The Shiba scream:
But very sellable because of the cuteness factor.
I seem to recall that Shibas were fighting dogs in Japanâor am I thinking about the next one up in sizeâthe Akita? I know they are all hunting dogs of one sort or another.
There is a Norwegian dog which is sort of similar. I forget its name, but itâs a hairy bear dog but not really all that large. Itâs the Norwegian Elkhound, and it has a smaller relative called the Buhund which is ADORABLE.
[QUOTE=pAinât_Misbehavinâ;8209304]
I wondered. I had chows for decades, and they sound very much alike. I remember when I was showing chows, a fellow handler told me, âYou canât trust anything that carries its tail over its back.â As a general rule, Iâve found that to be true. :)[/QUOTE]
Except Samoyeds ;), but they also have recall issues.
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What is the point of getting an aloof dog? Get a cat instead! ( some cats are way more friendly of course )
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[QUOTE=pAinât_Misbehavinâ;8209304]
I remember when I was showing chows, a fellow handler told me, âYou canât trust anything that carries its tail over its back.â As a general rule, Iâve found that to be true. :)[/QUOTE]
OMG I LOVE that!! And Iâm allowed to âthrow shadeâ because my dog carries his tail over his back :winkgrin:.
Funny the âtail over its backâ thing as we have Pomeranians and they are wonderful little dogs and love to go trail riding as my Puppy Posse. Take them by a pond in warm weather and they are in heaven. One of ours cools himself off by hopping in and out of water troughs for a quick dunk. Love them to bits. And Iâve had the odd good husky as well and loved the Samoyed we had years ago. Would have another of those but they are uncommon here in the deep South and the heat is hard on them. Was curious about the Shibas as they do seem to be different. Very one owner dogs I hear. I donât know why I am attracted to the Spitz breeds as difficult as they can be, but I am.
I absolutely love Shibas, but they are not for everyone. They are best in a consistent and quiet home without other small animals (including children) - they also do very, very well with regime. I have a friend in SC that is a âhorse-show-momâ that has a couple - she is a brilliant trainer (both dog and horse) and she says they are very, very intelligent but have very little good will and little-to-no interest in performing something just to please you.
I like them - they were very cold to me the first few times I went to her farm, but one warmed up to me considerably while I was down there. Like other posters have said, by and large they are very, very independent so you best have a good sense of humor and patience, as they play pranks and can be little punks.
as others have said
My brother got one after their super laid back chow died. Things were fine at first but dog went from aloof to aggressive. It attacked their daughters and bit my brother as he tried to protect them.
They took the dog to NCSU for testing and the dog was highly aggressive with staff. They ended up euthanizing because the dog was so unsafe. Vets said they couldnât determine the cause of the rapid onset.
I thought it was just bad genes.
Theyâve had mutts ever since.
Weâve got a Shiba. I used to say they are cat-like dogs but that isnât quite right, though I canât quite put my finger on why. I think itâs more realistic to say that they are more like a wild animal which has been tamed that has an identity crisis and still thinks they are wild. IMHO they tolerate us humans and thatâs it. Itâs only now that our dog is nearing 11 years old and isnât getting around so well anymore that he is starting to show real affection.
I DO think they are smart dogs but they donât really care what you think so they arenât that trainable. They are a very, very old breed. I think they are one of the closest, if not the closest relatives to wolves. This makes perfect sense to me and explains a lot about their behavior and lack of trainability.
They are runners. DH and I got our Shiba before we had kids. We had a hard time keeping him at home even before the kids. It was a real learning curve as we figured out all his tricks in order to keep him at home. Please know that we are responsible dog owners, this dog is just a professional at getting away. Most of his escapades included dragging his containment device with him. He NEEDS to run and roam and I donât think taking him on long walks gets rid of that desire for him. He wants to go where HE wants to go and until that desire is satisfied for him he is quite agitated and unhappy.
Skittishness is also a frequent fault in the breed. Our dog suffers from this. When we are at home he barks A LOT at anything that bothers him. I have seen him literally flip out in a bark attack over a leaf that fell next to him. He has only ever been treated with love and affection so there is no reason for this behavior other than itâs just him. The worst is that he will pee and poop uncontrollably when heâs scared. No amount of training has helped this.
Good lord^^^!!! :eek: So maybe Iâll stick with Poms or a Keeshond or Elkhound. :yes: Weâre not getting another dog any time soon but I was curious about the Shiba Inus and am glad I asked. Thank you for all of the responses.
We currently have an Australian Red Heeler who in a lot of ways is a wonderful dog, but his OCD to herd can be a bit much, especially when he was actually causing harm to one of the horses who wouldnât just kick the day lights out of him. He can now only be out of his crate/kennel, supervised as even if left loose in the house, if he thinks you arenât paying attention, will attempt to herd the cats which REALLY freaks them out!
Poms - I knew two who had their CDâs and even higher and they were the most wonderful little things. Excellent owners, though.
One of the best dogs I ever knew was a Norwegian Elkhound (even though she carried her tail over her back 
). Back in the day, they could be very sharp, but the conformation breeders at least got together back in the 70âs and 80âs and began focusing on temperament. I guess thatâs still the trend, although Iâll admit I havenât met an Elkhound in years now.
But they are double-coated and shed almost all the time, except for twice a year when they blow coat. Tumbleweeds of dog hair will be rolling around your house like you live in a furry western ghost-town. You can brush enough hair to stuff a couple of king-size bed pillows and knit another Elkhound, and they will still be blowing coat when you get through. Other than that, I canât think of anything bad to say about them. 
Neighbor has a Shiba. Aloof and disinterested in either me or my dogs. Neighbor said it was pretty hard for the family and dog to warm up to each other for the first year but after that it was okay. This Shiba is one of the most undoglike dogs Iâve ever known, now that I think about it.
Thatâs my anecdotal contribution. I agree theyâre adorable to look at, though.
[QUOTE=pAinât_Misbehavinâ;8209304]
I wondered. I had chows for decades, and they sound very much alike. I remember when I was showing chows, a fellow handler told me, âYou canât trust anything that carries its tail over its back.â As a general rule, Iâve found that to be true. :)[/QUOTE]
Papillons are a good exception that proves the rule.
Have had one neighbor and one friend who owned them. Not a very good breed for anyone unless you want that type of behavior. Most people just want them because they are unusual. But if you know and like that behavior, buy one. Just learn all about the breed first.
[QUOTE=Foxtrotâs;8209947]
Poms - I knew two who had their CDâs and even higher and they were the most wonderful little things. Excellent owners, though.[/QUOTE]
They really are great little dogs if you donât raise them to be spoiled little brats. Ours are not temperamental and are great fun, and just about game for anything. Even our tiniest girl who weighs maybe 5 lbs tops, will happily flit along on multi mile trail rides with BIG horses. Fast gallop up the hill from the lake? No problem! Sheâs right there with me. Not the usual ankle biters at all.
[QUOTE=FatCatFarm;8209916]
Good lord^^^!!! :eek: So maybe Iâll stick with Poms or a Keeshond or Elkhound. :yes: Weâre not getting another dog any time soon but I was curious about the Shiba Inus and am glad I asked. Thank you for all of the responses.
We currently have an Australian Red Heeler who in a lot of ways is a wonderful dog, but his OCD to herd can be a bit much, especially when he was actually causing harm to one of the horses who wouldnât just kick the day lights out of him. He can now only be out of his crate/kennel, supervised as even if left loose in the house, if he thinks you arenât paying attention, will attempt to herd the cats which REALLY freaks them out![/QUOTE]
If you really want to consider the breed, maybe you can find a Shiba breed club where you would be able to meet several dogs from different breeders and talk about all the pros and cons, temperament, etc. While the temperament sounds like it could be very consistently aloof - itâs doesnât sound like it should be necessary shy or aggressive toward people.
The AKC standard says: Temperament: A spirited boldness, a good nature, and an unaffected forthrightness, which together yield dignity and natural beauty. The Shiba has an independent nature and can be reserved toward strangers but is loyal and affectionate to those who earn his respect. At times aggressive toward other dogs, the Shiba is always under the control of his handler. Any aggression toward handler or judge or any overt shyness must be severely penalized.
People that know of one or two of my breed (Brittanys) tend to know at least one that is âabsolutely frigginâ nutsâ or âtotally out of controlâ. A lot of that is just owning the wrong breed and not giving it proper exercise. But it can also be just an incorrect temperament. My new-ish vet said he never really liked the breed until recently, because he didnât know many âgood onesâ like mine or a friend that also sees the same vet. I am breeding my stud dog, because while all 4 of my dogs have great temperaments, his is different - itâs better than great, and itâs not just me that thinks so. Even within well-bred specimens, there are some differences.
If you really like Shibas - try to meet some reputable breeders and meet their dogs. It wouldnât surprise me if you find many of them to be different from the general populationâs opinion.
True S1969 and good advice. Iâve also been visiting various message boards and those tend to echo what has been posted here and Iâm thinking having one at this point in our lives is probably not a good fit. Maybe when our red headed step child of a red heeler has passed on. Right now, heâs my speschul one. :rolleyes:
I honestly think he would be happier at a home where there was something for him to herd. I actually let a local cattleman try him at his farm for a week where he had goats and cows but he was too rough with the goats and scared to death of the cows, so he brought him back.
Other than that they are pretty I canât imagine a single reason to have one.
