5 year old Shiba Inu in the Calgary Pound. Somone save him!

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Do Shiba Inus make good apartment dogs? Google gives conflicting answers -- some people say they need a fenced backyard so they can run around, and others say they do fine in apartments so long as the owners give them plenty of exercise.

Since they're very popular in Japan, where most people live in small apartments, I think they'd probably make a suitable apartment pet, but does anyone here have personal experience?

They are great apt dogs because they are super quiet, they are small, and they can be crate trained super easily. In fact you don't even have to train to goto the bathroom. They will not go in the house. Also they don't have much of a dog smell to them.

Drawback from being too clean of a dog though. I have a pretty big back yard but my shiba will not pee or crap in it. I have to take her to the park 365 days of the year. Even when it's -30 and we are freezing our asses off.

Also because of our stupid chinooks they shed 25 times a year instead of the usual 2 times everywhere else besides Calgary.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Do Shiba Inus make good apartment dogs? Google gives conflicting answers -- some people say they need a fenced backyard so they can run around, and others say they do fine in apartments so long as the owners give them plenty of exercise.

Since they're very popular in Japan, where most people live in small apartments, I think they'd probably make a suitable apartment pet, but does anyone here have personal experience?

If you want to see some shibas, we have a shiba meetup at the Queens' Park Cemetary dog park the first Sat of each month. So the next one is this Saturday at 1pm.

[MarchHare]

Good to hear! Ever since seeing this thread, my wife and I are seriously considering getting a Shiba. How well do they handle being alone at home for up to 9 hours at a time while we're at work?

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Good to hear! Ever since seeing this thread, my wife and I are seriously considering getting a Shiba. How well do they handle being alone at home for up to 9 hours at a time while we're at work?

Good after the first 6months. Your puppy can't hold it's bladder for that long. It will be absolute torture for her because she does not want to pee in the place where she sleeps.

We use to keep her in the kennel for 8 hours when we went to work. When she got older and we knew that she wouldn't destroy stuff we just let her out on her own. Most of the time she just sleeps when we arent home.

Also one of the best things about owning a shiba is watching them do the Shiba 500.

They just absolutely fly around the house doing laps and circles around everything. I'm still trying to figure out how she doesn't smash her head into the coffee table, couches, chair legs or table legs. I want to cut off her whiskers to see if thats why but my wife won't let me. hehe

[laingmui]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

They like to clean themselves all the time, they only come when they want to come, they wont' let strangers touch them, they have a supersoft doublecoat, they rarely bark and they meow.

haha ok they don't meow.

They are considered an ancient breed, so evolutionary not far from a wolf or coyote and they are bred for small game hunting. This makes them UNLEASHBABLE!

This is the best shiba site on the web.

http://shibainus.ca/tms-in-a-nutshel...from-the-past/

We can blame the Japanese for developing a breed of dog to catch and kill small things like cute, fuzzy rabbits and larger things like ill-tempered, undomesticated pigs. Unsurprisingly, this is what the Shiba Inu still does best.

After World War II, the dearth of psychopathic canines made itself felt through the gradual improvement of blood pressure levels. So, people decided to breed more Shibas to support the declining psychiatric profession, the veterinary profession, and the insurance industry. Eventually some people decided to take them to North America, where they have been merrily ignoring commands and killing small animals to the present day.

Shibas are completely and utterly cute, adorable, sweet, lovable… and psychotic. (A severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration of normal social functioning.) Well, they are to you. But then again, insane people always think you’re nuts. Shibas have no clue why you don’t want them to kill Thumper or play tag on the freeway.Shibas have a high prey drive. High. Greyhounds run, Border collies herd, Labs retrieve… Shibas kill things. Lots of things. Things you didn’t think could be killed, like the toilet seat or your down comforter. By the way, how is your gerbil? Heard the wheel spin lately? I’d better check if I were you.

I agree and disagree with the breed profile.
My Shiba is very much like a cat.... likes to keep himself and his "territory" clean.... which means he will not go to the bathroom in our backyard, he will only go during walks.
He is very friendly to strangers. He runs up to strangers and rubs up against their legs (like a cat) and just wants his pats.
VERY VERY stubborn. They will "turn off their ears" if they don't want to listen to you.
Very smart dogs and easy to train... it took one day for us to train our shiba to go outside when he was 7 weeks old. And when we want him to learn a new trick, he usually gets it in a 2 hour session.
I've been told that some Shiba's are more sensitive to pain. I ended up with a "sensitive flower" as the vet calls him. Getting him neutured.... after a week he ended up on morphine
The one shiba trait that I think ever owner can agree with is that you CAN NOT let them off leash.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by laingmui

I agree and disagree with the breed profile.
My Shiba is very much like a cat.... likes to keep himself and his "territory" clean.... which means he will not go to the bathroom in our backyard, he will only go during walks.
He is very friendly to strangers. He runs up to strangers and rubs up against their legs (like a cat) and just wants his pats.
VERY VERY stubborn. They will "turn off their ears" if they don't want to listen to you.
Very smart dogs and easy to train... it took one day for us to train our shiba to go outside when he was 7 weeks old. And when we want him to learn a new trick, he usually gets it in a 2 hour session.
I've been told that some Shiba's are more sensitive to pain. I ended up with a "sensitive flower" as the vet calls him. Getting him neutured.... after a week he ended up on morphine
The one shiba trait that I think ever owner can agree with is that you CAN NOT let them off leash.

haha even Caesar Milan the dog whisperer can't train a shiba. He had one on his show but you can see it was heavily edited.

My dog does not like strangers at all. She has to see/meet you at least 5-6 times before she will let you pet her.

You should bring your shiba to the shiba meet up.
http://www.meetup.com/calgaryshibain...ndar/11298699/

[laingmui]

Also one of the best things about owning a shiba is watching them do the Shiba 500.

They just absolutely fly around the house doing laps and circles around everything. I'm still trying to figure out how she doesn't smash her head into the coffee table, couches, chair legs or table legs. I want to cut off her whiskers to see if thats why but my wife won't let me. hehe[/quote]



That is too funny....

Ours does the exact same thing!! We call them the silly's

The ears go back, the base of the tail straightens out..... AND HE'S OFF

[laingmui]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

haha even Caesar Milan the dog whisperer can't train a shiba. He had one on his show but you can see it was heavily edited.

My dog does not like strangers at all. She has to see/meet you at least 5-6 times before she will let you pet her.

You should bring your shiba to the shiba meet up.
http://www.meetup.com/calgaryshibain...ndar/11298699/

Yeah we were there a few months ago for one of those meets. Did my dog every sleep when he got home. Don't know if you were there... My dog's name is Harvey

I haven't taken him to any recently because he got attacked a few months ago by a much bigger dog, and it seems that when he see a big dog now, he automatically goes into attack mode.

Other than the whole no liking strangers.. you have pretty much described Harvey perfectly!! I thought I was the only one that that had a dog that wouldn't poo or pee in the back yard.... I'm not looking forward to Winter.

[LGA]

I've got a Shiba too, he's strange even for a Shiba. He's actually become very dog-like since we got our Doberman, he'll run up for his pets and want to be with his people (the Doberman always wants to be by her people so this maybe why he changed). He also really hates moving inanimate objects (like wind chimes) and will bark his head off when he hears or sees them.

You definitely see the stubborness though, occassionally I'll tell him to do something, he'll just give me this look. That "Your command sounds stupid" look, and he'll just walk off.

[LGA]

Originally Posted by laingmui

Also one of the best things about owning a shiba is watching them do the Shiba 500.

They just absolutely fly around the house doing laps and circles around everything. I'm still trying to figure out how she doesn't smash her head into the coffee table, couches, chair legs or table legs. I want to cut off her whiskers to see if thats why but my wife won't let me. hehe

That is too funny....

Ours does the exact same thing!! We call them the silly's

The ears go back, the base of the tail straightens out..... AND HE'S OFF[/quote]

Heh, my boy does that too, it's fun just watching it happen, he'll cover the yard several times over, and it's especially fun when we have snow in the backyard and he makes his own trails.

[laingmui]

YEAH!!! I think the Shiba has been saved. He's off the site now!!

[driveway]

Yeah, my Shiba does that same running-around the house thing.

He blew out his knee early in the summer, though, so we had to give him the cone of shame, he's got most of his speed back now and happily tears around the place.

Things my Shiba barks at/attacks: Feet! Brooms, the vacuum cleaner, fireworks, the cat, the mailman and strangers - particularly male strangers. He's good with women, though.

He's also nine years old and you'd never tell. No one in the dog park ever thinks he's that old.

One other thing, the breed is a particularly nervous one. Kyo really hates thunder, it scares the hell out of him, he doesn't like when I have a lot of people over and has had problems with seizures in the past - though hasn't had one of those for years, thank god.

And yeah, Bertuzzied, he sheds 25 times a year, easy. Man a lot of hair comes off this dog.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by driveway

Yeah, my Shiba does that same running-around the house thing.

He blew out his knee early in the summer, though, so we had to give him the cone of shame, he's got most of his speed back now and happily tears around the place.

Things my Shiba barks at/attacks: Feet! Brooms, the vacuum cleaner, fireworks, the cat, the mailman and strangers - particularly male strangers. He's good with women, though.

He's also nine years old and you'd never tell. No one in the dog park ever thinks he's that old.

One other thing, the breed is a particularly nervous one. Kyo really hates thunder, it scares the hell out of him, he doesn't like when I have a lot of people over and has had problems with seizures in the past - though hasn't had one of those for years, thank god.

And yeah, Bertuzzied, he sheds 25 times a year, easy. Man a lot of hair comes off this dog.

I figured I can make 2 more shibas each year with the fur she sheds.

Here is 5 minutes into a combing session. This is about .1% of what she sheds every year! it's insane!



One other thing that is unique about a shiba is the shiba scream. It is mortifying and it sounds like you are butchering your dog. I'm lucky to have only heard it 3 times in 6 years but its something that never leaves your mind.

[laingmui]

OMG that is too funny....but I know exactly what you are going through...It can be a nightmare sometimes.
I'm actually selling my car because of my Shiba. His kennel it too big to fit in the truck so I have my seats folded down and he is leashed in the back.
When I roll down my windows, its like a tornato of hair, and then I hear his teeth chomping in the back cause he's trying to catch it hahahahaha

Since I have so many Shiba ownes here, what do you guys feed your dog?
I have taken him off the Medi-Cal that you get from the vet and I have started to get his food from Tailblazers, but I can't seem to find one that works for him. I don't know if all Shiba's have sensitive tummy's but Harvey seems to have soft poops all the time, and the food that I have him on now (Solid Gold) he seems to puke it up all the time?!

[MarchHare]

Bump...

Another Shiba has been picked up by Calgary Animal and Bylaw Services. He's been at the shelter since Friday. Hopefully he's returned to his owners or otherwise saved soon.



http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=CLGR.A445083

////

On a personal note, huge thanks to Bertuzzied for answering my questions about shibas two years ago. Solely because of this thread, my wife and I started seriously researching the breed. We finally took the plunge and brought home a shiba pup last September, and she's been a great addition to our lives ever since.

Here she is on a walk a few months ago:

[pylon]

So what happens to a dog if Michael Ha asks for it to be rescued?

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by pylon

So what happens to a dog if Michael Ha asks for it to be rescued?

Then that dog is as good as dead and all the other dogs in the shelter will be adopted.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by pylon

So what happens to a dog if Michael Ha asks for it to be rescued?

Kenda Wannamaker is forced to adopt it.

[puckluck]

Marchhare your dog is awesome! How old is your dog? and how big can you expect it to get?

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by puckluck

Marchhare your dog is awesome! How old is your dog? and how big can you expect it to get?

She's 15 months old (born July 2010), and we think she's fully grown. She's somewhat small for a female shiba at 16-17 lbs, but she's within the breed standard limits. Most other shibas we meet in Calgary are a noticeably larger than ours.

For comparison, a standard shiba is fairly similar in size but a little bit smaller than a beagle or corgi.