Marking Territory

Why do dogs like to mark everything? They mess up our carpets, couches, our plants, even areas in the yard. Well, it's because they are being territorial... and I've learned that Shiba Inus, despite their small size, are very territorial. Even the females.

Every morning when I walk Pepper, she marks nearly every ten feet. But the odd thing is that she'll pick up her leg to mark stuff. I always thought this was weird for a female, but I soon realized that she does it in an attempt to reach the top of the bush, pole, trash bag, ant hill, or whatever she felt she wanted her scent on. Of course, after she marks, she loves to kick up every piece of grass around the area... and she'll kick in circles, too!

It's just a funny-looking little habit that she has... she can't help it. And she LOVES it! Also, being territorial is actually what makes Shibas good watch dogs. So, every habit that she has is for a reason.

NOT a Basenji!

You know, every time I go out to the dog park, or take Pepper somewhere, someone asks if she's a basenji. What? Shibas don't really look anything like a basenji... they look like foxes. Basenjis have much shorter hair, like a chihuahua; Shibas have longer, coarser hair. Also, their ears are a little bigger (compared to their heads), like a German Shepherd, whereas Shiba ears seem a little more proportionate to me. But I realize that this simple mistake is because a lot of people know nothing about Shibas, much less that their breed even exists. I don't think I've seen any other Shiba in the area - not at the parks, or driving around. I've only seen one other at a Pet Fest, whose owner was Asian. And I think that we need to get the word out to people about them: Shiba inus are intelligent, active, loyal, and beautiful dogs. And they are the perfect size! They hardly bark at all, yet are super cautious, and they can adapt extremely well to any environment. They are not basejis. So I take Pepper out even more now and encourage people to look up the breed and see if Shibas are a good fit for them.

For anyone interested, you can check out the shiba inu forum.

Also, here is a picture of a basenji (top), courtesy of www.justdogbreeds.com and a picture of Pepper, Shiba/Husky mix (bottom):

Basenji

Pepper

Walks Are Important...

I was walking Pepper this morning and it dawned on me how important walks are for dogs. Usually, we just take her to a nearby dog park and let her have her fun. But we haven't really had much time this past week, and it really shows. When she's at home and we don't have time to take her anywhere, it is very obvious to me that she is unhappy. She mopes around the house whining and staring at me until she falls asleep. And she had been sleeping a LOT. So I thought "Well, why not get up a little earlier and walk her for half an hour before work?" And so began our routine. The funny thing is that she knew it was going to be a routine from day one... and now expects it.

At first, I didn't know why she liked walking so much, but I figured that since she was an escape artist anyway, she might as well learn about her surroundings so she doesn't get lost. However, when I took her out, she led me wherever she wanted to go... I had little say in the matter. So, walks are important because it allows you to leash-train your dog. It allows you to control where you want your dog to go. We walked for almost an hour around our neighborhood, with Pepper's nose at every mailbox and tall patch of grass. I thought it was okay because I found out from Cesar Milan (the "Dog Whisperer") that letting your dog concentrate on smelling stuff helps use up its energy. And I needed her to use up as much energy as she could before I went to work. So I let her sniff whatever she liked - as long as she stays within the boundaries of her leash, of course.

While walking, I noticed that Pepper liked to mark things: stop signs, mailboxes, grass, etc. And she does the grass-kicking thing afterwards, too, but she kicks in a circle and usually misses the spot she marked. IT'S HILARIOUS! And the only way to describe the look on her face while she's kicking is pure joy! She smiles and her tongue falls to the side and she just looks so happy! It's the main reason why I like taking her for walks.

And when we get back, she eats, which is great because we have a hard time getting her to eat her food. Afterwards, even before I can get ready for work, she starts to fall asleep. And as I pull out of the driveway, I can see her laying down in the yard, sleeping. Aren't they all so cute when they're sleeping?


All in all, walking your dog for at least an hour a day (or running for half an hour) can affect several things: it allows for better behavior, more use of energy outside (so that it isn't used for tearing up stuff inside), and a better appetite, among other things. I saw results from day one!

Can't Catch Me!

If you adopt a puppy, make sure you have LOTS of energy because they love to run around... and that includes Pepper. She loves it when we chase her... and I think it's because she thinks we can't catch her, even when she was 12 weeks old.

Of course, it's nearly impossible to catch her now that she's full grown; even other dogs have trouble keeping up.

Pepper Stays Home...

Lately, I've been working a lot... and Pepper's just been stuck at home. But I've noticed that she's adapted very well to all of my circumstances. When I'm here, she's happy and doing her own thing... when I'm away at work, she finds things to do outside. I'm not too surprised seeing as how she's little miss independent and all, but I still miss my baby. And I feel so guilty because she's so full of energy, but doesn't get enough playtime to unleash it. Instead, she'll just sleep all day, staring out of the window, lost in the outside world.



So when I can, I love spending time with her, and sometimes I'll even take her out for rides. She REALLY enjoys those! And if she's been really good, or if it's been too long, I'll treat her with a 2-hour trip to the dog park where she has a few acres to run, play with other dogs, and even swim. (She actually learned to swim at this dog park.)

The Hunter

Shiba inus were originally bred to hunt small game, birds, etc. It is in their blood. With that being said, Pepper killed her first squirrel today.

As per our daily ritual, Pepper woke me (never my boyfriend) up at 9:30AM to let her out. Zoey, the Collie-Aussie mix was already outside. I usually leave them out there for about an hour so that they get tired from playing, then they come inside to sleep. It was the morning ritual.

However, a half hour later, I started awake from the constant barking of Zoey, the herding dog. It usually stops after a few minutes, but this time there was almost a panicky twinge to her bark. I've heard this bark before: DANGER! (The last time Zoey barked like this, there was a 3 1/2-foot snake in our yard!... not too uncommon in South Carolina.)

I rushed downstairs only to find Pepper and Zoey fighting over the carcass of a poor very-much-dead little squirrel. I WAS HORRIFIED! I yelled at them and they dropped it immediately. The body was limp and wet from the freshly rained-on grass. I almost cried as I quickly disposed of it. Because there was no blood, I am guessing that they played with it to death, as they'd done with several bugs before.

Honestly, I don't think there was really anything I could do at that moment. Pepper has just gotten so fast! The squirrels used to be able to outrun her, but I guess not anymore. I don't think she'll do it anymore because  she now knows that it's bad. Even so, I've just kept her inside all day, just in case she might get tempted. So far, she's killed (I don't know for certain that she was the one which killed; however, she is the faster of the two --the Collie mix likes to lay down a lot -- so it is most likely that she was the one that caught, then tried to play with the animals.) a rat and a squirrel, and caught the 3 1/2 foot snake. I don't know what to do. My sweet little Pepper is a born hunter and a killer, but I can't help loving her.

Shibas and Swimming

At first, Pepper didn't care much for swimming - or getting wet, for that matter. Shibas have a thing about getting dirty and Pepper is exactly like that. She couldn't stand puddles or the rain...

One day, we took her to a new dog park, one that have a doggy beach (a big pond and some sand) and she LOVED it! But for the longest time, she wouldn't go into the water. Finally, she got hot enough (and saw enough dogs jump in) to step her feet into the water. On the second day, she went in until her chest touched the water. And now, about six months later, she happily swims in the shallow parts.

This is a video of her at a water park. They had a "doggy day" in which they only opened the park for canines.

(Take note that she still doesn't like to get her head wet.)

Dog Allergies

After so many months of raising Pepper, I've discovered (in her heavy-shedding months) that I may have allergies. So what can you do?

As I know that I would never give up Pepper in a million years, I've learned from Victoria ("It's Me or the Dog" lady) that many allergens from outside can become trapped in your dog's coat. The best way to keep your allergies as low as possible is to brush your pet everyday. It can significantly decrease how much your dog sheds as well as the amount of outside allergens your four-legged friend brings in.

The Escape Artist

Being as independent as they are, Shibas are natural-born escape artists. Even Pepper has escaped our house and yard a few times... thus, we've made a few changes to our environment to try to contain her. We've reinforced our yard with a backyard fence and a front yard fence. We've also had to add several 2x4s to our carport so that she couldn't squeeze out...  I just hope she doesn't learn to climb or jump over the fence.

Dogs Will Be Dogs

I've learned (the hard way) that no matter how old the dog gets, if you lock it in a room, don't give it the right chew toys, and if it gets bored enough, it can still eat your furniture. Pepper did, however, have a lot of help from her friends: Bosco, the Boston puppy, and Zoey, the Collie-Aussie puppy

Training as a Puppy

I've learned that training your puppy as early as possible increases your success of compliance and obedience. Because Shiba Inus and Huskies are known for their stubbornness and willingness to comply only on their terms, we started training Pepper as soon as we got her... and with many hot dogs.


We picked her up when she was 6 weeks old and immediately started to work on her recognizing her own name. A week later and she had already mastered "sit" and "paw." We didn't want to use the word "shake;" she actually shakes (her whole body) when we use that command.

Here's a video of her doing tricks to get her pet bed:

Shiba Inu Facts

As I've noticed that Pepper took more of her personality from the Shiba Inu, I will give a couple of facts about the breed:

Shibas are one of the oldest Japanese breeds, and one of the smallest. They are highly intelligent dogs.
They are very clean, almost cat-like, and are often known to avoid puddles.
Shibas are often very quiet, but are always very cautious and alert.
They are very loyal to their handler and will adapt to his/her situation (apartment, house, etc.); however, like all dogs, they require regular exercise and (especially because they are so stubborn) discipline.
Shibas were bred to hunt small game, birds, and contrary to their small size, flush out bears and boars. They are super fast! Pepper loves to chase anything that runs fast, flies fast, and even slithers (with great caution, of course)!

For more information, check out the Shiba Inu Profile.

First Meeting

We drove four hours to the mountainous areas of Georgia to see the 5-week-old puppies... and it was well worth it. By the time we got there, there were two girls and one boy left (out of a litter of eight). They were all sired by a pure-bred, registered Shiba Inu, and the mother was a light-colored Siberian Husky, neither of which exceeded 30lbs. Both were on site, and we were able to look at them.

Initially, William wanted to get the last boy, but he quickly changed his mind (and put down the poor little guy) when the puppy went number-two on him. Meanwhile, I picked up the darker colored little girl and held her for a while. As I held her and looked at her, we locked eyes and I could swear she talked to me; it was more mewing then anything else, but she had already stolen my heart.

Finally, William made me put her down so that we could consider all of the puppies, and as soon as I did, she did her duty on the floor. Quickly behind her came the other girl (a lighter coated puppy) who began to eat her poop! From then, our final decision was going to be the dark-coated puppy, who sat in the corner away from her poop as her remaining brother and sister played in it.

We had a week before we could go get her, so we went home and prepared for our new puppy, who we still hadn't named yet. Finally, we settled on "Pepper," for her dark coat.

Shiba Inu or Siberian Husky

I wanted to rescue a dog or adopt one from the local shelter, but William was against it. He wanted to know for sure what his dog was so that he could know what to expect behavior-wise. I couldn't blame him... a small part of me wanted to know, too. Don't get me wrong; I REALLY wanted to adopt one from the shelter... but at the same time I wanted to make sure that I could be as prepared as I possibly could, for the sake of the dog and for myself, and that meant knowing what your dog was so that you'd know what to expect.

So, after a LOT of researching and arguing, William and I narrowed it down to two breeds: William wanted a Siberian Husky and I wanted a Shiba Inu. Even a pet compatibility test put Shiba Inu in our top 3... but he really wanted a husky. Why? They were smart dogs and they were pretty. Living in South Carolina, though, I knew that would not be in the best interest for the dog, and so was dead-set on getting a Shiba. Be that as it may, I occasionally kept an eye out for Huskies, just to give him a glimmer of hope.

We looked EVERYWHERE... shelters, pet stores, newspapers and websites... until finally, we found a semi-local breeder who had just had a litter of --you guessed it!-- Shiba Inu/ Siberian Husky puppies!

The Decision

I'd been wrapping my brain around the idea of getting a pet, and when my sister beat me to it, that sealed the deal. She adopted a puppy, a black hound mix, from the local shelter and named her Bella. From the very beginning, Bella was very shy and cautious, and thus required a lot of time and devotion. While everyone took turns caring for her, I quickly realized the strength of the love and companionship that a dog brought to the family. I figured, "why spoil my sister's dog when I can get my own?"...

At that time, we were all in our final year of college, and were graduating soon. William (my boyfriend) and I would soon have to spend our time searching for jobs. If we wanted to get a dog, the time was now. With our flexible class schedules, we could use what time we had to train it and love it and teach it tricks... but what kind of dog would we get? One from a shelter? A breeder? And so the search began...