The Shiba Inu is a very beautiful dog. However, behind that foxy face, is a dominant, stubborn, intelligent, and extremely mischievous personality. This can make them a challenge to care for.
Indeed Shiba Inus are not for the faint-hearted, and they are not recommended for first-time dog owners.
Despite this warning, my heart was already set on a Shiba Inu puppy. I had a lot of free time then, so I thought I would be able to handle one little dog. After all, how difficult can a small puppy be?
Little did I know, a Shiba Inu can be a major pain in the ass!
Even dog veterans have problems with their first Shiba. In fact, many experienced trainers were unable to handle my Shiba Sephy.
Here are the Shiba Inu training secrets that helped me turn my devil dog into a model citizen. Well, maybe not a model citizen, but a fun citizen that I truly enjoy living with.
1. There are No Miracle Cures
When I first got Shiba Sephy, he was a big challenge.
Some of his favorite daily activities include biting my hands, running crazily around the house, biting on curtains, vicious leash biting, jumping on me and others, humping my leg, and much more.
I was desperate to get him under control, and did a lot of research online and off-line. I read a lot of online articles and bulletin boards. I called local dog trainers, watched all the dog training shows on television, and read a lot of dog training books.
During this time, I found something that looked like a miracle … a 10 minute Shiba online training program. According to this advertisement, there were some special “Shiba words” that will magically turn a Shiba into a Lassie. Yeah right!
Luckily, I did not succumb to my desperation, and did not buy this product.
The fact is, there are NO “miracle cures” for training a Shiba Inu.
The secret of Shiba training, is simply to exercise extreme patience, and find humor in our Shiba’s antics. Use reward obedience training, and always be firm but fair.
A Shiba will probably never be a Lassie, or perfect dog. However, if you are looking for a dog with a big personality, who will always make you laugh with his sneaky and roguish ways, then the Shiba Inu is for you.
2. Use Passive Resistance
The best way to deal with Shiba Inu misbehavior is through passive resistance.
Shibas get bored easily and do not like being ignored. They really enjoy their freedom, and also like being close to their human pack. We can control a Shiba best by controlling these most desired resources: our attention, and his freedom.
If we actively try to stop our Shiba either through physical punishment (e.g. alpha rolls, leash jerk) or active restraint, he will fight back. This encourages him to practice rough play, and biting on people.
If we back away, or become fearful of our Shiba, he will learn that he “wins” by showing dog aggression.
If we over-correct our Shiba by exerting too much physical force, or by correcting him too frequently, we will lose his trust, and it is difficult to regain a Shiba Inu’s trust.
What works best with a Shiba is NOT to engage in a physical competition, but rather to engage in a mental one.
There are certain resources that Sephy really enjoys including walks, treats, toys, and his freedom.
When I want to take him on his walk, I go to the door with his lead, and call him to me. Initially, he would dally and not really want to come, because he wants to go walking on his own schedule. I count to three. If he does not come, I leave and go about my own business.
After a short time, Sephy will amble over, and pester me to take him on his walk. This is done through begging, and whining. I ignore all this bad dog behavior. When I have a break in my schedule again, I repeat the above exercise.
A Shiba will quickly learn that to get the resources that he wants most (e.g. go on walks), he has to do it according to our rules, and our schedule. It is important to practice the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program with a Shiba.
Set a Shiba Inu up for success, so that we can reward him frequently, and keep him interested in doing what we want.
Another Shiba favorite is to steal something he is not supposed to, and then run away with it, thereby engaging a fun chase game.
A Shiba Inu is very agile, and it will be difficult for us to catch him. I always try to keep an eye out for my sneaky Shiba, and stop him before he steals an object. I also put a drag lead on him, so that I can easily catch him by stepping on the lead.
Note: Use a regular flat collar with the drag lead, and not an aversive collar. Aversive collars such as prong collars or choke chains, should only be used during supervised training sessions. Cut the loop on the drag-lead, so that it does not catch on anything in the house.
3. Rules, Rules, Rules
Shiba Inus are naturally dominant. If we do not provide them with rules, that we consistently enforce, they will take over the house.
It is best to enforce those rules as early as possible. This ensures that Shiba does not develop any bad habits later on, that will be more difficult to break.
Some of Shiba Sephy’s rules:
1. No Biting
The most important rule that I place on Sephy, is no biting on people. Shiba Inus are a very mouthy breed. Their instinct is to use their mouth in a wide variety of situations, including when they are excited, frustrated, and fearful.
They also have large teeth, and can accidentally hurt children and seniors. If Sephy starts biting on me or on others, I no-mark the behavior (Ack, ack). If he continues, I put him on a time-out.
It is also important to teach a Shiba bite inhibition. In this way, when he loses control of himself and does bite, he will not cause much harm.
2. No Food Aggression or Resource Guarding
Prevent our Shiba Inu from guarding resources. Shibas have a don’t back down, don’t surrender attitude. Therefore, the best way to teach them not to guard resources, is to use reward training techniques.
Show them that people and other dogs coming near them, while they are eating or playing with their toys, is a good thing. Prevent stealing, and practice exchanging objects. This teaches them that giving up something, does not mean it is gone forever.
If we use physical force to grab a toy away from our Shiba, he will likely become more possessive over his objects. He will also lose trust in us, and may use aggression to protect himself, and his belongings.
3. No Rough Play
I do not play rough with Sephy. He gets to wrestle with my other dogs, but no wrestling is allowed with humans.
I also do not play any dominance games with him, for example, no Tug-of-War. The few times that I did play Tug with Shiba Sephy, he followed very strict rules during the game. However, when I took him out for walks, he would start playing tug with the leash (leash biting).
4. Socialize Our Shiba Inu
Shiba Inus can get aggressive to unfamiliar things including objects, dogs, people, and environments.
They are also naturally stubborn, and may become aggressive when forced to do things that they do not like.
Socialize our young Shiba to many sights, sounds, and smells, and he will be ready to handle new things as a confident, and well-balanced adult. Make sure that new experiences are always positive, and at worst, neutral.
Some things to consider while socializing our Shiba Inu:
1. Shiba Inus have an extreme play style, that many dogs may not like.
When he was young, I used to take Sephy to enclosed dog parks. During this time, his favorite play partners were larger dogs, and young Pit Bulls. Shibas like doing wrestling and rough play, which can easily overwhelm other small dogs.
Choose our Shiba’s play-mates carefully, so that a fun time can be had by all.
2. Shiba Inus dislike handling.
Socialize a Shiba to touching and grooming, as early as possible. Pair the touch and groom sessions with very good treats, so that he will associate handling with positive experiences.
Do not use physical force to do any grooming. This will make it into an unpleasant experience, and our Shiba will fight us every step of the way.
Instead, groom gently, and make it short, fun, and rewarding.
3. Shiba Inus do not generally like people petting them from above.
Petting from above can be seen as a dominance move by dogs, and Shibas may see this as a threat.
We can slowly desensitize our Shiba to this move, by pairing head petting with good food rewards. At the same time, instruct people to approach from under our dog’s head, and scratch his chest.
5. Control Our Own Energy
An important thing to remember while interacting with our Shiba, is to control our own energy.
Shiba Inus are especially sensitive to the energy of their owners, and the people around them.
When I first got puppy Sephy, he was extremely mouthy. In particular, he would resort to biting when I stopped him from doing something unacceptable.
This made me become afraid of him.
The more afraid I became, the worse Sephy behaved. As soon as I got fearful, he would start to hump my leg, grab my clothes, jump on me, or bite my hands, arms, and legs.
Anger and frustration will also elicit extreme Shiba behaviors.
In the early days, I had a dog walker take Sephy out for group walks at the park. When the walker tried to stop Sephy from doing something disruptive, he would object, and try out one of his Shiba moves, including alligator rolls, leash biting, hand biting, and of course the Shiba scream.
The dog walker naturally got embarrassed when Sephy screamed like he was about to die. There were other people around, and some of them thought that she was mistreating the poor dog. Sephy easily sensed her embarrassment and frustration. From then on, the Shiba scream was his favorite weapon to use against her.
With a Shiba Inu, it is important to stay calm at all times.
If we lose our cool, Shiba will sense it and continue to use this weakness against us.
The best way to handle a misbehaving Shiba, is to stay calm, and remove him to a quiet, lower stimulus area, as soon as possible. If he continues with his bad behavior, he gets his freedoms revoked with a time-out. Remember that fear, anger, frustration, and other extreme emotions will only make the problem worse.
Once I was able to control my fear and remain calm, things improved significantly with my Shiba.
Sephy will never be a model-citizen, but nowadays, he is actually very fun to be with. He is goofy, he is funny, and he usually stays out of serious trouble.
Shibas can be a big challenge to live with, but they are well worth the effort. They have a great personality, and they are always up to something that will make us laugh.
I love my Shiba Inu.
He is one of my best buddies, and whenever I see him, I just have to smile.
Hello there!
We had purchased a Shiba, Buddy, back in August and have taken him to a puppy obedience class and have been trying to work with him on his training. We are first time dog owners and Buddy has definitely been a major challange for us. Since the end of Buddy’s puppy class, half/most of what he learned has gone in one ear and out the other (ex. come when called, drop it and down). He doesn’t listen to the come when called so in turn he’s started playing the chase game. He he’s always jumping up on us where ever we are and every once in a while he will start biting at our hands, legs, feet or arm (which ever happens to probably be the closest). We’ve kinda hit a wall on what to do to correct this behavior with Buddy.
Please help.
Yeah definitely sounds like the legendary Shiba independence and stubbornness.
Shiba Sephy is much better now but he still only does things on his own schedule. He is quite a character. 😀
Some of the things that helped me control Sephy when he was younger –
1. Drag-lead – This is very useful. Whenever Sephy started to misbehave, I would non-mark him (Ack, Ack). If he does not listen and continues with his craziness, I say time-out and use the lead to take him to time-out. The lead is also extremely useful to stop chasing games. If he starts to run away I just step on the lead and take him directly to time-out. Make sure to only use the drag-lead when you are around to supervise and only use a flat soft collar (not an aversive collar).
2. NILIF – Follow the NILIF program consistently. This will help Shiba learn that the only way he gets anything that he wants is by first doing what you want.
3. Time-out – Time-outs work really well with Sephy. He really likes his freedom so putting him in a dark room with nothing to do is a big downer for a Shiba. After some repetitions, he quickly learned to stop behaviors that got him into the Time-out room.
This article contains more of the things I did with Sephy when he was a puppy –
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training
I was also a first time dog owner when I got Sephy and he was a big pain in the ass. At the time, I thought he would never get better and would be a Holy Terror all his life. But he actually got a lot better in his own Shiba way. He is still stubborn and can sometimes be a pain in the ass, but most of the time he is actually fun to hang out with! Things will get much better with Buddy as well. 😀
Hi Shibashake,
When Hiro is outside on the patio, he just waits for us and looks down at the pathway. Makes us sad when we come home and we see him there just waiting. He gets really excited when he does and runs to the front door.
We’re going to take him to doggie daycare 2-3 times a week. Thanks for the information on that…
Today was his first day alone and I setup two webcams that I can watch from my cell phone. He was howling for a while but seemed to have calmed down somewhat. He spends most of his time on the patio looking out for us. 🙁 Guess this is what they call “tough love”.
Thanks again,
Roger
I think once he gets used to the routine he will be good. Sephy is also like that when we leave at unexpected times. When he is alone according to schedule, he just curls up and sleeps in one of his favorite corners.
Hugs to Hiro.
Hello there!
We are about to receive an 11 week old Shiba Inu from a breeder. We live with 7 other people and 2 of the couples have dogs. One a Boston Terrier and the other a Pitbull. They are both about 6 months old, and we’re scared that our new Shiba might get hurt playing with these dogs. They play very rough.
Another question that comes to mind is 11 weeks too late to train and bond? I’ve read so much on Shiba’s, and I want to make sure that we still have plenty of time to do both. than you for taking the time to read our questions. Have a nice day!
Hello Caity and Ben,
When I got my second dog, I found that it was very important to supervise the dogs whenever they are playing. They can get excited very quickly, and then suddenly play may turn into something else. The key is to step in and get them to calm down before play gets too intense.
When play starts to get intense, I usually call my Siberian to me (she has much better recall), reward her, get her to do some commands, and once she is more calm, they can go back to playing. Sometimes, Shiba will come over too, so I do commands with both of them. In this way, play interruptions are also fun and rewarding for the dogs.
Here are some of my experiences in dealing with multiple dogs in a single household –
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-introducing-a-second-dog
11 weeks should be very fine. I got my Shiba at 10 weeks old but didn’t really start to bond with him until much later because I made many mistakes in the beginning. But even with all the early mistakes, we are now quite close and Shiba Sephy is no longer a terror that flaps in the night. 😀
Since you are doing so much research now, you should be way ahead of us.
First of all, thank you so much for sharing your information. I refer to your site often for my Shiba puppy.
We are about to leave our 6 month old Shiba for the first time alone for 8 hours as my wife returns back to work. We’re a little worried about him since this will be the longest we’ve left him along. He’s been along for 4 hours before and did OK. He has free range of the living room and the patio via a doggie door. We noticed that he runs to the patio when we leave and remains there for the most part until we return. Is this a sign of separation anxiety? For the most part, he has been really good…only destroyed the molding on the front door. Any suggestion on how to ease his time alone? He has a lot of toys and treats to keep him busy, but I don’t think he plays or eats them when we are away.
Thanks and Happy New Year!!
– Roger
Hello Roger,
Biting at the front door sounds like separation anxiety. I am not sure about the running to the patio. What does he do on the patio? Maybe it is his safe spot.
Shiba Sephy is also like that and gets very anxious whenever his pack (people or dogs) are not around. The thing that has worked best with Sephy is to get him used to a new schedule very slowly. For example, Sephy would get really stressed in the beginning when I took my other dog out for a walk. So I started with very short walks, and then very slowly lengthened them.
One possibility is to get a pet sitter or neighbor to come over in the middle of the day and keep him company for a short while. Another possibility is to do group dog walks with a dog walker. I enrolled Sephy in group walking when he was younger to socialize him to other dogs, new environments, and new people. It is also a great exercise routine, and when Sephy got home he is ready to just lie down next to me and sleep.
However, how this works out will also depend on Shiba’s temperament and how good the dog walker is. Sephy, for example, is very stubborn and the dog walker could not handle him. The dog walker was also using aversive techniques on him which Sephy really didn’t enjoy at all. Ultimately, the walks gave him and the dog walker more stress than anything else so we stopped doing that.
Another possibility is to put him in daycare some of the time. A good daycare center can also help the dog exercise and socialize. Some things to look out for when finding a daycare center –
1. Clean with good ventilation during the summer and heating if necessary during the winter.
2. Frequent play sessions with other dogs. Most centers will group dogs by size, energy level, and temperament.
3. Play sessions should always be supervised and not be too large.
4. Try and find a center that uses similar training methods as you do.
5. Make sure the people at the center are qualified and can handle emergencies.
Here is an article on separation anxiety and my experiences with Shiba Sephy.
Here is an article on dog daycare centers.
Hope this helps. 😀 Let us know how it goes.
I find all of your comments interesting however not all Shibas are alike. I recently had to have my 15 year old Shiba put to sleep. It has been devastating for our family. I would agree they can be very stubborn but as a puppy our Shiba could not have been any easier. She had very few accidents in the house basically training herself. She never chewed things and could be trusted to have free roam of the house for very long periods of time. She could never be trusted off leash so we got invisible fence so we didn’t have to worry about the kids opening the doors and she had lots of freedom in our large yard. Our issue with our Shiba was anxiety. She did not adjust well to any situation outside of her normal home and as much as we loved her that would be our reason to not get another one(as well as the endless shedding). She was never aggressive toward a person or another animal. Her dish was full all the time and she only ate when she was hungry and always saved some in case we forgot to feed her! She was our first and only dog and was not a difficult dog to own but will be very difficult to replace.
Hello Anonymous,
Thank you for sharing your Shiba’s story with us. She sounds like a very awesome girl!
My Shiba is also an anxious little dude. He really likes his routine, and anything out of the ordinary really stresses him out. He is very silly though. He is always doing all these weird Shiba moves that makes everyone laugh. Last night he tried to roll onto his back and expose his tummy for rubbing, but he couldn’t quite do it properly and kept falling back onto his side. 😀
Big hugs to you. It is always difficult losing a loved one, but they are always with us, in our minds and in our hearts. Would love to see your Shiba, so please send us a link to some pictures when you can.
I am an experienced dog owner (American Eskimos and Schipperkes) and have the opportunity to purchase two Shibas; since I’ve not owned Shibas before I have questions. 1) Should I get one male and one female or will two male Shiba puppies get along? 2) I can get two four-month old or two eight week old puppies as I am not certain if the four-month olds would have set behaviors after being outside with their litter-mates all this time. Which would be more beneficial as far as training ease?
Hello Donna,
Probably one male and one female. Males are more likely to compete with another male. Shiba females can be very dominant though, so rules and supervision are still important especially when they are young.
Everything else being equal, I would go for the 8 week puppy. Puppies absorb and learn a lot during that period, so you can really make a big difference. Still though, the most important thing when it comes to puppies is the breeder.
I got my Shiba when he was 10 weeks old from a new and not very experienced breeder. He was already very sensitive to handling and his mouth was all over us when we put a collar on him. He also mouthed on the breeder’s husband when he tried to help. Then he was really unhappy, stressed out and whining all the way home in the car. It took us a long while to desensitize him to collar handling and car rides.
On the other hand I got my Siberian from an experienced breeder. She was awesome with collars and cars right away. The breeder had already trained all of her puppies and socialized them to people, other dogs, cars, collars, and much more.
Post us some pictures when you get your little fur-balls. Happy Thanksgiving! 😀
I have a 14 month old female Shiba. She is an excellent dog when it comes to personality and friedlyness; however when it comes to obedience she has very little. She has spent most of her time in the laundry room; however there is a gate us that leads to the kitchen so she can see the family when we are in there. I cannot let her run around the house because she will eat anything and everything. I would like her to become part of the family, but do not know how to go about training her to stop chewing things that are not bones. Any suggestions?
Page (Sakura)
Hello Page,
Sephy was like that as well. As a puppy, his favorite activities were biting the curtains, chewing on books, and running around with the t.v. controller in his mouth. He totally drove me nuts. 😀
Most of the time, Sephy would be with me in the kitchen behind a gate. I would set aside a couple of hours every day for special Sephy supervision sessions. During this time, I let him out and about so that I can catch him in the act and correct him. Every time he goes near the curtains or books I would non-mark him (Ack, Ack, or No) and body block him away from the area. Sometimes I will give him the “go to your mat” command. If he persists, then he goes into time-out.
It was not possible to multi-task Sephy supervision with something else because he seemed to know exactly when I would be engaged in something else and would choose exactly those times to start his Shiba moves. 😀
Some other things that helped with his behavior –
1. A lot of exercise. The more engaged Sephy was with doing walks and play, the less likely he would start chewing on curtains to get attention.
2. Obedience exercises every day.
3. Following the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program.
4. Putting a drag lead and flat collar on him at all times so that he can’t start a game of chase when I go over to put him in time-out.
5. A very fixed schedule. This really helped with my own sanity as well. I set up an exact schedule for play-time, walks, obedience time, supervised outside time, and most important of all, sleep time which is rest time for me. 😀
Oh finally, giving Sephy some off-lead play-time with other dogs really helped a lot. We were able to set up several play sessions for him with friendly dogs at a nearby SPCA. This was when Sephy burned the most energy; running around and wrestling with other dogs.
Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes with your Shiba.
I’m in need of some help with my 12 month old Female Shiba Inu. My wife and i have brought her to training classes and she has done great. We all graduated from class. The trainer even said that our shiba is the most friendly shiba she has met out of the last dozen or so. The only problem is that she has grown be more obedient to me the male or dominant one in the pack. With my wife she has turned very aggressive (growling, barking, showing her teeth) to her the second i leave the house, and as soon i return to the house she is back to being an angel. I think she is trying to take over the pack and by doing that she is being aggressive to my wife. I need some advise as to how my wife should handle this situation. I told my wife to put her on her back and hold her there until she calms down. That doesnt seem to be working. Any other tips out there?
Hello Justin,
My Shiba acted in a similar way towards me at the beginning. It happened because when I tried to stop him from biting at some books, he redirected his frustration onto me and started mouthing my hand. This made me back away and become afraid of him. Then it just went downhill from there because his behavior got worse, I became more fearful and on and on it went.
Shibas are very sensitive to the emotions of the dogs and people around them. I think that when they sense fear, they get stressed out themselves and may use aggression to protect themselves from possible threats. It is not so much that my Shiba wanted to take over the pack, but rather that he sensed unbalanced energy from me and got affected by it himself.
Also, I was inadvertently rewarding my Shiba’s aggression because of my fear. Every time Shiba shows me teeth, I would get afraid and back away, and Shiba got to do whatever he wants. This rewards his aggression and the next time I try to stop him, he will just keep using aggression because it works and he keeps getting rewarded for it.
To stop this cycle, I had to get rid of my fear and get my Shiba to follow house rules. The best way I found to properly manage my Shiba is by strictly controlling his resources – including his food, toys, affection, and freedom. Shibas tend to value their freedom a lot, so by controlling his freedom I was able to gain better control of his actions. The more successes we had, the more confident I became, and Shiba’s behavior improved significantly.
Here are a couple of articles about what I did with Shiba Sephy –
Pack Leader to an Aggressive Dog
Are You Afraid of Your Dog?
Hi
I have a 2 year old Shiba male, last year he want on a digging rampage, I re-seed the yard and all summer he did no digging, however 2 weeks ago he started back digging holes again, my husband is so angry at him I am afraid that I might have to put him up sale.
Please help.
My Siberian used to do this as well. She was actually digging for gophers and such in our lawn. Now, I have a dig area where there is no-grass and a no-dig area where there is grass. This way, she gets to enjoy her digging but just not on the grass.
To stop her from digging on grass I would only let her out when I was around to supervise her. Then when I notice her digging, I non-mark her (No or Ack-Ack) and body block her away from the area. If she does not listen, she loses her freedom to roam outside and has to come back into the house. She quickly learned where she could dig and where she should not dig.
Now, I don’t even need to supervise her when she is outside and she doesn’t dig on the grass.
Also try increasing his exercise and walks. The more things he is engaged in during the day, the less likely he will be to devise his own activities.
Another possibility is to bury some chicken wire in the areas where he likes to dig. Dogs don’t like digging on chicken wire because it is uncomfortable on their nails. Make sure to cut away all of the sharp edges on the chicken wire so that the dog does not get hurt.
Hello,
We have a 5 month old Shiba Inu named Bruin. He is constantly nipping and is very mouthy. Is there a way to stop that behavior?
Thank you!
Hi Grace,
Yeah Sephy was very mouthy as well. I think it is another one of those charming Shiba breed traits. 😀
Here are some things that helped with Sephy –
1. Bite inhibition training.
2. Redirection. Most of the time, Sephy was play-biting with his mouth. However, he is easily excitable and can go from 0 to 60 mph in about 1 second. When that happens, I calm him down by getting him to do various obedience commands for food rewards. This redirects him into some other activity to release his energy and away from biting on me. For this to work, I had to catch him early, before he gets so excited that he is no longer listening to me.
3. Stop play and ignore. Sometimes, if puppy gets too over the top, I stop play and ignore him. Shibas are very stubborn and determined though so they will likely continue to pester you. This will work better if you play with Shiba inside a pen. If puppy plays too rough, just leave the pen and close the door. This shows puppy that if he gets too rough, he doesn’t get to play with you.
4. Time-out. There were also times where Sephy was biting me out of frustration or because I stopped him from doing something that he really wanted to do. In this case, I found that time-outs were the most effective for him because he really liked his freedom.