Hello everyone, I have a one year old female Shiba Inu. I rescued her out of a bad, abusive home. She's happy now but I'm having trouble trying to understand her breed. Any Shiba owners have a problem with them licking and biting themselves Constantly?! I wash her with great shampoo made for sensitive skin dogs, because I read that Shibas are prone to sensitive skin. I'm not quite sure what to do about this one. Also, when I take her on walks, all she wants to do is look for something to hunt. Such as a rabbit, a frog, lizards, even leaves that blow in the wind. I can't seem to maintain her while on walks. I use a training leash and everything, and it doesn't work. I use a harness as well because if I put her collar on she'll choke herself throughout the entire walk. However, she does listen when I tell her "leave it" Also, I was wondering what everyone feeds their Shiba Inu? I know they can't have certain foods that contain ingredients that they may be allergic to. Babygirl also has a lot of energy which is why I take her out so often. She's very good with people, skittish at first and very hand shy. But once she knows you won't hurt her she will love you to pieces! However she is very standoffish with other dogs. She's not aggressive just doesn't pay them any attention. She pretends they're not there. Which shows dominance, and I'm not quite sure if that will ever change. My babygirl is also NOT fixed. I wasn't aware of this when Igot her. I found out when there was blood on her bed, and I noticed she didn't have a scar on her stomach. I plan on breeding her in about a year, but how have you fellow female Shiba Inu owners coped with this? She cry's a lot, she's constantly running back and forth inside the house. She's very alert and very cautious of her surroundings. If you guys can help me figure this baby out I'd greatly appreciate it!!
I don’t have a Shiba, but I do have two American Akita’s. I believe they have some similarities. If your dog is licking and biting herself she may have a food allergy. Chicken is a very common alergen in dogs. My dogs lick their paws, like a cat. With them it’s not an allergy, just them cleaning themselves. They also like to lick me... In general, you don’t want to wash a dog too often, it removes the oils from their fur, which they need. I only wash mine every 3 months or so, unless they get into something and smell. They are a clean breed, and with a good quality food they don’t smell. You have a breed with a very high prey drive, it’s part of who she is, her natural instinct is to hunt. My dogs are very similar, rabbits, birds, deer, and the lizards too. They try and pounce on them, even little tiny baby lizards. What is a training leash? Is it a short leash? Sounds like she pulls, is her harness a no-pull harness? You may need to get some help from a trainer to teach you how to train her not to pull. You can likely find some videos on YouTube. What kind of foods have you been told shibas are allergic to? Being a breed originally from Japan, have you tried fish as the protein source in her food? What are you currently feeding her? I rotate my dogs thru various protein sources, because I think that’s healthier for them. I sometimes call my female Akita Babygirl too. Her name is Katie Mae. My previous Akita generally ignored other dogs, as if they didn’t exist, which is common for my and your breed, but if a dog got too close to me he would “protect” me. Not something you can train out of them, it’s just the breed. My current dogs totally pay attention to other dogs, and do not want them to get close to me. They are however great with people, they love the attention. Why are you planning on breeding her? Is she a very good example of her breed? Do you have papers for her? If you do choose to breed her you should have a vet do all the breed specific health tests on her, to make sure she doesn’t pass on any unwanted physical traits. Is she crying because she’s in heat, or is this and the running back and forth a separate issue?
yes she is definitely high driven and I understand that's part of her breed, that's what makes her so unique is the fact that she has a REAL fox like mentality lol I love it! Training leash, as in a leash that can be locked at a certain distance. At first, I keep her on a medium-long leash and let her sniff everything. Once we walk and she goes to the bathroom that's when I keep her on a short leash, next to my feet but not so short to the point where she's choking. I do not believe in that. She has actually done very well on the short leash, she used to walk in front of me or ONLY to the left of me now I have her learning to walk next to me, not ahead of me. She also paces herself that way and doesn't tug at all. The harness I have is yes a no pull harness, she makes it difficult to get it on her sometimes but I managed a nice, easy way to master it without her getting upset. I actually buy her Whole Hearted Grain-Free Small dog chicken and pea recipe. The previous owner had her on really cheap dog food, so I think the switch affected her but since I've been feeding her this food, she's been great! I also sometimes give her a half of a boiled egg in the morning or at night. Katie Mae is absolutely a precious name. I've actually got her accustomed to bring around other dogs, she's friendly. Not to the point of playful friendly but she'll let them sniff and she sniffs them and thats about it. I've only had short interactions with other dogs in my neighborhood when I talk her on walks and such. I do plan on breeding her only because of the simple fact that she is a very rare breed. She is a full bred Japanese Shiba Inu (Red Fox). I would have to find a full bred Shiba Inu male. I've done my research on the breeding, and it basically says that if she is not fixed then you either have to decide to fix her or breed her. I want her to have puppies so that way her unique, beautiful breed can be just a little bit more popular. I will only make her have puppies one time. That's all I plan on doing. She was crying because she was in heat. She definitely had some cramps there for a few days. The vet that I take her too says this is normal and suggested benadryl to give her to ease the pain a little. So far, so good. She's been a great pup! Very friendly with people, and she does this new thing now that when I get home from work she starts howling like a wolf and it's the cutest/funniest thing Ive ever seen.
You say that she is a rescue. Do you have her full documentation? Do make sure that your papers are in order, and her breed health tests done before you have her mated, otherwise her breeding will be of no use to the breed. Usually your National Breed Club is the best place to start looking for advice. You could visit a show or two to get an idea of which males might be suitable mates. A word of warning, if Shibas are very rare in your country, they could be difficult to sell. (The reason why I only bred one Löwchen litter. Though they are better known these days, at sixteen weeks, I had sold just one puppy!).
Yes I have full documentation on her! She was from a breeder as well. The area I live in has seen Babygirl and they are dumbfounded with her unique features and said they always wanted one but can't find them anywhere! Which is why I want to breed her because she is VERY rare and hard to find. Especially a Red Fox Shiba Inu. And also, congrats on your one puppy!!
A couple more comments.. If she is still biting/licking, I would suggest changing her food to a different protein source besides chicken, as I said earlier, chicken is probably the most common food allergen for dogs. It can take up to a month for symptoms to stop after changing foods. In your profile page you say she weighs 12lbs. I just looked up average weight for female shiba inu’s and got answers of 17-18 lbs. She seems well below breed standards and may not be a dog you’d want to breed from. I know you love her and she is beautiful and maybe rare in your area, but those may not be the best reasons to breeed her. The point of breeding pure bred dogs, as I understand it, is to try and improve the breed, based on breed standards. Your girl, being small, probably wouldn’t place very highly in shows, because of that. Also do her papers say anything about breeding her? My dogs came with a clause that I was not to breed from them. I could have paid more if I wanted to breed them. Although both are very stunning looking dogs, neither are quite up to show quality. There is nothing wrong with that, they are wonderful companions. Also, since she is well below average size, I would be surprised if you could find a good rebuttable breeder who would allow their male to mate with her, unless they were just in it for the money, not the idea of improving the breed. I hope you don’t take this as criticism. This is my opinion based on what I’ve read about dog breeding. I have never breed any of my dogs. Just my 2 cents....
I tried to edit my post again, but by the time I was finished it wouldn’t except the edit... I very, very, very strongly considered breeding Katie Mae. I was actually planning on it for a little while, and came very close to asking her breeder for permission to do so. I have 3 friends who each wanted one of her puppies. If I were younger I might do it, as I really love and admire the breed, and have learned a lot about them over the past 15 years. I ultimately decided not to, and not because Katie Mae isn’t show quality (she’s slightly on the small side, but on the low end of normal for female Akitas), but because I didn’t want to jeopardize her health, mainly, and also because I’m not in a position to take a dog back if it hadn’t worked out in its new home, something I think a good, responsable breeder should do. There were other considerations as well. Dogs have puppies all the time, but things can happen, and I really would have been heartbroken if something bad had happened to my Babygirl... Alright, now I’ve given you a whole nickels worth ...
It appears the original poster read my first post last Thursday but not the second.. It’s unfortunate that we only have 10 minutes to edit our posts, as she would have gotten the full jist of my reply instead of just part of it, and I really wish she’d seen the second one.. oh well
Hello you all lovely people... I am still new to this Forum and the the whole idea of sharing thoughts, concerns, questions and quotes with others, so please, do bear with me (especially if I sounded awkward) I currently have the following babies: Ginger, German Long Hair 5 year old female cat (Toffee) Ginger, American and Brindle, Dutch 9 month old female bunnies (Jenny and Coco) I recently adopted an American Akita (pinto - tricolor black mask) male Akita last November 2019: Hatchiko. He is turning 6 months on the 28th of Feb. This boy is adorable, goofy and loves to communicate with his mouth a lot and I mean a lot!!! But he is the most enchanting and charming baby boy on this planet! I actually needed some advice from your kind selves on the following points - had many dogs and pets before but this boy is really special: 1. Hatchiko is turning 6 months by the end of Feb and I was wondering if someone could help me out on knowing if this baby boy is going to be a giant or just a normal large size (VET claims he is huge lol but healthy and fit) 32 kg, 65 cm height from foot till shoulder, 100 cm from snout tip till tail tip and 140 cm height whilst standing with his paws on my shoulders ( I am just 150 cm tall, weighing 50 kg 40 years of age) . 2. I feed him 3 home-cooked meals mixed with his dry food (MAXI PUP Royal Canine Kibble 2 full cups) with: usually chicken, meat or Tuna with mixed veggies + either pasta, bread or rice. His treats are all natural Turkey, corned beef, hot dogs or boiled eggs (sometimes cheese in minimal amounts as a reward) along with fat free yogurt and some broth; I really try my best to use natural ingredients 3. He is nearly done with his teething process i.e. no more milk teeth, but the adult ones are still pushing out and growing longer - I brush them at least 3 to 4 times a week 4. I walk him 30 to 40 minutes early morning, 30 to 40 minutes late afternoon and between 60 to 90 minutes before we sleep ( I give him 15 minutes to run around a closed park where we chase each other and play tug with his leash). I am really, God knows, trying my best to keep him healthy, entertained and content. Now, my issues which somehow concerns me: 1. He keeps getting diarrhea from time to time or soft stool (but no mucus, blood or parasites) - gave him a couple of medications prescribed by the vet but still it might stop and return (would sometimes eat grass or leaves to induce vomiting i.e. yellow liquid or mucus) but Vet said this is all normal from the weather change 2. His mouth is mainly warm and he is salivating a lot (could be from his teeth growing process) 3. He still loves to mouth on me especially when he needs something or wants me to do something for him ( I am working on that) 4. Loves Toffee - my cat, plays with her from time to time, but he keeps pulling her hair, out of play, and chases her around - but never hurts her, and she just hisses or lays on her back a bit then runs to her carrier etc. ( I need your guidance on how to make them play softly) 5. My bunnies are in their play den and he just licks them and stares at them all day - they are secured of course 6. He loves people, kids and other dogs. He is very friendly and sociable and loves his routine and his long naps on the gold ceramic flooring. He is also very smart, hilarious, but stubborn and gets bored fast 7. When we play together, and I sit on the floor, he keeps trying to mount me or hump me and I move him slowly away or cease him from such (as he sometimes bites on my arms and shoulder but without causing any damage) 8. He started being very protective i.e. might bark on any weird looking moving object (plastic bags or moving shade cloths) while we are having our walks, any strange sound, or stand between me and the grocery guy when he arrives at my home (very very cute). He did not hit puberty yet as he still pees in a normal female-like position and his testicles are still upheld. 9. He doesn't like to cuddle much except maybe snooze for a few minutes beside me (I actually intrude). At night, when it is sleep time, he starts by jumping on my bed, mouthing me slowly and twirling around, then goes down and sleeps under me but on the floor - every single day (I really hope that this pup loves me and is not annoyed from me... I think I need to be more patient for him to bond with me) P.S. BTW, He adores my hubby, who works mainly from home so he stays with him more than I do, but the strange thing is that my husband might scold him (no scream or shout) when he does something wrong and doesn't actually interact with him as much as I do, but I guess Dogs really do feel intentions and what a person is from the inside rather than external deeds or actions only (lol..sometimes I feel that is not fair to me though) I know that all the above might sound normal for most dogs, but of course, knowing how you all are experienced (probably in Akitass) and you are generous in sharing new info, I would really appreciate your feedback. Thanks a million folks!
