Are Shiba Inus Truly Independent

7/30/2019 Are Shiba Inus Truly Independent

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Are Shiba Inus Truly Independent?

by shibashake8 Comments

If you look at thepersonality, temperament, orbreed descriptions of Shiba Inus, they arealways listed as independent dogs.

Are they truly independent? and what does independence mean here?According to Dictionary.com there are 17 different meanings to independent. Many ofthem describe the Shiba Inu well, especially the definitions pertaining to independent

thought and action.

Are Shiba Inus TrulyIndependent?

Indeed Shiba Inus are

not easily influenced or

controlled by others they have a mind of

their own and that is

why Shiba Inus can bechallenging to train and

to share your life with.

However, the other keydefinition of independence has to do with reliance i.e. whether someone relies on

another for their existence, care, and support.

Indeed Shiba Inus are not easily influenced or controlled by others they have a mind of

their own.

Clearly by this definition, all dogs are somewhat reliant on us and never totallyindependent. However, I would argue that Shiba Inus are even more reliant on usthan
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many other dog breeds.

In particular -

1 Shiba Inus are indoor dogs. My Shiba goes outside sometimes but he prefersbeing inside the house most of the time, and in the general vicinity of his humans.

2 Shiba Inus need to have their people around. If you leave them alone for too long

they will become destructive and/or escape.3 Shiba Inus like engaging in activities with others. This is probably true of all dogs

because they are pack animals, however, some dog breeds are more independent

than others.For example, my Siberian Husky will go hunting and exploring in the backyard on her

own. She is good at entertaining herself and always manages to find something

interesting to do.

My Shiba Inu on the other handwill only sleep when he is by himself. For any otheractivity, including working on food toys,playing in the backyard, orplaying with toys, he

will wait until someone else is there to do the activity together with him.

Are Shiba Inus truly

independent? Not interms of self-reliance.

Are Shiba Inus trulyindependent?

Not in terms of self-

reliance.If you must be away at

work or somewhere

else for most of the day,

it is best not to get aShiba Inu. They may be independent when it comes to following commands, but they are

extremely reliant on their people.

Owning a Shiba Inu takes a lot of time and patience. Only consider getting a Shiba Inu ifyou have a lot of time available to spend with your new Shiba Inu puppy to train him,

to play with him, to walk him, and to bond with him EVERY DAY.

Read more about the Shiba Inu personality
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Owning a Shiba Inu takes a lot of time and patience. Only consider getting a Shiba Inu if

you have a lot of time available to spend with your new Shiba Inu puppy

Is Dominance the Cause of Most Bad Dog Behavior?

by shibashake3 Comments

Dog dominancehas gotten a lot of attention in the last few years due to Cesar Millan.

Cesar Millan places a heavy emphasis on dog dominance and pack leadership in his dog

training show, The Dog Whisperer. The Dog Whisperer airs on the National GeographicChannel and is currently the most popular dog training program.

Often, there is much confusion and debate surrounding the concept of dog dominance.

Some people cannot stop talking about it, and attribute all the ills of their furry friend onthe dreaded d-word. Others, ban the mention of the d-word from their forums, claim that

there is no such thing as dog dominance, and continually decry that the so-

calleddominance theory has been debunked.

Here, I want to consider dog dominance what is fact, and what is fiction. Is dog dominance a myth? Has dominance theory been debunked? Does dominance cause most bad dog behaviors? How do we deal with a dominant dog?

Who is right and who is wrong in this dog dominance debate?
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The Dirty D-Word in Dog Training Dominance

Is Dog Dominance a Myth?

Is Dog Dominance a

Myth?Some people claim that

dog dominance is a

myth that is onlyperpetuated by

television trainers to

improve ratings.

What is dominance?There are two

meanings that apply

when it comes to dogs.2. Dominance the state that exists when one person or group has power over another.

4. Dominance the power or right to give orders or make decisions.

~~[The Free Dictionary]In a dog pack, for example, the alpha male and female has the power to give orders and

make decisions, thus they have dominance over other members of the pack. Dominance

however, is not tied to only pack animals.

For example, lions are powerful predators that have dominance over most of the animalkingdom. When they stop at a water hole, all the animals clear out.

We also have dominance over animals, not because we have sharp claws and powerful

bodies, but because of our brains. Our dominance comes from building tools andstructures, as well as controlling resources and territory, rather than from our physical
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attributes.

A better way to achieve dominance is through our control of resources.

Does dominance exist between dogs? Yes, sometimes.

Does dominance exist between dogs and people? Yes, sometimes.However, there are multiple ways to achieve dominance. One way to achieve dominance

is through threat of punishment or violence. This type of dominance is often referred to as

absolutism, despotism, and tyranny.

Another way to achieve dominance is through persuasion and the manipulation ofresources. Human institutions today gain supremacy mostly through the control of

resources and diplomacy.In fact, we have laws against using physical punishment and violence to gain power and

control over other people, especially those who cannot protect themselves.
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Often, it

is not

about

dominance at all. In this picture Husky puppy Shania is on top, but she is only playing a

fun wrestling game.

Has dominance theory been debunked?

Based on the studies that I have read, what has been debunked is the concept that a groupof wolves get together, and have Thunderdome style fights with each other to establish

physical dominance. At the end, the last one standing is King or Alpha.

This is a myth.Rather, it has been discovered that most wolf packs are family groups where the alpha

male and female are simply the parents of the family. The alpha pair still has dominance

over its members (i.e. they are in a position of authority) but that position is *not* gained

through physical aggression.dominance

Animal Behavior. high status in a social group, usually acquired as the result of

aggression, that involves the tendency to take priority in access to limited resources, asfood, mates, or space.

~~[Dictionary.com]

It is this concept of high status through physical aggression, that has been proved to be

inaccurate.
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It is this concept of high status through physical aggression, that has been proved to be

inaccurate.

Does dominance cause most bad dog behaviors?

Dominant Dog

Recently, it has become popular to attribute almost allbad dog behaviorsto dominance. If

a dog walks ahead of us, it is because he is trying to dominate us. If a dog growls when

we approach his food or his toy, it is because he thinks he is the boss. If a dog jumps onus, it is because he is trying to show us that he is leader of the pack.

Why did the dog pull to get ahead?

Frequently because he is excited and wants to get to the next bush to smell and mark.Dominance has nothing to do with it.

Why did the dog growl when people approached his food?

Because from experience, the dog has learned that when people come near his

belongings, he loses it forever. As a result, he starts to protect his stuff before it gets takenaway by force.

Why did the dog jump on a total stranger?

Sometimes, dogs jump because they want to lick us on the face which is an appeasementbehavior. At other times, dogs jump because they are excited and want to play.
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Dogs jump because they want to lick us on the face which is an appeasement behavior.

Dominance can cause bad dog behavior, including aggression. However, most of the

time, bad dog behavior is a result of mis-communication between us and our dog. Often,

we inadvertently reward our dog for his bad behavior, which encourages him to keeprepeating it.

For example, when a dog jumps, our most common reaction is to push back with our

hands and arms. From our dogs point of view, this is a fun wrestling game where he gets

a lot of attention. This rewards the dog for jumping, and gets him even more excited.Does dominance cause most bad dog behaviors? No.

Most bad dog behaviors occur because we respond incorrectly or with inaccurate timing.As a result, our dog learns the wrong lessons and the bad behavior worsens.

For example, if we keep using force to take things away from our dog he will learn to

associate people approaching him or his belongings as a negative event. In the future, he

may decide to start protecting himself and his stuff with his teeth.
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Dominance can cause bad dog behavior, including aggression. However, most of the

time, a bad behavior is a result of mis-communication between us and our dog.

How do we deal with a dominant dog?

How do we deal with adominant dog? More

rules and structure.

Try to make obediencetraining a part of our

dog's home life.

Do not expose our dog

to more than he canhandle.

When I say a

dominant dog, Imean a dog that is more

likely to show

dominant behaviors.Independent and more

primitive dog breeds

will generally show

more dominant behaviors. The Shiba Inu, for example, is a very independent andprimitive dog breed.

My Shiba Inu challenged me a lot when he was young. Even today, he comes up with

many new and often humorous behaviors to test his boundaries. A Shiba Inu is alsoextremely stubborn. If I try to force Sephy to do something, he will dig in and really not
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do it.

How do we deal with a dominant dog? More rules and structure.Providing a consistent routine allows a dominant dog toquickly learn what his pack responsibilities are, which will lead to less stress and

frustration.

Frequent obedience training sessions. Try to make obedience training a part of ourdominant dogs home life. This is easily achieved through theNILIF program. I first

ask my dog to do something for me, before I do something for him in return. Reward training. Contrary to what some people may say, physical force is a poorway to deal with dominant dogs. A dominant dog will always fight back when faced

with a physical threat. The more dominant and stubborn the dog, the more he will

fight. In the end, we will need to use a lot of physical force (i.e. pain) to break our

dogs independence and stubbornness. Instead, by using reward training andcontrolling the dogs resources, we are teaching our dog that the best way for him to

get what he wants, is to do what we want first. This builds a strong bond and keeps

our dogs spirit intact.

Management and supervision. Do not expose a dominant dog to more than he canhandle. A string of failures will not only encourage our dog to practice bad behaviors,

but also be demoralizing for everyone involved. It is important to challenge a dog andgive him a rich and interesting life. However, do it at a pace that he can handle and

enjoy. If we carefully manage our dog and set him up for success, he will be

confident, balanced, and ready to meet new challenges. Always be calm but firm. Dogs are very good at sensing our emotions. Not only

are they good observers, but they can hear and smell changes in our bodies. If we get

tense, frustrated, or fearful, our dogs will pick up on those emotions, get stressed, and

act out even more. When dealing with bad dog behavior, it is important to remaincalm but firm. In this way, our dog will also stay calm and look to us for direction.
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Always set our dominant dog up for success.

Who is right and who is wrong in the dog dominance debate?

There are many heated debates about dog dominance on the internet, and often, we let our

own egos get in the way.When I first got my Shiba Inu, I started with aversive training methods. Once I went

down this road, I became resistant to any changes in strategy, even though

usingdominance and physical force techniques was causing greater aggression, morestress, and a low quality of life for everyone.

Through this experience, I learned that it is dangerous to blame everything on dog

dominance. However, it is also counter-productive to deny the existence of dominance in

dogs.Ironically, the same people who want to ban the word dominance, from even being

mentioned on certain forums, are themselves using their dominant position in the social

group, together with negative and dominant language, to silence anyone that does not100% toe the party line.
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What matters most to me are my dogs, and what they think.

Ultimately, I learned that it does not matter who is right and who is wrong on the internet.

It does not matter what my neighbors think about me or my dog parenting skills. What

matters most are my dogs, and making the best decisions for them. Once I realized thisand put my own ego on the back burner, things got a lot better. I was more open to new

techniques, I got as much information as I could, and most important of all, I listened to

my dogs and let them tell me what works best.

Sometimes, I am the boss. Sephy must go to the vet for yearly check-ups and thats that.Sometimes, Sephy is the boss and he gets to pick where we go on our walks. Most of the

time, we work together; we give and we take.Dominance is not in black or white, and our dogs are not our enemies. There is little need

to carry on an antagonistic I win or he wins relationship with our own dog.

If you love something let it go free. If it doesnt come back, you never had it. If it comes

back, love it forever.~~[Doug Horton]


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Dominance is not in black or white, and our dogs are not our enemies.

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Are Shiba Inus Truly Independent