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The Shiba Inu
“The small dog
with a big attitude”
Shiba Inu
When a cat owner wants to let you know his cat is truly
wondrous, his voice will rise an octave, his hands will take
wing, and he’ll say,
“This cat
follows me around just like a dog.” A dog owner, for her part,
would seldom think to declare, “This dog is just like a cat; he
ignores me when I call him” although more than a few dogs share
this tendency with their carnivorous cousins.
The
Shiba Inu, however, is one breed that legitimately evokes feline
comparisons. Japan’s most popular dog, the Shiba hates to be
dirty; and instead of barking he is more apt to purr, yodel or
even scream like a panther – a vocalization he employs when he
wants to register his objection to doing something contrary to
his nature, like walking on a leash. Moreover, the shiba’s
agility, surefootedness and independent spirit are qualities
that call to mind the cat. So, too, does the shiba’s highly
developed sense of self.
“If
a Shiba could only utter one word, it would probably be mine,”
“sharing is a concept he feels others should practice.” This is
not to say that shiba’s don’t require love and affection, or
that they don’t make wonderful family dogs. Yet it is to observe
that Shiba owners have to keep these charming, catlike rascals
in hand because given half a chance shiba’s will claim the
catbird seat in the house for their own.
Ancient
Patterns
Dogs have lived in Japan at least as long as humans have. The
earliest known immigrants, the Jomonjin, came ashore roughly
9,000 years ago. Sometimes referred to as the rope-pattern
people because of the manner in which they decorated their
earthenware, the Jomonjin left behind shell mounds in which
archeologists subsequently found the oldest dog remains yet
discovered in Japan. These artifacts belonged to dogs that range
between 14 ˝ and 19 ˝ inches at the shoulder. Some observers
believe the Jomonjin brought these dogs – or their direct
ancestors – to Japan.
The
oldest canine paw prints found in Japan were discovered at an
archeological dig at Nagahama earlier this year. The seven sets
of
prints,
believed to be 3,000 years old, were discovered near human
footprints left by people who lived in the Jomon Era (10,000 to
300 B.C.). The diameter of the paw prints, nearly 1 ľ inches,
suggests they were made by a small- or medium-size dog. The
location of the prints, in soil that had once been someone’s
grave – together with the lack of any sign of a canine – human
struggle in the area – led researchers to question the theory
that dogs in the Joma Era were mostly feral and their behavior
was close to the modern-day wolves. The dog(s) that left those
3,000 year old prints, said officials of the Nagahama board of
education, “had been domesticated and used as either a guard or
for hunting.”
Although a person would be hard put to identify the time when
dogs were domesticated in Japan, researchers believe that
Japanese breeds were created as a result of fraternization
between the Jomonjin dogs and a group of dogs brought to Japan
by immigrants who arrived in the third century B.C. the Jomonjin
dogs and the new arrivals cooperated to produce the mother of
all Japanese breeds: a dog with pointed, erect
ears, and a
curled or sickle tail. The descendents of this dog were
eventually segregated into six breeds and three sizes: large
(Akita), Medium (Kishu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kai) and small (Shiba
Inu). Those differences among these dogs were a function of the
district in which the breeds evolved and the uses to which they
were put.
Preservation
Societies
The
Shiba Inu was developed in the mountains near the Sea of Japan,
where the breed was used to flush birds and small game and, on
occasion, to hound wild boar. The shiba’s keen sense and
determination and its ability to maneuver through steep hills
and mountain slopes made it a superb hunter.
The
meaning of Shiba is a bone of linguistic contention. Some
people say it means brushwood and that shiba’s were given
their name
because their
fiery red coats are the color of brushwood leaves in autumn.
Others lexicographers believe that Shiba means bush
dog, a reference to the bush land and hilly areas in which
shiba’s hunted. Still others assert that Shiba is an
obsolete Japanese word meaning small. The breed’s surname, Inu,
everyone agrees, means dog.
Unlike most other countries, which didn’t spare a thought for
keeping track of dogs’ ancestors, Japan considered its canine
breeds an integral part of the nation’s culture. Therefore, as
early as the seventh century, the Yamato Court established a dog
keeper’s office to preserve the records and integrity of
Japanese breeds. Security was breeched at various times
nonetheless, and during the latter half of the 19th
century and the first decade of the present century, to cite
just one period of transgression, the increased popularity of
hunting resulted in the importation of English setters and
pointers – and a certain amount of crossbreeding with Japanese
stock.
The
Shiba Inu was in peril of being hybridized beyond recognition
when Hirokiosch-Saito formed a preservation society in 1930 to
keep the breed from being extinct. In addition to seeking out
uncompromised specimens of Shiba inus from the more remote areas
of Japan, the preservation society drafted a breed standard for
the Shiba as well as for its medium-size relative the Hokaido
Inu and its larger cousin the Akita Inu. All three breeds were
given official recognition by the Japanese Kennel Club (JKC) and
also by the Federation Cynologique International in 1936.
Fending off the
Wolf
Despite its official status the Shiba Inu found the wolf at its
back door again in this century. During the last desperate days
of World War II food was so scarce in Japan that those animals
which managed to avoid starving to death were eaten. By the end
of the war dogs were virtually nonexistent in urban areas.
Fortunately the few shiba’s remaining in the outlying districts
was relatively “purebred.” These dogs were used to populate the
breeding program set up to resurrect the breed. That effort –
along with most of Japan’s canine population – was decimated by
raging distemper epidemic in 1959, and Japanese dog fanciers
were forced to begin another period of reconstruction.
The
first Shiba inus brought to the United States may have been
imported by servicemen returning from tours of duty in Japan.
Absent any records of previous importations, however, the first
officially recorded Shiba arrived in this country in 1954 with
an armed forces family. Although the shiba’s stuffed-toy appeal
was undeniable, any notion of registering the breed with the
American Kennel Club (AKC) came a cropper because the AKC did
not honor registrations issued by the JKC. Thus Americans did
not import Shiba inus with any serious thought of breeding them
until the late 1970s. Finally in April 1992 the AKC added JKC to
its primary list of foreign dog-registry organizations, and
interest in the breed skyrocketed. In 1993, on the eve of the
year of the dog in Japan, the Shiba Inu became eligible to
compete in regular classes at AKC shows.
Personality
Profile
Spirited, good-natured, forthright and dignified, the Shiba Inu
has an independent nature. Reserved toward strangers and capable
of being aggressive with other dogs, the Shiba Inu is loyal and
affectionate to those who earn his respect. This is an
exceptionally clean dog and an easy one to housetrain. Shiba’s
are not so easy to lead train, however; and, in the words of one
owner, “a Shiba who reliably comes on command in any situation
is rare indeed.” Expect your Shiba to be an on-leash (or fenced
yard) breed, and if he proves otherwise, then you are among the
fortunate.
Shiba’s will respect children who respect them, for a child’s
safety and a shiba’s peace of mind; children must be taught that
the proper way to approach a Shiba is to wait for the Shiba to
approach them.
Building Blocks
The
Shiba Inu stands roughly 15 ˝ inches at the shoulder and weighs
between 20 and 25 pounds. Its handy size and short,
easy-to-care-for coat make it an ideal apartment dog, yet its
sturdiness allows it to withstand the rigors of outdoor life as
well as the comfort of indoor
living. The
Shiba can go jogging with anyone who is so inclined or can get
sufficient exercise from chasing a tennis ball around the
backyard. Although a glistening red is the color most frequently
associated with the Shiba Inu, the breed also occurs in sesame
(black tipped hairs on a red background) and black and tan. All
three colors must also display urajiro: cream to white markings
on the sides of the face and cheeks, inside the ears, on the
under jaw and upper throat, the inside legs, the abdomen, around
the vent and the ventral side of the tail. AKC also registers
the cream.
Modern breeders have combined the various types, selecting the
desired qualities of small size, curled tail, triangular-set
“oriental” eyes, deep red color and affection for his owner.
Because of its native ability and environment, the modern Shiba
enjoys the outdoors and cold weather. They have a special
fascination for snow, playing and jumping in it.
Prospective owners must understand the spitz-type personality
before they will truly enjoy owning one. Shiba’s are perky and
sturdy making them ideal children’s playmates. If there are
neither children around, nor adults they will adapt to playing
with the family cat. Also a Shiba left alone is perfectly able
to entertain himself for long periods. They are loving and ready
for fun, but are not always underfoot when their people are
busy. The Shiba has been the most popular dog in Japan for a
number of years, where his size is welcome in a small country
with a high population.
Shiba’s “love
to live and live to love”
Shiba Inu Property
Laws
1. If I like it, it’s mine
2. If it’s in my mouth, it’s mine
3. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine
4. If I can take it from you, it’s mine
5. If it’s mine, it must never be yours
6. If it just looks like mine, it’s mine
7. If I saw it first, it’s mine
8. If you are playing with something else and put it down,
it’s mine
9. If I am chewing something up, all of the pieces are mine
10. If it used to be yours, get over it.
11. If it’s broken, it’s yours. |
