Some Shiba help needed please

[freedan]

Hi all, and much thanks to anyone who responds. My name is James and I recently (last night) got a Shiba Inu from a local petstore (I know, not the best place to pick up a puppy, but still) she's 12 weeks old and a little under the weather, my vet diagnoised her with a small puppy fever and a mild case of kennel cough. I'm more worried about the tempermant of the pooch than anything. She seems so.... distant, as if she doesn't even want to be around me. I understand it's the second day, but I had other dogs that have at least licked me within the first day, I try to cuddle with the dog and it goes straight to the floor, I try to pet her and she walks away. Is this a normal way for shibas to act at first? Is it possible the illness that she has is making her act this way? Or is this just a usual attitude for Shiba's? I appreciate any light you can throw in my direction. Thank you.

[Karen]

Shibas have very distinct personalities, but right now, you need to work on just being gentle around her, and getting her healthy. Then her true personality will show, and she will probably drive you crazy!

[applesmom]

Hi all, and much thanks to anyone who responds. My name is James and I recently (last night) got a Shiba Inu from a local petstore (I know, not the best place to pick up a puppy, but still) she's 12 weeks old and a little under the weather, my vet diagnoised her with a small puppy fever and a mild case of kennel cough. I'm more worried about the tempermant of the pooch than anything. She seems so.... distant, as if she doesn't even want to be around me. I understand it's the second day, but I had other dogs that have at least licked me within the first day, I try to cuddle with the dog and it goes straight to the floor, I try to pet her and she walks away. Is this a normal way for shibas to act at first? Is it possible the illness that she has is making her act this way? Or is this just a usual attitude for Shiba's? I appreciate any light you can throw in my direction. Thank you.

Here's a link to the parent club website. Many of your questions can be answered there. Be sure to read "How much is that doggie in the window". It will provide tremendous insights into what the poor little girl has been through in her first 12 weeks of life. She's frightened, and sick; give her time to adjust. National Shiba Inu Club (http://www.shibas.org/about.html)

[freedan]

Thank you Karen and applesmom for the advice, after a couple doses of the antibiotic she's feeling a little better and is running around. She even slept in my lap today! Hopefully she gets a tad better. Thanks again

[SunsetRose]

Just keep working with her, she'll come around.

My GSD came from a breeder who was not socialzing the puppies. She wasn't afraid of humans, but she didn't seem to care much. She was kept out in a kennel with very minimal human interraction. It was actually pretty heartbreaking because normally you can squat down and call a puppy and it will come bounding over to you with lots of kisses. But not Rosie, no matter how hard I tried to coax her to me when I first brought her home, she just stood there and looked at me and eventually walked off the other way.

So just keep giving her love and interracting with her and she'll eventually come around. Rosie finally started coming around at about 5 months. It takes a while and it takes alot of patience.

[Ceph]

I adopted my puppy from a pound....he had been in deplorable conditions...he was grossly underweight.

He was very listless the first week...he didnt eat anything...all he did was sleep....but about a week later things started to pick up. What I did was give him treats, lie down on the floor with him and just try and get him used to being around me....I didnt let him out of my sight for that time...he was 15ibs heavier and happy the next week.

Just give them time...she's in a new environment and doesnt know whats going on....even I get listless and distant and shy when I have to go be with people I dont know ;)

she'll be okay, just let her get adjusted.

[Daisy and Delilah]

She is just a little shy and unsure right now. Not feeling good is making her a bit worse. I hope she gets well soon and loves you to pieces :) We would love to see pictures of her. We don't have any of her breed on the board I don't think. Best wishes with her and enjoy her!! :)

[freedan]

Daisy and Delilah: I would love to post some pics, but I really don't know how. When I try and make a profile pic it says my picture must be 100 x 100 pixels which is very small. Do you mind giving me a few instructions?

As far as Bree (my shiba) is concerned, she may be sick, but she is must definately sure of herself, she seems to respond ONLY to treats and if you don't have one, then she just turns around and leaves. It's kinda sad when me, my fiance and my other pooch (a puggle named Puggy) are all sitting in one room and Bree leaves the room to sit in the hall by herself. Here's hoping she gets a little better.

[Giselle]

Shibas are supposed to have a stand-offish attitude to all except "their" humans. I used to know a girl who showed Shibas and she lovingly called her little female Shiba a... well, the technical term for a female dog. :D I suppose "diva" is a nice euphemism for it.

Earning a Shiba's trust takes an enormous amount of time and patience. However, this is one of the reasons why I love Oriental breeds as a whole. It takes a long time to earn their trust, but once you have it, it is a priceless treasure that will repay you over and over again. Shibas are very proud dogs, and, thus, don't act like Retriever dogs that you may be accustomed to. They are often deemed cat-like because of their independance and cleanliness. They are bold and fearless. Remember, these dogs hunted boars in Japan. You cannot be a lovey-dovey-kiss-me dog if your primary job is to hunt down aggressive animals. Additionally, Shibas can easily develop resource aggression because they are very assertive dogs.

There are three terms that I distinctly remember learning from the girl I mentioned before: Soboku, Ryosei, and Kani (sp?). In other words, boldness, good nature, and spirited artlessness. These are the ingredients to a Shiba: a fearless, proud animal whose loyalty is comparable to none. These dogs believe they are superior, and, according to many Shiba lovers, they truly are.

Sorry if the description was a little blunt but it just sounds like you aren't familiar with the general Shiba temperament. It's difficult for Shiba aficionados because that adorable little fox face is very misleading to the public eye. If anything, your pup is exhibiting perfectly normal behaviors. Just remember - patience and time will pave the way to a lifelong relationship. :) Good Luck. I adore Oriental breeds and for good reason. I hope you'll find the treasure hidden inside your girl, too.

ETA: Sorry, I really like Shibas so I can write a novel about them, but one thing I should add is that many Shibas can be finicky in their methods of showing affection. I remember one owner saying how proud and happy she was when her pet Shiba would wag its tail for her. So, you see how Shiba behavior is so much different from most other breeds. Soon, though, you'll be able to appreciate it, too :)

[mr.chiwawa]

My best friend has a shiba inu and what a little brat he can be at times. Anyway she told me about this site that might help you out so I included it at the bottom. Best of luck to you.
CHI HUGS


http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/shiba.htm

[Daisy and Delilah]

I am not an expert on posting pics but someone here can lead you to the fabulous thread that Phred made for the board a long time ago. It took me forever to figure it out but I finally got it.

I know you have to have your pictures uploaded from your computer into an outside account(I have Photobucket-it's free)and you load them from that account into a thread here. Maybe Karen or Paul can give you some guidance. I would totally confuse you. Good luck! :)

Your baby will be fine. You'll get some great help here from these experts. :)

[Pam]

We had a shiba owner here a couple of years ago and I just loved her posts. Her name was lovemyshiba. She had, as I recall, three other dogs and her shiba was the least affectionate. I think possibly, as someone else posted, it may just that this breed is quite independent and it is actually just part of their *wiring.* I hope that your little girl will recover from her illness quickly so that her little personality may shine.

I just did a little search myself and found a link from one of her threads.
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=64169&highlight=lovemyshiba
From here you could go to "view all posts by lovemyshiba" and gain some insight into the shiba breed. It would be nice if she would come back since it seems she hasn't posted since July of 2005. :(

[Ginger's Mom]

I had to smile when I read Giselle's post. It may have sounded a tiny bit harsh (for lack of a better word) but pretty much on the mark. :) I love Shibas, I think they are beautiful dogs, but after doing some research realized that they are probably not the breed for me. However, I will always sigh and wish I had one whenever I see one. I think your baby may be even more remote than most Shibas because she is not feeling well, but give her time and she will come around. I also wanted to let you know that there is a member her under the user name Bon that does a lot of work in Shiba rescue and she may be able to give you some insight into what to expect with your new puppy. You may want to send her a private message as I don't think she checks all of the boards, just the rescue section.

I would love to see a picture of Bree and Puggy. If you haven't signed up for Photobucket yet (which I suggest you do), scroll down on your new post page to additional options, and go to the manage attachments box. Click on that and browse your computer files for the picture you want, click open and up load the picture. If you have dial-up (as I do :rolleyes: ) I suggest you compress the picture first or it will take a long time to upload. Good luck and I hope Bree is feeling better.

[freedan]

Wow, I never expected so many replies to my questions and I wanted to thank you all for the answers you've given me.

Giselle: I would never take advice as harsh from anyone and thank you for telling me "like it is". I did a little research on the breed and heard the same it's just so odd to see that independence in action. I guess I'll just have to work on getting that bond established between me and her, thank you for taking some time and giving me some information on the breed.

Mr. Chiwawa: Thank you for talking to your friend and getting me that website. I need all the help I can get with this little...... diva. :)

D&D: I'll be getting photobucket today, so I can post some pics. I'm new to the whole 'forum' thing

Pam: I will definetly take a look at the posts as soon as I'm done here, and thanks for actually going back adn finding that thread for me.

Ginger's Mom: Yes, if it is one thing i have heard about shibas, it's that their all lots of work. But I am up to the challenge, we got her on four medications right now, and a specialized diet (the vet found some parasites in her stool), and since we've been giving her the medicine she's been looking up (I feel like I rescued her from the pet store). And I'll be looking for that Bon person. I'll be signing for photobucket today too, so maybe later I'll post some pics of the sick pooch and my all-too-lovable puggy.

Thank you all again. I am quite excited to be part of the community here.

{Edit} I just got photobucket and loaded some pics of the pooches, here's the URL's for anyone thats interested

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187/freedan104/IMG_0090.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187/freedan104/IMG_0137.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187/freedan104/IMG_0053.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187/freedan104/IMG_0233.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187/freedan104/IMG_0223.jpg

- James

[Daisy and Delilah]

Hi James, Puggy and Bree are just adorable!!! You must be having a blast at your house. Can't wait to see more of those two cutie patooties!! How is Bree doing today? She looks like a baby fox :) Definitely cuteness overload :D

[cassiesmom]

Welcome to PT, Freedan and thank you for sharing your photos with us! Best wishes getting little Bree settled into her new home.

[theterrierman]

I didn't see this suggested so far, but make sure you take the puppy to a vet that DOESN'T deal with the pet store you bought her from. They are more likely to tell you the truth, and not downplay any sickness. Good luck with your furbaby.

Andy

[Giselle]

Bree is very cute :) I wish you luck with her! I know having an independant dog can be sort of a turn-off for the first few weeks, but I'm sure you'll start to love it. I absolutely love Pekingeses for this reason. It gives them more character ;)

[cassiesmom]

Freedan, how's little Bree doing?

[freedan]

Sorry for the delay (Military life can be demanding). Bree is doing ALOT better, she is really warming up to us. She now lets us hold her for a longer period of time, falls asleep on us and today she grabbed my finger with her mouth and tried to pull me into the next room (it was too adorable). She wags her tail alot now too. Personally I think my other dog (puggy) had more to do with it than anything, he just wont stop playing with her, so she either had to warm up to us or deal with his insatiable loving. She did a little of both and now is more active and is showing a lot more love, when I came home today she jumped at me and wagged her tail non-stop for like 2 minutes. It sounds corny writing this, but it's true what everyone said that she'd warm up to us eventually. I wanted to thank everyone for the encouragement to keep trying with her and the support and advice that everyone brought to this experience. I appreciate it all and if there's anything I can do for any of you, don't hesitate to ask.

- James

[Daisy and Delilah]

Believe me James, what you're writing about doesn't sound corny at all. We can all relate :) I'm so glad little Bree is coming around. When can we see more pictures of the little doll and that cute Puggy? We'll keep watching "Dog General" for more pics ;)

[Ginger's Mom]

She is adorable. So is Puggy. Glad to hear that things seem to be working out. :) Just come back every once in a while to update us on those cuties.

[Genny]

She's adorable, but she doesn't look like what I had in mind that a shiba inu favored. She's so adorable though! I hope things are getting better with her :)

[Genny]

She's adorable, but she doesn't look like what I had in mind that a shiba inu favored

I just now looked at the last 2 pictures....she does look like a shiba inu! I was looking at the pictures of the toher puppy which is cute too! Bree is adorable!!!!

[tikeyas_mom]

I just love shiba inus, they are so cute, they remind me of little akitas :p.. they indeed a bit standoffish, at first... But that is to totally expected when you buy from a byb or petstore, you wont know what that puppy might have been through at the breeders, or what the parents tempraments were like. She sure is cute, I like her little pink collar.. You have two puppys right now?

[Bon]

Hi! It's "that Bon person" lol!!

James, did you ever receive my email reply? Thank you for contacting me, I hope you did receive my email and that I may have helped even in a small way.

Are you located in Ontario or Canada? I probably told you already, but I Organize a Shiba Meetup group http://shibainu.meetup.com/4/about and I also have a yahoo group called ShibaInuCrazyinCanada. Would love to see you join :)

If you are in Ontario, even if you aren't close to Toronto, join our little Shiba Meetup family - if nothing but for support! LOL Our message boards are busiest when a new owner joins :)

This is a wonderful forum too - I'm bad for not participating in it more often. Everyone's advice had been terrific. I'm glad to hear things are going better with Bree.

Take care,
Bonnie & Sushi
Organizer, Toronto Shiba Inu Meetup
Co-founder, Shiba Rescue GTA