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.
Kiba came home yesterday so we’ve gotten through the first day and night.
Couple of questions – Did you have a hard time getting Sephy to eat when he first came home? Kiba’s turned up his nose at food and just drank some water today.
When to Shiba’s start getting hyper? So far, he’s been a very low key puppy.
The funniest “Shiba” thing so far has been – He wants to sit with us on the couch, but is too little to jump up on his own. And he doesn’t want us to pick him up. So he walks over and whines to get up. We go to pick him up and he dodges away. So far, I’ve just moved a bit quicker and hauled him up, at which point he cuddles and falls straight asleep. π
Reptar and I have recently moved and are adjusting well, for the most part. He now strong dislikes being in his crate. Well, he goes in there voluntarily and happily but when I am gone at work for the day, he escapes. I have came home to the front panel ripped down, metal broken out of the eyehooks that are keeping the crate together, the bottom metal bars lifted up making a 3in gap that Reptar has squeezed out of. I’m at a loss for what to do with him. I eventually would love for him to have the house to himself when I am away at work, however I want to do this on my terms, not his.
He hasn’t destroyed anything in the house yet when he’s gotten out of the crate and spent the day roaming free. I never know what I’m going to come home too. We’ll see what today brings. I have used zip ties and duct tape to try to repair the (2nd) crate.
He’s never really had a problem being in his crate while I’m at work until about a week into the new move. I’ve spent time with him exercising him, and back to basics on crate training – Leaving him for little bits of time here and there before he’s alone all day. I’m stumped! Any advice?
Also, I’ve uploaded some new pictures. https://picasaweb.google.com/CRose0130/Winter2011
Hi Colleen,
I had a lot of fun looking at Reptar’s recent photos. Your captions gave me a nice pick-me-up on a Monday morning. π
I liked the fort one and the ones with the red dinosaur riding on Reptar’s back – LOL! He is such a cutie!
In terms of busting out of his crate, it sounds like it could be separation anxiety. He may be unsure of the recent changes.
Some possibilities –
1. Leave him something Shiba-proof that really smells like you in his crate.
2. Record your voice and have it play on a timer. There are also interactive toys that can play your voice back.
3. Have a neighbor or dog walker look in on him in the middle of the day and take him on a short walk. When Sephy was young I got a dog walker to do group dog walking with him. It could help relieve stress and break up his day.
Where in the house does Reptar spend his time when he gets out of his crate?
If there is a favorite room that he likes to go to, perhaps that could be his intermediate enclosure. The worry I have with the crate is that he may hurt his teeth and mouth while trying to break out.
Then perhaps during weekends or at night, he can still have some supervised crate time.
How are things with you? Did you move to a new city/state?
Hi All,
We have a 2 yr old Shiba named Nikka. She joined us at 8 weeks old. At the time we had 2 grown German Shepards. The shepards thought she was a squirrel that they chased daily in our backyard. We crated her for about 3-4 weeks. Let her out only w/ supervision. The shepards had muzzles for 2 weeks. Removed muzzles w/etreme supervision. All 3 eventually loved each other. Nikka preferred sleeping in the crate up to 4-5 mos.
The Nikka was a biter. When she played rough biting, we corrected her by squeezing her jaw w/thumb and middle fingers. Saying don’t bite. The screams were horrid! She does not bite us, even in play. She still is a screamer.
The human touch is very important. We held her and touched, petted, prouded her entire body. Touching her paws, tail, tummy inside of her thigh etc. We did this for 5 min. 3-4 times a day. We still do this often. Nikka is the big fan of cuddling w/the both of us.
Whenever we caught her chewing we held her and told her “NO”. We came home to rugs, sofas and anything she was able to get at chewed. Nyla bones helped. She quit at around 1 1/4 yrs. She will grab things left on the floor or in the bathroom can. We can tell when she has something in her mouth that is foreign. It takes the both of us to catch her and remove it from the BACK of her throat. De-sheeba the house!
Unfortunatley both of our Shepards have passed. We brought a 5 mos. Shepard home. The introduction is slow. Leashed on mutual grounds. Then the backyard and int. of home. All still leashed. It was 2 hours before we unleashed them together. Nikka is very dominant. Growls and attacking the new pup. When she does this we put her in another room for 5 min. This has helped. We are only on our 2nd day. We are confident that they will bond. Time, patience and stay calm.
Nikka is a stunning sable/blonde/black in color dog. A little pistol.
Hahaha! It is so like a Shiba to try and dominate a GSD.
Thanks for sharing Nikka’s story with us.
Thanks for the quick response!
We’ve used this day care before (we used to have a lab/border collie mix), and they do groups based on size and temperament. I’ve already talked to the day care about Shiba “challenges”. π
We’ll be doing training with the same folks who run the day care, so Kiba will be interacting with them a lot. They do positive behavior training (we’ve been in their classes before) and are doing breed research as well so we can make sure he gets trained appropriately.
We had to rehome our previous dog because my son was attacked by a neighbor’s dog that was the same size and looked a lot like him. My son knew, mentally, that our doggy wasn’t viscous and wouldn’t hurt him, but he couldn’t control the gut “panic” reaction whenever our doggy came near. He’s comfortable with small/medium dogs, just not big ones (ours was around 60 lbs). The nicest, gentlest big dogs make him terrified because he feels defenseless around them.
Part of this exercise for us was finding a local breeder where my son could meet Shibas and see if the size and breed traits were an issue for him. He’s done great with our puppy’s parents (no fear reaction, loves playing with them), so we feel confident in moving forward.
I have a question about doggy day care.
We have to be out during the day for work so I’m planning to put our Shiba in day care. Do you know if most Shiba’s are okay with it if they start young or are they more like Sephy and get upset by it?
I can’t come home during the day (we live an hour away from our work), so I was hoping doggy day care would be a good way to keep our puppy from being lonely. I could hire a dog walker, but that would be less time unconfined than all day care.
Hello Andrea,
I think Sephy is unique in this regard. He got used to being home with me most of the day when he was young, so that became his routine and his preference.
Look for a daycare that splits the dogs into smaller play groups, and that do a good job at matching the dog to the group. Also a good daycare center will interview a new dog in the beginning to see if he fits into their current groups.
Yeah I agree. I only did group dog walking after the daycare thing did not work out for Sephy.
The pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dillard_family/sets/72157625822366547/
I have a few more on my phone of the whole litter that I haven’t uploaded yet.
I was really surprised yesterday, we were playing with some of the adults (two unaltered males) and they weren’t aggressive at all, even without the breeder introducing us to them. They were also getting along with each other. I think our breeder has Shiba magic.
Hi Andrea,
Your Shiba puppy is too adorable! I got Sephy at 10 weeks old so I only got a very little bit of his cute little fur-ball stage. The next time I get a Shiba, I am definitely going to be more on the ball.
Also love your other pictures. You have a beautiful family. Shiba should fit right in. π
Thanks so much for the link.
Hi there!
It’s been a week now since I have brought home my Shiba Inu Puppy (just over 10 weeks).
I have had dogs in the past, but they have always been a poodle base. A complete 180Λ personality from my little Shiba, Kami.
Kami is definitely a pain in the ass but I love her. Her problem right now is the BITING!!!!!! and separation anxiety when we leave her in her crate to go out. (We are crate training her – first time having to do that with a pup, but I think it’s well worth it).
I love the site/articles. There’s some very helpful tips in here – and i can relate to every single one of your frustrations and joys of owning a Shiba!
Thanks for the help!
Thanks Liz. Training a Shiba is a big exercise in patience. At the end though, I think my Shiba really taught me a lot of good life lessons. π
Thanks for the links! I’ve been reading a lot on your site. It’s a great resource and I appreciate that you point out that even a few mistakes won’t ruin your dog if you’re patient about fixing them. π
Since our breeder is close, we’re planning to visit the puppy fairly regularly to get him used to us as much as possible before he even comes home. I’m hoping to take pictures this weekend!
I’ve heard mixed reviews about Shiba’s and children (mine are 7 and 3), so here’s hoping. I’m planning on bringing kids to training classes (we already have these lined up with a trainer we’ve worked with before), and having them help hand feed. The boys are used to our cats, so I don’t think we’ll have too much of an issue with not hugging/picking up the puppy. The cats don’t like it, so we’ll just emphasize the “shibas are like cats” point of view. π
You are so well prepared! Lucky Shiba puppy. π
Please post a link to the pictures when you have the time. I love looking at Shiba puppies.
Hello,
My family is getting a Shiba puppy in February. Do you have any pointers on things we should start doing right away or dog gear we should have?
I’ve been doing a lot of breed research, but I admit I’m a little nervous as these dogs seem quite tricky!
I think the one thing I have going for me is that I’ve parented very stubborn/mischievous toddlers and your descriptions of Sephy frequently remind me of them!
We have met the parents of our puppy and they are very calm and well behaved, so I’m optimistic for our little boy’s personality (he’s only 4 weeks old right now though, so it’s hard to tell much).
Thank you for putting together such a great site and sharing your experiences.
-Andrea
Hello Andrea,
Congratulations on your soon-to-be new family addition!
Sounds like you are already doing all the right things. I wish I was more on the ball before I got Sephy – it would have saved the both of us a lot of heartache.
Here is an article on new puppy supplies. It the beginning, Sephy missed his litter mates a lot, so getting the smelly-blanket from the breeder or a favorite toy will help with the transition.
Also get some kibble from the breeder or ask her what kibble the puppy is used to. Then you can slowly transition puppy over to the kibble of your choice.
In terms of early things to do, here are some things that made a big difference with Sephy –
1. Bite inhibition exercises. This helped a lot when Sephy went through his difficult phase.
2. NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program. This teaches Shiba from the start that the best way to get what Shiba wants is to do what you want.
3. Handling exercises. Shibas tend to be very sensitive to handling. I made a lot of mistakes in this area early on because I would physically force Sephy to endure grooming and handling. This did not turn out well for either of us. What worked well is to make handling rewarding and fun.
This article on puppy obedience training may also be helpful.
Also take lots of puppy pictures. They grow up very quickly! π
I forgot how much fun it is to train a Shiba. Reptar has been taking advantage of a new living arrangements in which he is alpha over 1 person in the household making it a little more difficult to keep things under control. I’ve gone back to basic obedience (he still knows I am alpha over him but thinks since he is alpha over another, he can try to be alpha with me). While were re-working on our basic commands of sit and down stays, and “watch” I’ve started to try to teach him drop it. He can’t quite get drop it so we’ve started with give. He loves tug of war so learning give is quite the accomplishment. Reptar learned “give” in 1 day and while it will take much more time to “enforce” this new command without exchanging a treat, it’s so wonderful to know my dog is actually smarter than he leads on. Oh Shiba! I think I definitely got lucky with him, we’ve had our share of bad experiences but overall, he’s such a sweet boy and loves to cuddle which is rare for a Shiba. So I’ve been told. I’m still waiting for him to find his independence. He’s like a toddler that will not leave moms side willingly. Constantly needing to know where I am and what I’m doing and of course demanding attention. Reptar sends hugs to Sephy and Shania!
LOL – yeah I don’t think Shibas ever stop testing their boundaries. Every once in a while Sephy will try something just to see if he can get away with it.
As for smarts, Shibas are definitely up at the top. Dogs that follow commands are smart; but I think the ones that manipulate their humans to follow their commands are much smarter. π
Yeah Sephy is not a big cuddler but he is much better than he was. I wonder if I didn’t make so many mistakes in the beginning whether he would be better today. Maybe one day I will get another Shiba and see. π
I think Shibas are strange – they like to act very aloof but they are not as independent as they would like us to think. Shania is very affectionate, but in most ways she is a lot more independent than Sephy. She likes staying outside and finds fun activities to do on her own. Sephy wants to stay inside most of the time and gets a lot more stressed when home alone. Sometimes, he also tries to get Shania to come in because he wants everyone to be in close proximity.
Oh Shiba! π