Meet The Shiba Inu Dogs
In many cases trying to find the right dog for a pet can be a bit like trying to find a needle in a hay stack there are so many different breeds out there it is next to impossible to know something about every breed out there. As a result, many of the really nice breeds of dogs will remain overlooked by people and families who will choose their pets from the few more well known breeds. The Shiba inu is one such dog.
The shiba inu is the smallest of the 6 original and distinct breeds of dogs from Japan. This breed is also one of the oldest known breeds today. Though resembling to the Akita breed, these dogs are much smaller. The dogs of the Shiba inu breed have between 13 ½ and 16 ½ inches in high and between 17 and 23 pounds in weight His double coat gives him a husky appearance due mainly to the soft and thick undercoat which is usually cream, buff or gray in color. Their outer coats hairs may measure up to 1 ½ in inches in length and are stiff and straight. The colors of their overcoats are often red, black, tan or black tipped (sesame). The white coated variety of Shiba inu is quite rare because it is not appreciated in beauty contest and shows, so breeders don’t especially raise such dogs.
The shiba inu dogs are very much resembling to a fox, especially the males which faces have more accentuated features than the females. The red coated Shiba inu dogs resemble so much to a fox that there were cases when hunters mistook them as wild animals and shot them. Their long tail curls into a circle and is high on their back.
About their Personality
They are lovely little dogs that like to play and are quite a challenge to train, with the exception of house training. These extremely intelligent dogs are quite independent animals, and their behavior resembles very much to a cat. It is this independent nature that make training the Shiba inu a challenge to people who have never owned dogs before. Early socialization is very useful in training, as these intelligent dogs strongly bond with their owner, are very loyal to him and consider him their equal.
These dogs are very agile and quick, they love to play and even climb, so a chain link type of fence won’t stop them from escaping your back yard. The Shiba inu dog is also a good jumper, so you will need a high fence for your back yard and be careful not to leave anything similar to a foothold near the fence.
Because of their high energy level they need to be walked on a leash at least a couple of times a day and do well with a lot of playtime. There is this so called Shiba 500 contest between owners of dogs of this breed: a dog is let free to run around a table or chair and the loser of this game is the first owner who gets dizzy, this game showing that the Shiba inu dogs feel very well running inside the house too.
These dogs like to keep very clean and they are grooming themselves like cats. It also makes them exceptionally easy to house break as they don’t like soiled areas anywhere near them.
They will make excellent pets for all the active persons who want to share their life with a small dog companion.
