Not to copy Evan, but GRRRR....
Just got back from my 2nd trip to the dog park today. Earlier trip had too many vocal dogs and Ichi wasn't into it so we left.
2nd trip was at dusk and I met a cute 5-month old shiba puppy Kiba (owned by a nice young couple). Ichi still wasn't into the active running he usually did.
Meanwhile, an old man decides to give me a hard time about Ichi's meekness and breeding (read aloofness: no interest in interacting with dog or human). In seeing the puppy and my 10-month old dog. A condensed conversation is listed below:
Him: "Is that a Shiba Inu?"
Me: "Yeah."
Him: "That's the biggest one I've ever seen."
Me: "Yeah, he's big for the breed standard, but it's because of his legs."
Him: "Is he a mix?"
Me: "Nope, he's full-bred."
Him: "You sure? I've never seen one as big as him and I've been doing this for 27 years."
Me: "Yeah, I'm sure, he's all Shiba."
Him: "Well he looks part sheperd (Ichi's not likin' the dog park and tail was down)."
Me: "Yeah well..."
Him: "He's so shy. You need to bring him to the dog park every day and put him on the bench and hold him you know. So he knows your the master and he's safe so he can go out and roam and be a dog."
Me: "He's got some issues, but I'm working on it. Thanks."
Him: "He sure doesn't act like a Shiba. It's probably because he's a mix. Did you get him from a breeder? Does he have papers?"
Me: "Yeah I got him from a breeder. His parents are papered, but what's the point? AKC is a crapshoot anyways."
Him: "So you don't even know his parent's names?"
Me: "Yes I do, they are there in his registration papers. I didn't turn them in because, like I said, what's the point?"
Him: "Oh okay yeah."
Wasn't long before I left at the same time the other Shiba owners did. I left a bit before them but not before I heard the old codger talk to them with their dog.
"You guys have a shiba. That guy you were talking to? He doesn't have a shiba, he has a sheperd mix."
But oh it gets better...
A man walks in with a maltese. Old man is by the gate so he pipes up. "Let me guess, maltese and bichon frise?"
Man: "Yeah...well no...he's full-bred maltese."
I walked away from that experience with one poignant concept. I can't expect my dog to like all dogs at first encounter when I sure as hell can't like all people I meet.
Sad thing was a woman was interested in learning about Shibas but I wasn't in a mood to entertain her right there because the old man had basically soured me for the rest of my stay.
Short of the long. Ladies and gentlemen, I present my full-blooded, 17", 25 lbs, leggy shiba. He's got medium-to-low energy. Low prey drive (it's there but not consistent, we've walked by a rabbit 3 ft away and he didn't notice). He is wary of all dogs and strangers for the first 30 minutes of meeting them. He's smart enough to sniff out a$$holes in human form from a 10-ft radius (doggie a$$holes need closer inspection).
Bahh, had to get that out there! I feel better now.
2nd trip was at dusk and I met a cute 5-month old shiba puppy Kiba (owned by a nice young couple). Ichi still wasn't into the active running he usually did.
Meanwhile, an old man decides to give me a hard time about Ichi's meekness and breeding (read aloofness: no interest in interacting with dog or human). In seeing the puppy and my 10-month old dog. A condensed conversation is listed below:
Him: "Is that a Shiba Inu?"
Me: "Yeah."
Him: "That's the biggest one I've ever seen."
Me: "Yeah, he's big for the breed standard, but it's because of his legs."
Him: "Is he a mix?"
Me: "Nope, he's full-bred."
Him: "You sure? I've never seen one as big as him and I've been doing this for 27 years."
Me: "Yeah, I'm sure, he's all Shiba."
Him: "Well he looks part sheperd (Ichi's not likin' the dog park and tail was down)."
Me: "Yeah well..."
Him: "He's so shy. You need to bring him to the dog park every day and put him on the bench and hold him you know. So he knows your the master and he's safe so he can go out and roam and be a dog."
Me: "He's got some issues, but I'm working on it. Thanks."
Him: "He sure doesn't act like a Shiba. It's probably because he's a mix. Did you get him from a breeder? Does he have papers?"
Me: "Yeah I got him from a breeder. His parents are papered, but what's the point? AKC is a crapshoot anyways."
Him: "So you don't even know his parent's names?"
Me: "Yes I do, they are there in his registration papers. I didn't turn them in because, like I said, what's the point?"
Him: "Oh okay yeah."
Wasn't long before I left at the same time the other Shiba owners did. I left a bit before them but not before I heard the old codger talk to them with their dog.
"You guys have a shiba. That guy you were talking to? He doesn't have a shiba, he has a sheperd mix."
But oh it gets better...
A man walks in with a maltese. Old man is by the gate so he pipes up. "Let me guess, maltese and bichon frise?"
Man: "Yeah...well no...he's full-bred maltese."
I walked away from that experience with one poignant concept. I can't expect my dog to like all dogs at first encounter when I sure as hell can't like all people I meet.
Sad thing was a woman was interested in learning about Shibas but I wasn't in a mood to entertain her right there because the old man had basically soured me for the rest of my stay.
Short of the long. Ladies and gentlemen, I present my full-blooded, 17", 25 lbs, leggy shiba. He's got medium-to-low energy. Low prey drive (it's there but not consistent, we've walked by a rabbit 3 ft away and he didn't notice). He is wary of all dogs and strangers for the first 30 minutes of meeting them. He's smart enough to sniff out a$$holes in human form from a 10-ft radius (doggie a$$holes need closer inspection).
Bahh, had to get that out there! I feel better now.
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Comments
Let the old man asshole be. We'll chock it up to Senileness haha. That &...well...some people are just born assholes. Don't let him get to you Jesse, he doesn't deserve it
And ICHI has the Sweetest face!
Jesse
We met a lot people today at pride that were amazed that a Shiba could be so easy going with other people (although Keiko was a bit nervous at the start... her first MAJOR event). I heard SO many times about different people meeting 'mean' or 'unfriendly' Shibas
Cause I have been doing this for over 10 years and your dog doesn't look anything like the Shiba photo I have in my book with all the breeds in it. He looks like a very short hair Chow Chow to me...maybe with a bit of chihuahua mixed in there.
You have to love connaisseurs!
And yes, Sake and Ichi must be distant leggy relatives...
What was that old man doing for 27 years anyway. Breeding Shibas, or sitting in a dog park being a ball buster. You should have hit him in the head with a bully stick.
Jesse
Jesse, sorry this goofus spoiled Ichi's shiba coolness.
Some countries (for example Spain) go as far has stating the exact measurements of the ideal dog, not only for height or weight, but for chest perimeter, height to length ratio, height to chest depth ratio and angles of joints.
I believe that, in it's origins, it was a useful tool for a proper selection of a breed.
Having said that, I do agree that it's not possible for every breeding to produce champions, nor is there a reason why they should. Most people aren't worried about showing and want a certain breed. What should always be important is temperament, functionality and health. So I would prefer a dog that is further away from the standard but has a correct temperament and is healthy that to any champion out there.
I guess they expect you to have found your dog on the street, or to have a champion. I disagree, and I think that a moderately priced dog from a breeder that doesn't fit any sort of standard at all maybe fits the best in my household. Someone's gotta take those poor, half-bred, unsociable, deprived and disgraced dogs in... poor half-shepard shibas. They never stood a chance
PS Which of the dozen or so shepard breeds was he referring to? Funny old man.
Ichi is sooooo handsome though! And I LOVE his long legs. Seriously. Love them.
Apparently annoying the sh*t out of people.
Case in point - I know someone who paid close to $2000 for a perfect example of a Rottweiler. Rescue societies were an absolutely out of the question because their dog had to be perfect. Well, after receiving this "perfect" dog, they never bothered to train it or properly socialize it because "a Rottie has to be allowed to be itself - training is for inferior specimens of inferior breeds." They actually advised me against getting Tosca because, since she was non-standard and coming from a rescue society, she would certainly be unstable, aggressive, and a terrible pet not to mention ugly. Their "perfect" dog is now around six and snaps at any move made by anyone who doesn't live there. They've had three biting incidents within a year (They paid the med. bills and gave money to the people so the dog wouldn't be reported.) because "She's just being a Rottie. People don't understand how to behave around her." Breed Standand + Breed Misconception = Problems. They still ask me if "That Pound Dog" has done anything heinous yet and, when I showed them pictures, I got "Too bad. Standard shibas are such pretty animals."
It's senseless to take these fools seriously, but they are annoying.
All Shibas are pretty. Same can't be said for all the owners.