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.
Does Sephy walk around the house whimpering in a “woe is me” kind of way for no apparent reason at all? Reptar has been exercising his vocal chords more than normal the past few days. It’s comical, but also strange. Just wondering if it’s a common Shiba behavior?
Oh and pictures to come soon!
Funny that you should bring this up. Sephy just acted like that a few days ago. I thought there was something wrong because he was walking around and would not lie down on his bed even for cheese. Finally he deigned to lay down, so I started checking his body and paws. However, he was very jumpy and kept pulling back his paws. I didn’t see anything wrong with him so he got his cheese toy and I just let him be for a while.
He was back to his old Shiba self the next day. Sometimes he gets into these Shiba black moods. It is a bit strange. Maybe he had a bit of a tummy upset or something else disrupted his groove.
So definitely yes – Sephy has those moments as well. It is so tough to be Shiba! 😀
Your Shiba is so adorable! I am seriously considering buying a Shiba, even after learning about their feisty sides! I love cats as much as I love dogs so when I heard Shibas were cats in a dog disguise it really caught my attention.
I have 2 questions though, I’ve been thinking about getting a rescued Shiba that is not a puppy. Do you think this is a good idea since I would’nt mind skipping to an age when the Shiba calms down a little?
Also, how did you get your Shiba? I’m having difficulty sorting out the good and bad breeders, and the good ones seem quite expensive ($2,500).
Thanks for making a great site too!
Feisty is a very nice way to put it! 😀
Hmmm, that would depend. Some rescues are already pretty well-trained, and they were given up because their owners had to move or could no longer keep them financially. Other rescues were given up because their owners were not able to properly train or manage their Shiba. The latter group will be a lot more challenging.
When I got my second dog, I took her on a trial run of 2 weeks to make sure that she would fit in well to our home. Most rescues will not only let you have a trial run but also be willing to accept the dog back if things don’t work out at some later point in time.
The best place to get a Shiba puppy is through an AKC registered breeder.
Here is a list of accredited breeders from the National Shiba Club of America –
http://www.shibas.org/breeders.html
Here is the AKC breeder search page –
http://www.akc.org/classified/search/index.cfm?edu=1
Most registered breeders also show their dogs, so they know more about the breed and are careful to breed for health and temperament.
Still, make sure to interview the breeder and ask him/her lots of questions. If it is a local breeder, ask for a visit so that you can meet the puppy’s parents. Also ask for health certifications for the parents. For Shibas, this is usually a check for hip dysplasia.
Here are a couple of articles about my puppy buying research and experiences –
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-get-a-dog-cheap-dog-cheap-puppy
http://shibashake.com/dog/new-puppy-supplies-what-a-puppy-needs
Just got a 8 week old Shiba female today.. this helped alot..
thanks.. WISH ME LUCK… She is a little doll!!
Awww – she must be too cute for words. Good luck!!
Remember that you are the boss even when she gives you the irresistible Shiba look. 😉
I have totally enjoyed reading this site. I adopted a dog about 3 years ago and they told me she was a corgi mix. When taking her to the vet recently, I was told she looked like a Shiba Inu. After looking up the dog breed, this was for sure my dog. It is so great to read about my dogs personality traits, they are right on.. She was easy to train and does love to chase. She fit right in. Love this breed.
Thank you,
Katrin Wince
LOL – yeah Sephy learned commands easily … but getting him to actually do the commands when you ask it of him is another matter altogether. There were a few times that he did extremely well in puppy class and we won some dog balls, but most of the time we were at the bottom of the class. One time a trainer barricaded us behind a wall of crates! 😀
Ah, I do love Sephy. Life is always interesting with him around.
Hugs to your Shiba. She sounds like she has a good mix of attributes.
my shiba is name is Dakota aka Kodi he’s 7 mos old now and he just started letting me know when he’s ready, I’m trying to change his bathroom time from 3 times a day to two times a day because of the season is about to change from summer to winter and I know three times will be a little must for me so here lately him and I have been working on this, since we are working on this he is starting to wake me up now in the morning to eat and go out side earlier then usual, I don’t know if this is good sometime, but I keep in mind the time is different now, so I go along with it. I love him, and we both have learned each other habits and personality and so far so good, until I let him off the leash. I learned this the hard way, now I keep toys and treats on me and I only keep him off in a closed area and for a little while cause if I don’t I notice he gets this look on his face and it’s trouble after that he won’t come when I call him and he will run circles around me and keep on going. I try to take him once in a while to the doggie park, but some dogs don’t like him and this leave us to go solo. Me and my kodi
LOL – Kodi sounds like a very awesome Shiba.
I used to take Sephy to the dog park as well, and Sephy could not understand why some of the dogs did not want to play with HIM – a Shiba! He also liked stealing balls from the other dogs to start a chase game – which is not the best thing to do. Dog parks are a bit too unstructured for Sephy so nowadays I only do small supervised play sessions with dogs I know.
Seems like you have gotten off to a really good start with Kodi. I think what you say here is key. After I started really listening to Sephy and trying to understand his point of view, things got a whole lot better for the both of us.
Sephy also likes getting up early. But during the weekends, he will let us sleep in. 😀 One thing that helped when he was a puppy was to not give him water or dry food after about 7pm.
LOL – I definitely know that look! It is when Shiba is hatching a plan and he has that glint in his eye. Sometimes Sephy’s little tail will also twitch. I think that is when he feels playful, and is about to do something to engage me in a chase game – which is Sephy’s favorite. He also does this with my other dog. It is fun to watch them.
Many hugs to Kodi. He sounds like a perfect Shiba.
I volunteer at an animal shelter and absolutely fell in love with a Shiba/Finnish Spitz mix puppy, but sadly he got adopted. Now 3 months later he got returned (most likely due to the owners lack of puppy knowledge) He is about 7 months old, weighs about 30 lbs-40 lbs. I’m still a college student, but I live in an apartment with no other pets and lots of walking trails/dog parks nearby. I spent some time with him the other day and he does not seem to be very food aggressive. He didn’t make a sound and he is very smart. I’ve owned several big breed dogs while growing up (Labs, German Shepherds, Dalmatians, Weimaraner) but they seem to be easier to train than Shibas. I think I’m pretty dog savvy after training many at the shelter (I just want to reap the rewards of all my hard work!).
He would be crated while I’m away for at most 6 hours.
Basically my question is. Do you think he would be a good fit?
Hello Kristin,
It is very awesome that you are volunteering your time at the animal shelter.
He must be a really handsome boy! Is there a picture of him on the shelter website? Would love to see him.
Hmmm – I would have a long chat with the people who returned him. You already know a lot about dogs and dog training, so you can filter what they say and get a good understanding of what some of his issues are, and how he would deal with crating, etc.
In my experience with Sephy, he needed a lot of attention in the first six or so months after I got him. He calmed down a bunch after over 1 year, and after 2 years, he got even better. But the first 6months to 1 year was pretty bad for the both of us 😀
The final thing to consider is that a dog may curtail college life activities. One of the things that I truly enjoyed about college was that I was able to set my own schedule and hang out late with my friends if I wanted to. I don’t think I enjoyed more freedom than when I was in college and I had a great time. It was nice to stay up really late drinking coffee, and talking about nothing and everything 😀
I also did a fair amount of traveling. During the summer I did some fun internships, and during Senior year I had to travel for interviews and such. Sephy really likes his routine, so this type of traveling would be hard on him.
Hope this helps. Let us know what you decide to do and share some pictures with us if you can.
Hello everyone,
Well I have just experienced the absolute sadness of having a sick shiba. Because of the heat the last 3 days my poor prince Moksha has been very sick with diarrea. He is finally starting to perk up, but yesterday he needed to go out every three hours and just looked sooooo pitiful. He lost all of his little quirks that make him my lovable shiba. It’s so funny that when they are healthy you just want them to chill out, lay down, and just be a snuggly “regular” dog, but when their sick and they act like a “regular” dog you just want your shoe stealing, mouthy, back talking, aloof little shiba back!! Shiba’s and their owners are truly a unique breed.
LOL – that is so true. Sephy has been out of sorts the last few days as well. He sprained one of his legs while playing and had to be put on a low activity routine. He does not like it at all and is constantly finding new ways to express his general unhapiness. 😀
Thanks for the kayaking picture. It is amazing that Moksha goes in there with you! He is brave and handsome!
Hugs to Moksha. Glad to hear that he is feeling better.
Hi Meg
Have you tried a pro-biotic drink like Yakault?
I used to work in rescue with lots of vets and more than one told me this trick and it always works for me.
When my dogs get an upset tummy I start by giving them a tablespoon of pro-biotic drink followed by a dollop of plain/ live yogurt. This is followed by small tablespoon sized meals of chicken and rice every hour with some plain cottage cheese to soothe and bind the gut.
In the afternoon repeat the pro-biotic & yogurt and also at bedtime.
No main meal, just the chicken & rice hourly throughout the day. Nine times out of ten your Shiba (dog) will be bouncing about back to normal by the next morning.
Obviously if the problem persists you must go to a vet but here, the first thing they do is give a pro-biotic which they charge you a fortune for and is exactly what I’ve said here.
If its very hot, have you tried a damp towel put in the fridge for an hour underneath him for him to lie on?
Hey, we got dusty when she was 3 months old. were you able to get an of her sawdust/straw from when she was with her mum? I would try and get some from the breader if you can. we put some of this in the garden and from day one she knew to go there. we just sat with her a made a big fuss over her when she went lots of good girls, cleave girls and cuddles. she was soon going as often as she could to get the attention.
Good luck
I just got a female Shiba Inu and is very hard to potty train. She constantly goes to the bathroom in the house. We will bring her outside she will just sit down and then come in the house and go in here instead. Does anyone have any advice how I can break this earlier. She is only 3 months old and I know it’s a lot of work to train a puppy but I have never had her breed before. Please respond back if you have advice for me. Thanks
Hello Vanessa,
Congratulations on getting a Shiba! Shibas have great personalities and they will always make life interesting.
In terms of potty training, what Brendan says is very true. Sephy also really loves attention so rewarding him by giving him lots of attention, play, and treats when he goes outside works really well.
This was what I did with Sephy –
1. When he did his business inside, I just calmly non-marked him (No or ack-ack) and then brought him outside. If he continued doing his business, I make a big fuss and reward him. Then I play with him for a while outside before we come back in.
2. I took Sephy out as soon as he wakes up, and after rigorous physical activity. When I first got my Sibe, I had to take her out after about 5-10 minutes of play with my Shiba – lol. Once she gets excited – she had to go! When she goes outside, I reward her well and play with her. If she doesn’t want to go, I wait a couple of minutes, and then I bring her back in – no play and no rewards.
3. When Sephy had to go, he will also start circling an area. Once he starts doing this I would bring him outside.
Here are more of the things I did with Sephy and Shania for potty training –
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-potty-training-facts-and-myths
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Since my shiba isnt colored the normal red/orange people say she looks more like a wolf.
That is really interesting – sometimes people think my Siberian is a black and white Shiba. Many people also think she is a hybrid wolf and get afraid of her – which is too bad- because she is such a lover.
Would love to see your Shiba. Please send us a link when you can. Thanks!
wwell probly because he is from mixed dogs like a mutt.