Shiba

The Japanese Shiba, a proud dog

A Shiba is a Japanese dog breed that has a proud and very old history. It stretches far back in time and carries many genes from the nature dog. It is a loyal and intelligent dog that has a great hunting instinct when it is outside, but a loving and calm creature when it is inside.

Although the hunting instinct is intact, it needs a loving family. It loves close contact with its owner and family. Therefore, a Japanese Shiba dog is also an exemplary family dog ​​for the owner who has experience and can be trained consistently.

The ancient Shiba dog

The Japanese Shiba dog has existed for several millennia and also goes by the name Shiba Inu. It originates from the mountains around the Sea of ​​Japan, where the breed was used for hunting birds and small game and got its name, which means small dog in Japanese. For a period it was mixed with English dog breeds, but since 1928 there has been preventive work to keep the breed pure.

In Japan, the Shiba dog is a national monument and therefore a very widespread and recognized breed. Over time, it has been spread to the rest of the world, where it has been used as a hunting dog, but over time has become a loyal family dog, which however needs its hunting instinct to be tamed. It has many genes that date back to the original natural dog, and therefore has a wild nature and sense of independence.

Characteristics

A Shiba is known for its small size and wolf-like appearance. The size of the Shiba is small, but not compact, this means that both height and weight for the Shiba breed are relatively low. The Shiba is one of the smallest dogs in FCI Group 5, which are pointer dogs, its height is between 37 and 40 centimeters, while the weight of the Shiba Inu breed is between 8 and 11 kilos. It has an athletic appearance that stems from its former hunting status.

The ancient dog has a small head with a pointed snout and two close-set eyes that give it a loving expression. Its ears are small and stick straight up in the air, as is its tail. The tail is short, curls upwards and has a shaggy appearance.

The disheveled appearance only applies to the fur on the tail, the rest of the Shiba's coat consists of short and wiry undercoats and a soft and dense undercoat. The fur insulates the Shiba against the cold and is good at repelling dirt and grime. The fur comes in the colors red, red with black tips or black and tan. No matter what shade of color the Shiba dog has, it has light spots on the side of the nose and cheeks as well as on the jaw, neck and chest.

The loyal Japanese Shiba

A Shiba dog is known for having a big personality in a small body. It is both intelligent, strong-willed and brave, which means that it is quite quick to learn and understand. But it also quickly gets bored with repetitive training and sometimes wants to decide for itself whether it wants to participate. Therefore, it is recommended that you train in short intervals while alternating exercises.

A Shiba is a former hunting dog, which means it loves to sniff, search and explore. Therefore, it is a good idea to start training early, socialization, leash training, provide fencing around the garden and satisfy its need for searching with sports training. There are tons of training tools to help you train your Shiba. It is true that in order to train your Shiba optimally, you must do it consistently but with rewards and love. Harsh training methods will not get you far.

If you make sure to start training your Shiba from the puppy stage, you will get a loyal Shiba dog that loves family and companionship as much as it loves to be active. Indoors, it is quite calm and loves close contact.

Caring for the Shiba breed

Shiba dogs are generally healthy and fit dogs. A Shiba, like all other dogs, has a number of genetic diseases that can be passed down from family and parents. These include allergies, cancer and hip dysplasia, so it is important to check with the breeder and breeding papers before you adopt your Shiba puppy.

Once you have chosen a healthy Shiba dog, it is important to care for it correctly. Its coat is easy to maintain, but it does shed a lot twice a year. Here you can benefit from brushing and using dog fur care products often to avoid too much hair in the home.

In addition, you must pay attention to your Shiba's nails and teeth, as it can be painful for the Shiba if the nails get too long and the teeth have build-up of tartar. There are many products for oral hygiene and nail care that you can use.