Shiba Inu

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Comment by Tom Brancheau on January 1, 2012 at 1:12pm

I came across these cool videos of Shibas. This guy did a great job of training his. Check out his stuff @ www.CrazyDogTraining.com too.

Comment by Tom Brancheau on January 1, 2012 at 1:08pm

Comment by Tom Brancheau on January 1, 2012 at 1:05pm

Comment by Tom Brancheau on August 12, 2011 at 11:14pm

Hi Kathi. Sorry, been busy.

 

I love them and think that they are the last breed I will ever have. They are a very healthy 3000+ year old breed from Japan that were small game hunters. They are almost catlike and love to be clean which makes them easy to house train. They were considered sacred by the Japanese and weren't introduced to the U.S. until the 1950's I believe. Best thing is they hardly bark unless protecting the house. They usually watch and then do this howling-talking thing. After having Beagles in the past, I'm very grateful for this :)

• My favorite thing about them is that they are very smart.
• My least favorite thing about them is that they are very smart :)

They remember everything and can be taught tricks easily, but they also are very independent so they will play with you when they feel like it. The good thing about that is that they can be left alone without tearing the house apart. They learn to open doors and get into things, but generally aren't chewers.They also think that they are a big dog (trapped in a small body).

 

Mine do well with our 2 cats. They do chase them, but also cuddle together in front of the fireplace in the winter time.

 

They aren't really off leash dogs either. They are after all small game hunters. If they see something, they are gone and once again listen if they want to. My baby can be off leash as long as there aren't any other dogs around, but it took a few years for her to mellow out and listen (lots of chasing a little speed freak white dog in the snow).They are extremely fast. I was surprised at how fast they are for such a small dog. They love the snow & are fine in the cold too with their thick undercoat.

 

Unfortunately they shed...and then shed some more. Saddle brushes don't work very well,but the Furminator style & a vacuum work great. If they are raised with kids then they are fine, but see some smaller kids in the street and you can forget it. Something about red heads too drives them nuts (I think it's funny since my wife & daughter are ginger girls. I always say they can sense evil).

 

They are a bit expensive. Between $1500 &$2000 each. I still highly recommend them if you get them as puppies. Too hard to change if they are grown and learned bad habits or were abused since they remember everything.

 

Here's a link for some more information. Thanks for joining the group. I will add more info when I find the time.

Comment by Kathi on August 4, 2011 at 7:03pm

Please tell me about them, I have heard of them before but have no knowledge of them.

Thank you, Kathi