Is my Shiba normal?
So I've had Space since April, and he's been great.
It took a while for him to finally meet some Shibas but he's now met 3 others. All older, and all absolute jerks! Everyone has been snappy and growly at the site of Space, and it hasn't gone well. Space gets in his play bow and wants to just jump around and play, and the other Shibas growl and snap. They've also been afraid of strangers as well.
I'm wondering, is Space (6 months) going to keep his pleasant temperament? I've never heard him growl, and he has never snapped at anyone/thing. I'd say his biggest flaw is that he really loves humping other dogs.
So, does aggression develop over time?
It took a while for him to finally meet some Shibas but he's now met 3 others. All older, and all absolute jerks! Everyone has been snappy and growly at the site of Space, and it hasn't gone well. Space gets in his play bow and wants to just jump around and play, and the other Shibas growl and snap. They've also been afraid of strangers as well.
I'm wondering, is Space (6 months) going to keep his pleasant temperament? I've never heard him growl, and he has never snapped at anyone/thing. I'd say his biggest flaw is that he really loves humping other dogs.
So, does aggression develop over time?
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Comments
Second, sounds like Space is doing great! I'm sure other posters will be able to answer your questions better than I would.........But I would DEFINATELY keep up the socializing! I hope you are able to find dogs closer to his age that may play nicer than the older shibas.
THIRD........ MORE SPAM!!!! hahaha
Many people take their puppy for advantage, expecting them to act the way they've been no matter what happens. But something will click in the puppies' heads at some point and they start to determine what they like or don't like. Shibas are the kind of dog where it's an absolute must to socialize them with as many nouns (people/place/thing) as possible.
Not all shibas are the same, not all personalities are the same. Some don't really like interacting with other dogs, some love to play with anything that moves. I feel that it's the experiences they have as puppies that will mostly determine how they will be as adults.
If you don't keep on socializing with all kinds of dogs and people and places and sounds and objects, etc etc... your shiba may be headed down that road.
I think, like humans, dogs that are more adjusted to daily life and the sights and sounds and expectations of that life are a lot less stressed, enjoy more, and live longer. Keep doing what you are doing, and do it more and more and Space will be a good advocate for the breed!
However if they are not playing nice you don't want to keep Space around them. As others have said keep taking Space to meet new people and new dogs (that play nice). I wish I could have done those things for Nemo when he was a pup.
On the other hand...he's still not to fond of people....no aggression but he does shy away from people (especially kids)........but if your walking your dog and you let him met him/her...he will let you pet him as long as he is on his leash as well. At the park when people lean down to pet him he moves away.
I hear his brother is the exact opposite.....lol....just like people, they all have different personalities.
Steve
You have to take in the whole context. How were the owners of the other 3 dogs reacting? Were they jerks as well? Apologetic? Apathetic? Were they wary because they knew how their dog would react? Did they already pull their dog's leash taught before you even got near? Were the owners relaxed and surprised at their dog's reaction? How did your dog approach the other dogs? Made a bee-line for their face? approached in a semi-circle towards the other dog's butt? Assess both dog and owner and you should be able to get a clearer picture as to why the other dogs reacted the way they did.
My dog turns 1-year old next month (with Sake
Jesse
Many Shiba owners notice a personality change around the age of two.
but be careful and read your dog, is he hyper because of positive excitement or is he hyper because the situation is overwhelming, also make sure that meeting dogs isnt alwyas a great party. There should be calm situations too so he dont learns other dogs = great party, excitement, hyper
One thing about older Shiba’s is that about half of them tend to not have much tolerance for younger pups. It is honestly the energy level and other factors that I’ll touch on in a second. Shiba’s are one of the breeds that I’ve seen that genuinely interact even better with each other. It is also important to note that with Shiba’s that sometimes a growl is just a growl. There growling at your dog may or may not have been hostile intent, and I’d say about 95% of the time there is no hostility involved. Shiba’s tend to growl at each other as a form of communication of boundaries. Though our first instinct is to say “Oh, that dog is being mean to my kid” it most often is simply the older dog saying “okay, these are the rules and this is the line you shouldn’t cross.”
It is also important to not react as the owner to be overprotective. I’ve seen a few instances where an overactive puppy has gotten rolled or nipped by an older dog. I say nip, because even with the meanest Shiba’s I’ve seen, they have never hurt a puppy. Admittedly, I may be just lucky in that regard. As a human we have to keep in mind that this is how older dogs teach pups the rules. Apparently the dog world believes in spankings still. I break it up as soon as I see the older dog start in, but just the scare tends to teach the younger dog boundaries.. Sometimes that is even more effective than us as humans trying to communicate boundaries to them at dog parks. I’m not advocating that you let your dog get bullied or beat-up, but just that dogs tend to teach each other boundaries and that growling is their minor offense.
One thing I did pick up from your post was that your dog is a humper. Don’t take this the wrong way, but with it happening with three separate Shiba’s, it could be that your dog is actually the offending party. We tend to see no faults in our own dogs and as humans we don’t pick up on a lot that goes on between two dogs. If older Shiba’s sense that your dog has any inkling of humping them, then they will growl. As they should. It may not look to you as if your dog has that leaning, but dogs can pick up on it at times. To a dog, especially a breed like a Shiba, there is only one greater disrespect than humping them. They don’t like a dog even thinking of it. In case you’re wondering the worst offense is to pee on another dog, which I’ve seen a young Shiba try to do to an older Shiba and puppies as well.
My point is that your dogs love of humping may be the issue here and not necessarily that all older Shiba’s get mean, though they get pretty cranky. I would work on breaking that habit (I just had to do that with my Shiba-Chihuahua mix even after he got fixed) and that went a long, long way towards his getting along with other Shibas. Now if after your dog is out of the humping stage and they still growl, then they just don’t like pups.