I was channel surfing the other day and stumbled upon a Dogs 101 episode with Shiba Inus. They characterized Shiba Inus as “one of the most difficult breeds to train”.
- Why is a Shiba Inu difficult to train?
- What makes a Shiba Inu more difficult to train than other dog breeds?
Of course a Shiba is stubborn and strong-willed, but then so are many other breeds, including the Siberian Husky. Why then are Shibas more challenging to train than other strong-willed breeds?
1. A Shiba Will Do What a Shiba Wants
A Shiba Inu will only respond to activities that makes sense to him, and not necessarily to you. The good news is a Shiba is not shy about letting you know what he likes, and what he wants!
Shiba owners usually listen carefully to their dogs, and personalize training methods to suit individual preferences and temperaments.
Shibas also think for themselves, and are very motivated to come up with alternate ways to reach their goals. As a result, training a Shiba Inu is often counter-intuitive, and traditional dog training methods may not work well.
Shiba owners must be creative and flexible.
A Shiba may follow commands if they make sense to him. Other times, he will do something else that ROCKS!
Some people may reason that since Shiba Inus are independent thinkers, they would respond better to aversive training techniques, such as collar corrections or alpha rolls.
This is false.
Shiba Inus are also extremely strong-willed and stubborn. They will fight back if they feel threatened. I started with aversive training techniques, and my Shiba Sephy fought me every step of the way. The more a dog practices fighting back, the more likely he will repeat that behavior and develop aggression issues down the road. Sephy was surely heading that way, which was why I started looking into alternative training methods.
Aversive techniques also made Sephy lose trust in me.
2. A Shiba Inu Will Not Surrender Even When All Is Lost
All dogs think for themselves. They have their own needs, which may not always coincide with ours.
Strong-willed dogs are not afraid to push their own agenda, even if it puts them in conflict with us and other dogs.
However, even strong-willed breeds like the Siberian Husky will give up the ghost when they see that the effort and time involved, is not worth the end result.
On the other hand, Shiba Inus have a very …
singular state of mind.
~~[ Geoge ]
Once a Shiba starts to focus on something, he may quickly become obsessed. When in that singular state of mind, it is difficult to distract Shiba and get him to do something else.
When Sephy gets into that obsessive state, he will not give up no matter what. Even if things look hopeless, he will not surrender. The more I try to force him to comply, the more he will dig in his paws and not budge.
For Shiba Inu Sephy, giving-up is simply not an option.
It seems that any kind of concession will deal such a grievous blow to his Shiba pride that he is willing to do whatever it takes to protect it. Sephy is willing to endure pain, not eating, not going for his walks, not getting affection or attention, losing his freedom, and much more; when his Shiba Honor is on the line.
This great quote from the I am Shiba blog sums it up very well
I Am Shiba. Seppuku will not be enough.
The best way of getting Sephy to do something is not to make it into a challenge or a fight. If Sephy does not want me to brush his teeth, he does not get his usual melted cheese and chicken meal. I will simply go back to my tasks, and when I am free, I try again. By then, he is usually hungry and in a different state of mind.
3. A Shiba Inu Has the Heart of a Rebel
Shiba Inus are often characterized as independent, aloof, and more like a cat.
I think that Shibas are independent minded, but they actually want and enjoy a fair bit of human attention; perhaps more so than many other dog breeds.
Unlike other dogs however, Shibas are not necessarily looking for positive attention. With Sephy, any type of attention will do; as long as it is big, all-eyes-on-Shiba, high quality attention.
Negative human attention is easier to obtain, more intense, and usually lasts for a longer duration.
As such, this is the type of attention that Shiba Sephy usually strives for, not unlike an online troll. If he is able to get my goat, he will. If he is able to get my goat and start a fun chasing game, that is even better!
If I tell Sephy not to do something, he will definitely try to do it the first chance he gets. He is sneaky and will do it when my back is turned. However, if I am not home, he spends most of his time sleeping because he does not have an audience.
The “game” is only fun when there is a real danger of being caught, and the possibility of escape. An audience is also necessary to see his God-like Shiba-ness.
I have since learned that one of the best ways to deal with Shiba-hijinks is to stay above the fray and ignore my attention-seeking Shiba. Sephy does not like being ignored. He will go to great lengths to get the attention of those that seem disinterested in him – even if it means following commands!
What to you think?
- Are Shiba Inus one of the most difficult breeds to train?
- What makes a Shiba Inu difficult to train?
- Which dog breeds, do you think, are more difficult to train than a Shiba?
Many thanks to Kblover & Wally, Brett & Ziva, Andrea & Kiba, Zuko’s Mom & Zuko, Geoge & Rusty, as well as Jess & Zeus, for sharing their Shiba Inu stories and many dog experiences. I made many changes to the article above based on their comments.
I have a wonderful Shiba and she is so smart it’s unbelievable but when it comes to sharing with my pug she gets extremely possessive to an aggressive point. She has been taught to sit spin lay down stop and go to crate. She listens to all commands but sometimes she just gets a look of give it back and within seconds she’s on attack mode. I have hired trainers but they don’t know how to train her. I truly need a trainer that has dealt with Shibas any advice would be so appreciated
Thanks
My 3 year old Shiba has the heart and will unlike any other dog I’ve owned. Affectionate and loyal only to those worthy. A mystique, strong will, stubborn nature and allure that not only intrigues me but makes me love my Shiba all that much more. When you’ve earned their trust, the love and bond is beyond any other. A true romance if you’ve got what it takes to meet the challenge!
Very well said!
I have a 12 year old Black and Tan named Riley. He’s pretty mellow these days but I got him when he was 2 from a rescue with torn ACLs. He definitely does what he wants and can be very sneaky. We have kids so doors and gates get left open and he runs around the neighborhood peeing and pooping on everything and exploring for about 10-20 minutes before usually coming back on his own. If I give chase and he knows he is far enough ahead to outrun me he will. He’s lucky he’s cute because he can definitely just be a defiant little jerk. He likes to be wherever I am at a distance and prefers to sleep in my bed. Pretty much the sound of a squeak ball or food hitting the bowl are my only semi-reliable recall tactics. He gets tiny rocks or tiny bits of plastic and likes to chew them only with his front teeth. I’ve also seen him get mad at my boyfriend for making him sit too long before he fed him, let out a shiba scream and walk over to me limping and acting like my boyfriend had hit him to get him in trouble (I could see him but he didn’t notice I could). He’s definitely showing his age and has lost most of his markings and has turned fairly gray speckled with his black and his face has turned mostly white. He used to love running around and splashing in shallow water. He’s a good boy and is very talkative and expressive. He gets called a husky a lot because of his coloring.
Thank you for sharing your Shiba story with us. Big hugs to Riley. Shibas are such scamps, but so adorable. 😀
I had a Shiba for 17 years that very sadly passed away not too long ago. I remember spending all day trying to teach him to sit on command using dog treats, and it did not work at all. Then my dad came home, mastered training him to sit on command in about 5 minutes using steak. My shiba knew very well exactly what I wanted when I called him to come – whether or not he would come is an entirely different story. Pretending to munch on food in my hand always seemed to be my best shot, but of course still only worked 40% of the time. We had a fenced backyard, but he was a little escape artist, and there’s no game he loved better than playing tag. All the kids in the neighborhood would come out and try to help me catch the dog – only to make it take 10x longer, because my Cody would just be running away from these kids having the absolute time of his life.
We bought a cage the first day we had him, which is odd because we are NOT caged-dog people, and that cage only lasted about 2 hours in our house. Anywho, the first day we had him, we put him in the cage while we ate dinner, and he would not stop barking. So I went down to see what all the fuss was about. It turns out he pooped in the cage and did not want to be near it. That was literally the only potty training he required. After that the cage was folded up in the garage, and the dog never once pooped or peed in the house again. I’ll take a dog that automatically knows to do his business outside, over a dog who knows how to roll over anyday
Heh, thank you for sharing your stories of Cody with us. He definitely sounds like a Shiba, a rogue with lots of character. I am very sorry for your loss. We lost Sephy last year and we miss him very much.
I had the same thing happen with mine but he was so intrigued with the kids that he followed them right through the gate into the yard. I’ve learned the best thing to do if he’s loose is just wait, if I chase him it’s just a game that he wins.
I had an american eskimo before and he passed away, I got my Shiba inu. My Shiba is a great dog, he isn’t destructive or aggressive, he hangs out with me when I’m working and will tolerate the odd cuddle if they are not too long.
He knows lots of commands but won’t always play along. He’s a puller on walks, we are working on it, but he recall is quite terrible. Luckily, when he has gotten away he’s come fairly quickly but on his terms. I can’t trust him to come back.
I have only done positive training with him, and I’m wondering if you have tips for getting him to come when called. I feel bad that he can’t run around outside.
Wow, I didn’t know that Shiba Inu’s were so difficult to train. I better tell my niece if ever she decides to get one to NOT get one. Because she’s not going to be able to deal with one. She wanted one when she was younger once she grew up and owned her own place. But this is one of the problems we as humans fail to realize that many always become attracted to what seems cute but never do the research. Then you end up paying in the long run. I had the same perception of these dogs but I had a suspicion that they were hard to train based on what I had heard about them being “independent”. Many of the people that live in the metro area around where I work own these dogs so I’m curious why their dogs are so well behaved. If you went by what you saw you’d be in a lot of trouble. I’m reading a book about the relationships between animals and humans and one of the chapters talked about how people pick animals because they are drawn by the parental (nesting)instinct and would be attracted to anything cute. Plus, how having pets often create some fulfillment in some relationships. In that chapter they talked about couple who bought a shiba inu and thought it was going to make their lives more fulfiling as their little child. The dog drove them crazy. Then they turned around and bought another dog, a female for company and that just made things worse. But they didn’t want to get rid of them. Eventually, they did and of course ended up filing for divorce. So I had to look up whether this was true and end up here. I think these dogs are cute, I would love to own one. But since I’m a person who doesn’t have that kind of time to put in a “working” breed I would never buy one and subject them to a terrible future. So if my niece who is now 16 (soon to be 17) is still considering one of these dogs in the future I’m going to deter her from getting one by educating her on the breed. Because if she’s not able to give her 100% to the breed she shouldn’t get one. Because I don’t want to see the same story played out like many other breeds of dogs that get further displaced or destroyed because they weren’t ready.
Very well said. Thank you for this.
I bought a Shiba Inu pup last Friday ( 8 weeks old) and indeed he will get what he wants one way or the other. Although the moments when he is calm he is very sweet and looks like the model citizen.
When playing with him sometimes he gets way to excited and starts biting hands, curtains everything he can get his teeth around. Any tips on how to handle this situation? How to calm him down?
Very interesting articles on this website.
If you spend lots of quality time with Shiba, Shiba will give back to you. In my case, i was fortunate to able base my life and my work around her and the result of love and time has rewarded me with one well-behaved, obedient, well mannered, people and dog friendly and leash-less Shiba Inu!
Erik & Junha
theworkingshiba.com
Our shiba is 10yr old. My son had him for the first 8 yr of his life. Due to his work schedule and
his wife’s, he was alone sometimes for many hours. Then he got into trouble. We are retired
and are home with him most of the time. He gets alot of 1:1 time with us, long walks and a large double fenced yard (we were worried he could try to get out of just one) and he is very
happy and good natured. He likes to play with toys, especially the ‘puzzle’ toys. Also loves
Kong which we place pieces of biscuits in. He definitely has mellowed over the years and we just love our Cody.
Sounds wonderful! I love reading happy Shiba stories so thank you for sharing with us. Big big hugs to Cody. 🙂
I got my shiba when he was about 4months old, from adoption. He is mixed with an eskimo. I don’t have a fence fully installed at our new house, so I take him for walks when he needs to poop. Otherwise I put a stake on the ground and tie him to the stake letting him wander around.
He just recently started to pee mark, and its become so bad that he’ll sniff another dog and then pee on them. I am wondering on how I can stop him from doing that. When I catch him doing that, I tap his nose and tell him no. But so far no luck and he continues to pee mark on anything he gets his sight on.
What can i do?
i dont know
Has your boy been neutered? Neutering males will curb a lot of that hormonal desire to mark, male to male aggression, the will to wander, all that good stuff, plus it prevents additional dogs added to this world while so many struggle to find homes.
I got into a pretty bad car accident recently and have been in terrible pain, and depression and stress hit me hard (still owed 9,000 on my car and the uncertainty of if the insurance company will pay me was overwhelming ) the police were shocked that every one survived this head on collision.
My mom got me a Shiba Inu puppy to keep me occupied, and to cheer me up, since she heard from a friend that a Shiba dog helped her extreme anxiety (which I’ve always suffered ).
It’s been a difficult couple weeks, many nights getting little sleep, but I’ve never been happier, even though I still have potentially months more of this to go through (potty training has been rough)
I wake up earlier, and I’m more productive. I love her quirkiness, how stubborn and curious and obsessive she is (she’ll chew on USB cords and I have to stop her 100 times before she gives up, just like a cat) I love how calm and confident she struts around the house as she causes mischief and how my other dogs barking or snipping at her doesn’t phase her; she won’t flinch and instead just keeps walking closer to lick them or play. She’s fearless, sweet, affectionate, social with every dog and person, never wants to stop playing, and is incredibly smart; she only needs a minute to learn how to use all those advanced brain toys or whatever. She stares at me or my TV or random things and it’s near impossible to break her focus; you can tell there is a lot going on in their head!
She’s never barked or growled or shown hesitation to approach dogs or people, and I find her muteness to be oddly charming.
I think my only complaint with her is that when she sees my anti social cat that hides all day, she let’s out the most terrifying, 5 second scream. It’s happened when I’m on the phone and the people freak out! I have visited my dog park for 10 years and never seen a Shiba Inu, and I’m sure most my city hasn’t either. I’m not looking forward to public screaming and having to explain to people that I’m not hurting her and it’s just one of the many weird quirks of the breed lol.
I’ve had so many dogs in my life, but so far my experience with her is unlike any other, and I hope it continues as age gets older.
I recommend this breed to any one with extreme patience, experience with crate / reward training, or heck even just some one with a big heart that wants an adorable friend with a huge personality for life. But most of all, some one who is ready to spend 10 to 15 years with a breed that might not ever fully obey you, and might behave like a cat that only occasionally wants you to pet it.
As a man in his late 20s I’m not afraid to admit that my Shiba puppy cuddling up to me at night and begging for attention is the cutest thing ever– even if I have woken up to her poop at the edge of my bed, sigh.
aweee that’s so sweet I own one myself and she is the same. 🙂