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Breed guide · Dogs
She hears me say come, and waits for a better offer. I carry chicken on every walk.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
You pick up a paw for a nail trim and get a scream the whole building can hear.
What's going onShibas are known for a loud, high scream when they are held or handled. Usually it is protest, not pain. Practise touching their paws and ears for a few seconds every day, with a treat, and the scream gets rarer.
At home
You say sit. They look at you, look at the door, and think about it.
What's going onThey heard the cue. They are deciding whether it is worth it. Make the thing you want the thing that pays, and keep sessions short enough that they are still interested at the end.
At home
Perfect recall in the flat. Gone the moment something runs past outside.
What's going onThey were bred to hunt ahead of a person, not beside one. Keep them on a lead or a long line outside, however well they come back at home.
At home
Licking their paws after every walk, chewing at a leg, scratching behind an ear.
What's going onItchy allergic skin is their first health risk from puppy to prime adult. Paw licking and scratching are worth telling your vet about early, before they become a habit.
At home
Clumps of soft undercoat on the sofa, the rug and everything you own.
What's going onThey shed heavily twice a year, and regular brushing through each shed keeps their skin healthy. Brush the undercoat out, and never clip or shave it.
At home
They clean themselves, step around puddles and keep strangers at a distance.
What's going onShibas are tidy by nature and slow to warm to new people. Let visitors ignore them until they decide to say hello, and they usually will, in their own time.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their ground
Built for: Hunting through mountain brush on their own judgement.
In Dubai: A flat, with a lead on every walk.
Their coat
Built for: Made for snow.
In Dubai: 45°C summers.
Their handling
Built for: Handled as little as possible.
In Dubai: Nail trims and vet visits in the diary.
The scream and the selective hearing mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a mountain. You can give them a cool home, safe outings and handling they can predict, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Shiba Inu's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Their double coat was made for mountain winters.
Every age, most of all puppies and older dogs
Why
Their double coat was made for mountain winters.
What to do
Keep them in air conditioning through the day, with a cool tiled floor to lie on. From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and check the pavement with the back of your hand for five seconds. Never leave them on a balcony or in a car in the heat. If they pant hard or wobble, move them into shade or air conditioning straight away, wet their coat and skin with cool water, not ice-cold, and contact your vet now. Keep cooling them on the way, with the air conditioning on in the car.
Regular brushing through each shed stops their skin getting irritated and their coat matting.
Every age, most of all from 6 months
Why
Regular brushing through each shed stops their skin getting irritated and their coat matting.
What to do
Brush them several times a week with an undercoat rake and a slicker brush, and every day through each shed, down to the skin. Do not clip or shave the undercoat: dead undercoat left in holds heat and mats against the skin. De-shed and de-mat with the right tools, and keep up the brushing and bathing, so the coat stays clear and skin problems are easier to spot.
The Shiba scream is real, and their teeth need brushing every day for life.
Every age, start the day they come home
Why
The Shiba scream is real, and their teeth need brushing every day for life.
What to do
Touch one paw, one ear or their lips for a few seconds, then give a treat. One nail a night is plenty. Brush their teeth every day, building up slowly. Stop before they scream, not after. From two years, a professional dental clean every 6 to 12 months keeps the rest in order.
They are small, quick and curious, and many Shibas slip out the moment a door opens.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They are small, quick and curious, and many Shibas slip out the moment a door opens.
What to do
Walk round your home as if you were them: the gap under the villa gate, the balcony rails, the front door when a delivery arrives. Keep a baby gate inside the front door, so there are two doors between them and the street. If one does slip out, their microchip and Dubai Municipality registration, done at their puppy visits, help bring them home.
Many Shibas do not come back when called, and some are experts at reversing out of a collar.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Many Shibas do not come back when called, and some are experts at reversing out of a collar.
What to do
Use a snug harness and a lead. In open spaces, use a long line of 5 to 10 metres, and practise coming back to you on it, paid well. Keep them on it near cats.
They were bred to search and chase, and summer keeps them inside.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to search and chase, and summer keeps them inside.
What to do
Hide part of their dinner around the flat and let them find it. Leave a puzzle feeder or a stuffed chew when you go out, and arrange a midday visit if they are alone most of the day.
They understand you perfectly. They are deciding whether to bother.
Every age
Why
They understand you perfectly. They are deciding whether to bother.
What to do
Three five-minute sessions a day, paid with the best food you have. Stop while they are keen. Do not repeat a cue they have ignored: make it easier and try again.
Shibas bark little, but they scream, yodel and grumble.
Every age
Why
Shibas bark little, but they scream, yodel and grumble.
What to do
A scream while you hold them is usually protest: slow down and pay more. A scream when you touch one new spot, or from nowhere, can be pain, so tell your vet. New noise at night in an older Shiba is worth mentioning too.
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) is on their record from puppy into their senior years, and Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) from puppy to young adult.
Every age, evaluation by 2 years
Why
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) is on their record from puppy into their senior years, and Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) from puppy to young adult.
What to do
Keep them lean. Rugs on marble, and no repeated jumping off the sofa while they grow. If they skip on a back leg, tell your vet. Their hip and patellar evaluation (a check of hips and kneecaps) is due by age two.
Itchy allergic skin is their first health risk, and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA, gradual loss of sight) is on their record too.
Every age
Why
Itchy allergic skin is their first health risk, and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA, gradual loss of sight) is on their record too.
What to do
Once a week, when you brush them, look between their toes and under the coat for redness, and watch for bumping into things in dim light. Weigh them once a month. Their ophthalmic evaluation (eye exam) is every year from age one, and a thyroid panel (a thyroid blood test) every year from four.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Types of Shiba dogs
There is one Shiba Inu, in one small size. After the Second World War, breeders rebuilt the breed from three surviving regional lines, Shinshu, Mino and San'in, and merged them into the fox-faced dog you see today.
Colours
Shibas come in fox red, sesame (red with black tips to the hair), or black and tan, always with soft cream markings on the cheeks, chest and belly. Cream Shibas are much loved too.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Then one paw, a few seconds, one treat, every day, so that nail trims and tooth brushing never become a fight.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the flat ready
Put a baby gate inside the front door before they arrive, and check the balcony rails and the gap under the gate: a puppy fits through gaps you have not noticed. Lay rugs where they run on marble.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder what eye, hip and knee results both parents have, and whether they have had skin problems. Itchy allergic skin, Progressive Retinal Atrophy (gradual loss of sight), Hip Dysplasia and Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) can all show up in a young Shiba.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep holding out for chicken. If they stop coming for it, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Before 1900
Small, tough hunting dogs worked ahead of the hunter through the thick brush of Japan's mountains, after small game and birds.
What they still carryThe independence, the chase, and a dog who works things out for themselves.
1928 to 1936
With the native type fading, the Japanese Dog Preservation Society was founded in 1928, wrote the first standard in 1934, and in 1936 the Shiba was named a Natural Monument of Japan.
What they still carryThe fox face, the curled tail and the bold, alert nature.
1940s to 1950s
Wartime bombing, hunger and disease left very few Shibas. Breeders rebuilt the breed from three surviving lines, Shinshu, Mino and San'in.
What they still carryA breed rebuilt from a small number of dogs.
1954 to 1992
A US military family brought the first Shiba to the United States in 1954. The American Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1992.
What they still carryA hunting dog's mind in a companion's life.
Today
In the UAE a Shiba is a family dog, chosen for the fox face and the size, living in flats and villas.
What they still carryA mountain hunter with a winter coat and strong opinions, now in 45°C heat.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Shiba suits you, so might these.
PomeranianThe same kind of dog: a fox-faced spitz, much smaller, with a fuller coat and more to say.
Chow ChowAnother independent spitz, much bigger, with a lion-like mane and even more reserve with strangers.
BasenjiThe same independent, clean, cat-like temperament, in a short-coated African hound that yodels instead of barking.
Border TerrierA similar compact size and easy coat care, in a friendlier terrier that copes a little better with heat.
