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If you’re fond of dogs, you’ve probably found yourself drawn to the super cute Shiba Inu at least once.

The Shiba Inu breed is an absolute head-turner.

If you bring one home, you are likely to receive compliments from strangers and other pet owners every time you take your pet out for a walk.

Shiba Inu is very similar to a fox in terms of looks and appearance with their fluffy warm gold-colored coat, the standing ears, and deep black eyes. They are irresistibly charming and beautiful, to say the least. They are also quite small in size, almost like a bundle of cuteness in your arms.

However, a Shiba Inu is like a big dog in a small body. The breed is super bold, high-spirited, and has a high prey drive. They have been blessed with a “larger than life” personality that most people find hard to handle.

If you’re thinking of bringing home a gorgeous Shiba Inu puppy home as a pet, you need to consider many factors and look beyond their striking “foxy” look and their lovable little faces.

They Need Excessive Socialization and Training

Shiba Inu dogs hold quite a reputation for being aloof, stubborn, and hard-to-please creatures. Many homeowners find these personality traits very challenging as a result of which they tend to give up training their Shiba. Some even end up believing that their pet is un-trainable.

What most pet owners fail to realize is that if Shiba Inus aren’t given proper and adequate training at the right time, it can lead to serious issues such as aggression, escape risks, anxiety, etc.

Therefore, if you wish to get a Shiba Inu puppy as a pet, you must be able to spend a whole of extra time on their training and socialization, both of which should ideally begin at an early age around 6-8 weeks.

Shibas tend to display bullying and dominance when they are around other dogs, which can greatly escalate if they aren’t taught how to behave around other people and their pets. They need to go to puppy school, take obedience classes, and engage in structured play dates, for instance, if you want your Shiba pet to grow into a well-behaved, obedient, and playful dog.

Shibas Are Extreme Shedders that Need Regular Grooming

Are you a neat-freak who likes to keep their home absolutely clean and spotless at all times? If your answer to that is yes, you need to take this into consideration because Shibas are excessive shedders, and when they shed, you will see fur everywhere, even in your food sometimes.

Shibas are known for their characteristic thick, fluffy lush coat that is soft and silky to the touch. However, their beautiful, snuggly coats blow twice a year, and when it does, it simply explodes everywhere. The first shedding period occurs during the first three weeks of spring, and the second one happens in the first three weeks of the fall season. During both these times, you will see fur everywhere; your clothes, carpet, wall, floor, and more. Brushing and vacuuming greatly help keep things under control; however, if you have any kind of allergies or are simply a ‘neat-freak,’ you might want to think twice about bringing home a Shiba Inu puppy.

A Shiba-Safe Environment is a Must

There are some dog breeds that you can let loose in your home without having to worry about anything. And then there’s the Shiba Inu breed that tends to run, escape, and find their way out at every chance that they get.

If you ever bring home a Shiba Inu, you will need to make the living environment super safe and secure so that they don’t up escaping. The fact that Shibas were once small game hunters and were originally bred to hunt other animals, they have still retained some of that “prey drive.” They also run very fast, almost in a ‘bolting’ manner, which can make it very hard for pet owners to run after them or catch them.

So, if you have a pet Shiba, you will have to get proper gates, sturdy locks, and double doors for their ultimate safety and security. You must always make sure that no gate or door is left open if your pet is roaming freely in the house because you are likely to end up losing them for a while.

They Tend to Be Very Stubborn, Dramatic and Strong-Willed

Most Shiba owners will probably to the fact that these dogs have a tendency of displaying a “Never give up, Never surrender” kind of an attitude. This suggests that when they are faced with a challenge, they aren’t likely to back down without putting up a fight.

This often leads to serious aggression issues in these dogs, be it with other people, dog to dog aggression, or even with food. As a pet owner, dealing with this can be quite challenging for you.

On top of that, when a Shiba dog is unhappy or upset about something, you will often find them moping and whining like it’s the end of the world. For instance, if you make your pet Shiba wear a harness even when it doesn’t want to, expect some prolonged drama from their end.

Dealing with all of this requires a great deal of patience, composure, and persistence on your part.

Final Thoughts

If you still wish to bring a Shiba Inu home as a pet, you must take care of the above-mentioned factors so that you can raise a well-behaved and well-trained pet. There are many other factors that you will need to consider as well regarding their grooming needs, feeding habits, dietary requirements, among other things.

It is important to note here that many people keep a pet Shiba without doing thorough research, only to end up giving it away because they didn’t know how to keep one. As a result, there are so many adorable little Shiba Inus that are in dire need of fostering and adoption.

Get a pet Shiba only when you think you can handle one and can raise them according to their specific needs and requirements.

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