Sounds pretty normal for Shikoku play...

https://www.facebook.com/jesse.pelayo/videos/vb.779237227/10154690244407228/?type=3&theater

Granted, only you can decide what is "too much" for your own dog. Shikoku, in general, can escalate their play to much rougher than what other dogs can handle.

Sounds like they were both enjoying some good wrestling.

An Aggressive Intact Male Shiba at the Park with My Female Shikoku

5-month old Shikoku to the dog park yesterday, and we ran into a male 3-month old Shiba.

The title of this thread implies really different things than the first sentence- maybe it was tongue in cheek? This is two puppies - at three months old I don't think the intactness has anything to do with it. :)

This is the first time she's met an intact male

Probably not- did she have any male littermates? If so, she played with them all the time and three months is not much different then when she last saw her brothers at 2 months old. Testosterone spikes in adolescence (8 months- 12, 14 months) and then settles down to normal levels from there. (so adult intact males actually have significantly less testosterone going than "teenage" dogs) but this shiba is only 3 months old, so he's not in spike mode yet.

BUT- the important thing is how your dog feels about this play, and what she is learning about other dogs by continuing it. If she (as an individual) hates it or is overwhelmed, and is learning that other dogs can be jerks and IF there is no way out except to be a bigger jerk back to them to make them stop, then by allowing it you are creating very difficult work for yourself in the future undoing it. I say trust your gut and let her know she doesn't have to be subjected to that.

We say this all the time that dog parks are not appropriate for shikoku and the other NK breeds, but people seem to need to learn this on their own anyway. It is okay- more than okay!- to not go to the dog park. So playing with her in another area by yourself is a fine thing- especially if she lights up and is happy doing that :) I think if you were uncomfortable with the play going on, trust yourself. Dog-reactivity is not helped by getting overwhelmed in play with pent-up strangers, and it IS helped by a trusting relationship with the owner, and knowing that the owner will not abandon pup to the mosh pit. If your puppy loves playing with you and can give you great attention, then you are building inoculation in her against obsession with rowdy dogs, and over reaction to dogs and hyper vigilance when seeing/hearing dogs. (are they going come jump on me?! Like hell they are!! BARK SNARL LUNGE...)

I think you made a good choice. :)

There might be tidbits of info here for your reference and peace of mind. Even though the article was written for JA owners, I had a shiba in the past
http://www.akita-inu.com/japanese-akita-owner-resources/raising-ja-puppy/bite-inhibition/

^ yes, yes yes!

Speaking of bad experiences at the dog run, when my shiba was just 3 months old, and intact, he was attacked by a golden retriever at the dog park and his owner scoffed and said, "My dog doesn't like intact males, but that's usually not a problem because responsible owners neuter their dogs." That was back before I also joined the no dog parks team.

Doggie daycare is a good alternative, assuming there's a well-run one in your area. They're supervised by experienced people and they kick out the aggressive dogs. Sosuke's enjoyed doggie daycare a couple times. I would never take Rakka, though.

Thank you folks for your input! We're following your advices and just taking it one step at a time, with supervision. She's not selective at all in the people she plays with, but pretty picky in deciding on canine friends ~_~.

Also, @Heidi, some dog owners are just a-holes... I can't believe the jerk said that to you!

Heidi I totally second that a good doggy day care can be great for socialization. Trick is finding a reputable day care that knows how to handle dogs, and screens the clients (no bullies). Sometimes we bring Kaja to an open concept style place. She looooooves it. She finds the dogs that play like her and they have a blast. And yeah, she's pooped afterward because she played way too hard. xD

I also support dog parks though (I know it's an unpopular opinion here). If your dog can handle it and you don't rely on it as your sole source of socialization it's fine (really, dog parks are good for the occasional run around with other dogs, sure, but also good for training). Thing is you have to find a park that's relatively quiet (like four dogs at a time), with responsible owners. Our oldest dog has always loved dog parks, and Kaja is only a year and a half but so far is on the same track. I know the dog park history of other NK owners here though, so I do think it's important to keep an eye out for signs of change as they mature.