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.
Hi,
We recently got another Shiba Inu (Lola) to keep our 2 yr old Shiba (Chancho) company. She is truly an amazing little dog and is onl about 1.5 years old. However, we have been having some problems with her lately every time we take her for walks. She constantly pulls on the leash and tries to jump on other dogs. When we take them to the dog park, we never have a problem letting her go, she comes back and checks in with us every 10-15 minutes. And she plays just fine with other dogs, never growls or tires to bite. But when we are walking on a leash, she’s so mean to other dogs! It’s like we have a totally different Shiba!
We are taking her to obedience training in the spring, but is there anything I can do until then?
Hi,
When my shiba pull on the leash, I reduce slowly the size and I look in the opposite side. When he feels that the leash size is reduced, he starts to look at me and see that I totally don’t care about what he is doing and he stops because he knows that he is doing this for nothing. If he keeps pulling, I walk on the opposite side and I only come back when he stops. During all the times I don’t give him a single look. and I take care of something else.
He is also very sensitive to finger snap so I distract him with several fast snap and I suddently become the most attractive things in the landscape because for Hiro, finger snap = cool reward.
Hello Gaby,
Yeah, many dogs react differently when on a leash. A leash limits the dog’s freedom, and it can cause-
1. More anxiety for some dogs, because the leash prevents them from fleeing if the need should arise.
2. More frustration for some dogs, because the leash prevents them from getting to another dog, limits their movement, and may get in the way.
This is especially so when meeting another dog, especially a new dog. A greeting is usually very exciting and also quite stressful at the same time; not too different from when we meet somebody new. We don’t know if we will enjoy the encounter, be bored, or be hurt by it.
This ASPCA article on leash reactivity has some good information on this behavior-
http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-articles/dogs-who-are-reactive-on-leash
Here are some things that help with Sephy during our walks-
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression
We did a lot of dog-to-dog desensitization exercises with Sephy, and I think they were helpful in raising his instinct threshold, and also in teaching him alternate behaviors for managing his excitement and stress during dog encounters.
Hi,
I just adopted a 2 and half months shiba inue. He is very cute, he already ask to go out for his need and he is not (yet) destroying my appartment :). I’m very happy but I have a problem when it’s time to sleep. He hates being alone and it’s a big problem because I’ll have to let him alone for some hours everyday. When I let him alone, he starts crying and then he scream like a wolf. For the first night he only do this for 10 min but yesterday he screamed 1 hours ! My wife had to go to sleep on the blanket near him because he was too afraid of being alone and when she was with him, he stopped screaming immediatly and started sleeping.
He just leaves his mother so I understand that he is afraid of being abandoned, but I need some tips to make him understand that there is nothing to be afraid of.
Regards,
Régis
Yeah, Sephy was the same way when we first got him. What worked best was to just have his crate in the bedroom. In this way, he gets to be with his people, it helps with bonding, and he can’t cause mischief.
Some people suggest using a heartbeat pillow or calming scents. I have not tried this, so I am not sure how well they will work on a Shiba. Here is a bit more on dog anxiety and possible steps.
we got our shiba at 7 weeks old he’s now 13 weeks old and he is precious! he is cuddly and lovable. Indiana loves to be held and kissed. I don’t see him as aggressive just as a typical puppy he can leap pretty high 2 to 3 feet. we love and adore our shiba… Indiana jones
Great name for a Shiba! Very appropriate. 😀
Hi! When we got our first puppy, he would cry all night. We used a water bottle full of really hot water wrapped in an old towel, made it feel like another body in the kennel with him and he stopped all the crying and whinning. He is now sleeping in our room in his own bed.
🙂
Hi and Happy new years !
Thanks a lot for all your replies. I know that let him sleep in our bedroom would have solve the issue for the night but I was afraid to let him alone during the day and putting his crat in our bedroom would’nt prevent him to scream during the day. Fact is that we do not allow him to go in the bedroom because we want to keep a “chief” position with him. We finnally decided to give him access to our bedroom door (He was in an other bedroom initially) so now he can sleep closer to us but not in our bedroom. He cry a bit first but after a calm “no”, he stop crying and leave is own life without us.
I think that he also feel less “confinement anxiety” because instead of a single room, he has acces to a room, a corridor and a bathroom (with a very very cool low price carpet to chew)
Our problem seems totally solved now and we’ll keep using all the amazing tips in this website.
@Gaby: Hot bottle works one night only. Now it seems that he totally don’t care about it so we removed it.
Glad to hear that everything has worked out well. Big hugs to puppy! Share some pictures with us when you have the time. 😀
Hi, I just adopted an 11 month old shiba. He is actually much better than I expected after reading everything about them. I was nervous going in but considering both my 14 and 4 year olds were begging me I gave in. He is very gentle, and pretty calm. He has escaped the leash though and my son had to chase him all over town and almost watch him get hit by a car a few times and he is not been great with his bathroom behaviors. We are being consistent and have been trying not to be overly tough considering he is over all been good and it has only been a week tomorrow. Any advice on these issues and good resources for train their breed specifically. He does sit, stay(in the house), does bite never hard though (which we’re working on also), not aggressive to people or dogs or cats want to play, and even is not a begger. We are in love with him already but we want to keep him safe most of all.
Congratulations on your new furry family member! 😀
How did he escape? Did he slip out of his collar? What type of collar and leash is he using?
Sephy used to slip out of his collar during walks. At that time, we were using a regular flat collar. The problem with the flat collar was that it tended to slip; so it would get slightly larger and larger through use. I kept having to readjust it so it doesn’t slip out of Sephy’s neck. In addition, the flat collar I was using had a plastic tab, which did not seem the most secure.
I am now using the Premier martingale collar (only during walks) for its no-slip properties. I adjust the collar so that at its tightest, it is the size of a flat collar. Sephy has never slipped out of this collar.
Before this, I also tried using a buckle collar, which also worked well. However, it is more difficult to put on and take off compared to the martingale.
Here is a bit more on dog collars.
In terms of potty training, here are some things that I did to potty train my Huskies.
Hugs to Shiba puppy! He sounds like a very good boy.
Yes that was it exactly. He slipped right out of the collar. We are using a harness now but the collar you mentioned sounds like it would work well also. Thank you. I would really love to be able to have him off leash and listen. I pray there are no more escape attempts but I feel like its inevitable with 2 other kids. Have you heard of any tricks to help with them being off leash and staying close besides in fenced in areas. I live in an apartment complex so that is not an option. He could be off the leash in the park here though if I wasn’t so worried about him sprinting away through the busy streets in town. We are going to take a training class at pet smart to hopefully help with that also. He(Delray) is a very good boy though:)
As far as the potty training Delray was house broken so it is just strange to me he is having such a hard time with it now. It is almost like he is only going in the house and we are bringing him out every hour and then some. Last night my husband and him were out for an hour walking then waiting for pottying and nothing. Then as soon as he came in he pooped in my daughters room. He has not pooped outside since we have had him. He has only gone every other day and in different rooms every time right in front of us. What are your thoughts about tying him out to go potty to separate potty and play time. Right now we go to the right to potty and left to walk and play. Also Delray is used to a fenced in yard so we are thinking it might be a privacy or an on the leash thing.
On another note I really love your time out idea, I do it with the kids so that would be awesome to do with Delray too. Would it be alright to do with a second crate also or just our half bath which is very very small. Do you think it would be alright to give it for pottying in the house (if he is caught in the act because we bring him out after and he never goes again) or just for other things.
Thank you for all your advice! The site has been such a help and the only thing I have really found to be helpful with his breed:) Hugs to your beautiful pups too!
In terms of off-leash training, this article from the ASPCA has a good list of recall training techniques.
http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-articles/teaching-your-dog-to-come-when-called
Shibas are generally independent and stubborn though, so recall training can be challenging. Most Shibas are not to be trusted off-leash, in non-enclosed spaces. Sephy only comes when he feels like it, or is really interested in what I have at the time.
I have only let Sephy off-leash (in non-enclosed areas) a few times. It was in really large parks, and only when we were far far away from traffic. Sephy loves other dogs, so we would do a group dog-walk. We can then call in one of the other dogs, and Sephy would follow him/her back. 😀
As for timeouts, unfortunately, I *do not* think that they will help with potty training. In this case, it is not the potty behavior that is “undesirable”, just the location. Therefore we want to focus on teaching our dog where the right location is. Using timeouts in this situation may cause confusion, or the dog may learn to just do his potty in the timeout area. The best way, I have found, to potty train my huskies is to minimize mistakes in the house, show them what the right behavior is, and reward them very very well for doing their potty outside.
To minimize mistakes in the house, I supervised Lara really well during her potty training period. If I am unable to watch her, then I put her in an enclosure with puppy pads. All other times, I am watching her, and I take her out as soon as I notice her showing any of her potty signals (e.g. Lara likes going to corners to potty). If I miss her signals and she starts to potty, then I interrupt her, and take her outside right away. Since I interrupted her, she will usually continue as soon as we stop outside. In this way, I can reward her really well for doing the right thing. I reward her by playing with her and giving her high priority food that she only gets for pottying outside.
In this way she learns that –
potty inside = no reward & gets interrupted
potty outside = games, attention, food, and more!
Consistency and supervision were probably the two most important things while potty training my Huskies. I also make sure to clean up previous potty spots very well.
Happy New Year and big hugs to Delray!
Sorry that was me I didn’t put my name in the last post:)
Happy Newy Year! Yay Delray is 3 days accident free! I was still wondering what you thought about a tie out or a runner. Just for short potty breaks or just short outside time when he is wound up and I can’t take him for a walk. My 2 other kids keep me busy too..lol. Also do you think it is alright to use the second cage for timeouts. Thanks for all your help, sorry to be a pest but you seem to be my best resource at the moment:) Best wishes for the new year!
That is awesome! Go Delray!
It would depend a lot on the environment outside. I am generally not a fan of outside tethers because a dog can get really excited when they see squirrels, cats, other dogs. That excitement can quickly turn into frustration, when the dog keeps pulling and can’t get to his target. Dogs kept on a tether can also get protective over their tether area.
There are a couple of dogs that I see on a tether in their front lawn when I am walk Shania, and they go totally nuts whenever anybody passes by, or even when they see a dog from a distance. Their surrounding environment is pretty high stimulus, but no matter how hard they try, they cannot interact with it. It seems they spend most of their time trying to escape.
I imagine it also depends a lot on the temperament of the dog, prey drive, protective drive, etc.
Personally, I would stay away from using crates for any kind of punishment. We have different crates upstairs, downstairs, and in the car. I find that it is easiest to teach my dogs to associate all crates with positive experiences.
I do want to say though that what I share here is based on my own experiences with my dogs and based on what I have read. The Shiba Inu forum is also a good place to get thoughts from other Shiba owners.
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/
Hi there, I’ve been reading a lot on your site and was hoping because your experience might be similar to mine, you can offer some tips. I’ve also gotten my first puppy and it’s also a Female Shiba Inu. I have noticed that she loses interest quickly and even without cage training, she was curious enough to eventually go in on her own and now that’s her favorite spot. Little by little I’ve been increasing the time with the door closed with me nearby. My Shiba, Tali is her name, I’ve learned that she can understand two claps and a firm “no” for example if she’s trying to chew the christmas tree skirt. Of course motivating her on the other hand, is a bit more of a challenge. I asked her to come to me at one point, and she literally sat there and tilted her head at me like, “What are you doing human?” It amused me but I’d like to find ways to engage her so she won’t be bored. I worry that she’s in her cage a bit too much but I’ve just gotten her a few days ago so I’m hoping with time, she’s just getting used to her new home. My real issue is potty training. Right now Tali is feeling a little ill so my Vet recommended to keep her war, (it’s cold out for our winters 30 degrees-ish) and I’d like her to learn to go on the pads when we are inside. I tried rubbing some of her urine on a pad or surrounding it with a playpen. This morning something must’ve clicked with her because she went to the pad on her own and did her business. While crate training though, I left the door closed for 2 hours and let her out when she began to whine a little (and I realize she’s a quiet dog so sound in a cage might mean hey- I gotta go!) so I let her out and I guess the two hour test was a no go bc she had to go immediately after I let her out. She’s 3 1/2 months. I know I’m definitely in for the ride of my life but I’d like to give a good honest effort before saying I can’t do it. (I guess I’m just as stubborn as she is). So any tips on motivation or potty training would be awesome. And also how to get her interested in her toys more. Thanks so much and your site has been so helpful so far.
Rachel
Hello Rachel,
Yeah, Sephy can also be difficult to motivate. He likes new things but is not very interested in regular food or toys. However, he really loves to play, especially chasing and shredding games. He also values his freedom in the house and likes being able to see his people.
I learned with Sephy that the best way to motivate him is to work with his innate likes and dislikes. During puppyhood, I would play a game with him when he does a successful potty outside. Since he likes chasing games a lot, it was a very good reward and motivator (for him). He also values his freedom very much, so timeouts are very effective with him. I make sure not to overuse it, but it was helpful to discourage him from biting and humping.
Also, Sephy is more motivated by food when he is hungry, so I time my teeth brushing session before his dinner time, and I use cheese; which he only gets during teeth brushing and at no other time. This helps to raise the priority of the food reward.
I find that it also helps to make Sephy work for all of his food, and I follow the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program with all of my dogs.
This is a bit more on my potty training experiences with my Huskies.
Big hugs to Tali!
Thank you so much for the advice. I have learned that Tali is willing to work with me when she knows there’s a treat in for her haha. So far she’s getting the hang of “sit” and “no”. Potty training is starting to improve as well (she still has accidents but significantly less haha). I’m still reading this site and it continues to be helpful. Thanks again!
Ah ! I almost forgot. She has not had contact with any other dogs except once. She acts like she wants to attack. How do I train her to get along with other dogs? Thank you.
Hello ! I got a shiba inu female. She is very stubborn. She turned 1 today. She used to hump my leg, steal food, and run out te door when I open it. She did the same thing to me today ! How do I stop her from running out the door ? I have the sit, lay down, and stay down. But if I end up just leaving she will run right past me. She is a beautiful dog and I love her. But I need some advice on her. Is female different than male in dominance, or even in ways? I also want to know if I can train her to stay when she is outside without a leash. Thank you ! Any advice is most appreciated.
1. Bolting through doors.
I do door exercises every day, before going on walks with my dogs.
2. Off-leash training.
This article from the ASPCA has a good list of recall training techniques.
http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-articles/teaching-your-dog-to-come-when-called
However, Shibas are generally stubborn and independent, making them more challenging to train.
3. Dog-to-dog aggression.
Some of my experiences with Sephy.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression
A bit on dog socialization.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-socialization-what-why-how
HI THERE, I JUST BOUGHT A 7 MONTH OLD SHIBA. we haven’t collected him yet but i am wondering, as i am a student and i have to be in school for quite a long time, since it is 7 months, i will be able to crate it up for up to 8 hours? and should i put it’s toys inside its crate?
My Shiba Sephy really enjoys his freedom. During the day, Sephy does not like being in a crate for any extended period of time, especially when he is home alone. He sleeps in his crate at night, but I did a lot of crate training exercises with him and we also have his crate right in the bedroom with us.
Also, Sephy needed a fair amount of structured activity and exercise especially during his younger days. I had a rough start with Sephy because I did not anticipate how difficult he could be, and how much time I would need to put into training and managing him.
When Shibas get unhappy, they can become quite destructive and will treat everyone to very loud “Shiba Screams”.
My husband and I recently got a Shiba Inu puppy. He is 4 months and sometimes he is very loving and sweet and will listen to us. But sometimes he is the complete opposite. He is biting everything, including us and actually breaking skin. When he gets into this mode its difficult to stop him or redirect him to his toys..he walks around with his mouth wide open ready to bite anything he can. We have tried replacing our hands or any other object with his toys but that lasts for one second, we have tried putting him in his crate and once hes calm we let him out but then he just starts up again, a lot of sites have said to ignore him and walk away but as you are walking away he will bite your calves and then once you get away from him he starts chewing at cabinets, the wall, the molding. I can’t just ignore that or he will slowly destroy our house (he has already bit a whole in the wall). This is our first puppy and I feel like we are in over our heads, can you give us any advice?
Hello Laura,
In terms of biting, here are some things that helped with my Shiba-
1. Bite inhibition training – this teaches puppy to control the force of his bites.
http://shibashake.com/dog/bite-inhibition
2. To stop biting on people, this is what I do-
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-i-trained-my-husky-puppy#bite-training
I don’t do timeouts in the crate because – a) I want the crate to be a positive and safe space that my dogs associate with sleeping, eating, and relaxing. b) I usually put the crates in people places, so that they get to be with people even while in their crates. This makes it less appropriate as a timeout area because it is still pretty high stimulus. I.e. the dog can look out and see lots of things happening around him.
Instead, for timeouts, I use a safe and very low stimulus room that is out of the way, e.g. the laundry room.
Here is a bit more on what I do for puppy biting and timeouts.
3. To stop biting on furniture, I no-mark (Ack-ack) and then I body block the dog away from the area. Then I give him an alternate command and get him to do something else. When Shiba Sephy was young, I kept him in the kitchen with me for a big chunk of the time. I installed a baby gate at the kitchen entrance so he still gets to roam about, but I can keep an eye on him. In this way, he can only get into a very limited amount of trouble.
I also set up a very fixed routine and schedule for Sephy. Here are a few more things that helped with Sephy-
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training
4. Finally, Sephy is very sensitive how I am feeling. If I get angry, frustrated, or stressed, he will pick up on that energy and get even more crazy. I get the best results when I stay calm, and have a plan for each of his undesirable behaviors. Then, I just focus on executing the plan.
Sephy and I had a very difficult beginning, but now, things are a lot better. Here is a bit more on our early experiences-
Early days with Sephy.
The Shiba Inu forum can also be a great place to hook up with other Shiba owners –
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/
Big hugs to your Shiba puppy. Let us know how it goes.
Your website has extremely helpful information! We have a 1 year old Shiba named Boone and he is such a ham. He is neutered, which has helped a lot with his social skills and has depleted his aggression, which was never very bad. One thing that is very strange about him is that he wants to be pet ALL THE TIME. I mean all the time. And he will whine and raise his paw and swat you if you do not respond. We did not expect him to be so affectionate or climb all over us wanting to be touched 24/7. Is this typical? We are picking up a sister Shiba for him in a week because he absolutely LOVES the company of other dogs, male or female, small or large. We think this might help or hurt his attention issues. What do you think?
How adorable! I don’t think this is very typical Shiba behavior. Sephy will sometimes paw us for food, but never for affection. 😀
Awww, that is awesome. Boone is such a lucky guy. If I had to guess, I think it will help with his attention issues. When we got Shania, Sephy absolutely loved it and wanted to be with her all of the time.
Let us know how things go with the new pup. What are you going to name her?
I didn’t think so! He is very needy and touchy which is very endearing because we love to love on him. He likes his head to be rubbed most. He does this strange thing when he wants you to play with him where he swats you with his rear end.
We haven’t decided on a name yet. We have a couple in mind, but we like to see her first to see what will fit her personality! We are very excited to complete our Shiba family 🙂 I have to say though I can’t imagine DOUBLE the hair haha.
Hello!! okay i have some issues with my 1yr old Shiba Inu Kenji. Everytime i walk him and he sees people he gets nervous and i just don’t understand why. He tends to shake and whine a lot. Is there any tips you can give me to break him out of his whiny/nervousness? Please it would mean the world if you can slightly help me make this better.
~Michelle
P.s Love the site =]
Dogs can get anxious of new things, new people, new objects, etc. Lara was quite tentative when she first saw Halloween decorations around the neighborhood, especially the ones that move from the wind. 😀
I usually do desensitization exercises to help my dogs gain confidence, and re-associate a previously scary stimulus with something positive. Here is how I do people desensitization exercises with my dogs.