Best products from r/shiba

(1) we have used all of the above. Standard collar holds tags the best, our training class provided a choke collar and we find it easiest for walks, and when he was still very small (8 weeks came home, so for about our first month or so) had him in the harness before we started training.

(2) we have all 3 - the retractable is new and I haven't used it yet, but we got it for beach trips so he can roam, then we started with a nylon and got a leather one from the class. We now use the leather mostly... just because its nice on the human paws :)

(3) We started with a 36" crate, at basically full grown he's fitting in pretty tightly, but still fits. We also ended up adding an ex-pen. If I was buying the crate now, I'd go up a size or two so he'd have some more space. I also highly recommend the pen if you have room.

(4) We've gone through a lot of beds... he's chewed them to bits... so might as well start off simple and cheap. He put a hole in the nice one we got recently within an hour.

(5) When he first came home, his favorites were the rope toys and unstuffed animals with squeekeres. Don't get things with stuffing!! They will try to eat it, and that makes for a lot of supervision needed. Now that he's a little older, he also loves balls, particularly [with teeth]
(https://smile.amazon.com/Coevals-Club-Interactive-Non-Toxic-Cleaning/dp/B01LARUD6M/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1493386356&sr=8-17&keywords=treat+ball+for+dog)
& [brain activity] (https://smile.amazon.com/OurPets-Treat-Ball-Interactive-Dispensing/dp/B003ARUKTG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1493386356&sr=8-3&keywords=treat+ball+for+dog)

(6) Foods:

• Blue Buffalo Puppy Chow
  
• Local pet store organic puppy mix
  
• Pupperoni training treats
  
• Beggin' Bacon Strips
  
• Blue Buffalo PB Hearts crunch treats
  
• Blue Buffalo dental sticks
  
• [Bully Sticks] (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HBVSG74/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) - mostly for teething, but he does "eat" them
  (7) We did a local class. For socializing, we've made sure to introduce him to people from day one - and dogs since he was fully vaxxed unless we know the dog.
  
  (8) Biggest challenge - he has chewed up window sills, door frames, etc when home alone. We originally thought it was OK to leave him in an empty room with just his toys etc bc we had an empty bedroom. He ruined the listed items of the room. Hence, adding the ex-pen. Happiest moments - it's like when people talk about their partners and babies... its the little moments, like when they snuggle up which you don't expect because its rare for the breed, or when they accomplish something - like being house broken, or a command (sit, etc).
  
  (9) we're lucky... he loves both dogs and people. Archer is an attention whore, and the more praise and play the better. This can vary by individual dog, like individual human.
  
  (10) The only thing I wish I could change is how long my commute it, and how late I get in. My husband is able to spend more time with the puppy than me which is just my own jealousy. Also... we use a dog walker 1-2 times a day (we're moving down to 1 now that he holds his bladder/bowels longer). The mid-day visit is SO important, if you can't take lunch at home... you need to have him with someone - a dog walker, a pet daycare. He cannot be alone for that long.
  
  Also... know he's a smart breed. He's not like a lab or a collie who will live to please you. You live to serve him (or her! I have a boy, so I keep using him) which means that you have to learn about his idiosyncracies. Because he is smart, but easily bored... you will need to figure out what kind of attention and stimulation keeps your shibe baby happy. Is it mental stimulation and logic puzzles? They make more than the tops I shared... so start looking. Also, just play hide and seek. Does his hunter instinct kick in? Sometimes, when he's feeling extra frisky instead of feeding him in a bowl, I'll toss his kibble and treats into the toy, or literally around the room so he can "hunt" for dinner. Is he feeling neglected? Bored? he's going to cause trouble...so how can you make sure he knows you love him. Think of him like April Ludgate in Parks & Rec, or a cat. He wants to know he can have your attention when he wants it - but he will not just snuggle because you want to... or pay attention to you if it doesn't meet his interests or needs. You'll fall in love (hopefully) and won't care, but the shiba will rule the fam not vice versa so get ready for it.

I really want to give Yoshi a hug.

My dude was really nervous about getting his nails clipped, hated every minute of it. He still doesn't like it but he doesn't freak out like he used to, here's what I did.

I hated the guillitine clippers, the potential for bleeding, I tried at first and immediately became convinced that filing was the way to go. So I bought high grit sandpaper, that didn't work either. Then I bought a little mini dremel like this one and it works perfectly. Just do it outside and I use a paper mask so I don't inhale nail dust.

Onto the squirming, it might help to have a friend at first but the trick with my guy was treats. Peanut butter may work well because it takes them a while to swallow so their attention will be had for longer, but I used to feed him cut up slim jim pieces during training so I used those. I take a pair of scissors and cut a long slim jim up in to tiny little pieces. Then give him a few to calm him down and take his mind off what he thinks (knows) is about to happen. Then turn on the dremel, let it run for a bit so he gets used to the noise, keep giving him treats and telling him he's doing great. Stay relaxed, if you are worried or tensed up he will be too, so you just have to remain as calm as you can. Remember dogs can be trained to sense seizures in humans, never underestimate how well your dog can sense whether you're tense or not. Then begin to file down his nails, the dremel files them down super fast but make sure to not hold it up against his nails for more than a few seconds at a time because it will create heat, not a lot but it's always nice to be on the safe side. The dremel is really gentle, I hit my skin with it on accident from time to time and it doesn't hurt.

Give him a treat anytime he starts to squirm, but more importantly try to give him a treat the minute he relaxes and is behaving the way you want. The ultimate goal is to help him understand grooming time is a time when he gets lots of delicious treats!

Hopefully that helps!

Here are my favorite positive training book

The Other end of the Leash: this one is a really fantastic book on understanding dogs, dog behavior, interacting with them, building a relationship with respect versus dominance. Anything by Patricia B. McConnell is going to be solid advice and techniques.

101 Dog Tricks - just gives a really good guidelines on luring your dog into tricks versus forcing them, plus a lot of good tricks that help with mental stimulation.

Play with Your Dog: Just another really good book on good training, playing, and positive relationship building.

Ahimsa Training manual: This is the training manual from one of the best training facilities in Seattle. There are really good positive trainers.

BAT Book: Behavior Adjustment Training by Grisha Stewart: This book was a life saver for me. Shibas are prone to being really reactive and sometimes have issues with aggression and predatory drift issues, and this book really digs deep into understanding your dog and helping them make the right choices and building them up for success. I personally don't think you need to have an aggressive/reactive dog to get a lot of good info from this book.

Anything by Cesar Milan will NOT be positive training methods. He very much does not follow that philosophy. Positive training techniques do not use force, aversion, do not believe in alpha dominance theory, no physical punishment. It is a give and take type of relationship. Cesar Milan style tends to not do well with primitive breeds especially the Japanese dog breeds.

Looks like you have a good list going, remember to update your pups microchip with your address and get him/her a tag with your details.

We got a 36 inch crate and it's plenty big for our boy (he's around 30 pounds).

Puppia harness is a great starter harness, it's soft and doesn't have a bunch of metal jingling pieces which our puppy HATED on his harness our breeder gave us.

Kibble, check out dog food advisor for reviews and ratings of foods content, we were using grain free salmon and sweet potato from chicken soup for the soul, it's decently priced and well rated I can't find it anywhere atm so we're switching him back to their normal kibble.

Salmon Oil is a lifesaver in the winter, our pup gets terribly dry skin and extremely itchy without it.

Start out with a puppy kong, they sell kong fillers that are cheese and peanut butter flavored, our puppy was pretty picky at first and only ate the cheese one, didn't like frozen kongs either.

I'd start with a Basic Collar here's a Dog Tag Silencer and a Break-away collar for outdoors or dog park. A dog was choked unconscious at our park so I typically just keep our guys ID tags on his harness and don't use a collar, but if you do I definitely recommend a break-away if you are primarily using a harness with it.

Items we found useful: Bed Liner, Crate Fence, Kong, Stainless Steel Bowls (highly reccomend US made do not buy any made in China for health reasons), Zippy Paws Hide and Seek toys, Potty/accident cleaner, Potty Bells, Anti-chew Bitter Apple spray, 50 ft Leash, Retractable Leash, Soft stop Leash extender, Car Seat Belt, Car Booster Seat, Gentle Shampoo, Comb, Travel Water Bottle, Flirt Pole, Special Treats, Chew Stick, Greenies

Sorry for the HUGE list lol, feel free to ask any questions!

Shibas play differently than other dogs. The best way we kept our girl interested in playtime with a ball was to get a cat toy - had a stuffed bird inside and made noise when it rolled. She loved it and it spurred her prey drive. We also got a dog-hearty flirt pole and it’s still her favorite toy.

For the biting - he’s probably never been taught how to mouth rather than bite down and doesn’t realize what he’s doing. The trainer should be able to help with that.

Hiya! I’ve only had my shiba for a year now and he just started shedding a couple months back so maybe I’m not at the worst of it yet, but I think I have a pretty good routine going so far! So we have two types of brushes we use regularly, the first brush being a slicker brush, like this that we use every couple days. The second brush, this bad boy that is really effective, but we can only use once a week or else it would damage your shibas skin and nobody wants that. It’s really just a matter of brushing (using proper techniques in order to not hurt your pup!) regularly to tame the fur. It never really has an end to be honest, but we can always try!

Please try a [soft cone too] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045Y1JG6/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_h3gXub0DC0SPN) It is far more comfortable, allows them to sleep better, and reach their food/water bowls.

When we first got our rescue, he was very insecure, and nervous. He licked and gnawed a spot on his foot until it was raw, and bleeding. But lots of love, reassurance, and Neosporin cured it.

However, as others have mentioned, it's probably impacted anal glands. Even groomers will empty them for you. It's a substance that has the consistency of old rubber cement, and smells like fish that has been left out in the sun a few days. Not pleasant.

Good luck! And please update!

Have you taught leave it and drop it? Both good things to work on. Coarse start with low value items. Worked well with my boxer she has even dropped a deer bone a coyote left in the field. Which before she'd get all upset.

Resource guarding is natural behavior some dogs do it more than others. It can be with space, toys, and commonly food especially high value food.

Whats more awesome than steak.. Saya my shiba loves meat.. she is raw fed so she could tell ya it's yummy. She does not resource guard, but my boxer does. I've worked on her leave it, drop it and on trading for it. She has improved over time.

This book covers resource guarding I'd recommend checking the book out.
https://www.amazon.com/Mine-Practical-Guide-Resource-Guarding/dp/0970562942

So cute, what a sweet little cupcake!

​

If you don't mind me asking, which size did you get and how do you and doggo like it?

I have one of these on my wishlist and I am wondering whether my 30-Lb shiba boi will be comfy in medium or large.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07B96YHRY/?coliid=I141AABZ1MOO30

Ruffwear Front Range Harness
It’s a Ruffwear Front Range Harness (Small) - $39. No handle on it, but because these guys are not large, not really necessary, as you can easily just grab the harness itself if you need to. Very easy to put on and off as you just slide it over the head and then snap/clip around the body - if it takes more than 4-5 seconds to put on you’re taking your time.

This is the best cart ever. Well made and practical.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0752XNDYC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have a slicker brush that retracts. Picks up a lot of hair and is easy to clean.
Looks like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGPI3OY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6-drDbQSGRM87

My Shiba looooooves getting petdowns when I wear deshedding gloves like these
Https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078PJRWNS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4.drDbDZRSASM

I also have amazon’s knockoff of the furminator, but I’ve used it more on my carpet to get out fur the my old vacuum couldn’t pull than I have on my Shiba.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M5DS0Z7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GberDb8VH8NMN

My pup has always gotten out of harnesses too so I stopped bothering a year ago but I recently saw someone post about a gooby harness a couple of weeks ago. I decided to buy one and it is definitely a game changer! She used to get too excited, pull, and choke herself then throw up. I don’t know what it is that is different but she now behaves and walks calmly with the harness on.

I know the dogs are both older but it wouldn’t hurt to take them to a basic training class that uses positive reinforcement. I would maybe suggest that you take your wife’s dog and she take yours. The idea isn’t to train the dogs so much as it is to condition them to listen better, which it sounds like your wife’s dog needs, but it will help both of you learn how to handle the dogs better and improve their bonds with the person doing the training.


It’ll also give them something to do together that’s positive & that’s really the goal. Right now they have negative interactions with negative consequences. This needs to shift to positive interactions with positive consequences.


Punishment when something bad happens is hard for dogs to understand. They don’t know that the bite was wrong or the growl was wrong or the way they looked at something was wrong and so it becomes hard to remove a bad behaviour because instead of stopping an aggression they just hide or adjust how it’s displayed. This is dangerous, because you may think they’re ok when in truth they’re just showing the aggression differently.


Positive reinforcement doesn’t teach dogs to hide their reactions. Instead you reward the actions you want to see and build positive connections between action / your reaction. It takes time, especially after an attack, but with the right training and tools I think you’ll get there.


I’d also recommend seeking a registered behaviourist if it’s within your budget, and recommend the following books:


Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0

Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs

That is Julius K9 IDC Harness that has removable side patches, he has custom ones here.

https://www.amazon.com/Julius-K9-IDC-Power-Harness-Red-Size/dp/B004IQ2GHW?th=1

Our shibe Maki is about 20 pounds and uses the Mini size. It is the only harness he likes to use!

This guy:

Ruffwear - Front Range No-Pull Dog Harness with Front Clip, Twilight Gray (2017), Small https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ9AIBU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_x53Uzb2CFPFDA

And this guy:

Tuff Mutt - Hands Free Dog Leash for Running, Walking, Hiking, Durable Dual-Handle Bungee Leash, Reflective Stitching, 4-Foot Long, Adjustable Waist Belt (Fits up to 42" waist) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQZGD42/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_f63UzbK0F4J75

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0745Y17SF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here :)

Ruffwear - Front Range All-Day Adventure Harness size small harness