Shiba Inus are often described as independent, intelligent, headstrong, and dominant. Although these qualities can be frustrating to new Shiba owners, they make this breed so loyal and loving. They may also contribute to the false myth that Shibas are aggressive.
Shiba Inus are one of the oldest dog breeds still in existence today; Shibas history goes back over 300 years In Japan.
Aggression is defined as hostility or unjust behavior towards another person or animal. Dogs displaying aggression will threaten with bared teeth and an intense stare. Some dogs may go further by leaping forward in an attempt to bite or attacking with a continuous onslaught of bites until the other dog retreats.
In most cases, if a dog feels threatened, he will give off warning signs before resorting to any physical confrontation. These include stiff body posture, growling, barking aggressively, and biting without warning.
In many cases, dogs displaying aggression will give the warning signs. However, because humans are typically unaware of these signals or unable to read them correctly, an attack may still occur.
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Although it is difficult to determine if a dog displays aggression due to breed predisposition, there is no evidence that the Shiba Inu breed as a whole has any specific tendency towards violence and aggression. However, Are Shiba Inus Aggressive? Read on…
Are Shiba Inus Aggressive?
Shiba Inus can be aggressive for various reasons. Knowing those reasons and how to help your Shiba become less aggressive can mean all the difference in having a happy relationship with your beloved companion dog.
Aggression in Shiba Inus often stems from one or several of three main causes: fear, pain, or dominance. To make matters more complicated; each cause can stem from a variety of issues.
The most common cause of aggression in Shiba Inus is fear or a perceived threat from an unfamiliar object, person, or animal. When dogs feel afraid, they will often resort to their natural canine defense system and display warning signs such as barking aggressively, growling, or baring their teeth.
In many cases, the dog will then attempt to leave the situation by retreating into his den (house) or behind the nearest human while continuing to show warning signs until the retreat is no longer possible and physical contact is made.
This type of aggression usually stems from insecurity and should not be punished but rather supported through proper training techniques so that your Shiba can feel safe in all situations around anyone he meets. It should also be noted that Shibas suffering from anxiety may not show warning signs before an attack and will often resort to unprovoked biting.
Types Of Aggression In Shiba Inus
1. Pain-induced aggression
Pain-induced aggression in Shiba Inus is often a result of pain caused by illness or injury. This type of aggression is typically displayed as a form of self-defense and can be difficult for even experienced dog owners to recognize.
When your Shiba is experiencing pain, he may look uncomfortable, avoid activities or movements that normally do not cause discomfort, and appear inhibited from socializing due to fear.
Suppose you notice any unusual changes in behavior. In that case, it is important to take him to the vet immediately as untreated pain can worsen over time, leading to severe withdrawal from everything around them, hypersensitivity to touch, and severe ongoing behavioral issues.
2. Dominance-induced aggression
This comes from a dog feeling threatened or challenged by someone who has not earned the right to have that control over him. This type of aggression is most often displayed among two dogs of the same household when neither one feels they are at an advantage in controlling what happens, access to resources, or attention.
When this type of behavior occurs between canine housemates, owners need to dissolve all situations where any tension can arise. Pets should be fed separately, provided with separate areas of their home, and given equal amounts of attention on walks through town instead of giving more affection to one pet than another.
It is also helpful to give each dog his own toy to satisfy both pets during playtime without competition. Females may also display this type of aggression based on position in the social order, but that is less common.
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3. Alpha-induced aggression
This comes from a dog feeling that his owner is challenging him for dominance and control of the household.
This happens most often when owners feel they need to perform tasks such as putting on a leash, giving treats or food, and taking them out during walks because their dogs are not responding to verbal requests politely enough or with quite enough interest.
Dogs who refuse to move around the home may be doing so out of fear and insecurity rather than malice and spite, but it can still feel like an act of dominance if they do not respond quickly enough under all circumstances.
Owners need to make sure that these displays come from a sense of fear and not from trying to control their owners. This can be especially difficult if dogs are not receiving adequate attention for good behavior, which is one cause of dominance-induced aggression in dogs who want to get what they feel is missing out on by making the request themselves.
Other forms of aggression occur when a dog feels threatened or challenged and wants to defend himself and his family from the perceived threat. It helps to know whether this type of aggression comes from excitement, pain, or has no discernible trigger at all so that owners can determine how best to help them through it.
The most dangerous types come without an apparent reason for existing. Still, dogs with other reasons such as poor socialization during puppyhood usually trigger the things that make them aggressive.
Behavioral issues can be caused by many reasons beyond the scope of this article. Contact your local animal control or take your pet to a veterinary professional for assistance if you need help.
Are Shiba Inus Aggressive Toward Humans?
Being bred for hundreds of years to hunt and kill, the Shiba Inu is an independent and intelligent dog breed. This can be both a good and bad trait, depending on how it’s handled within the household.
Shiba Inus are an interesting breed of dog who can sometimes display aggression toward those very close to them. This includes their owners as well as other people and animals.
The best way to deal with behavior like this is to make sure that the pet is approached correctly and given plenty of proper training and socialization opportunities at a young age so that he gets used to being around new people and pets without feeling threatened.
Overall, Shiba Inus are aggressive toward humans far less often than other breeds. They can also be very loving companions who adore their owners and family members.
It’s important to make sure that they feel safe and secure in their environments, including not allowing them to roam outside of the home without supervision.
All dogs like we mentioned above can become frightened or threatened if left alone for a long period. Make sure you offer your dog plenty of playtime opportunities as well as training throughout his life, so he feels challenged but never confused about what is expected of him by those around them.
Shiba Inus, although fiercely loyal to those they choose to love and trust, can turn aggressive toward humans when they feel trapped or threatened for any reason. This often happens in the face of a child who unknowingly “plays too roughly” with the dog because Shiba Inus need their space respected at all times by those around them, even if they don’t immediately show that to you.
They should never be left unsupervised with people (especially children) or other dogs. They should always be on a leash outside of your property unless you’re 100% positive your pup is trustworthy off-leash despite his breed’s hunting history.
Although no two dogs are exactly alike, it’s generally safe to assume that Shiba Inus can be aggressive toward people and other animals if not properly socialized and trained.
How To Calm An Aggressive Shiba Inu
Shiba Inus are known to be very stubborn, fierce dogs. They are characterized by their independent character, high energy level, territorial nature, and strong prey drive.
If you are one of the unlucky owners whose Shiba Inu is aggressive or if your Shiba has become aggressive over time, there are steps to calm an aggressive Shiba Inu.
1. Proper Training
Shibas bark a lot. They have no problem barking at everything that moves outside of their home. Dogs usually bark to warn their masters about potential dangers or intruders or just simply because they want something.
However, Shibas will bark even when all is well with them, so it’s important to train them not to do this as early as possible, especially for those who reside in apartments where noise can be a problem.
Shiba Inu training is just as important as Shiba Inu socialization.
As mentioned, Shibas have a high prey drive, and they will preemptively attack other dogs even if the other dog has not done anything to warrant this kind of behavior.
Good thing that most Shibas can be trained out of such behavior provided early enough (just like barking) before wounds are inflicted.
2. Teach them How To behave & socialize when young.
When you bring home your Shiba puppy, make it a point to teach it how to behave around other animals especially non-canine ones like cats and birds. Train your Shiba not to chase them and always tell them what they should and shouldn’t do by giving verbal commands (e.g., “no
bark”). You can also do this by engaging your Shiba with interactive toys so that it knows what to do when you are not there to watch over it.
When walking with your Shiba, always keep in mind how territorial they can be. When meeting other dogs on the street, teach your Shiba to act around them through obedience training.
Good thing Shibas are intelligent enough, which means that if you train them well enough, they will soon learn how to act appropriately even when meeting new dogs.
Teach them basic commands like “no bark” and “sit.” It’s also best to socialize your puppy with other dogs early on because this is the best time frame for this kind of behavior modification.
3. By getting them a good place to play
It is also recommended to have a specially designated area for your Shiba Inu where they can play and exercise so that they will not easily get bored, leading to destructive behavior.
Don’t ever elicit aggressive behavior from your Shiba Inu even when training them because this can lead to aggression later in life. Be patient when teaching them new tricks and always give positive feedback when they do something good.
If Shibas hear negative words very often, they will learn how to associate the negative with the positive and consider the negative as something of utmost importance.
When problems like aggression arise, always do your research on how to calm an aggressive Shiba Inu and not run to conclusions immediately.
If some issue or condition causes your dog’s aggression, find ways to treat this problem before doing anything else. Most Shibas are very hardy animals; hence they recover from illness faster than most breeds, so as long as you help your dog fight whatever it is that ails him, you can expect a better outcome for your Shiba Inu.
However, if other problems need to be addressed, do not hesitate to contact your local veterinarian, who will guide you in the right direction for this kind of problem.
What type of training should be given to Aggressive Shiba Inus?
Shiba Inus are a unique breed. They have a history of being used as hunting dogs, and thus sometimes can be extremely stubborn, destructive, and dominant. This makes training a Shiba Inu difficult at times.
However, different training methods can be implemented to ensure an aggressive Shiba is properly trained.
In the following paragraphs, four different types of training will be outlined: dominance-based, authoritative-based, reward-based, and science-based/positive reinforcement-based. Each type of method will discuss the pros and cons of each one so that you may essentially find the best way to train your own dog.
1. Dominance-Based Training
Those who keep up on popular culture and current events may know about Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. Millan mostly uses a dominance-based training method with his dogs and those he works with.
This type of training is based on establishing a dominant role over the dog’s psyche to establish control and proper behavior. Obviously, this can be an effective method as it essentially breaks a Shiba Inu’s stubbornness and will make your dog listen to you better.
However, some negative aspects of dominance-based training may not even come to mind immediately. For one, if you’re already starting with an aggressive Shiba Inu, then this kind of training could exacerbate their aggression problems even more because it makes them feel threatened at all times by their owner or “pack leader.”
Another drawback is that owners need to ensure their dog knows they are loved and cared for; dominance-based training does not call for affection.
2. Authoritative-Based Training
This is similar to dominance-based training, but it doesn’t call for establishing a superior role over the dog’s mind; rather, it tries to show respect between the two.
With this method, you will also be spending plenty of time with your Shiba Inu instead of commanding them all the time like you would with dominance-based training.
However, if you are looking to train your Shiba more quickly, authoritative-based may be too slow as there isn’t an immediate shift in power.
It requires more time for your dog to understand what is expected of them if they cannot be trained with an immediate sense of authority.
3. Reward-Based Training
This type of training can be used for any breed of dog, and it involves using treats or other “rewards” as positive reinforcement mechanisms that improve behavior.
This can work well with aggressive Shiba Inus if their aggression isn’t too extreme. It provides the dog with a sense that good behavior leads to goodies instead of the other way around, like dominance-based training (bad = no goodies).
However, this method requires consistency to be successful, meaning every time your Shiba gets rewarded, you must follow through; otherwise, they will catch on quickly.
4. Science-Based/Positive Reinforcement Training
This method includes positive reinforcement for good behavior and aversive techniques to correct bad behavior. Shiba Inus are naturally dominant dogs, so it will be important to establish your “alpha” role over them in order for this type of training to work.
However, there is no physical violence involved when trying to train an aggressive Shiba Inu with this particular method. It may take some time, but it definitely could be the most effective way to train your dog.
The best way for you or anybody else to train their Shiba Inu will vary from individual circumstance, breed temperament, and previous history, among other things, so it is up to you what kind of training works best for your specific situation.
However, this article should provide some insight into what kind of training works best for certain Shiba Inus and their respective owners.
In Conclusion – Are Shiba Inus Aggressive
Shiba Inus are very intelligent and independent dogs. They tend to have a mind of their own and can be very stubborn when it comes to getting their way. If you give in, then they will only take advantage of that in the future.
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