I will be getting a shiba inu puppy soon and I need some tips! (socialization?)?

Question

Hi! My fiance and I are getting married in two weeks and we are going to be getting a shiba puppy right after we come back from our honeymoon. I have never had a puppy before, I have mostly been a cat owner so I need some tips. He has had dogs in his life but never as young as our shiba will be ( he will be two months old when he arrives). I have heard that you can't take them out until you last set of shots, but I've also heard that you HAVE to socialize a shiba in the very beginning because of their standoffish nature. I live in a court yard complex, made up of two story aparts. I can prob. take him to our downstairs neighbor's (who have a 4 year old child) and out to our other neighbors who always plant themselves outside our house with their 2 golden retrievers... I'm just concerned that we have had a flea problem in the past in our courtyard, last summer we had to have the office spray the grounds and this summer it has not been so bad but they are there.. What should we do in that respect to socialize him? He will be aprox two months when we get him.

Any other tips will be much appreciated!! Also, I'm assuming that the day after we get him, we'll have to take him to the vet? He's coming in a traveling crate so we can just use that. Also, he is arriving with his first set of shots, how many more should we expect before we can walk him with out fears? I really want him to be socialized..

Thanks!

Answer 1

Socialization and training begin immediately.  Read the blog entry I posted below, I think that entry, along with some other entries on the site, will help you a ton.  Good luck, have fun!

Answer 2

He'll be fine going for walks and being around other dogs that you know are vaccinated.

Petsmart should be fine, but dog parks and playdates should be avoided.

For socialization, have friends come over.  Bring her to their house.  Enroll her in puppy classes with a RESPONSIBLE trainer.

Ask your breeder what she does to socialize her show/work dogs.  That will be a great source of info.

If she doesn't have show/work dogs, then she's a BYB and shouldn't be bought from anyway. . .

Answer 3

Hi there!  First off, congratulations on your wedding!  Second off, thank you Isis for starring this for me!

It's a weird combination of getting shots and also making sure your dog is socialized.  That would be best answered by your vet.  I took my Shiba pup out before she had all her shots (but I know she at least had her first "set"...there are only a couple of shots that come in a set) and she was fine, but I didn't know a lot about dogs back then, I only knew a ton about the Shiba Inu, ha.  

But you're right...Shibas have to be socialized early and consistently.  I put Saki in two puppy obedience classes but, after about the age of 6 months, those ended and I stopped worrying about socializing her because I thought she would be fine.  BIG MISTAKE.  Now, she doesn't attack dogs on site, but she has almost no tolerance for dogs she doesn't know and is extremely dominant.  That is MY fault and I'm sorry for it.  I knew she had to be socialized but I didn't realize how much, how often, how many different types...I know better now and the next Shiba I have will be introduced to other dogs as often as possible.  Now, it is a possibility that, no matter how much you socialize, the dog just will not be a playful-with-other-dogs dog.  Saki loves my mom's dog, as she's been around her from puppyhood, and has learned to tolerate my boyfriend's much larger dog and the dog I adopted this January.  They are typically a one dog household but don't rule out that you can't someday get a second one if you wish.

Fleas happen.  It sucks, but it's pretty common until they're old enough to get things like Frontline.  Flea and tick shampoo can help, but flea collars are next to useless.  :-)  Just watch her for large amounts of scratching.

Socializing with children is also a must.  Saki loves respectful children but is a litle nervous (read: likely to be snappy) around unpredictable, jumpy kids.  Make sure the kids you have around your pup know how to pet and talk to her gently.  They say that Shibas are a bit aloof with people they don't know and they are, unless the stranger comes into the house.  Then Saki is a crazy friendly dog...but on walks, she really doesn't care about other people at all.  And they say that Shibas jump/climb fences.  They do, absolutely, but Saki has never ever shown any interest in anything outside her own fence. :-)  Be careful though...they WILL run away if they get loose.  It's a pretty good assumption that your dog should never be trusted off leash.

Shibas are stubborn and challenging and bratty and clever and yours will likely frustrate you in some form on most days.  They are not easy and they are not automatically loving and super friendly to everyone they meet.  They have facial expressions and will absolutely let you know when you're doing them wrong.  But at the end of the day, when they curl up into you on the couch and blissfully nap as you scratch behind their ears, you will fall in love all over again.  And wake up tomorrow to rinse and repeat this cycle.  I love Shibas, I love MY Shiba and wouldn't trade them for anything.  She cracks me up everyday with her dramatics and loves to cuddle with me on the couch.

http://www.shibainus.ca/index.html

Read everything on that website.  It was the most honest and hilarious description of the Shiba Inu I had ever seen.  I read the whole thing when I was still deciding whether or not to get one and, if you still want one after that, then you really are committed!!!

Be good to him, they're a special breed and you owe it to him to understand how challenging and different they are from other dogs (of course, your fiance will realize this more than you will since you've never had a dog...you'll recognize cat-like qualities in him for sure).  Also, if you live in an apartment, be careful...they like to scream a lot as puppies when you crate them to leave for work and the neighbors might not be too happy.

Have a wonderful life with him and your hubby!! If you have any questions about the breed or about your dog at any time, please feel free to email me and I can commiserate (er....discuss...ha) with you.   :-)

Answer 4

you need to talk to Sassy Shiba. i starred for her to find you.

Answer 5

Shiba's are not really stand-offish, in fact , they socialize very well.  What they are could be termed arrogant.  They almost know they are cute/good looking.

Things you need to know - Shiba's are difficult to train - they are very independent.

Do not let your Shiba off his/her leash - they are hunting dogs and will go after anything that moves - and not come back (see 1 above :)

Shiba's are fun loving and active.  They should not be in an apartment.

Shiba's are possessive.  Everything is "MINE" (my owner, my toys, my furniture :)

Shiba's love the high ground - they will pick the highest spot and use it to observe (back of the couch, stairs, etc.).

Shiba's are neat, in fact they are fastidious - they clean themselves almost as much as a cat (mine even cleans other things like the carpeting, the sofa, etc.)

Shiba's love to play (see the active part above).  Fetch is a favorite (their hunting breeding I guess)

You are your Shiba's slave (and you better not forget it ;)

My Shiba is almost three and a never ending joy.

Answer 6

Take her to a puppy class for socialization, enough people and other puppies for her to learn and you also learn about obedience training.

Answer 7

Definitely socialize him with the child downstairs asap. Wait on the neighbor's dogs until at least his second round of shots and make sure the other dogs are fully vaccinated too. At 8 weeks he's old enough to start Frontline as a flea preventative. When you take him to the vet pick some up.

Answer 8

Congratulations! On getting married and on getting a Shiba. I have a 2 year old male Shiba and he is the best. He has taught me a lot about being a good "personal assistant" to him :)

Here are some things that helped me with my little Shiba:

1. Definitely socialize him. Consider taking him to a puppy class. SIRIUS puppy class is known for their socialization, and only puppies may attend. They are strict about check vet records and such. There are usually also puppy classes and puppy playgroups in SPCAs and dog daycare centers. Check out some of the nearby places and I am sure you will find something.

http://www.siriuspup.com/

2. Set up a schedule for him and crate train him. Always supervise your Shiba when he is out and about because he will definitely get into trouble. When you are not around or busy, either crate him or put him in  a long term enclosure. The good news is Shibas usually come potty trained so you don't have to worry about that.

3. Put a drag lead on your Shiba. Shibas learn very quickly that they can run faster than you. They are also very agile. Put a drag lead on your shiba with a normal, flat collar so that you can more easily control him inside the house. Make sure to cut off the leash loop at the end so it doesn't catch on anything.

4. Make sure to not let your Shiba bully you. Shibas are independent, stubborn and very strong willed. If you let them, they will take over everything. So establish your leadership through the NILIF program. Don't give anything to your Shibe (food, toys, freedom, affection) until he does something for you first (e.g. "sit")

5. Obedience training. Try and do some obedience training sessions everyday. Enroll in a class or get a good obedience book, and practice with him for short sessions (10-15 minutes) every day. This will help establish you as a leader, improve your bond with your dog, exercise your dog's mind, and give you good tools that you can use to help control him in the house.

6. Time-out. If your Shiba continues with his bad behavior after you have told him to stop, then say "time-out" and remove him to a time-out area (a safe but boring room, e.g. laundry room). Leave him in there for a couple of minutes and let him out. If he starts up again, non-mark him (ack, ack), and say time-out and put him back in time-out. This time lengthen the duration to about 10-15 minutes. Note that if your dog stops the bad behavior, make sure to praise him a lot and give him good treats. Keep this up and your dog will learn that certain behaviors get him rewards while others get him into a boring room with nothing to do.

7. Use reward based dog training. Shibas are extremely strong willed and independent. They respond much better to reward based dog training techniques. Don't use forceful punishment on your Shiba. This will make you lose his trust and make him extremely sensitive to handling.