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.
My Shiba acts exactly like yours! Although people say that their shibas are more submissive, mines is absolutely not.
If he experiences something bad, he is gonna remember that bad experience for a long long long time. Very easy to lose his trust. Sometimes I feel disappointed and feels like having no payback from him. But I still love him.
One question: How do you get him to swim? He got frightened in the water once and will never come near water anymore. I am still hoping that he could forget that bad experience. Apparently, he’s not gonna forget~~~
Sephy does not really like water all that much. However, when he is playing with other dogs, he forgets all about that and is willing to jump and play in puddles. When there are ducks in the lake, he will go into the water a bit, but only at the edge where he can still walk.
Since we don’t have a pool and Sephy is not a big fan of water, I have not done much training in that area. I think if I wanted to train Sephy to be more comfortable with water, I would first identify what things are most rewarding to him. In Sephy’s case, one thing would be having some interesting play in the water, especially involving another dog. Then, I can use that to slowly encourage him to go into the water on his own.
I would first start at the edge, and then slowly move in has he gains more confidence. Of course I would need to make sure that everything is always safe and under close supervision.
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/5914/does-your-shiba-like-the-water/p1
Need advice what kind of dry food to feed my 5 month male shiba puppy. He has had a reaction (diarrhea, vomiting) as we were looking for a replacement for the kibble his breeder gave him. We had him on grain free diet but it did not improve. Even tried a limited ingredient diet — and still did not work, in fact, quite the opposite. He is doing OK with beef and chicken food which is sold in soft packages, not cans, and which has actual pieces of beef and chicken, not too processed. Another question is at what age will he start “asking” to go potty by standing next to the door.
How long have you had the puppy? How often does he vomit? How long have the symptoms lasted?
The first thing I would do is to make sure that it is actually a food issue. Diarrhea and vomiting can also be caused by other physical issues, so with my dogs, I visit the vet if the symptoms persist.
Once I am sure that it is a food allergy issue, then I first put my dog on a bland diet (plain boiled chicken and plan white rice). I use a different meat source if I suspect that my dog is allergic to poultry.
More on what I do for food allergy issues.
Potty training depends on the puppy’s past experiences, training, etc. My Shiba Inu was potty trained while living with the breeder, so he pretty much went to the door when I got him at 10 weeks old. However, if a puppy is used to being caged for long periods of time, and is forced to do his business in his cage (e.g. in a pet store), then potty training will be more of a challenge.
More on how I potty trained my Husky puppy.
My vet suggested not to mix proteins. I switched my Shiba to acana lamb and apple. Also, feed your shiba same snack. I use Merrick dehydrated lamb lung and lamb and apple. It’s easier to digest.
Plain rice mixed in with pieces of chicken breast and chicken hotdogs works well. I avoid beef due to allergies. Try that. Either all lamb or chicken.
If your dog scratches a lot, especially ears it can be food related. My Shiba is a lot happier now that he eats mainly one protein. Every second day I add very small amount of salmon oil and his coat is 100% better.
Flax oil is another option but it doesn’t taste well
I’ve met other shiba owners who recommend salmon. What ever works stick with it. Don’t change diet too much. Hope info helps
I have a 9 week old shiba. She is abit of a handful when taking her out for walks. She goes potty in our yard the first week we had her but if I take her on walks, she won’t go and freezes up and sits down. I can tell she’s nervous but I don’t know how to calm her. She bites on the leash and sits on the grass and glares at me and I don’t know what to. She won’t take treats and I have to pull her to have her start walking. But every other minute, she would sit back down.
What should I do?
A new puppy may be uncertain and a bit fearful of a totally new environment with new sights, sounds, and smells. With my puppy, I always start small and set her up for success. For example, I first desensitize her to the collar and leash. Once she is comfortable with that, I start leash training her inside the house, where she is more comfortable and relaxed. Then, we start doing exercises in our fully enclosed backyard and so on. I start small, set her up for success, and slowly build up her confidence. As she gains confidence, I *very slowly* increase the challenge of the environment.
How I train my puppy to walk on a leash.
When I get a new puppy, I always take her to the vet as soon as possible. In this way, I can make sure that my puppy is physically healthy, and I can also get advice on vaccinations, etc.
Puppies still have developing immune systems and are more susceptible to diseases, therefore I am very careful where I take my puppy before she is fully vaccinated.
ASPCA article on puppy socialization.
More on dog socialization.
How I trained my Husky puppy.
My girl used to do that, too. I actually kneeled down and would call her to me and repeat the process. It’ll take some time, but making them feel comfortable and confident enough is important when they’re small.
Hey! I have a Japanese red shiba and he is generally a very good dog. He turns 6 in September and my issue is, lately he has been Mr. Houdini! Any time that someone opens the front door he maneuvers right past…of course if I go after him he thinks it’s a chase game. I dislike the idea of shock collars however I find myself considering it but only for use of the front yard. We have a huge yard that he can run around in and he gets his walks (well if you call it that with a shiba haha..we got used to the fact that he walks at his pace lol). I am afraid that he is going to get hit by a car or something else that will injury him. We live in a small town and people are careful and there really isn’t much traffic but I would die if something ever happened to my boy..
Escaping is a self-reinforcing behavior. When a dog succeeds in escaping, he gets a fun outside trip, with no restrictions, no rules, and maybe even some fun chasing games with his people. This is a big big reward, which further reinforces the escaping behavior and so on.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-escape-why-dogs-run-away/comment-page-1#comment-386323
Some things that help with my dogs-
1. I train them all on door manners.
2. I increase their structured daily exercise (walks, structured play, interactive food toys, etc.)
3. I increase management (leashes, baby gates, double gates to the backyard, etc.)
4. I do recall training exercises.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/teaching-your-dog-come-when-called
5. I set up a fixed routine, a consistent set of house rules, and I follow the Nothing in Life is Free program with all of my dogs.
More on how I deal with dog escapes.
As for shock collars, they are not something that I would use on my Shiba. In the long run, his behaviors worsened with aversive training, and I lost a lot of his trust early-on from using such techniques. Shock collars are risky, and can cause even more behavioral issues down the road. Finally, they are also *not* a guaranteed way of recall. Therefore, it is not generally something that I would use on my dogs or recommend to others.
More on what I think of shock collars.
I’m glad to find this blog. I am in need of coaching, we have a 10 week old cream male Shiba Inu, he’s our first dog. He is very smart and very good with the potty business. He’s area of concern is the chewing of just about everything, he doesn’t like to sleep alone and hates to be in his crate and exercise pen.
Yeah, my Shiba was very mouthy as well when he was young. When he chews on something that he shouldn’t, I no-mark and redirect him onto a sanctioned toy.
More on how I taught Sephy not to chew on curtains.
More on how I deal with puppy biting.
With Sephy, it worked out best to have him sleep with us (in his crate) in the bedroom. This helps with bonding and he also really needs to be able to see his people. After he matured and got some training under his belt, we let him out and now he gets to roam about the bedroom (but we keep the bedroom door closed).
More on how I crate train my dog.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/weekend-crate-training
However, a puppy has a lot of energy so I also provide my puppy with a lot of positive/structured activity throughout the day to keep him engaged. I did a lot of frozen Kongs with my Husky pups. They are usually more ready to take a nap after they have had a bunch of play, training, and then one or two frozen Kongs.
More on my Husky puppy’s schedule.
Hi. I’ve had my Shiba (Ramen) for 4 months now. We bought him when he was 2 months old and he just hit his 6 month mark. He’s a great puppy but the biting is getting out of control. So out of control that I’m thinking I may have to find him a good home before we move in a few months. I love my Ramen as my child but I can’t have him around kids, most other dogs and most importantly I don’t feel like I can trust him right now. Last night he got angry and bit me because I tried to remove a piece of plastic from his mouth he found on our walk. I don’t want to get rid of my Shiba but I can’t worry about the next time he’s going to bite me either. I spent weeks with bloody lips and face bites, but I thought that would slow down wove he was finished teething… Thank you for your help.
How I deal with puppy biting.
As for removing things from my Shiba’s mouth, that was something that I also went through with Sephy. This is more of a resource guarding issue.
http://shibashake.com/dog/resource-guarding-shiba-inu
http://shibashake.com/dog/stop-food-aggression-stop-resource-guarding
Sephy was also very mouthy as a puppy. He really needed consistency, structure, and training. We also got help from several professional trainers, and it was very useful for me to have guidance on reading body language, timing, technique, safety, and more. Especially for aggression issues, it is best and safest to get professional help.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
I had a lot of problems with my Shiba, but after I started learning more about dog behavior and how to properly communicate with him, control my own energy, and train him, things got a lot better.
My Shiba Inu story.
http://shibashake.com/dog/zen-dog-training-tips
We have two big issues..
1) We have an female 8&1/2 week old puppy.. She absolutely hates her crate. We live in an apartment so when she whines and does her shiba scream, we feel like a guns pointed to our heads and let her out “/.. We feel bad for our neighbors.
2) The first night we had her she was using the potty pads then the next day up until now she goes everywhere but on the pads? We tried the spray and the pads with pheromones. Were @ our wits end.. What can we do? We’re getting grossed out and frustrated.. Please help!!
1. Crate training
With my puppy, I start small and go in small steps. In the beginning, I leave the door open, put a piece of my puppy’s favorite food close to the door, and let him go get it. I keep repeating this until he is comfortable doing this and starts to associate his crate with rewards and good things. Then, I may throw the food in a bit deeper and so on. I leave the door open so that he can go in and come out whenever he wants.
After my puppy is totally comfortable going into and coming out of his crate, I let him work on food toys and other high priority but safe chew toys inside his crate. I still leave the door open. In this way, he gets used to staying in his crate, and continues to associate it with positive activities and safety.
Next, I slowly build up time within his crate with the door closed. I start with a few seconds and then slowly build up from there.
More on how I crate train my dog.
ASPCA article on weekend crate training, but as they say, it may not work on dogs that already have a negative association with the crate-
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/weekend-crate-training
In general, I try to set my Shiba up for success so that we don’t have a shiba-scream situation. However, if he is screaming simply to get his own way or to get attention, then I also need to make sure *not* to reward that behavior. If I do, he will start to scream in a wider range of situations because he has learned that screaming gets him what he wants.
2. Potty training
With potty training my puppy, very close supervision is the most important thing. I set up a fixed schedule and I watch my puppy like a hawk. If I cannot supervise my puppy for even 1 minute, I put him in a safe enclosure with puppy pads. I do not let my puppy freely roam the house until he is fully potty trained.
More on how I potty train my puppy.
I also did a lot of private lessons with several trainers when Sephy was young. I was very new to dog training at the time, and it was very helpful to have a good and experienced trainer help me with timing, reading body language, management, mouthiness, etc.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
I just got a male shiba inu puppy about a week ago (9 weeks now) and he HATES walking with the leash. Its my first dog and I researched alot about it before I got one. I would like to take him on a walk but its almost as if im dragging him because he is resisting so much. I leave the leash on when he is inside the house so then he can get used to it, but it seems like its not helping at all. Is it too soon to give him walks and will he ever get used to it? (ps my puppy is very lethargic and doesn’t have the excitement that puppy’s are supposed to have)
Where did you get the puppy? Have you taken him to the vet? When I get a new puppy, I take him to the vet as soon as possible to make sure that he is in good health, and to get advice on vaccinations etc.
Puppies still have developing immune systems and are more susceptible to diseases so I do not walk my puppy in public areas (where he may come in contact with sick dogs or other animals) until he is fully vaccinated. Poop, pee, or contaminated water, from sick animals may also pose a risk. However, puppy socialization is still important.
The ASPCA article above has some suggestions on safe ways to socialize a puppy who is not yet fully vaccinated.
I really want to thank you for sharing your heart and knowledge on your beloved Shiba. I swear we have his twin, from different mothers of course. They look a lot a like, ours is a 30lb Shiba, a fiery red head for sure, but also a very so creative personality on him. He is over 4 years old now. We actually got a second one (mistake) right away after having Mushi 4 months…then the aggression got way worse. But after 4 years, he has our hearts,…. he can make it difficult to have people over for dinner and have friends and family stay with us…we have learned to adapt and desensitize him…still working on it and will continue. Our second one is a black, tan and white Shiba, he is the alpha. He is stockier, but totally cool and calm…Vets are always amazed at him. We have to polar opposites….makes our lives never dull and we will always be Shiba Inu fan. thanks again for your time and energy and heart for sharing about your experiences and knowledge of Shiba’s, it has been a huge help these past 4 years.
Thank you very much for this Myrna.
Hi, I was thinking about adopting a Shiba Inu. I want to a dopt a Shiba Puppy and raise him. My concern is how long can a shiba be left alone before it is too much? I will probably leave the puppy alone for about 8 hours with about a 3 hour 2-3 hours in between. I’ve had cats and dogs before so Shiba will not be my first dog to train. I’ve done a couple of research and it says that Shibas are really independent which I guess it is nice? Are there any tips to train shiba stay in their cribs, or safely roam around the house? Thank you very much.
My Shiba puppy needed a lot of supervision and training. He also had mild separation anxiety when he was young, and I had to very slowly train him to tolerate alone time. As a puppy, he was also very energetic and mouthy. He would be biting the curtains, books, etc. During puppyhood, I had to supervise him well, and when I couldn’t fully supervise, I kept him with me in the kitchen, or in his crate (after I crate-trained him).
Sephy is independent in that he does not want or need much human affection. However, he still likes having his people around. He really needs a fixed routine, and even today, he will get stressed if we come home late or if there are big changes to his schedule.
http://shibashake.com/dog/are-shiba-inus-truly-independent
With time constraints, I would consider adopting an adult dog, that is already trained and who is already comfortable with being alone for a longer period of time.