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 Aggression is an overloaded word. It can mean anything from staring, jumping, showing teeth, lunging, growling, barking, or the terrible B-word, biting. Usually, aggression is used to describe dogs that overact to a stimuli (e.g. another dog, a stranger, food). Reactivity is a new, perhaps less negative term, coined to describe the same behavior. Some trainers use aggression to describe dogs that overact as a result of dominance and reactivity to describe dogs that overact as a result of fear. These terms are just labels, and it is not useful to overly focus on which label to use. The important thing is to recognize extreme behavior in your dog, which causes you to lose control. For the rest of this article, I will treat the terms aggressive = reactive = extreme behavior. What constitutes "extreme behavior" varies from person to person, and is dependent on context. Mouthing and showing teeth in one context may just be play (see right), while in another, it may be dangerous. A problem only arises when the human/owner is not in control of their dog. If your Shiba is biting you and causing puncture wounds, it is best to seek professional help.
Shibas tend to be more prone to reactive behaviors because they are a strong-willed, stubborn, independent breed with a strong hunting (prey) and protective drive. They are also a primitive breed, and have reactions that are closer to their wolf ancestors compared to more domesticated breeds. If you are having aggression issues with your Shiba, then know that you are not alone. I had many aggression issues with my Shiba. There are also many touching stories from the Toronto Shiba Meetup about dealing with an aggressive Shiba. The NYC Shiba Meetup and Dogster also have numerous threads on Shiba aggression.
In this article I will draw on my own Shiba experiences as well as the shared postings of Shiba owners from the above forums to discuss the key challenges facing a Shiba owner whose dog is exhibiting extreme behaviors that are difficult to control.
I was very embarrassed, shocked, and worried when my Shiba first showed signs of aggression. It happened four days after we brought him home (at 10 weeks old), when we took him to the vet. The vet was very afraid of him and had to muzzle him to do an examination. She later recommended that we return him to the breeder. I never visited with this poor vet again, but at the time it was very difficult not to be embarrassed, and try to show that we were good doggie parents by scolding and punishing our Shiba. Many of my neighbors also gave us this "you are such a bad doggie parent" look. Because I was so embarrassed I made some very bad mistakes. The worst was using alpha rolls and other aversive techniques including leash jerks with him. My embarrassment also caused me to get angry, and frustrated with my Shiba. I was also jealous and hurt when my Shiba would behave better with other family members. After all, I feed him and take care of him most of the time, why should he misbehave most with me? Although it is very natural to have such feelings, they are very detrimental to helping a Shiba with his reactivity.
- Remember that your Shiba's behavior is a result of conditioning, and not from lack of love.
Contrary to popular doggie movies, dogs are not humans. It is natural for us to place our own, very human values and expectations upon them but that is not the way they think. Dogs respond to conditioning (classical and operant). Dogs will repeat behaviors that have good results and reduce behaviors that have bad results. What constitutes a good or bad result can sometimes vary from dog to dog. A reward need not be food, it can be attention, access to people, access to locations, etc. If your Shiba is showing aggressive behaviors that are continuing to escalate, then he is inadvertently being rewarded for that bad behavior. Does he get to go on a walk when he jumps up on you and makes a pest of himself? Does he get to smell the other dog by whining loudly and lunging? Does nail clipping stop when he mouths or bites you? Do you back away when he growls and shows teeth? If so, then he is getting what he wants through aggressive behaviors and will continue those behaviors. Once you accept that your Shiba is not acting out of hate, jealousy, or some other silly human emotion, then you can move on and start reshaping his behavior by changing the consequences of his actions.
 Don't worry about what strangers think, your Shiba's welfare is more important.
The welfare of your little Shiba is more important than what some stranger thinks of you. Actively watch out for feelings of embarrassment, anger and frustration and try to redirect yourself to a more positive frame of mind. Rather than focus on what the stranger is saying, think about the fun you had with your Shiba just this morning and how cute he looked with cheese bits all over his muzzle and his tongue hanging out in a goofy smile. Carry some goofy pictures of your Shiba with you to help redirect your negative feelings. Remove yourself and your Shiba from the unpleasant stimulus as soon as possible.
 If your Shiba is showing aggressive behaviors do not push him too quickly in the socialization process. Socialization is now a popular buzzword in dog training, but don't force your Shiba into becoming a social butterfly if he is not comfortable being one. It is important to teach your Shiba good manners when greeting people and other dogs, but do not force him to interact or play if he prefers not to.
- Spay or neuter your Shiba.
Many owners are reluctant to spay or neuter their dogs because they are afraid that the process may change their dogs' personality. According to the Humane Society of the United States, "A dog's personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones". This article by the Dog Owner's Guide also has useful information on spay and neuter surgery.
- Socialize your Shiba slowly.
Start socializing your Shiba by walking him on-leash in your own neighborhood. See how your Shiba reacts to calm dogs, fenced reactive dogs that he can't see, and then fenced reactive dogs that he can see. Desensitize him to each of these situations slowly so that he does not practice any aggressive behaviors. It is important to maintain calm and assertive energy when meeting other dogs. If you are tense, your Shiba will pick up on that energy, and get tense and reactive as well. Once your Shiba is calm around the neighborhood, you may want to take him to a nearby SPCA and desensitize him there. At the SPCA there are usually fewer dogs around than in a dog park and SPCA dogs are usually handled by trainers or trained volunteers. There is less danger of things getting out of control at the SPCA. Taking a dog obedience class is also a good way to socialize your Shiba and have him focus on you even when there are other dogs around. A class is also a good way to meet friends that you can later invite for play dates.
- Find socially adept and balanced dogs to be your Shiba's friend.
- On-leash vs. off-leash
Note that your Shiba may display different behaviors when he is meeting dogs on-leash or off-leash. The leash can sometimes create fear (because your Shiba can't run away) and barrier frustration (your Shiba can't get to the other dog). As a result, your Shiba may act more aggressively when he is on-leash compared to when he is off-leash. Nevertheless, it is useful to teach your Shiba polite greetings whether he is on or off-leash. If your Shiba is only aggressive on-leash then you can use off-leash time as a reward for him behaving on-leash. If you are unsure of your Shiba, first start desensitizing him to dogs from a distance and slowly work your way towards a greeting. It is also possible to use a muzzle, but that may cause the same fear and barrier issues as the leash (my Shiba does not like the muzzle and shuts down when he has a muzzle on). Another possibility is to let the dogs meet from across a fence, but this can cause barrier frustration.
The Association of Pet Dog Trainers is a great resource for finding professional help. Here is what they say about things to look out for when choosing a trainer. An alternative to getting a trainer is to send your Shiba to boot camp. I have never sent my Shiba to boot camp. My poor guy got stressed from going to daycare once, for about 8 hours. He came back sick, depressed, stressed, and car reactive. I don't think he would handle boot camp too well. My opinion is that boot camps are risky. You don't know exactly what is happening to your dog during his time there. A trainer once told me that she subdued a Shiba by giving him an extremely strong correction with a choke chain and then holding him down in a forceful alpha roll while looming over him and growling at him. The Shiba defecated and after that incident, he was very "well-behaved". Even if my Shiba miraculously became well-behaved, I would lose a lot of hard-earned trust. Finally, the training done at boot camp may not transfer to you. If you are still fearful of your Shiba, projecting weak and unbalanced energy, and inconsistent in enforcing your rules, your Shiba will return to his old ways.
- Get a trainer that is familiar with Shibas.
Shiba Inus are still not very common in the United States and it can be difficult to find a trainer that is familiar with Shibas. Shibas are primitive, stubborn, and extremely strong willed. It is best to get a trainer with a lot of Shiba experience, is knowledgeable of the breed, and has successfully trained them. After over a year and a half of meeting with trainer types, I have finally met one who knows Shiba. She handled my Shiba very well and very correctly identified him as a "reaction junkie" (playing, chasing, or fighting are all rewards to him as long as he gets a reaction. The bigger the reaction, the better it is.). Previous trainers who "said" they knew Shiba, but really didn't, have alpha rolled him to detrimental results. Others were uncomfortable dealing with a dog that mouthed so much, would not surrender, and would be constantly trying to push their buttons. One of them told me that my Shiba was spending the weekends "devising new strategies to defeat her" ^.^ Remember that if at first you don't find the right trainer, find another one. To quickly get a feel for the trainers around you, enroll for classes in a variety of places, and take your Shiba to a nearby SPCA, daycare center or training facility to get advice and evaluations.
- Get a trainer that shares the same training philosophy as you do.
Refer to the Dog Training Overview for the pros and cons of various dog training methods. Choose a trainer/behaviorist that shares the same philosophy as you do about training and relationship building with your dog.
- Get a trainer who has well socialized, balanced dogs that she can use to help socialize your Shiba.
Often, the best teacher for your dog is another dog, especially with dog-to-dog aggression issues. While we may try to learn dog to better communicate with our Shiba, a well socialized, balanced dog, is not only extremely fluent in doggie language, but knows when, and how to use it to achieve the most effective results. Find a trainer that has a pack of balanced, well-socialized dogs, so that they may help in the training process.
- Get help from your breeder.
Breeders know their breed very well and have many friends in the dog profession. She can point you in the right direction to get help and can introduce your Shiba to some good playmates.
 Dealing with Shiba aggression can be difficult, and may take a long time to fix, but
- The rewards are well worth the trouble.
Life with a Shiba is always interesting, surprising, and full of laughs.
- Things will get better.
Many Shiba owners are going through the same thing, and their Shiba's behavior has and continue to improve.
When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
~Author Unknown
- Your Shiba will challenge you less as he matures.
... but he will keep challenging you. That is one of the joys of owning a Shiba ^.^
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