Training Time

The Shiba Inu is a very beautiful dog. However, behind that foxy face, is a dominant, stubborn, intelligent, and extremely mischievous Shiba Inu personality. This makes them extremely challenging to care for.

Indeed Shiba Inus are not for the faint-hearted and they are not recommended for first-time dog owners.

Despite this warning, my heart was already set on a Shiba Inu puppy. I had a lot of free time then, so I thought I would be able to handle a little Shiba. After all, how difficult can a little dog be?

Even dog veterans have problems with their first Shiba.

Here are the Shiba Inu training secrets that helped me turn my little Shiba into a model citizen. Well maybe not a model citizen, but a fun citizen that I truly enjoy living with.

Shiba Inu Secret 1

There are No Miracle Cures.

Some of my Shiba favorite daily activities include biting my hands, running crazily around the house, biting on curtains, vicious leash biting, jumping on me and others, humping my leg, and much more.

I was desperate to get him under control and did a lot of research online and off-line.

I read a lot of online articles and bulletin boards.

I called local dog trainers, watched all the dog training shows on television, and read a lot of dog training books.

Sadly, there are NO “miracle cures” for training a Shiba Inu.

The secret to training a Shiba Inu is to practice extreme patience, and find humor in your Shiba’s antics. Use reward obedience training, and always be firm but fair.

A Shiba will probably never be a model citizen. However, if you are looking for a dog with a big personality; who will always make you laugh with his sneaky and roguish ways, then the Shiba Inu is for you.

Shiba Inu Secret 2

Use Passive Resistance.

The best way to deal with Shiba Inu misbehavior is through passive resistance.

Shibas get bored easily and do not like being ignored. They really like their freedom, and they like being close to their human pack. You can control a Shiba best by controlling these most desired resources: your attention, and his freedom.

If you actively try to stop your Shiba either through physical punishment (alpha rolls. leash jerk) or active restraint, he will fight back. This encourages him to practice rough play, and biting on people.

If you back away, or become fearful of your Shiba, he will learn that he “wins” by showing dog aggression.

If you over-correct your Shiba, by exerting too much physical force or by correcting him too frequently, you will lose his trust, and it is difficult to regain a Shiba Inu’s trust.

What works best with a Shiba is NOT to engage in a physical competition, but rather to engage in a mental one.

When I want to take him on his walk, I go to the door with his lead and call him to me. Initially, he would dally, and not really want to come because he wants to go walking on his own schedule. I count to three, and if he does not come by then, I leave and go about my own business.

After a short time, he will come over and pester me to take him on his walk. This is done through begging, and whining. Ignore all this bad dog behavior. When you have a break in your schedule again, repeat the above exercise.

Your Shiba will quickly learn that to get the resources that he wants most (go on walks), he has to do it according to your rules and your schedule. It is important to practice the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program with a Shiba.

Set your Shiba Inu up for success so that you can reward him frequently, and keep him interested in doing what you want.

Another Shiba favorite is to steal something he is not supposed to, and then run away with it, thereby engaging a fun chase game.

A Shiba Inu is very agile, and it will be difficult for you to catch him. Always try to keep an eye out for sneaky Shiba and stop him before he steals something. Also put a drag lead on him so that you can easily catch him by stepping on the lead.

Note: Use a regular flat collar with the drag lead, not a training collar. Training collars such as prong collars or choke chains should only be used during supervised training sessions. Cut the loop on the drag-lead so that it does not catch on anything in the house.

Shiba Inu Secret 3

Rules, Rules, Rules.

Shiba Inus are naturally dominant. If you do not provide them with rules that you consistently enforce, they will take over the house.

It is best to enforce those rules as early as possible so that your Shiba does not develop any bad habits later on, that will be more difficult to break.

Some of Shiba's rules:

1. No Biting

The most important rule that I place on my Shiba is no biting on people. Shiba Inus are a very mouthy breed. Their instinct is to use their mouth in a wide variety of situations, including when they are excited, frustrated, and fearful.

They also have large teeth and can accidentally hurt children and seniors. If your Shiba starts biting on you or on others, non-mark him. If he continues, put him on a time-out.

It is also important to teach a Shiba bite inhibition so that when he loses control of himself, and does bite, he will not cause much harm.

Shiba Inu Training Secrets - No food aggression.

Shiba Inu Training Secrets - No food aggression.

Shiba Inu Training Secrets - No rough play with people.

Shiba Inu Training Secrets - No rough play with people.

2. No Food Aggression or Resource Guarding

Prevent your Shiba Inu from guarding resources. Shibas have a don’t back down, don’t surrender, attitude. Therefore, the best way to teach them not to guard resources is to use purely positive techniques.

Show them that people and other dogs coming near them while they are eating or playing with their toys is a good thing. Exchange objects with them so that they learn that giving up something does not mean that it is gone forever.

If you use physical force to grab a toy away from a Shiba, he will likely become more possessive over his objects. He will also lose trust in you and may use aggression to protect himself and his belongings.

3. No Rough Play

I do not play rough with my Shiba. He gets to wrestle with my other dog, but no wrestling allowed with humans.

I also do not play any dominance games with him, (Tug-of-War). The few times that I did play Tug with Shiba, he followed very strict rules during the game. However, when I took him out for dog walks, he would start playing tug with the leash (leash biting).

Shiba Inu Secret 4

Socialize Your Shiba Inu.

Shiba Inus can get aggressive to unfamiliar things including objects, dogs, people, and environments.

They are also naturally stubborn, and may become aggressive when forced to do things that they do not like.

Socialize your young Shiba to many sights, sounds, and smells, and he will be ready to handle new things as a confident, and well-balanced adult. Make sure that new experiences are always positive, and at worst, neutral.

Some things to consider while socializing your Shiba Inu:

1. Shiba Inus have an extreme play style that many other dogs may not like.

When I used to take my Shiba to a dog parks, his favorite play partners were larger dogs and young Pit Bulls. Shibas like doing wrestling and rough play which can easily overwhelm other small dogs.

Choose your Shiba’s play-mates carefully, so that a fun time can be had by all.

2. Shiba Inus dislike handling.

Socialize your Shiba to touching, and grooming as early as possible. Pair the touching and grooming with very good treats so that he will associate handling with positive things.

Do not use physical force to do any grooming. This will make it into an unpleasant experience and your Shiba will fight you every step of the way.

Groom gently, and stop after short sessions.

3. Shiba Inus do not generally like people petting them from above.

Petting from above can be seen as a dominance move by dogs, and Shibas may see this as a threat.

You can slowly desensitize your Shiba to this by pairing petting from above with good food rewards. At the same time, instruct people to approach from under your dog’s head and scratch his chest, instead of the top of his head.

Shiba Inu Secret 5

Control Your Own Energy.

The most important thing to remember while interacting with your Shiba is to control your own energy.

Shiba Inus are especially sensitive to the energy of their owners.

When I first got Shiba puppy, he was extremely mouthy. He would bite all over my hands and arms. He would also resort to biting when I stopped him from doing something unacceptable.

This made me become afraid of him.

Things quickly degenerated from there. As soon as I got fearful he would start to hump my leg, grab my clothes, jump on me, or bite my hands, arms, and legs.

Anger and frustration will also elicit extreme Shiba behaviors.

I used to have my parents walk our at the park. When the they tried to stop him from doing something, he would object, and try out one of his patented Shiba Inu moves, including alligator rolls, leash biting, hand biting, and of course the Shiba scream.

My parents naturally got embarrassed when he screamed like he was about to die. There were other people around, and some of them thought that they was mistreating the poor dog. Our Shiba easily sensed their embarrassment and frustration. From then on, the Shiba scream was his favorite weapon to use against them.

With a Shiba Inu, it is important to stay calm at all times.

If you lose your cool, your Shiba will sense it and he will continue to use this weakness against you.

The best way to handle a misbehaving Shiba, is to stay calm, and remove him from the area as soon as he starts to act out. If he persists, he gets his freedoms revoked with a time-out. Remember that fear, anger, frustration, and other extreme emotions will only make the problem worse.

Once I was able to control my fear and remain calm, things improved significantly with my Shiba.

He will never be a model-citizen, but nowadays, he is actually very fun to be with. He is goofy, he is funny, and he usually stays out of serious trouble.

Shibas can be a big challenge to live with, but they are well worth the effort. They have a great personality, and they are always up to something that will make you laugh.

I love my Shiba Inu.

He is one of my best buddies, and whenever I see him, I just have to smile.

Source:
shibashake. Shiba Inu Training Secrets. Retrieved http://shibashake.com/dog/shiba-inu-training-secrets