Shiba Inu Sephy and Me
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I had a rough start with my Shiba Inu, Sephy.
Shiba Inus can be a challenge to care for, especially as a first dog. I wanted to do my very best for my Shiba Inu puppy but I still made many mistakes.
This is the story of Shiba Inu Sephy and me.
Because I was new to dogs, and Shiba Inus, I asked my breeder many questions. She recommended that I check out Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer for dog obedience training tips.
After 4 days, I took Shiba Inu Sephy to the vet and she recommended that I return him because he was mouthy and not well behaved. The vet technician recommended that I check out Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer and taught me how to implement alpha rolls.
I had already fallen in love with Sephy and was not about to give up on him so I bought some DVDs of The Dog Whisperer and started to do alpha rolls.
The results were bad. Shiba Inus are a feisty, stubborn, strong-willed breed, and my little Shiba fought every time I did an alpha roll on him. While he would be slightly subdued after an alpha roll, he would quickly go back to chewing everything, running around crazily, knocking things down, jumping on every piece of furniture, mouthing on me and other people, and much more.
Life became very difficult for both Shiba Inu Sephy and me.
Alpha Rolls
NOTE: Do not perform alpha rolls on any puppy. Even traditional trainers agree that aversive techniques are not appropriate for young dogs and puppies.
However, you can start training your puppy early with reward dog training.
I signed Shiba Inu Sephy up for a SIRIUS puppy class to help with his dog socialization skills and I also got a private trainer who is versed in aversive dog training.
After watching The Dog Whisperer, I was under the impression that I could only be pack leader if I showed my Shiba Inu who was boss through more forceful aversive methods.
Sephy responded extremely well to my private trainer, Tim (not his real name). Tim is extremely good with dogs and fearless. My Shiba Inu would act out from time to time and mouth over Tim's arms. Tim was able to easily stop this with some leash jerks (using a flat collar).
One time Shiba Inu Sephy even placed his jaws on Tim's neck while being held, but Tim kept on holding him and had no problems calming Sephy down.
Tim taught me how to train my Shiba Inu using leash jerks or leash corrections. He cautioned me against over correcting and to always try and set Sephy up for success. He also instructed me not to give eye contact during corrections, and whenever possible, to try and redirect the source of corrections away from myself.
Shiba Inu Sephy enjoyed his weekly one hour lessons with Tim very much, and always gave Tim many licks. This experience showed me that aversive methods can sometimes work well if implemented by an expert with the right energy.
Leash Jerks
NOTE: If you decide to use leash jerks or other aversive techniques, it is important to apply them with the proper timing, force, and redirection.
If you apply a leash jerk with too little force, it will have no effect, and may even backfire and intensify your dog's behavioral issues.
If you do not want to apply pain to your dog, then do not use leash jerks or other pain based aversive methods.
Shiba Inu Sephy responded well to my leash jerks initially.
However, when Sephy was extremely excited, for example when meeting other dogs, my jerks would have no effect. Tim ultimately recommended that I try out the prong collar and showed me how to fit it and put it on properly.
DO NOT try to slip a prong collar over your dog's head like you do a choke chain. Refer to Prong Collar Info for proper instructions on how to use a prong collar.
People commonly refer to the prong collar as providing power steering for leash jerks. I.e. the prong amplifies the force of your leash jerks, thereby delivering more pain and a greater aversive stimulus to the dog.
The prong collar was extremely effective initially. I was always worried about hurting my Shiba Inu, so my leash jerks tended to be too soft. With the prong collar, they were just right.
At this time, I also enlisted the services of a dog walker/trainer, Betty (not her real name).
Betty also prescribes to the Cesar Millan, leader of the pack type training. This suited me well because Betty did leash jerks and I thought consistency in techniques would be a good thing.
However, the situation started to go down hill from here.
Shiba Inu Sephy became extremely sensitive towards handling. He would also constantly challenge Betty, by leash biting, hand biting, and doing alligator rolls (rolling on the ground to resist moving). Sephy also discovered that Betty really dislikes his high-pitched Shiba scream, and would constantly do this to great effect.
Betty did her best in trying to control Sephy but her flavor of dog obedience training was clearly not working well with Sephy. Finally, she wanted to escalate her leash jerks by using a choke chain.
Given the possible dangers of choke chains I decided that choke chains are not an option.
At this point, the leash jerks were also becoming less and less effective for me.
My Shiba Inu was becoming habituated to them.
I was not implementing the leash jerks quickly enough so sometimes they were more like tugs and thus had no effect. I was also over-correcting and my leash jerks did not have enough force even with the prong collar.
To continue with aversive techniques, I would have to escalate the force of my leash jerks or switch to the electronic or shock collar. I was unwilling to go down this extreme path, so I decided to explore all other dog training possibilities.
Reward Dog Training
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I stopped dog walking with Betty and started looking for a new dog trainer.
This time I checked out all types of trainers, rather than just the Cesar Millan, aversive type trainers.
While doing this, I received a fair amount of insults, scolding, and rabid preaching from trainers of the other camp, the reward dog training camp.
I always think it is rather ironic that many of the books and people who support the use of reward training (positive reinforcement training) would resort to aversive methods (insults, rabid preaching) when trying to convince other people of the effectiveness of their positive reinforcement methods.
Luckily, there were several reward dog trainers who practiced what they preached and based on their advice, I got the book Bones Would Rain From the Skyby Suzzane Clothier. After reading a few chapters,
I decided to stop using aversive methods and try using only reward obedience training.
I would like to say that the reward dog training worked like a charm and from then on everybody lived happily ever after.
Reality, of course, is a bit messier. First of all Shiba Inu Sephy gets bored easily; with everything, even his food.
For the reward methods to work I had to identify a variety of dog treats that he liked and cycle through them so that he remains motivated throughout the day. I also got a greater variety of toys and used external opportunities, such as meeting other dogs and meeting people, as rewards.
Walking on a loose leash (without the use of leash jerks) was a bit challenging at first, but stopping and sometimes doing a 180 when the leash gets taut works very well.
I am a lot happier with reward obedience training.
Frankly I do not have the temperament for implementing an aversive correction with enough force for my Shiba Inu. I was also losing my Shiba Inu's trust because I was over correcting and not protecting him from other people (e.g. dog walker) who were also over correcting him.
Sephy is responding much better to the reward methods and is more relaxed and happy.
Being an adolescent, he still misbehaves occasionally, but a lot less so than when I was using aversive methods, such as leash jerks and alpha rolls.
Shiba Inus are very strong willed and stubborn. A Shiba Inu will almost always respond to an aversive stimulus by fighting back. The greater the stimulus, the more threat he feels, and the more he fights back.
This is not to say that aversive methods will never work on a Shiba Inu. As I discussed before, under the hands of an expert trainer (Tim), Sephy actually responded well to leash jerks. However, I have not seen him respond so with anyone else, even other experienced trainers.
Shiba Inu
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Aversive Dog Training
All aversive methods deliver an unpleasant stimulus to your dog.
Some techniques such as the leash jerk and the electronic collar deliver pain. Saying that such techniques do not deliver pain and is only used to get your dog's attention is rubbish.
For such techniques to work effectively, it must deliver the proper level of pain so as to motivate your dog to follow your command which will ultimately stop the pain.
On the other hand, aversive methods may get more consistent and prompt responses to your commands because pain is a strong motivator.
What I learned from Shiba Inu Sephy:
- Get information from multiple sources and do not take what one person, even a popular trainer, says as truth. Do your own research and try out the techniques yourself.
- The "best technique" is different for every dog-owner pair. So called "experts" will try to brow beat you into using their favorite techniques by using moral arguments and/or by telling lies. The effectiveness of the different techniques will depend on your training skill (timing, delivery of stimulus), on your temperament, on your dog's temperament, and on the current level of trust and respect between you and your dog. Be honest and let your own moral compass steer you.
- Start out with reward obedience training. With reward training there is no danger of losing your dog's trust. There is no danger of injuring your dog physically or mentally if you make training mistakes. Follow the Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) program and be a fair but strong pack leader through the control of resources.
- Things can go really wrong with aversive methods. Your dog may misbehave more, get destructive or aggressive, lose respect and trust for you, get stressed and break down completely, run away, or get injured. Always get direction from a good professional trainer before trying out pain or dominance based aversive methods.
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Hi Vince. One thing that my Shiba absolutely dislikes, are other dominant dogs. Sometimes it is difficult to tell from the body language of the other dog, it could be a look, body posture, etc. Shibas tend to be naturally dominant, so if another dog "challenges" them, they will return the favor and escalate.
Many Shibas also do not like other dogs getting into their space. They do not like rude, in-your-face type of dogs.
Finally Shibas are extremely sensitive to the energy of all the humans around them. When my Shiba was reactive to other dogs, I used to get really stressed and a bit afraid because he would act out and then redirect onto me when I tried to stop him. This only made things worse because he easily sensed my change in energy and started stressing out even more. It is very important to always be calm and in control when a Shiba is acting out. I also avoid people and other dogs with bad energy.
As they get older, some Shibas may start to exhibit more dog aggression because they become more confident, and more dominant.
Here are some of the things that I tried on my Shiba:
http://hubpages.com/_srec/hub/How-to-Deal-With-Dog
The thing that helped the most for my Shiba is to ignore other dogs and create neutral experiences. Desensitization exercises (in a controlled situation) are also important to help your Shiba learn that the best way to deal with other dogs is to focus on you and move-on. Remember to start with a low stimulus situation - perhaps with the t.v. with the volume turned down. Then you can slowly raise the volume as your Shiba gets more comfortable with the situation. Then you can start desensitization with a calm dog in a quiet nearby soccer field or parking lot, etc.
Please let me know how it goes.
Hey its your fav. person. is that you in the pics?
Yes! I'm the redhead with the cute ears :)
Gorgeous dogs. I really applaud you for spitting on choke chains and any other forms of aversion training. Dogs are human too! (as my Uncle Ken always used to say). Dogs are such fabulous animals and I wonder sometimes if I'm a good enough person for them -- do they get enough exercise, fun, and adventure in their lives, etc. Having dogs has made me a better human being. I'm glad to have found your hubs, and am looking forward to reading more.
"Dogs are such fabulous animals and I wonder sometimes if I'm a good enough person for them" -- I feel exactly the same way. You have a wonderful way with words!
My dogs have really helped me relax a lot more, and not sweat the small stuff. During the dark ages, while I was hating life, I read "The Art of Happiness" by the Dalai Lama. Although I really enjoyed the book, and wanted to follow the lessons within, I was unable to so on my own. It was very surprising later on to discover that my dogs have helped put me on this very same path, without me even realizing it. And this time, with Sephy and Shania as guides, my step is lighter and I can actually move forward while whistling a merry tune. :)
I can't thank you enough for posting about your experience and method in teaching Shibas! I got Haruki three weeks back and he's doing great, but I am getting so many advice on how to teach Haruki, I was became more angry with myself. Because nothing seem to work properly. He gets so much more aggressive when I'm using the "older/traditional" training method... which upsets me and Haruki... and also my family. I soon learned that positive ways can actually work well too. Than the vet told me to use another way.. .. which made it worst. .. Sigh. It's like having a kid, so many suggestions... my head hurts and I began to get confused and mostly frustrated. By reading your page and your blog, it HELPED me out A LOT! Thank you!!!!!!! You're so detailed and so helpful! I am so glad! It's so nice in getting advice from people who actually owns a Shiba. Thank you! Sorry, I know my message is full of thanks, but really! THANKS!
Tsuki, So nice to meet you. Thank you very much for your kind words :) It really put a smile on my face.
The main reason why I write about my experiences is so that others need not repeat the same mistakes that I made with Shiba Inu Sephy. I am very glad that it was helpful to you :)
Hugs and kisses to Haruki. Please let me know if you have further questions and thanks for leaving such a nice comment :)
I have my first shiba inu and all these things sound oh so familiar. He leash bites and is very nippy, sometimes more than others. I'm about at my wits end, i've tried doing the yelping and ignoring to stop the biting but he doesn't care, he goes to chewing on the carpet or chasing his tail.
Please help! I still love the little guy but i want to steer him in the right direction while hes still young.
Hello Christina,
Some things that helped me with my Shiba Inu -
1. Put him in a time-out area if he escalates his biting behavior. I use the laundry room as my time-out because it is boring, has no carpet, and nothing else that Shiba can chew on. Leave him in there for a couple of minutes then let him out. If he goes back to biting, non-mark him (ack-ack) and put him back in time-out for about 10 minutes and so on.
2. Put a drag lead on him with a flat collar so that you can more easily control him.
Here are some other things that helped -
http://hubpages.com/_srec/hub/how-to-train-a-puppy
Here is another article about achieving pack leadership with a Shiba -
http://hubpages.com/_srec/hub/Pack-Leader-Being-Pa
I had a lot of troubles with my Shiba so I wrote a lot about my experiences with him. I also have many articles on my website -
http://www.shibashake.com/shiba-inu-tips-informati
Let me know if you have more questions. It will get a lot better once your Shiba understands that bad behaviors will get him nowhere, and only good behaviors are rewarded. Hang in there - it will get better! :)
Heya, that's a pretty dog, I'm thinking about getting a shiba of my own. As of right now I own two herding dogs: a border collie and an Australian shepherd. Both are very intelligent and hate being controlled. The key is to exert the dominance when they are young like when they are small enough to be held. Hmmm I really love caesor's dog whisper, but it usually works for bigger and more aggressive dogs. You should watch "its me or the dog." I use the methods and it works well for my two crazy dogs.
Hello Hilda,
Yeah I do watch It's Me or the Dog as well. I have also found reward training to be much more effective for my Shiba and Siberian.
Thanks for the good advice :)
I'm in love with your dog!!! SOOOO adorable!
LOL thanks! Yeah he is a cutie but also a terror that flaps in the night ;)
How old is Sephy now? I have a 3yo shiba and a 1yo shiba. The younger one is always playing around and moving but the older one is so calm now. He gets excited to see us and when there are treats involved but after, he goes back to the vent and sleeps. They sometimes play together but the older one doesn't get involved easily. Any ideas to motivate him?
Sephy is over 3 now and he sounds very much like your Shiba. Sephy likes sleeping under the oven when it is on - probably for the vent effect :)
Nowadays it is easy to forget how much of a hellion he was, but just when I am about to forget he will make sure to do something to remind me :D
"They sometimes play together but the older one doesn't get involved easily."
I have noticed this as well with my two dogs. My other dog is over 2 and a Siberian Husky. She is very energetic so sometimes she will work very hard to get Sephy to play with her. Usually chewing on his paws will get him up after a few tries.
"Any ideas to motivate him?"
Hmmm, I guess it would depend on your goals. Sephy is always excited to go to the park, so when I want to motivate him to exercise more, I take him to the park and he is always ready for that.
People coming over to visit also perks him right up, and if there is a dog visitor - he definitely gets super excited.
He also likes playing the flirt pole and the water hose game. Here are some of the games I play with Sephy -
http://www.shibashake.com/dog/dog-play-fun-games-t
Water-hose is a definite favorite during summer time.
Fascinating.
Great hub and awesome photos!
If only my wife liked dogs...
This is great... I have to admit, I have been reading through your site for a while now (over the course of a few years) and I greatly appreciate your dedication to this breed. When I was 12, my dad bought my sister and I two black and tan Shiba pups from the same litter - two sisters for two sisters. Unfortunately we lost one, my sister's, to a car in February and it was extremely hard to take. My dog, Oshi, was the more dominant one, but never has been aggressive toward other dogs. She's living with my mom and her two Bostons now while I'm at school. What's interesting is that I feel like Oshi is certainly a Shiba in the way she behaves, but she is also extremely unique in that she LOVES cuddling and is very much a lap dog. The problem I'm having right now is between Oshi and my mother's dogs. All the dogs are not aggressive in themselves, but Oshi simply wants to play and loves to play. I forgot to mention that she is 8 - the other two Bostons are 8 and 9. When Oshi wants to play, the older Boston sometimes gives in and they have a good (and adorable) romp. The younger Boston is neurotic and will fight Oshi once Oshi provokes her. I know Shibas tend to have aggression between same sexes, but usually they are fine. But on the occasions that Oshi and one of the others do fight.. as a Shiba owner, you realize she would end the fight if she could. I always pull them apart and at times Oshi has left puncture wounds in the other dogs. They are best of friends and then worst of enemies. It's disheartening to see. Any recommendations? I feel horrible for imposing Oshi on my mom while I'm away but I don't have much a choice at the moment.
Hello Sara,
What I have noticed with Sephy is that he ramps up on the dog-excited scale very quickly. He can go from playing nicely, to playing way over the top in practically no time at all.
I have to be careful because my other dog, Shania, is a 3 legged Siberian Husky. When Sephy gets too amped up, he can easily overwhelm her - then it is not playing anymore.
What has worked well is to supervise them whenever there is active play. As soon as I notice Sephy going over the top and getting too excited I stop play. In general, it is better to stop things early before they escalate into something other than play.
Most of the time I just go in with some chicken, call Shania to me, and we do some commands so that I make play-breaks into something fun and positive. Sephy will usually come over too so I do commands with both of them and they both get rewarded. After they calm down, they can go back to play.
Injecting obedience sessions in-between play sessions is a very useful exercise because it teaches the dogs control and at the same time gives us a lot more control over the dogs.
Once things escalate into a fight, it is too late, and the dogs are too amped up to learn anything. I always err on the side of more interrupts and the dogs don't seem to mind because they get to work for chicken during the breaks.
Sometimes, I am a bit late and Sephy is a bit too far gone to listen. I always have a short drag lead on him (only with a flat collar), and in these times the drag lead is very useful for stopping him and getting him to calm down.
I love this site, its amazing! I love the look of Shibas but I would like a dog that will cuddle. Do you think if I raised a Shiba from a puppy that maybe he/she would be more "cuddly"? I feel like if I adopted an older one (Im looking at one who is 11 months old) that this characteristic is already ingrained in them and I'll always have a Shiba who is too good to cuddle haha. Please let me know what you think?
Hello Emily,
I got my Shiba Inu at 10 weeks old. I also wanted an affectionate dog, but Sephy is too cool to cuddle :) He is better now, and will often ask for tummy rubs, but compared to my Siberian, he is still a very aloof dog.
Sadly, the aloofness is a breed trait. Based on my research and on visiting and talking to Shiba breeders, it seems to be a very common thing with Shibas - probably because they are such a primitive breed.
Sephy likes being around people - i.e. he likes being in the house and having people in the general vicinity. However, most of the time he is off by himself thinking deep thoughts. :D
I have to agree with all the above comments. This site is awesome and very informative. I recently purchased a Shiba puppy (Harley), and she's been super fun. I know from reading this site and some others about the challenges ahead, but I was curious how you handle her sleeping arrangements at nite in the beginning. Right now I have a small 1 bedroom condo and I've been using a crate at night, but that's been really hard on my little Harley. Do you have any recommendations? If I leave her out at night I'm afraid of what she might get into or what I'll wake up to as far as accidents. Thanks again! Sephy is really cute! Todd
Hi Todd,
With Sephy, at first I let him roam free during the night and that didn't turn out well at all. I pretty much got no sleep.
Then, I kept him in a crate outside the bedroom and he really didn't like that. But once I moved the crate into the bedroom he was fine with staying in there. I think he really likes to keep an eye on his people. :D
I also let him work on some food toys while he is in there. Once he got used to the routine, he is happy to just settle down and go to sleep.
The only exception is on the night after a vet visit. Then he is feeling like the world has wronged him and he doesn't want to be confined. Probably coz it reminds him of the vet visit. So, in those times, he usually stays in the bedroom but on a leash tied to the bed (only with a flat collar, and fully supervised) so he can't get into mischief.
Hugs to Harley. I think once she gets used to a routine she will be happy to settle down. Shibas like knowing the master plan. :D
Useful tips =)
I'm daydreaming about owning a shiba inu (let's hope that my boyfriend has the same dream xD) and I now know that it is not safe to let shiba inus off-leashed. But as I have a 5.6 acres land and that I live in the country, I was wondering if it would be fine to leave a shiba inu running with my other dogs.
p-s Sephy is really cute x3
Hi Fennel,
I experimented with letting Shiba off-leash several times. My Shiba is very dog-focused, so we only let him off-leash when we were out walking with a group of dogs. Shiba will usually stick with a particular dog and when that dog gets called in, Shiba will come along.
I also got a dog walker some time back that did group dog walks with Sephy.
In general, I have observed that letting Sephy off-leash is an iffy thing because if he spots prey, he will be off and may not be able to get home on his own. My neighbor's Shiba took off because of this and he had to spend the whole day looking for his dogs. Finally he found them in a nearby dog park. :)
One thing you can try is to fence off a smaller area around your property and do off-leash work with Shiba in that enclosed space first. Then based on that you can decide if off-leash is safe.
Each Shiba is different, so ultimately it depends on the individual dog. However, the general independent Shiba spirit and their natural instincts to hunt make it a lot more challenging and dangerous to let a Shiba off-leash.
I wuv Sephy! This was awesome. I have a little min pin, he is my son. Mini Me Preston. He is my shadow and I love this dog so much that I don't think I could live without him. He is spoiled rotten and I don't have the heart to train him and break his spirit. Well, it's too late now even if I wanted to. He is going on 6 years old. Had him since he was weaned. He is a very good boy except for the yapping. But he only yaps at people or dogs going by. Oh and sqirrels, birds, cats, ok, everything! His only other bad habit is dragging me down the street when I walk him on a leash. Yes, this little guy is strong. He's getting better with it I suppose. Anyhow, I love Ceasar Milan. He's amazing. You are a wonderful person for showing so much love and concern for Sephy. Remarkable patience.....Keep educating people, you are a gifted teacher.
My shiba, Kishiru, is almost a year old. I got her when she was about 8 weeks. She was a little monster! The best thing I did was crate train her and use a Kong. She was a rescue that had no human contact (breeder surrender, living in an outside cage with siblings and only humans for food). I forced her to let me hold her, against her will at first. After a while, I would hold her in my lap, upside down, to establish dominance. She now lets me hold her no matter where or in any position. It worked wonders. Teaching her to use the outside for bathroom was another trick. I would take her out for hours and as soon as I came back in she would go on the floor. After much frustration, I started using the "bathroom" command and followed with treats when she went. She is always on a harness/leash when outside so I can make sure to be close. (no fenced in yard). She is a perfect potty goer now. Only took 3 months! lol. The only thing I have not been able to get her to stop is the nipping at pants and hands when she is demanding attention. Does not hurt, but is annoying and may hurt someone else accidentally. She is better, but not perfect. I got her a friend and she is much happier. She actually picked out her friend on a trip to visit one of my friends! The cat came up to her and they have been best friends ever since. They sleep together, play together, clean eachother, and are inseperable. My other 4 cats are thrilled also, since she is not bothering them to play anymore. Best advice, stick with it. Even the worst puppies can be the best dogs with patience and positive reinforcement. Most of her training was done with cuddles and pets and love, not even treats! They LOVE attention and I found that seems to work best. Good luck to everyone!
I'm really glad everything worked out with Sephy in the end. He's an adorable pup, by the way.
When training with Ulan, my guide dog, I was told that even if a dog is the least important member of a pack, it is still happier than if it didn't know it's place in relation to the other group members. A dog can apparently become very distressed if it is an Alpha one day, then the next day it isn't, etc.
You mention that you should never take one person's advice on training your puppy, no matter how well-known and trusted they are. I completely agree.
Even though all breeds have distinguishing personality traits, all dogs are as unique to each other as people are. One method of training can't be applied to one species or breed of said species.
Hello VendettaVixen,
Your dog Ulan sounds amazing. I especially enjoyed the part about your Hide-and-Seek game and how he can open the door with his nose and paws.
Dogs really are a lot of fun, and my dogs have made my life a lot happier and healthier.
Big hugs to Ulan. Love his name!
vince mietlicki 3 years ago
My Shiba has suddenly become very aggressive with other dogs, but not with people. It is as if he thinks the other dogs are going to harm me. Having been separated from our cat for about two years, he recently started grooming the cat's ears and looks forward to going into her room. He seems passive with her, but active with other dogs. This is very hard to figure out the changes in his behavior. He is 2.5 years old and even attacks dogs on TV when he sees them. I am trying to break this behavior, but have had little success.