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Thinking of getting a Shiba Inu
Death Cab For Albie
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Anyone else have one? I've been looking to adopt a dog for awhile now and saw a 3 month old Shiba at the nearby rescue. I pretty much instantly fell in love with it. However, I'm a first time dog owner and an apartment dweller who spends 8 hours a day at work. Everything I've read about Shibas say they aren't for first time owners due to stubbornness, they don't like small living quarters and shouldn't be left alone for long periods of time. I really want to adopt him, but all those factors scared me a bit. Any Shiba owners that can share their own experiences?
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Not an owner myself, but been looking into them as well. So cute!
Ceres nailed it on the first reply. I'm waiting until we move into a house, I'd recommend you do the same.
The reason he really stopped being a good dog was somewhat attributed to my family changing in significant ways. My dad moved out and parents divorced, so the "alpha male" was gone. I shortly thereafter moved to college, leaving my little sister and mother with the dog.
I don't know if it was a lack of male presence or what, but he got very food territorial. My younger sister once found him wrestling with a Tupperware container with chicken caesar salad inside and tried to take it away. He bit her pretty hard. Not stichtes but enough to break the skin and cause her to bleed profusely. She was then terrified of the dog and we were forced to give him to my dad once he secured housing. We still see him from time to time and seems to be a normal dog now.
And for the record, I could shove my hand in his food while he was eating and would never get agitated. If my mother or sister approached him while he was eating, he looked up and got that very obvious "don't fucking come near me" look out of the corner of his eye. I don't know if it's because my father and I have similar voices or what.
They are very hyperactive dogs though and sounds like it would not be a good fit. We also had issues with him when he was neutered. Not behavioral, but he got a pretty horrible abcess that almost killed him. They pretty much made him s eunuch after that.
They're a hunting breed too, so they have those natural instincts to deal with. Aside from all that, they are really cute. For those who don't know, they kinda look like mini huskys who don't get bigger than 40 lbs.
This is Rufus. Spoilered for huge.
There's always the delicious cat, unless you're really set on canines.
How big is your apartment? There are a lot of dogs you can get for apartment dwelling. And you're at work 8 hours a day but how much time do you sped commuting and out of the house otherwise?
I love watching Dogs 101. There are a bunch of clips on a whole lot of breeds on Animal Planet TV's youtube channel.
Here's the one for the Shiba Inu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLWcMrDTny8
And here's the page where all the clips are:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnimalPlanetTV#g/c/B370F8C58E501BF5
I plan on getting a dog by Fall, so I've been looking up all these dogs. It's fun and pretty dang informative.
Its about 750 sq ft, my commute is 20 minutes to and from work and then I usually only go out on weekend nights. Now that a Shiba is out of the question, i'm looking at a Chow. They seem to like apartments and are cool with 8 hours of alone time, and while still stubborn, aren't as bad as the Shiba Inu. PLUS they look like a Lion-Bear hybrid, which is awesome. Now if I can just find one to adopt.
As for cats...well, i'm really set on a dog.
That's no big deal to me really, but good information to have for sure. Thanks.
Get two retired racing greyhounds. They are lazy as anything and will sleep most of the day regardless, but keep each other company at the same time.
They cast a shadow like a sundial in the morning light. It was half past 10.
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT believe that any breed is inherently violent.
Chows are one of those breeds that are usually banned for being violent. Not a dog I'd really recommend for a first time dog owner. It's a powerful, stubborn breed that can do a lot of damage on accident if not properly trained. Do you just not want a smaller dog? Or something like a retired Greyhound? Greyhounds are lazy apartment dogs that run a good 70lbs. Your place may be a bit small for a Great Dane, but that's another large dog that is lazy and typically is gentle as a breed standard.
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750 is tiny. Think hard about this before you get a dog. Animals need room. They need exercise. They need attention.
There's no pressing need to get a specific breed of dog, just head down to your local shelter and let yourself fall in love with a personality that will mesh with your own. Or browse petfinder and see who needs adopting in your area.
You make a good point, as do the people who advise against leaving a dog home by itself for 8 hours. I'll have to think more on this.
That's not true of all breeds. Plenty of people work 9-5 jobs and have pets, too. It just depends on the breed; some need lots of attention and others don't.
If so, sure! If not, no. It's horrible to leave a dog alone for long periods of time, even if they're breeds that don't really mind it. Dog daycares are awesome though. But you'll need to spend serious time with your dog when you get it back.
Man, you sound like me and the gf. We both would really like a dog but are in an apartment with 8-5 jobs. In fact, just last week we were this close to adopting a chow from a shelter in Dallas. Fucking cute dog that instantly made us the envy of every other family in the shelter.
However, our apt had a size restriction of 35 pounds, and those dogs can get big. Plus from everything I read online, they really need an experienced hand.
Also, I know I'm bias here, but don't necessarily listen to people saying that just because of yur schedule you shouldn't have a dog. However, really do your research, as right now it seems Luke you want to jump right into the deep end.
We thought that a bully would be a couch potato, but he's definitely not that... of course he's only 1.5 yrs old, so he's still kind of in that puppy phase. Also, bullys have a lot of health problems. We've discovered that he is the most high maintenance dog either of us has ever owned.... granted we wouldn't trade him for the world, but when you're constantly at the vet for food allergies, skin allergies, ear infections, etc. it really adds up.
Really consider not only your home situation, but your financial situation to make sure you can care for whatever breed you pick. Even mutts which seem to be more sturdy and stable can surprise you with issues that can be very costly... or if they accidentally eat something they shouldn't, etc.
I know you said you were going to look for other breeds, but there aren't much things on this board that I consider myself a borderline expert on.
I have two Shiba Inus! I showed one of them for a few years (she now qualifies as an AKC grand champion) and the other is just a little lapdog. I've also dealt with three litters of Shiba puppies.
Have some pics:
Kisa (The stubborn, spoiled grand champion. Also my favorite.)
Yuuku (The sweet (and maybe a little bit dumb) lapdog)
They can be stubborn dogs, but like all things, they definitely have distinct personalities. Most of them generally think they're huge dogs and if you let them think they're the alpha dog, they will run all over you. From puppies, they are pretty easy to train - and if you are going to leave them alone for long periods of time, crate training is a necessity. They will cry and beg and scream(yodel?) for the first couple of days/nights that you put them up, but its very important to not let them out until its time for them to come out. Both my dogs see their crates as a safe spot where no one can bother them - so even if we don't close it, they often go into their crates to get away from people. When I was younger, both my parents worked 9-5 jobs, and I was in school from typically 7am-3pm - so they can cope with being alone for long periods of time. Just exercise them well before and after.
Leash training was kind of a hassle - as they do like to think they're giant wolves, but as long as you're stern and make them aware that they can only go where you want to go, they will get the idea. Don't ever let them tug you, and don't let go of that leash, because they will go (eventually come back, sometimes with a prize). I never had much luck teaching them to come or yield when they were outside and off a leash.
They're kind of independent, but they do like to know you're around. Or someone is around. Yuuku will follow my dad all around the house, while Kisa will sit in another room and watch people from under a table. She'll only come out from her little spot if its time to go for a walk, to play, to eat or if someone new appears. If people leave her sight, she does get worried.
Since we retired Kisa, we've turned them both into semi-outside dogs (we put in an electric fence - something they figured out very quickly). Its important to note, that they are hunting dogs and they will chase birds/small game to the end of the earth (Yuuku's morning ritual is to charge into the backyard and chase the crows up to the trees).
They also live up to 20 years, so getting a Shiba Inu is definitely a commitment. Kisa is coming up on 15 now, and she's just as lively as she was 10 years ago.
I love these dogs. Once they figure out their spot in the family order, they're fantastic pets - but they do have their stubborn, crazy Shiba moments (and their barking can get kind of annoying).
Damn those are beautiful dogs, especially Kisa.
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I just wanted to say, Yuuku's picture fit the caption so perfectly