are aloof like cats, and do not need or want human affection, much of the time.
2. A good watch dog
A Shiba Inu is not a noisy dog. However, when there are strange people or strange noises around the house, Sephy will bark to alert me. Once I go and check things out, he stops barking.
Sephy also has a great memory, and will alert me if anything is out of place around the house, or in a familiar neighborhood. One day, he started barking at the fence, because somebody had put a piece of wood on top of it – amazing!
3. Graceful, agile, and high energy
A Shiba Inu is graceful and agile.
He can leap tall fences in a single bound, and can scale walls like Spiderman. If properly directed, his super powers can be used for good. However, when left on his own, the Shiba will likely turn towards the Dark Side.
Sephy is a great hiking buddy, and is always up for a new challenge. He can easily learn and conquer an agility course, but he will only do it, if I make it worth his while.
A Shiba running is a sight to behold, and a Shiba at play is poetry in motion.
4. A doggy Einstein
A Shiba Inu can learn many dog obedience commands, and he can learn them very quickly. He also thinks that he is much smarter than you, and will only obey you when it suits him.
Sephy can quickly solve complex interactive dog toys and puzzles. I am always trying out new ways to deploy his food in toys, because he figures things out so quickly.
A Shiba will challenge us and keep us sharp and on our toes!
5. A larger than life personality
No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.
~~[ Aristotle ]
A Shiba Inu may be small in body, but he has a ginormous personality. If a Shiba were a person, he would either be an extremely successful egomaniac or in prison!
Sephy always surprises me and makes me laugh; at least when he is not making me cry.
He has this one move, where he puts his head down on the ground, with his butt sticking up in the air – it is just too precious.
The Bad
1. Bold, strong willed, and stubborn
A Shiba Inu has a “Never give up, Never surrender” attitude.
He will not back down from a challenge, and will often fight back when he perceives a threat. Because of this, many Shiba owners face aggression issues with their dog, including food aggression, dog to dog aggression, and people aggression.
To successfully live with a Shiba, we must be extremely patient, and have a good sense of humor.
Turn a Shiba’s annoying habits against him.
For example, a Shiba gets bored easily. If we ignore him and give him nothing to react to, he will quickly lose interest, and move on to something else.
Sephy can also be very competitive. If he sees another dog getting praise and rewards, he will want to strut his stuff and show that he is better.
Work with a Shiba’s innate personality, and use it motivate him in the right direction. Passive resistance and reward obedience training, work best with my Shiba.
A Shiba will hand you many lemons, which is good if you like lemonade. Otherwise, just cut one up and squirt it on his muzzle.
~~[ just kidding! ShibaShake ]
2. A sly, rougish intelligence
A Shiba Inu is super intelligent. He will most often use his brain power to “push your buttons“, and get what he wants.
Sephy is always trying to figure out how he can outsmart me, and all the humans around him. A trainer once told me that Sephy was spending the weekends, “Devising new strategies to defeat her”.
In another life, my Shiba was probably a Catholic priest. He can guilt me into doing almost anything for him.
Beware the Shiba look – it is one of his most powerful weapons, and he will use it to great effect, if he senses any weakness in you. Before you know it, your Shiba will have gotten you trained to fetch, stay, and rub tummy.
- Remember that a Shiba will do whatever he wants, if he can get away with it.
- If he cannot get away with it, he will figure out another way to get what he wants.
- When he gets caught with his nose in the cookie jar, he will give you the innocent, “What did I do?” look, and then come over to lick your hand.
As soon as you turn away, he is back in the cookie jar!
3. Like the evil, black Spiderman
A Shiba Inu is capable of great feats of agility. However, if left untrained, he will use his powers to destroy and cause great havoc in the household.
If bored and lonely, he will escape by jumping over or burrowing under your fence. He can squeeze through small holes, bite through leashes, and achieve amazing great escapes, that will make Houdini proud.
If not properly supervised, Sephy will pull down items from counters, and shred them to pieces. He may even eat some of those pieces. Once, I left him unsupervised for about 10 minutes. In that time, he pulled down a phone headset, dismantled it into little pieces, and arranged them in a strategic pattern all over the floor. Luckily, he did not swallow anything.
A young Shiba Inu has a lot of energy.
It takes a lot to keep him occupied, and away from trouble. Supervised play sessions with friendly dogs can help. Another alternative is to put him in dog daycare, or to employ the services of a dog walker.
4. A Drama Queen
My Shiba will whine, mope, and act like it is the end of the world, when he is unhappy about something (e.g. wearing a harness).
Woe be to you if your Shiba gets hurt, or even just thinks that he is hurt.
Sephy acts like he is close to death’s door, even for small things like getting grass stuck between his teeth.
Woe be to you, woe be to your vet, and woe be to anyone who tries to help.
Shibas are extremely touchy when in this state, and may snap or bite at anyone who comes near them.
In addition, Sephy is extremely sensitive to the energy of the people and dogs around him. If I am scared or stressed-out, he picks up on that immediately, and gets that way too – except with a thousand times more gusto!
5. An accomplished singer
A Shiba Inu does not bark much, but he has a wide range of vocal stylings.
The most well known is the Shiba-scream, which is a high pitched, loud scream, that will make your blood curdle. Your neighbors will think you are torturing your poor little ball of fur.
A Shiba will quickly learn to use his Shiba-scream against you, if you let him.
Do not get embarrassed, and do not give him a reaction during a Shiba-scream. I just ignore Sephy and go about my business. He quickly learned that screaming is not very effective at getting him what he wants, and he stopped doing it. Remember that a Shiba can see your outward appearance, as well as sense your inner energy.
6. Dog royalty
A Shiba Inu does not like being touched or handled.
Cutting nails, bathing, or a vet examination, is never fun for any breed of dog. However, with a Shiba, it can be total hell.
After a lot of desensitization work and management, Sephy still protests to some of these activities. He sometimes throws a fit when I pick him up, and he only likes human contact when the mood suits him.
A Shiba is like dog royalty. He wants his subjects close enough to serve him, but not too close as to sully his royal person.
7. Pretends not to understand ‘Obedience’
Obedience? What’s that?
Shibas Inus think that you should be obedient to them and not the other way around. If you want a Shiba to do something for you, you had better make him a good offer. Sometimes, Sephy bargains with me. He will sit there and wait until I have the acceptable number of dog treats in my hand, before going into his crate.
A Shiba can be a good citizen at home, but he must be properly managed.
Shibas are strong willed, independent, and bred to hunt. Aversive training does not work well on them. Shiba owners need to be creative and flexible when interacting with their dog.
A Shiba is not to be trusted off-leash, unless in a fully enclosed area.
8. Nasty, wicked teeth
For a small dog, a Shiba Inu has very large teeth, and he is not afraid to use them.
Shibas can be very mouthy; more so than many other dog breeds. When I first got Sephy at 10 weeks old, his mouth was all over me. Now, it is in control, but his instinct is still to bite.
Shibas are a primitive breed, and they lose control more easily than other more domesticated dog breeds.
The Quirky
A grass connoisseur
Sephy likes grazing, but he is picky about what grass he will eat. Dogs may sometimes graze when their stomachs are upset, to clear their digestive systems. However, my Shiba just enjoys eating grass, provided it is the right kind of grass.
I recently found an article suggesting that there might be something to this grass connoisseur business after all.
“We at Green Foods believe that dogs and many other carnivores, including cats and bears, eat cereal grasses because cereal grasses contain nutrients not found in meat that are essential for the animals’ good health.”
~~[ Green Foods web site ]
Thanks to all the posters at Shibatalk and ShibaInuInfo for their many humorous Shiba stories that inspired this article.
I have two female Shibas, one 9 and the other 10+. An old neighbour of mine had a couple litters(purebred)of them and I became their own private Shiba rescue. I’ve got a runt from one litter and a runt with an underbite from another. I might be blocking out the chewy puppy years but they are great! They are easily the best dogs I’ve ever had! The uderbite doesn’t make a difference in the one accept she can’t get a slice of american cheese off the floor. She also has higher up and not normal front pinky toes (hard to explain). Her knees are also starting to give her problems. I’m wondering how common this is and if there are any other anomolies that specifically Shiba owners may have delt with. She is on joint & hip pills, I massage her so she doesn’t get stiff and keep her active. The massages make my other Shiba sooooo jealous. She gets them too.
Based on what I have read, luxating patella is a pretty common issue with Shibas.
Great site! We have taken on the task of caring for my son’s Shiba for a few months. Her name is Bella and she is about six months old. She is such an adorable little girl but I do have some concerns. We have a six year old male Westipoo named Joe. Well, Joe did not take to Bella very good at all. When Bella first arrived she wanted to play with Joe. They got in a few fights, but I kept believing things would get better. Well, things have only gotten worse. Now Bella is the aggressor. She still would just love to be able to play with Joe, but whenever the mood strikes, she will go after him. I had to pull her off his back the other day, fur in mouth and all. I felt like Joe was ruining her sweet puppy personality, but after reading your site and others, I am finding this is may be normal behavior. I have shed many a tear thinking we are ruining her. I just don’t want to return her to my son a changed dog…and not for the better.
Besides her aggression with Joe, she is starting to get very aggressive in her playing with me and my daughters. I know she means no harm, but those teeth are killer. When she is in that very playful, energetic mode she will go after your feet, legs, arms and even face. It is almost impossible to get her to let up.
I am just needing some advice on how to curb some of this aggression. Is this a normal trait of the Shiba Inu? Please tell me coming into my home has not caused her to become the aggressor of which she will always be.
We love little Bella Boo so much. She is such an awesome puppy and I know it will be a sad day when she does go back home.
Thank you for your help!
Hello Lisa,
My Shiba was certainly a lot more mouthy than my other dogs. He is also a lot more stubborn and requires a lot more calm and patience. We had a difficult time of it initially, mostly because I was not doing the right things for Sephy.
Some things that helped with Sephy-
1. Having a fixed routine.
2. Having very consistent house rules, dog interaction rules, walking rules, etc.
3. I always try to be very calm with Sephy and have a plan for dealing with each of his undesirable behaviors. If I get angry, frustrated, or fearful, Sephy picks up on that right away and gets even more crazy.
4. I follow the NILIF program.
5. I observe Sephy closely and identify the things that motivate him, the things that scare him, what things trigger his mouthiness, and why. In this way I can slowly desensitize him to things that he views as threats.
With Sephy, I find that it is best to stop things before they escalate, and retrain undesirable behaviors as soon as I spot them.
Here is a bit more on my experiences with-
Introducing Sephy to a second dog,
Curbing his mouthiness, and
Dealing with his early puppy craziness.
Getting a good professional trainer with Shiba experience can also be very helpful.
http://shibashake.com/dog/finding-a-dog-trainer
The Shiba Inu forum can also be a good resource. There are many experienced owners there who know their Shibas well.
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/
Hello, loved your site it was really informative and sweet. I was just wondering what you meant by the whole leader of the pack, and show him who’s boss, I’ve been thinking about getting a baby shiba and am a bit apprehensive due to the many negative comments I’ve been hearing about them, personally I’m the kind of person that loves showing affection to my pets and wanted to ask is there any way of making a shiba like to show affection (I know it’s a dream :p) I love shibas, they’re some of the cutest puppies ever and would hate to get one that’s completely indifferent about me
Thanks
Heh, yeah I also fell in love with the Shiba-look. However, it took me a while to get used to Shiba Sephy’s aloof nature, which was really not like my childhood experiences with my family dogs. It is in Sephy’s nature to be more aloof, and although he will sometimes ask for tummy rubs, he is usually off by himself. In contrast, both my Sibes are *a lot* more affectionate.
On the other hand, the Sibes are also a lot more energetic, requires a lot more exercise, and requires a lot more people time and attention.
I think I would have done better with a more affectionate breed as a first dog. As it was, Sephy and I had a difficult and rough start of things, mainly because I wanted him to be something that he was not. There is this great quote from Kung Fu Panda that I love-
Dog Training and Kung Fu Panda
Sephy needed house rules, consistency, and a fixed routine. He is most happy when knows what to expect from the people around him, and knows what is expected of him in return.
One very effective way of being leader with Sephy was by following the Nothing in Life is Free program (NILIF). Here us more on my Shiba training experiences-
http://shibashake.com/dog/shiba-inu-training-secrets
I got my Shiba, Shuntaro, when he was about one year old. The first few nights he snapped at me when I tried to pet him and he barked and fussed all night long. After a year and a half now, he is as affectionate as any pet I’ve known. He plays well with our two cats and is always welcoming to visitors. It took a while to gain some normalcy but the challenge was worth it. Shun is a great member of our family. Sometimes he sleeps right by my side. Other nights he’ll be in another room or on the couch. He does what ever he wants.
We have a shiba mix in our family. I have to laugh, though, because she is more like a shiba than anything else, and many of the comments here apply to her. I think the shiba genes are very dominant in a mix.
Moose as a puppy introduced us to the shiba scream – which made my hair stand on end. She is very smart; one of the first things I did for her when little was to rent a movie called Dogs and Cats because she watched television and showed great interest. She sees the difference between humans and animals on screen, and always reacts to animals. Mostly to bark at them – act tough as if they are in our house. She really responds to elephants and horses on screen. We have to tell her to be nice to the animals on the TV.
She also is aggressive towards other dogs while on the harness. I have followed The Dog Whisperer’s advice and constantly have to remind her: No barking at dogs! Be nice to other dogs. Most of the time she will (now) actually listen, if not surprised by another dog behind her. She does understand our disappointment when she lunges at another dog. She herself was attacked by a few dogs who broke off from their owner’s grip. It was very scary. She acted like she could defend herself, but it was a dangerous situation.
Moose also will stare until you read her mind; hold out for the treat she wants until she realizes it’s not coming; bares her teeth when playing and growls when playing with you and her stuffed animals. She has destroyed so many stuffed animals that we began buying her flat fabric animals with no stuffing.
She can finish a bone in fifteen minutes that would take a big breed dog a week to devour. She’s like a machine.
We love her personality so much it would be hard to have a different kind of dog. The Shiba part of her is mellowed out by the mix I guess; but she is so funny and intelligent. THe stubborn part can drive one to distraction.
Similar to another post, she absolutely flips if we even mention the words “Cut nails.” When I used to cut our cats nails, Moose would run back and forth to look, then hide. If we say, “clip” her ears and tail go down and she slinks away. It’s frustrating because she needs her nails clipped and we have to take her to a vet to do it – after sedating her a bit with benadryl.
I know you folks are talking abour pure shibas, but thought I’d like to add that a shiba mix is also pretty amazing and actually tones down some of the shiba qualities (like bolting out of a yard, etc.) quite a bit.
dsl
p.s.
Moose also grazes like a cow. Yesterday she was so into eating grass in the park, that she laid flat down rather than move on when I tried to get her to stop. I wasn’t sure if it was good for her to eat so much grass. But reading these posts has made me think otherwise. We discovered a good non-fattening treat for her, by the way, is a carrot. Not too many. Just one or two small baby carrots. they are crunchy and she loves them.
Hello Diane,
Thanks for sharing Moose’s story with us. She sounds wonderful, funny, and full of Shiba goodness! 😀
Sephy was also reactive to other dogs. We did a lot of dog-to-dog desensitization exercises with him, which was very helpful in getting him to stay more calm.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression#desensitize
LOL! Yeah – Sephy also loves getting all the stuffing out. He doesn’t eat the stuff – just treats it like a puzzle.
Hahaha – yeah Shibas have large teeth relative to their size and they are big time chewers. Sephy chews so hard that he cracked one of his teeth on a deer antler several years ago. Now I make sure to only get him chew toys that are too hard.
That a great suggestion! My Sibes love eating carrots and some fruits. Sephy is not really into it as much though. He is more of a meat guy.
Big hugs to Moose!
I love your page! I’ve read it multiple times before and after gettin my shiba. I reasached them for months before deciding I could handle one after havin trained my mini American Eskimo, who is an absolute princess! My shiba is named Koda and he is just about 3 months. He’s so smart and pretty good from some horror stories I’ve read. Koda loves to play and run, and is usually content being just near me, although he enjoys his alone time haha! He is the typical little brother to my mini eski, he constantly annoys her but adores her to pieces! Potty training is so simple it’s crazy! I’d say Koda’s only major issues, other than any normal puppy behavior, is his mouthiness and that evil shiba look/growl if you anger him. I don’t let him think he can intimidate me or get his way, which seems to help, but I would definitely like some advice here. I don’t want him to think that behavior is acceptable ever. Otherwise I’m in love with this little man! He’s skiddish at times, but is usually willing and trusting to follow me anywhere. Thanks for the info!
Hello Kate,
Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy!
With Sephy bite inhibition training was very helpful. I think it is his instinct to use his mouth much more so than I have noticed with my Sibes. Training Sephy to have a soft mouth really helped with his other issues later on. I still keep up with it today, and it is great that he takes food out of my hand calmly and gently.
In terms of growling, Sephy sometimes growls while he is playing. He will also occasionally growl in warning, for example letting my Sibe pup know that he is not interested in playing. I will step in then and get puppy to do something else. He may also growl when he feels threatened. In general, I try to look at his entire body posture and surrounding context to determine what he is trying to say to me.
In terms of mouthiness, timeouts work very well on Sephy. I first start by no-marking the behavior (Ack-ack) and then give him an alternate command or redirect him into doing something else. If he does this, I praise and reward him with good stuff. If he continues, then I stand up, fold my arms and ignore him. If he escalates his behavior, then I calmly put him in a timeout.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop-puppy-biting#timeout
Big hugs to Koda!
This is a great site….. We got Karlos about 4 months ago from a animal rescue, we were told he was a Akita & today I was told he was a shiba inu. He is a great little guy (well not so little 40 lb) Karlos matches all the traits that were talked about. He does like the water but not over his head, he just chases the waves & tries to bite the waves…. The one thing he HATES the most is being brushed, that is the only time he bites…. & it drives me nuts anytime someone comes over he just barks & barks I like that he does that, but when I want him to stop he will not…. he is SO great with our 4 kids waits EVERYDAY for them to get off the bus to greet them. a few times we have put him on his run & we left he got lose and did not run away, as soon as I got home I could see that he was not on his run, so I started to freak out, but to my surprise he was laying on the porch… I just wanted to thank you for this great page…
That is so sweet! Karlos sounds like a wonderful guy.
Sephy also did not like handling and grooming when he was young. We went slowly, and it took some time, but now he will tolerate brushing and teeth brushing for his favorite chicken + sausage dish. 😀
I think with Sephy it is a matter of getting him comfortable with something and working it into his routine. He is very routine oriented, and once something is part of his routine he is fine with it.
Big hugs to Karlos and many thanks for your comment!
Just lost my baby Rusty after 14 years of kidney failure. He was a rescue that I got when he was 1 year old. Although he was all Shiba I was able to get him to walk off leash after years of training. I know that he was very special in this area. He was so laid back. He was Alpha male when it came to other dogs. He loved his walks, at least 1 hour each weeknight, then 1 1/2 hours on the weekends. Even at the end he walked for an hour 2 days before he left us. I was very lucky to have him and wonder if I could ever find another Shiba with his personality.
Hello Bill,
Thanks for sharing Rusty’s story with us. He definitely sounds like a very special Shiba.
I had a very close bond with my childhood dog – a mutt. I still think of him often and imagine how he would get along with my current dogs. He was active, brave, and always ready for adventure – much like a Shiba! But at the same time, he was always willing to sit quietly with me and listen to all my problems and secrets.
I would love to see some pictures of Rusty. Please share some picture links with us when you have the time.
This is so helpful! I have a 1 1/2 year old shiba named Dawkins and he is a dream! He is very playful and loves everyone and everything. Babies, kids, cats, dogs you name it. He has never been aggressive with anything. You can leave your finger in his mouth when he eats and will not bite. He hates the vet though and doesn’t like getting his nails cut or even flea and tick gel on his back. He won’t do anything but just wants to run away. He is very gentle and will let you lay with your face on his face. I never had a dog and he has been testing me. He will absolutely not go to the bathroom in our yard. He has to be walked 3-5 times a day and they are never short. However, he occasionally pees in the house at my parents and in- laws and I don’t know how to get him to stop. By no means will he ever do that in our house but I don’t know what to do. Also, on our walks he only wants to go his way. If you want to go a different direction he stops and doesn’t move. It aggravates me when I have limited time and I don’t know how to get him to just go where I want him to. Any suggestions?? I have to say that I really have no complaints and he is seriously the best dog I could imagine except for not going in the yard to do his business! Haha.
Haha, Sephy is like that as well. He does not like going in the backyard. I think his Shiba fluids are too valuable and he wants to save it for neighborhood or park walks.
During walks, I usually let him pick where he wants to go. When I am on a deadline though, then I just increase my pace or start jogging to get him to move along. He usually gives up the ghost and comes along. I used a harness when Sephy was younger so that he would not choke himself from pulling during walks. After he was leash trained, I switched to a no-slip collar.
In the old days, he would sometimes lie down and do alligator rolls when he does not want to move. When he does this, I just lift his chest area up so that he is on his front legs, then I move on at a fast clip. Sometimes, I scrape my shoe on the concrete. It makes a sound that he does not like, and that causes him to get up.
In terms of potty training, dogs may not generalize potty lessons across locations. Once trained, most dogs understand that they are not supposed to go in their own house, but they may still go in other houses or indoor areas. To stop this, I just repeat potty training exercises in the other location.
Hugs to Dawkins!
I am proudly owne by a shiba Inu..Stevie Ray.
He is the best lil brat in town,Stevie Ray is me 2nd shiba,i had a female with me for 16yrs.I also live with a border collie Hagar and 2 manx cats hendrix and Ozzy.Stevie Ray is 7 months now and lives mostly in harmony with everyone..well as long as he gets his way that is..LOL
i have never locked him up ,i was on lockdown for the first 2 weeks i had him to teach him house rules then started leaving him for short periods slowly making them longer,he will shread paper if its left out but thats about it .When it strikes him he will take one of the throw pillows off the couch simply cus he knows it will get a reaction..he is also an acomplished pickpocket and general thief he will not destroy anything but takes great pride in his loot and will prance it around right in front of its owner..I just adore this little clown who is not so little at 40lbs.
I think he is the only shiba that loves water even if its a bath,The other unusual trait for a shiba is he loves all people..well he picks on my daughter who is not fond of him at all,he just pesters her but she will power struggle with him and as any self respecting shiba hes not having it,she just wont learn.
I love this site …I discribe the shiba as a cross between a cat a human and a dog and will have one by my side till the day i die.
LOL! Thanks for sharing a slice of Stevie Ray’s life with us. He sounds a lot like Sephy except for the loving people part.
Sephy does not usually like water, but if it is a water chasing game, he will get soaked through and be very happy. He is a paradox of personalities.
Does Stevie Ray get on well with Hagar? I always wonder if I can get Sephy interested in playing Fetch if he is competing with another dog. Likely, he will just steal the ball and try to start a chase game! Shibas always think outside the box. 😀
Hugs to Stevie Ray, Hagar, Hendrix and Ozzy.
I want a shiba inu so bad!!