Shiba Inu

Bold, independent and fastidious; reserved with strangers.
A Shiba Inu
Photo: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan
Adult male
8–11 kg
18–24 lb
Adult female
7–9 kg
15–20 lb
Lifespan
14.6 yrs
Class · Companion

What it's like

In temperament the Shiba is alert, bold and independent, and reserved with strangers. It is fastidious and is often said to groom itself like a cat. When displeased it may let out a piercing cry that owners call the Shiba scream. A photograph of a Shiba named Kabosu became the widely shared Doge internet meme.

Owners in a large survey found Shiba Inu dogs tend to be calmer and more independent-minded than dogs in general. On friendliness with other dogs, they were about average. More of their owners than usual said they howl often. Breed is only a small part of any one dog's personality, so meet the dog before you decide.
Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Likes its own space
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is a Shiba Inu right for you?
Take the breed matcher

Living with one

It has a double coat, an outer coat over an undercoat. Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on a brush once a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. It needs a moderate amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Shiba Inu is a small dog, about the weight of a grown Pug. Males end up clearly heavier than females.

The Shiba is compact and muscular, with small, triangular pricked ears, deep-set eyes and a thick tail curled over its back. Its double coat has a stiff, straight outer layer over a soft undercoat. It comes in red, black and tan, or sesame, all with pale cream markings called urajiro on the cheeks, throat, chest and underside.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Shiba Inu puppy is already as heavy as a grown Jack Russell. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0510152m4m6m9m12m18m
0510152m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
2.0–2.8 kg 4.4–6.2 lb
2.3–2.9 kg 5.1–6.4 lb
3 months
2.8–3.8 kg 6.2–8.4 lb
2.9–3.7 kg 6.4–8.2 lb
4 months
3.9–5.3 kg 8.6–11.7 lb
3.8–4.9 kg 8.4–10.8 lb
5 months
4.8–6.6 kg 10.6–14.6 lb
4.5–5.9 kg 9.9–13.0 lb
6 months
5.6–7.6 kg 12.3–16.8 lb
5.1–6.6 kg 11.2–14.6 lb
7 months
6.1–8.4 kg 13.4–18.5 lb
5.5–7.1 kg 12.1–15.7 lb
8 months
6.5–9.0 kg 14.3–19.8 lb
5.8–7.5 kg 12.8–16.5 lb
9 months
6.9–9.4 kg 15.2–20.7 lb
6.1–7.8 kg 13.4–17.2 lb
10 months
7.1–9.8 kg 15.7–21.6 lb
6.2–8.0 kg 13.7–17.6 lb
11 months
7.3–10.0 kg 16.1–22.0 lb
6.4–8.2 kg 14.1–18.1 lb
12 months
7.4–10.2 kg 16.3–22.5 lb
6.5–8.3 kg 14.3–18.3 lb
15 months
7.7–10.6 kg 17.0–23.4 lb
6.7–8.7 kg 14.8–19.2 lb

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Shiba Inu lived to about 14 and a half years, longer than the typical small breed.

Where it comes from

Bred to hunt birds and small game, the Shiba Inu comes from the mountains of Japan that face the Sea of Japan, and its name means small dog. When imported English Setters and Pointers made pure Shibas scarce, hunters began saving the regional Mino, Sanin and Shinshu types in 1928, and in the 1930s the breed was declared a natural monument of Japan4,9.

The Shiba Inu nearly disappeared in the mid-twentieth century, when wartime bombing and a distemper epidemic that followed left few dogs alive. Breeders rebuilt it from the surviving regional bloodlines, and the modern Shiba took shape from that mix. Dogs reached the West after the war, and kennel clubs in Britain and America later recognised the breed. It was a hunting dog that flushed birds and small game in dense mountain undergrowth.

Breed standard

The Shiba Inu is judged against standard no. 257, in group 5, Spitz and primitive types4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Shiba Inu figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a small breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

Akita
Spitz & primitive · Large
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Small
Norwegian Buhund
Spitz & primitive · Medium
Kishu Ken
Spitz & primitive · Medium
Or compare the Shiba Inu with any breed you choose
Track your own Shiba Inu
Log a minute a day and watch them sit on these curves. Free.

Sources

Something wrong on this page?
Parts of this page were written by AI ·