Shiba Inus: Everything about Purchase, Care, Feeding, Behavior, and Housing

I found this book very useful as it had many specifics on the Shiba Inu breed. This is a good book to buy if you are thinking of getting a Shiba or want some tips on raising your Shiba. There is a lot of information on traits and training tips as well as some great color photos.

My family and I researched dogs through a breed book for almost a year before we settled on the Shiba. We went to Northern CA Shiba Club picnics and dog shows to get a look at these dogs. After meeting with several reputable breeders, we decided, these dogs were a great fit for our family of 4 (husband, wife, 2 girls that were 5 & 6 at the time of getting our Shiba.) The sire came from another state 3x to get mom pregnant. Finally, she did. We got our black/tan Shiba, Yoshimatsu, when he was approx. 10 weeks old. Everything I was able to learn at that point about Shiba's was through owners, breeders, and online websites. I couldn't find a book on these little guys. Well, what do you know, this book could've prepared me or at least explained a lot about why a Shiba is the way it is. This dog was my first dog, but the 3rd for my husband who had an Akita in his younger years. Since the Shiba is bred down from the Akita, my husband noticed many similarities and explained certain attitudes or actions were normal for the breed (cat pounce stance, cat pouncing, inquisitive, playful, fast learning, and defiant). But, Laura Payton's book was the best source of information all in one place, shy of having a breeder come stay with me for a week to tell me everything. The glossy pages with color photos is nice. This book is written so that anyone can understand it. I already knew a lot about the Shiba, but, I learned more from Laura. She writes with a good sense of the reader, it's not written like statistics. Of course you hear that Shiba's are like no other breed and may scoff at that. But, it DOES take a special owner to handle this breed. The Shiba is NOT FOR EVERYONE. This book can make or break the decision for you. If digging bothers you or the thought of your dog jumping 6 ft. in the air from a sitting position, or if you don't want to take the time to train/keep the dog trained or spend time with this pack oriented breed, don't get this dog. You'd be doing yourself and the dog a disservice. If you love a playful, inquisitive, fast learning, macho, catlike, stubborn, smart, coatblowing, protective, fun dog, then read this book to decide if the Shiba is right for you and your family. This book goes in depth, no nonsense, goes straight to the point for information about this dog...easy read, beautiful pictures, just a great book all around! Helpful Shiba information.... I've had my Shiba for about 2 years now. I trained him the best I could and recently got him a personal trainer for $500. For an $800 pet quality dog, that I want to be the best little guy, the price was fine. Because Shiba's are still a bit rare, we get stopped and questioned A LOT! This dog can easily appear to be aggressive like a rot. We always get comments like: He's so cute, look at that tail, what a beautiful coat, look at those teeth! So, train your dog. They shouldn't jump or nip at people! This scares others and having a dog is a liability.

This book has it all for a great price. Not only does it explain accurately the full description of a Shiba but it also has nice colored pictures that gives you an idea how wonderful it is to own a Shiba Inu. I love this book and it's kinda funny while your reading it bec. it pretty much describes why my shiba acts the way he is. Everything the book tells is very useful. I recomment this to anybody who is planning on buying a shiba or already owns one. Shout out to SAITOH, my wonderful and VERY ENERGETIC Shiba!!Enjoy!!!!

American dog books generally don't have too much to say about the Shiba, so when I saw that there was a book devoted to this breed, I had to get it, and it did not disappoint. For such a small, compact book it contains a wealth of information, all useful and practical. I often feel books are overpriced, but at approximately eight dollars this one is a great value. If you like Shiba, also consider Japanese Dogs by Michiko Chiba.

This book is a ton of value for your money. A book like this was needed because of the growing popularity of this breed. It gives a good description of the breed as a pet, what to expect and what would be expected of you - the prospective owner. I've read through other Shiba books and most of them are geared more for those who are interested in competition/dog-show/breed history. This book will save you 'surfing' on the net. I'm sure all those Shiba puppies will be grateful to this author for prepping their new owners!