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.
This was a fantastic article! I currently have two Siberian Huskies, but my husband and I are considering adding a Shiba Inu into our homes. We of course, are planning very far in to our future as we will most likely not bring a Shiba home for at least another year or two. From my understanding, you have a Siberian Husky and a Shiba? How similar and dissimilar are the two breeds? I’ve had huskies my whole life, so it’s a breed I know best and have the most experience with. Every summer we spend at least a month up in the mountains of Montana. I’ve worked very hard with my dogs to trust them off leash and even then, it’s not something I take lightly. They’re accustomed to just hanging around the cabin property and do not wander. People also always say “never trust a husky off leash,” and “huskies are very stubborn and only obey some of the time” but after many years of training, I feel I have (for the most part) conquered these traits. It seems however, that the Shiba is even more extreme in this manner? Between the two breeds do you feel this is true? And, with years of work, do you think it is possible to train a shiba off leash? I personally think with the proper diligence and training, anything is possible, but, then again, I’ve never had any personal experience with the Shiba. Anyway, thanks for your help and again, fantastic article!
Haha, yes, very much so. Sephy (our Shiba) is out of this world when it comes to level of stubbornness. He will never surrender, no matter what. Even when he knows it is a lost cause, and he can get more by just taking a few steps back, he will not do it. I have found that the best way to get Sephy to do something, is to convince him that it was his idea in the first place! 😀
Sephy is also a lot more aloof and much less food-focused than my Sibes.
In terms of being off-leash, Sephy is actually better than my Sibes because he has much lower prey drive. He is also a lot more loyal because of his guard dog instincts. As a result, he is less likely to run-off and more likely to stay around his family. However, he will only “come” at his own time and on his own terms.
My Sibes are much better at coming when called. However, if they see a deer, they are gone.
http://shibashake.com/dog/shiba-vs-siberian
http://shibashake.com/dog/why-are-shiba-inus-one-of-the-most-difficult-breeds-to-train
Hi SHibaShake:
I just read most of your info on the site and the comments.
We have had our Shiba Inu for 2 months now, she is 1yr old and my brother had her from a pup. Her name is Gemma. I like many am surprised at how much she is such a fit for our family. I have a 7yr and 10yr old girls, and an older cat. Gemma is so great with the girls playing ball and running with them is such a joy to see. I am left with the task of walks but have had luck getting her to stay at my side. We also occasionally run together she can do a solid 2 miles! We have had luck so far with leaving her in the yard while at work, so far no digging. Wondering if this might change as she get’s older. She does like to move things around the yard, water bowls and brooms. She also will naw on plastic a bit. She doesn’t eat that much either. I have been doing a cup in the am and pm and sometimes she doesn’t finish it all–should I be alarmed? She also has this great little arrr, arrr only when I get home after work—so cute. So far no high pitched scream, thankfully.
Should I expect for changes as she get’s older or she as she will be?
Thanks again
Hello Connie,
Congratulations on your new Shiba!
In terms of food, Sephy doesn’t eat much either. This is very different from my two Sibes who love food more than anything else. I feed Sephy less than a cup per day (grain free, high protein kibble), plus some boiled chicken and chicken treats. Sephy is over 5 now so he has to watch his weight. 😀
As a dog becomes more accustomed to her environment, she may become more confident and start trying out more behaviors. It really depends a lot on the temperament of the individual dog. I find that it works best to stop any undesirable behaviors as early as possible. In this way, it never gets repeated and doesn’t ever develop into a habit.
I had a lot of problems with Sephy in the beginning because I didn’t really address his issues properly, and in some cases made his behavior worse. After I learned how to properly deal with all of his Shiba-maneuvers, things got a lot better. Now, Sephy is on a pretty fixed routine and is actually fairly low maintenance. I still keep an eye out and stop him from his occasional digging on carpets and brief paws on counters. The key with Sephy is to stop things early – before it becomes a bigger thing. 😀
Big hugs to Gemma. It sounds like she is already very well trained and is confident with her environment and routine.
I need your help Shiba dog owners. I have a friend who has a 1 1/2 hr old shiba, and has asked me if I would like to adopt him because he is moving and cannot take him. I am so torn between all the good and bad with these dogs. I grew up with a Golden Retriever and he was the sweetest dog ever! I don’t think I head any horror stories on Goldne’s. I have 2 children (10 & 5) and a cat. I am so nervous I will take on this dog and it will be a nightmare. He crates the dog during the day in which I am not a fan of. ANY advise regards to these dogs, or tips or thoughts on how to intorduce him to everyone and his new home would be VERY helpful. I am taking him for a few days for a “trial run” to see how I feel about him. Thanks!!
Hello Beth,
How is it going with your new furball?
Some things that helped me with Sephy-
1. Routine and consistency – Sephy really likes having a very fixed routine and consistent rules. When things are uncertain, he gets stressed out and starts to act crazy.
2. Rules, rules, rules – I establish a consistent set of house rules that Sephy has to follow. Otherwise, he will take over the house. Following the NILIF program is very helpful with all of my dogs.
3. Exercise and games – I walk Sephy daily for over an hour. We also have play sessions, obedience sessions, grooming, etc. I also make him work for all of his food and everything else that he wants. This directs his energy into positive structured activity, and reduces the chances that he will bust out one of his crazy Shiba-moves. 😀
4. Bite inhibition training – Shibas can sometimes get mouthy, especially when they are young. Bite inhibition training helps a dog to develop a soft mouth especially when interacting with people.
Here are a few more things that I learned from Sephy-
http://shibashake.com/dog/shiba-inu-training-secrets
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
I had 3 shibas, but had to put one down this year. They were 14, 14, and 11. I have a 2 1/2 year old. They were all great with her. They just really need a lot of excersise when young. I never crated any of mine. They are super.smart. just give toys during the day to occupy if you are not home.
Beth,
I have a female Shiba (Emmie) who is 1 and 1/2 years old. She is one of the smartest dogs I have ever had. He may not get along with your cat. We have a 10 year old cat and they “hate” each other but when Emmie corners the cat she eventually gets bored and moves on. The cat has now learned to stop running and just stare back until Emmie moves on. Other than that the only issue we have with Emmie is we must walk her every day..not so much for exercise but for her to go potty. She like I guess most Shiba’s is very clean and will not (unless it is an emergency) go in our yard. We like to walk so this is not a problem (except when raining or really cold since neither seem to bother her and we still have to walk at least 10 minutes before she considers going??). We don’t have any young kids but we have 5 and 7 year old boys who live next door and they are best buddies with Emmie..as Emmie loves to chase balls and they love to throw them. So she is good with kids…bad with cats if that helps. But she was raised as a puppy with the boys and other kids so that makes a difference I am sure. Hope this helps and I hope your trial is going well.
I’ve loved the article, I recognize my own dog in it! I have a Shiba Inu my own and his name is Kenny. He’s extremely stubborn but also really sweet. He can be alone at home without any problems and yes, he barks when we hears noises around the house. I really adore shiba inu’s they are not boring like some dogs are, but they are very joyful.
I just wrote about a Shiba Inu on Facebook. My son rescued him and dropped him off at my house while we set about finding his human. I wanted a picture to go with my post and found your blog. Fabulous! Its all true. There are two things our Shiba Inu does that I guess that aren’t normal, but this dog seems to be tailor made for our family. He is certainly partial to females. He is the greatest joy to be around. He sleeps at my feet. Aloof? You call him anything but Mortimer, he won’t come, unless you bribe him with a treat. Everyone hates the name of Mortimer but the doggie digs it. I’d have preferred Oliver but Mortimer it is. I love everything you wrote and also the things everyone else wrote. I sure am lucky. This doggie stole my heart and our whole family is united around this dog. He has a home for as long as he wants it.
I have a black and tan shiba that I has been a challenge from the start. Before I had gotten him I had never even heard of the breed. He was this tiny little puppy in a pet store, I don’t buy from pet stores but after three months of him being stuck in a 1X2 crate I could stand to see m like that anymore. He has been a challenge but now two years later, I love him so much. It has all been worth it, I now live in the country with 60 acres for him to run u til he can’t run anymore and I feed him very healthy food, he is the happiest dog in the world and listens pretty well for the most part. He has become such a companion I take him everywhere I go, I throw the top down and he hangs out the door in my lap. By far one of the best companion pets I have ever had, especially in the summer, he loves the water. We go to the lakes and rivers and there is never a time when he is dry. Every but if this article is true to a T, the good and bad and quirky but they really are awesome dogs.
I had a Shiba Inu that I dogsat for my sister while she was over seas. Her and my brother-in-law are in the army so me, mom and dad had they duty. She was hard to manage at first for me and walks were nightmares! hah. I still took her on long walks but she would always take the lead.
I actually started watching that show “The Dog Whisperer” because of Akina my sisters Shiba. So happens I was able to fix everything bad that she would do… except the walks were still nightmares. Than my sister came back from over seas and the shiba was lost to my sister. I felt heart broken… We dog sat for 1 1/2 to 2 years, so I was pretty attached.
My sister ended up having a baby a year and a half ago and everything was fine she said. Than I heard she was doing some behaviors which I took as ‘hearding’ the baby. Yes, at this time I was still watching ‘The Dog Whisper’ and even saw a shiba on the show. Well she ended up getting a little nippy towards the baby and I insisted that we should take the dog back. Supposedly the dog was being in their bed sometimes as well (jealously from the baby) ad pee’d a couple times which is weird.
So I have my shiba Akina back! I picked the dog up and than before entering the house I walked her for 1 1/2 hrs just so she was tired. I never had any issues but I did buff up the house rules with the dog and rules with my parents and how the act with/towards Akina. Dogs and especially Shiba Inu’s are a group effort and everyone needs to go by the sae rules and such. She loves having her belly scratched. I had some tips on ‘mastering the walk’ with the dog and it worked! So I have the walk down pat, and now I run/walk with her each day and she follows right by my side. She does some tricks like sit, stop, heal, law down, jump, both paws, finding the toy when I hide it (I started with a dog toy with a treat inside), crawling and a couple other basic ones.
She is still dog aggressive at times but Im hoping to get her and submissive lab down te street and she if I can get the other dog to help me correct her behavior with dog. Other than dog aggressiveness she comes over all the time for the tummy rub, she loves running, playing fetch.. than I usually have to walk over to get the toy (lol) and some rough housing.
I would say that Shibas are for people with a good prior history with Shibas and to know how to show discipline and remain at the head of the pack. I love the girl.. I get compliments all the time. Shes such a sweety, shy towards new people but if they just ignore her she will get curious 🙂 Great dog. The dog is 5 years old now BTW so remember older dogs can learn new tricks.
Hi. I just adopted a Shiba Inu. He is almost three. Is he going to warm up to me and my boyfriend? He slept in our bed last night but doesn’t seem to like us much?
Shibas are a lot more aloof than many other dog breeds. This is one reason why Shibas are often likened to cats. Sephy is over 5 now and he has learned to trust us a lot more than he did during his puppyhood days. He will sometimes come over to be with us, turn over, and ask for tummy rubs. 😀
However, it is not a frequently occurring thing, and greatly less so than my two other dogs (Siberian Huskies). Husky Lara likes following people around, she likes lying by our feet, she likes attention, playing, and a lot of people interaction.
It is not a matter of liking, it is just a common Shiba trait. Many people like their alone time as well, and so it is with many Shibas.
http://shibashake.com/dog/shiba-vs-siberian
be patient and calm with your new shiba, it may take time for him to trust you, you don’t know what the poor guys past was like. good luck and enjoy him. they are wonderful dogs!
I just got a 3 month old shiba inu american Eskimo mix and I refer to this site so much because it is so helpful but I still having trou le with potty training and I’ve tried everything she even decides to mess on my bed which bothers me I’m stuck and don’t know what to do any suggestions?
Hello Lexie,
Congratulations on your new puppy!
With potty training, I have found that the most important thing is supervision. I always supervise puppy so that I can prevent her from making mistakes in the house, and reward her very well for going outside. When I am too busy to supervise, I put puppy in her crate or long-term enclosure.
Here is more on my potty training and new puppy experiences-
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-potty-training-facts-and-myths
http://shibashake.com/dog/a-new-puppy-first-10-days-of-hell
Hugs to Puppy!
Hi, wonderful site. I keep on reading it and it helps a lot. Thanks!
A have a question. I’m planning to buy a puppy this Fall but I can’t decide which breed HUSKY or SHIBA? I was almost sure that I want a shiba but the more I read the more hesitant I get. I read through all the opinions here and internet and it seems that shiba are difficult to train and communicate with. And that it takes a lot of time before human ans shiba can get on well together. Love for shiba and his good looks help of course but then comes everyday life with lots of challenges for both partners:) I like the quote from Kung Fu Panda II:) I was wondering if husky is not more communicative and easier to get along with. I was considering to buy a female husky. I spend a lot of time outdoors, I ride MTB bike, go for long walks in the mountains and love physical workout. This is why I wanted husky. But on the other hand like most of us I spend 8 hours at work any my husky would have to manage somehow home alone. And my flat is small. There is like 50:50 of advantages and disadvantages of husky and shiba and I really don’t know what decision to make. But can’t image living wihout one or another longer. Please advice. Thanks!
Really nice website! Thanks. We shiba owners are like grandparents:
we are always ready to talk about our shibas. This reminds me of a joke I heard.
Two older men were having coffee. One asked, “Have I shown you the latest
pictures of my grandkids?” The other replied, “No you haven´t, and I really
appreciate it.” I wonder if our friends say the same about our shiba tales.
I live in Mexico and have a 6 year-old shiba named Paco. He is perfect in a
almost every way. What can I say? He is the most devoted dog I have ever owned.
He gets along beautifully with a huge, adopted cat. He obeys well and enjoys
doing whatever I am doing. No one could have a better buddy than a shiba.
LOL! Yeah, some of my friends probably feel that way!
Luckily, there are many dog people in my neighborhood that enjoys “talking dog”. Shania loves people so during our walks she will take me to the houses that she likes most, and waits for her friends to come out with cookies.
Hugs to Paco. I think Sephy needs some lessons from him. 😀