@Kira_Inu, I am! I found this site and had to join! I absolutely love the japanese breeds more than any other. My next pup will be a Shikoku Ken. Wolves were always my most favorite non domesticated animals and Shikokus look like little "wolf dogs." Do you know if Shibas and Shikokus do well with one another?
They do, many of the Shiba members also have other Japanese breeds as well. You're always more likely to have a better family dynamic if you have different genders. Many Akita rescues, for example, only adopt to families that have dogs of an opposing gender. There is just less of a chance of dominance and aggression issues. Not that it may not come up, but your chances are much less likely. I love Akitas and Kai's, maybe one day I will introduce a male ino our family. But not anytime soon. The dynamic in our household works now, I don't want to mess with it (13-year old male cat, 4-year old female cat, and a 5-month old female Shiba).
Just make sure your house is stable and ready before you add one more into the family!
@Kira_Inu, I will be waiting at least 2 years until I bring another pup into the family. I am a firm believer in waiting until the time is right. I don't want to take away any attention from my Shibz at all. These months are very critical as you know. Your pup isn't much older than mine! And thank you @Zandrame, I will look into it.
It sounds like you are doing all the right things, researching like crazy before you get the Shikoku. You'll know when you're ready, then. My bf and I decided upon a Shiba early this year and were simply researching the breeds. I didn't intend upon getting one so soon, but in May the bf said why not get one now since we've already found the breeder we prefer. Within 2 months, a cream female was born in a litter. They are rare, so we had expected it would've been a longer wait. Sometimes, it is meant to be.
I'd recommend to start researching the breed and try to find meet ups so that Yoshi can meet and interact with a few before taking the next step of looking for a reputable breeder.
I have TRIED looking for Shiba meet ups in my area and I can honestly say that I am having no luck at all!!! Maybe I'm not searching for it correctly??
Where do you live? I would go ahead and post in this forum with the state/area that you live in to see if other members might be able to advise you in the right direction. You could also try doing a search for your state to see if there have already been meetups in the past and try to resurrect that thread. I also joined www.meetup.com and found some dog sites that meet regularly in my area. It's not Shiba Inu focused, but I can meet other responsible dog owners to interact with.
Comments
Just make sure your house is stable and ready before you add one more into the family!
http://www.nihonken.org/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/8479/shiba-shikoku/p1
I'd recommend to start researching the breed and try to find meet ups so that Yoshi can meet and interact with a few before taking the next step of looking for a reputable breeder.