The Shiba

is one of the indigenous Japanese breeds – he is not the result of crossbreeding with other dogs. There are different theories on the origin of the name, according to them the designation Shiba means “dog from the brushwood” or simply “small dog”, depending on which Japanese dialect it’s derived from.

Because of its courage, agility and cleverness, the Shiba was used for hunting – and not only for hunting small game. Thanks to its dauntlessness he also was used for hunting big animals – wild boar, bears and deer. In Japan, the Shiba is still used for hunting in the countryside today, while in Europe he is kept mainly as companion dog.

The Shiba has not lost his hunting instincts, what I can confirm from my own experiences. Our Shibas keep standing over some burrows in which they have scented some prey, and as soon as the rodents are careless enough to come out, it’s the end of their life. Shibas are unbelievably nimble and really acrobatic, if their prey tries to flee. At other times they lie peacefully around and seem to sleep deeply, while in fact they are watching a flock of sparrows sitting ahead of the paddock gate, trying to peck at some oat corn for the horses. As soon as the sparrows are careless, the Shiba will jump at them and enjoy it if the scared birds fly away. But not all sparrows succeed in flying up and some of the feathered spongers end up as dog’s prey, admittedly just in rare cases. First I believed I had to punish the dog for his hunting, but try to punish someone for things that are in his nature. Now I take my Shibas as they are and the hunting passion is part of it. It is also possible that your Shibas stay away from the chickens, as soon as they have learnt to accept the poultry as cohabitants of their territory. In our household only two chickens have lost their lives.

Shibas are suited for a life in the city as well as in the countryside. Due to his durability the Shiba can live outside in the garden all year long, but at the same time he likes to rest in the warm house now and then. Nowadays, where public places in the city are reserved for dogs walking about, it is easy to live there with a Shiba, because it is best, to walk him on a leash. The Shiba is also suited for inhabitants of urban dwellings who want to have a dog different from the usual companion dogs. Also for sportive owners the Shiba is suited as untiring companion at long hikes or in the winter at cross-country skiing. On the other side the Shiba is also content with simple walks.

I would circumscribe the Shiba’s character in terms of mental balance, self-assurance, amiability, liveliness, spontaneousness ... You could continue this list for a long time and still wouldn’t have a precise image of his character. It is a special breed which loves man, but at the same time is very independent and demands a whole lot of freedom. Shiba owners should be so strong to cope with the rather wilful character of the dog. It isn’t such a big problem as it seems to be, but Shibas are completely unsuitable for someone who demands absolute obedience from his dog and does not feel up to concede him some autonomy. There are moments in life when the dog cannot simply do what it would like to do, but on the other side there are also situations where we should grant to our pet its right of “self-realisation”. That’s what the owner should respect and his doggie will repay it by being a great friend and companion.

When during the day the owner is out for a long time the Shiba sleeps quietly and you can be sure that he will not disturb the neighbourhood by barking or yelping – that’s one reason why Shibas are suitable for urban flats. On returning from work the Shiba welcomes the family with his ears laid aback and a smile on his face, but if he has rejoiced enough he puts on an air as if he does not need man at all, but on the contrary man needs him. I myself consider this as one of the enchanting traits of the Shiba – he will purr if you pet him, but he will pretend it being a privilege for you to pet him. The Shiba can insinuate impressively that he is your friend and at the same time knows to preserve his personality.

In general I would locate the Shiba’s character between cat and dog.
I like to say, after the Lord’s creation of dog and cat He wondered what to do else
and so He created the Shiba.