Many joy. Much wow. Is there any dog so synonymous with an internet meme as the Shiba Inu, known to many simply as Doge? The adorable face of this dog has been shown all over social media websites, but is the Shiba Inu the right breed of dog (or doge) for you? In this blog post, we’ll tell you all about them.
Origins
Long (long) before the internet made this breed famous, it originated in Japan (so as well as this dog being a doge, it’s also a dogū) a very long time ago. In fact representations of this dog (or its very close ancestor) date back to the Jōmon period in Japanese history, which was around 14,000-300 BC, so this truly is an ancient breed. It was bred to be a hunting dog and excels at flushing game from the undergrowth, and while the breed was crossed heavily with western dog breeds in the early of the 20th Century, that signature look has remained.
Appearance
The Shiba Inu is a double-coated dog with fox-like ears and a compact but quite muscly body. Its tail curls over the top of its back and it has longish legs in comparison to its frame. It has a long muzzle, and this dog can grow up to 43cm in height. They have very expressive faces too, so it’s very easy to attach human personalities to them.
Temperament
This breed is not the easiest to train. It has a very bold, strong, and domineering personality and you will need to be quite strict, especially in its formative years. On the plus side though, they love to play with other dogs and humans alike, though they don’t always get on very well with other types of pets – cats are notoriously unsure around this breed so if you have a bit of a menagerie in your home, another breed will likely be a better option.
Exercise
Shibas are pretty low-maintenance when it comes to exercise and require no more than an hour of walking a day. They enjoy trotting alongside a human, but they will often try to take charge of the journey so you have to be strong on the lead, and teaching it to heel (while tricky) is worth the effort.
If your Shiba Inu does obey your commands, you’ll need to reward it with some nutritious treats, and you can find plenty of these at tails.com.
The most legendary of dogs!