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
I have a 4 months Shiba Inu and he’s literally afraid of every noise in the house and is terrified of going outdoors. It’s been with me for almost 3 weeks and every vet is telling me that he should of adapted by now. Any tips or advises?
My Shiba was like that for the longest time. literally scared of everything! he is about a year and 3 months now. it was maybe around 9 months he finally started to warm up and it wasn’t until he was about 1 until he finally felt comfortable with his surroundings. The biggest thing i learned is Shibas won’t feel comfortable until they can trust and respect there owner.
Hi. I have a 20 month old female shiba. I have owned a shiba before, he lived to be 15! My female shiba after about 1 year old, started crying and biting our feet sometimes. It seems to happen when her stomach hurts. We have had a million tests done and everything seems fine with her stomach. Vet says we need behavior training. Anything you could suggest for this? It is not just nipping, it is a full aggressive bite and we have 2 kids. Thank you!
I’m in the same boat, my Shiba is 5 and in the past 2 years has become aggressive toward my husband and son’s feet. Like he’s protecting the floor, I think the ‘that’s mine’ attitude is directed at the floor. He is also pretty protective over me, if my husband tries to hug me, it’s game over. We are trying to desensitize him and it was going well for a while, but recently seems to be worse. We are thinking about bringing his crate back into the house so he can get a time out when it happens. I’m also going to have my husband and son give him more treats (when they are deserved) and have them give him his daily food dish. Hopefully that will help. Let me know if you get any other tips to try.
We had a Shiba for 10 years. We brought it back from Japan (Okinawa) when I was stationed there and the dog was abandoned and we adopted it. At first she was wild and I did use a choke collar on her for a short period of time. She learned very quickly and we didn’t even have to use a leash after a couple of months. She wasn’t destructive and got along with the cat. She died when she had a knee problem and the vet gave her Rimadyl awaiting surgery. The dog developed acute pancreatitis and died. Just about took me down as this dog was the just the best.
Note: These are primitive dogs with the genetics going back on the island of Okinawa for at least 5000 years, probably longer. Be careful with medication that the dog may not be able to metabolize due to lack of drug pathways which these dogs may have never developed due to their isolation for thousands of years.
To the present. We adopted a six month old rescue Shiba. She was everything you described and more. The biting, stealing, tearing up and destroying the house. I don’t know what the first owners did that resulted in this behavior, or if it is just the way this one is programed. Anyway, last night she actually clawed and bit through a drywall wall to get out of a room. Add to that two rugs ripped to shreds, actively attacking other dogs, cats, and anything that moves and this is not a dog that can left out of sight for more than a minute or two. She screams all night if we cage her. I have used the same firm but gentle techniques I used on the first one and the behavior is not improving after several months.
At other times she is just the sweetest dog we could ever want. But there is no rhyme or reason to this Jeckyl and Hyde behavior.
We both work and can’t cage the dog 20+ hours per day. Not fair to her or us.
As much as it is going to break both our hearts, she is going back to the rescue where we hope she can be placed with a family that has no other pets, is home during the day, has a large area outside to play, and can spend hundreds of hours it will take to hopefully train this loveable but stubborn little dog.
If not too late, exercise helps put it all together…especially if you take her to interesting (to dogs) places
My female shiba is just over a year and a half. I work during the day so unfortunately I cannot be home to let both of my dogs (the other is a 10 year old Rottweiler out during the am although I let them out before I leave and right as soon as I get home. They have a nice big back yard to play in while I’m home. The problem is that everyday she finds something new to chew. And now I feel she’s doing it on purpose. She knows as soon as I get home she’s I. Trouble is I spot something that’s chewed and runs to the gate in the back yard or into her kennel. So she obviously knows she’s in trouble and she’s doing something wrong. How do I stop her from doing this? Or is it an age thing?
We’ve had our four year old female for three years now and she has gone through episodes much like the one you mentioned a few times, but we are currently experience the worst of it right now. Again, she’s four and is fully aware of when she’s being or has been disobedient. We are still trying to properly “diagnose” the problem – could be boredom, lack of exercise, anxiety (separation or otherwise), new treats that leave her with a bad taste – but have found that the solution clearly isn’t in trying to discipline her through “bad dog” technique.
We moved with her overseas four months ago and in the first few months she was an angel, displaying no real issues, just a few mishaps here or there. When we first got her (rescue, just under 1 year old at the time of adoption) she was very nervous, anxious, and ‘independent’. The worst leash pulling you can imagine, scared of loud noises, and eventually we discovered that when we left her at home in her crate (she had been crate trained prior to our adoption) she cried/screamed/howled and scratched at the door of the crate non-stop…literally for hours on end. Our neighbors were the ones who made us aware and they were rightfully displeased.
We decided to nix the crate and treat her prior to any departure, allowing her to roam the house. She took to it immediately with no ill effects. The only times she had made a mistake is when we were stupid enough to leave leather shoes/bags on the floor…that’s a no brainer for a Shiba.
So now, years later, we all find ourselves back at square one. In the past month she has destroyed the following:
Wrist watch band
Hockey glove palm
Beard trimmer AND charger
Toiletries bag
Sandal
Rotating Push Up Handles
Jump Rope
External hard Drive
Extension cord/power strip
Countless papers/folders/pens/pencils
We suspect separation anxiety as this only happens when we leave the house. At first, it only happened if we left for more than six hours (a cinch for her in the past, serious problem now…) but now it happens within an hour of our departure.
Unfortunately I don’t have an answer for you other than a visit to the vet, which is on the calendar for us.
The biggest thing to remember is they love us. As crappy as it can be to deal with the destruction they aren’t doing it out of spite. It could be a more serious problem, too, which is why a visit to the vet is a must.
I hope you find relief and a change of behavior for your Shiba ASAP. Good luck, and let us know if you’ve had any progress!
Teddy is turning 3 in a few days. We’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old. He’s been such a good dog. House training was a breeze and he usually responds well when we tell him no. He does the sneaky thing of stealing napkins and tissues. We’ve taken him to the groomers since he was a puppy when he is blowing his coat. Just recently the groomer told me that we were going to have to do something, because he hated the bath and hurt her. I was kind of surprised because I didn’t realize he had gotten that bad, I guess I assumed that since he had been going since a puppy that he was used to it. I felt so bad and I want to know what I can do to change this behavior. She said he appears to be anxious and afraid. Also when he gets scared he runs away, my other dogs always ran to me. I feel I must not have done something right. He’s not food motivated as I have tried with some other training things, maybe I just haven’t had what he wanted. We love him so much and want to do the right thing. Any suggestions? Should we put him in the bath and use just warm water to see if we can get him to calm down? Any advice would be helpful, thanks
Sephy does not trust easily, so I do all of his grooming myself. I take my time to slowly desensitize him to each thing so that he does it willingly, because the experience is positive and he gets very well rewarded for it.
In terms of bathing, Sephy does not really need too many baths. I brush him pretty frequently, and that gets rid of loose fur and dirt. When he needs a bath, then I play the water hose game with him, which is fun and he sees that more as play-time. Of course, that only works for warm weather.
More on my bathing experiences with Sephy.
Thank you for your response. It makes me feel a little better that I haven’t been a completely bad fur mommy. I guess I’ll have to learn how to groom him better at home. He is really so good in most ways, but is a scaredy cat (dog) on some things. I’ll keep working with him and reading your page to give me encouragement.
Thanks,
Bonnie and Teddy
My pup was terrified of the bath at first but I found if i ran it while he was in it it was the sound/echo that he didn’t like. Now I run the bath prior and put him in and he sits and enjoys the massage lol.. Mine is still quite young (8mths) but it could be something that simple. Just a suggestion.
Hi ! First of all, congratulations for the website, its really great! I have some questions to make and i would be grateful if you could answer them!
I dont have much experience when it comes to dogs, but i felt in love with Shiba Inus! I’m thinking of adopting one, not now, as i have to finish school first (im 17 years old). My mother however had a variety of dogs in the past, and she is experienced enough to help me with my shiba. Do you think that it’s a risky move to have a shiba as your first dog??
Thank you in advance!
George
Haha, well I got a Shiba as my first dog and I sure went through some tough times with him in our first year. I didn’t do enough research into the breed and didn’t know much about dog training/behavior. As a result, I had a difficult time dealing with my Shiba’s aloofness and very strong-will.
The first few months were very hellish, but on the good side, I learned a lot from my experience with Sephy and got a bunch of good stories to tell. 😀 On the not so good side, I made many mistakes and Sephy had to go through some bad experiences, because I did not do the right thing by him. I also wanted a more affectionate dog, so the aloofness was not easy to deal with.
My Shiba Inu Story.
Another thing to consider is what happens when you go to college. My Shiba really likes/needs certainty and a fixed routine. Changes to his routine, can cause stress, anxiety, and undesirable changes in behavior. Sephy is very loyal but he does not trust easily. So if I am not around, I need to make sure that there will be others that he already trusts, who can take care of him, train him, and provide the structure that he needs, in a similar way as I have.
Here is a comment from someone who is having trouble with their son’s Shiba while he is away in college-
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression/comment-page-5#comment-667521
Hey shibashake!, my mother and i had experience with other dog breeds over the time (A dalmatian, chow chow and a chihuahua), and my mother and i are thinking about getting a shiba inu puppy after we move, as my dear dalmatian died recently, as well as my mothers chow chow a long time ago, my question would be, our chihuahua (yes, the chihuahua isnt really the dog of either of us, she obeys us both equally), is well socialized and trained in obedience but, my questions are:
Would our chihuahuas behavior have influence over our shibas training?, with the case of our dalmatian, the chow chow’s behavior had a drastical influence!, considering he was really stubborn and independent
Also our chihuahua loved to play with our dalmatian when he was alive, would the shibas rough play mean a risk for our chihuahua?
Keep the good work!, your blog helped me a lot for the research of this breed : )! i absolutely adore their personality and intelligence!
My dogs certainty have a big effect on each other. This is also called social learning. This article from The Whole Dog Journal has a lot more on social learning and how it can affect our dogs in both good and not-very-good ways.
My Shiba plays best with dogs that are larger than him. He likes to wrestle and play rough, which overwhelms smaller dogs. My younger Siberian Husky is larger than him, heavier, younger, and also very agile. However, my Shiba sometimes gets to be even too much for her. Sephy is a very focused dog, and can get quite extreme with whatever he is doing. I always manage and supervise play-time very closely, mostly to protect my larger Sibes. 😀
How I picked a companion for my Shiba Inu.
How I help my dogs get along.
Our almost 9 month old Shiba puppy has recently taken to biting the feet of my husband and 14 year old son when they are in the kitchen. He doesn’t do this to my 17 year old daughter or I. I notice that he tried to stand over top of our neutered male cat as well. Has me thinking this might be a “trying to be” alpha male in the house thing. First Shiba (though have raised another breed for years) so not sure how to stop this behavior. My husband or son getting mad at him and yelling certainly hasn’t stopped him. And its only been in the last 3 to 4 weeks. I have plans to get him neutered but he did have a heart murmur and need to make sure his heart is healthy enough for surgery before doing that.
When my Shiba was young and still in training, I put a drag-lead on him (only under supervision and only with a flat collar or harness). If he tries to bite on me or my clothes, I can use the leash to control him, and take him to time-out if necessary.
My Shiba is also very sensitive to the energy of the people around him. If I get angry, frustrated, stressed, or fearful, he will pick up on that energy, get more reactive, and his behavior will worsen. To get him to stay calm, I need to also control my own energy and actions. Shouting and moving around a lot usually just makes things worse.
With Sephy, it is very important to set up a fixed routine and a consistent set of house rules. This creates certainty, and certainty helps to reduce stress and reactive behavior.
More on how I deal with puppy biting.
More on how I set up structure and teach self-control.
More on how I trained my puppy.
During Sephy’s problem period, we also visited with several professional trainers, which was helpful.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Hello!
I have a 2 year old Shiba that we are experiencing a little bit of aggression at certain times with if anyone has any help it would be much appreciated!!
We notice that when we decide to go to bed, we usually carry him upstairs and when we go to pick him up he seems to ALWAYS growl and sometimes go for the bite (with no penetration) but once hes is being carried he is fine.
Then in the mornings we give him a treat then I go to say bye to him before I leave for work and he seems to growl again and the last few days he has gone for the bite. I’m nervous what is going on… why he is doing this now? He is always so sweet usually but he looks at me so angry and snarls him mouth. He does this with a new meat bone as well. I understand the guarding of his bone for that situation but the others I’m at a loss.
If any one has ANY suggestion I would really really appreciate it ! Thanks so much!
Has he always shown this behavior or did this start suddenly? Did anything unusual happen around the time of the change? What is his daily routine like? What type of training is he used to? How does he respond to grooming and handling?
Sometimes, dogs may also guard their space, which is a resource. In addition-
1. My Shiba does not enjoy being restrained/held. His freedom is restricted when he is held, which makes him feel a lot more vulnerable.
2. My Shiba is very sensitive to my energy. If I am nervous, fearful, uncertain, or stressed, he will pick up on my energy, get anxious himself, and become even more reactive.
Based on what you describe, I would consult with a good professional trainer who can observe the dog, help read his body language, and develop a safe plan for retraining.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
With my Shiba, I manage him very well and try not to put him in situations where he will start guarding. The more he guards, the more likely he will repeat that behavior and in a wider variety of contexts. In the meantime, I slowly desensitize him to handling and to objects.
http://shibashake.com/dog/why-dogs-get-aggressive-over-food-toys
http://shibashake.com/dog/stop-food-aggression-stop-resource-guarding
http://shibashake.com/dog/resource-guarding-shiba-inu
I have a Shiba Inu along with 6 other dogs, everything seemed to be fine, no aggression towards the other dogs or people, come her second heat cycle she has become unmanageable. She has continuously attacked 4 of the other dogs, including the alpha female and male, she used to try and be sneaky with her attacks but now she is attacking right in front of me and even when I hold onto the other dog to keep them away she continuously try’s to attack, I have tried separating her, crating her and sticking her alone in a room as a “time out” nothing seems to be working, she even attacks my husky when he is sleeping. What do you suggest
All my dogs are spayed/neutered. For proper management of a dog during and after her heat-cycle, I would consult with an experienced registered breeder.
http://www.shibas.org/breeders.html