Shiba Inu

Country of origin: Japan.
Standard setting country: Japan.
Category: Hunting and companion dog.
F.C.I. classification: Class V (Spitz and ancient type dogs), Group 5: Asian Spitz and related breeds.
It does not require a work test.

Its original task

A hunting dog that was used to hunt birds and smaller and larger four-legged animals.

Nowadays, they are kept as companion dogs in different countries of the world. The breed is very popular. It attracts attention with its attractive appearance and lively temperament.

Hoshibaru - Shiba Inu Kennel

General appearance

Like other Japanese natural breeds, the Shiba today looks different from what Dr. Saito first described in cynology. Modern Shiba breeding outside Japan is governed by the 1992 FCI standard, which is based on the Japanese standard. Although the Japanese standard differs from the FCI standard at some non-essential points, the form and method of Shiba evaluation differs outside Japan. This difference consists of two essential points:

  • The Japanese pay special attention to the Shiba’s character traits. For Japanese breeders and judges, the dry bureaucratic standard is less important than its presentation.
  • The interpretation and commentary of the standard is as important to them as the textual standard itself and is considered an unconditional part in Japan.
    This means that the Japanese description of the breed, which is valid for judges, breaks down into a reflection on the official standard and its presentation.

Appearance

The Shiba is a small dog. Its secondary sexual characteristics are well developed. Japanese breeders and judges pay a lot of attention to the Shiba breed characteristics. At first glance, it should be clear that the given individual is a male. The spine should be stronger, the muscles denser, the head stands out with large, broad and pronounced cheekbones (like a stuffed sack) and a short nose. The appearance of the eyes and the general position of the head should be masculine.

Bitches always have finer bones, less strong muscles and a thinner tail. The expression of the eyes and the general posture of the body should be kind and gentle. Regardless of the height at the withers, even a small male dog must develop strong muscles, and a large female dog must not make a rough impression or appear masculine.

In general, the Shiba is well-proportioned, yet powerfully built, with strong bones. It has beautiful, well-developed, well-defined musculature in both sexes.

Hoshibaru - Shiba Inu Kennel A alom - A Brilliant Opportunity

Body dimensions and their proportions

Body: The Shiba is a stocky dog, the length of its body is only slightly (11:10 ratio) greater than its height (its quadratic body shape is prominent). The withers are well developed and slightly sloping, and the back is short and straight, level. The high-set tail reaches the hock, but the dog holds it curled up or bent in the shape of a saber over its back. His stomach is slightly stretched. His chest is deep, his ribs are nicely arched. His legs are straight, his knees are slightly arched. His elbows are close to his body. Its thighs are long, its paws are circular, with strongly bent fingers. The neck is thick and strong.

Head: The head of the Shiba is broad and the muzzle is strongly developed. The stop is distinct, with a shallow furrow in the middle of its forehead. The facial part is high and pointed, the bridge of the nose is straight, and the lips are tight. Its small, triangular ears are erect and lean slightly forward. Its relatively small, triangular eyes sit far apart. His outer eyelids rise slightly upwards. The Shiba’s bite is scissor-like.

Tail and limbs

TAIL
The tail sits high, is thick, curls up, or hangs over the back in a sickle shape. When released, it ends a few centimeters above the hock. The fur on the tail is most often straight, giving the impression of a rather open and full-bodied tail. The Japanese say that the tail looks like it was blown by the wind.
FORE LIMBS
Shoulder girdle: Moderate slope. The dog should have well-developed, large, sloping shoulder blades that form an angle of approximately 105-110° with the humerus.
Leg: Straight. The Shiba’s elbows should be close to the trunk and move back and forth at right angles. The forearms should be strong, always pointing vertically towards the floor, and should not have any noticeable bends or growths. The position of the paws – the distance between them – is determined by the width of the chest and the overall shape of the dog.
Forefoot: Slightly slanted. The distance between the front paws determines about half of the height at the withers and takes up 60% of the dog’s total weight (the hind legs carry 40% of the weight). It is clear that the good standing and running of the Shiba depends on the correct angle, position and strength of the front paws. The Shiba has a good gait, which is determined not only by the position of the shoulder blades and shoulders, but also by the shape of the joints of the front legs and paws.
HIND LIMBS
Tail: Powerful.
Hock: Strong, quite strappy.
Legs: The hind legs are the dog’s engine. Therefore, they must be very strong and mobile. Since only limbs with the correct angle and position guarantee powerful forward movement, the Japanese standard pays great attention to the shape of the Shiba’s hind legs.
The Shiba should not have too angular or crooked hind legs. Also, they should not be too steep.
The ideal angle position is determined by the angle between the thigh and the lower leg (knee), which should be approximately 120-125°, and the angle of the heel, which is more open, 145-150° is ideal.
PAW
Vaulted and tightly closed fingers, hard, flexible foot pads. Hard and black or dark coloured claws.

Fur

FUR STRUCTURE

Rough to the touch, straight topcoat, soft, dense undercoat. The tail has slightly longer, standing hairs.

Due to the undercoat, the top coat on the Shiba’s body is at an angle of 45° or more to the skin surface. This undercoat allows the Shiba to easily withstand all weather conditions: rain, wind, snow and frost, but at the same time it causes great difficulties for its owner when he needs to swim.

The healthy coat in a healthy Shiba never gets wet on its own and has a great self-cleaning ability. The standard does not specify a preferred coat length, but this breed is considered fairly short-haired.

In any case, excessively long hair on any part of the body is not desirable.

FUR COLOUR

Sesame (black-tipped, reddish-brown hairs), red, black-tan. The red colour of the fur has a large palette, from light, almost cream-coloured to dark red.

Most often, the colour of the Shiba ranges from red to rust. Cream-coloured Shiba is very rare, this colour is less desirable. Sesame colour in Shiba is the colour that has a thin black tint along with the red colour of variable intensity.

The shading can be different, but first the main colour must dominate the colour of the undercoat.

Every Shiba must have a so-called with urajiro. Urajiro refers to the light-coloured surface of the fur, which is found on the inner surface of the limbs, chest, throat, around the mouth (but not the nose), above the eyes, on the belly, and on the base of the tail.

Visually, urajiro can sometimes appear whitish in colour, but it does not mean white in the strict sense of the word.

Behaviour, temperament

This engaging free-thinker is one of six Japanese dog breeds designated as National Natural Monuments. This is quite a privilege, but not surprising considering that the Shiba Inu breed has been around since 300 BC. Their life expectancy is 13–15 years, and even though they have genetic problems, like all dogs, the primary task of care is to ensure the maximum utilization of the excellent genetic qualities of the breed by ensuring proper dental hygiene and nutrition, as well as avoiding very harmful obesity.

Since the Shiba Inu has a very strong will and can be a bit mischievous, you must always be consistent in the application of positive reinforcement training (rewards, praise), so that our four-legged friend can fit in perfectly with his family and environment.

Character: Balanced, alert, curious and cheerful breed. He rarely barks, but he can be quite attentive. It is closely tied to its owner, but at the same time it always maintains a certain degree of independence. In general, he is quite obedient, has good adaptability, is calm, quiet and careful.

Social behavior: The Shiba gets along well with other dogs. Females and males under the same roof feel good together, however individuals of both sexes can behave defiantly, especially during the estrus period. The Shiba feels good alone, it does not get bored, but it prefers a companion and company. Coexistence with cats and other pets is usually not a problem. He welcomes visitors kindly. He maintains a very good relationship with children, he is basically a lover of children, provided that they do not see him as a stuffed toy.

Hoshibaru - Shiba Inu Kennel
Hoshibaru - Shiba Inu Kennel

Ideal body proportions:

A: The front part of the torso
B: Midsection of torso
C: Well
D: Bust size
E: Elbow height from the floor
E+D = Height at withers
F: Body length
G: Nose length
H: The length of the top of the head
H+G = Head length
I: The width of the face
J: Chest width
Q: Coverage of the front paw joint
L: Hip width

The ideal angle of inclination of the ears

A: A straight line placed on the forehead
B: A straight line placed on the front line of the ear
C: A line set on the back line of the ear