Shiba Inus (Complete Pet Owner's Manual) (Paperback)

by Laura Payton (Author) "Type refers to the traits or physical characteristics that make a breed unique, distinguishing it from other breeds, such as color, markings, eye shape, ear..." (more)
Key Phrases: red sesame, dog aggression, guard coat, Shiba Inu, United States, These Shibas (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This handsome, richly coated native of Japan is bold, courageous, and intensely loyal to its owner. It makes an excellent watchdog. Titles in Barron’s wide-ranging and heavily illustrated selection of Complete Pet Owner’s Manuals present sound and useful information for pet owners. High-quality photos are in color and line drawings are anatomically accurate. These fact-filled books instruct owners on how to care for dogs, cats, birds, fish, caged pets, reptiles, and virtually every other animal that people are likely to keep as a pet. Books in this series are written by breeders, trainers, veterinarians, and other pet-care specialists. They advise on purchasing, feeding, health care, training, grooming, and all other aspects of responsible pet ownership.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764123777
• ISBN-13: 978-0764123771
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,565 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  Books > Home & Garden > Animal Care & Pets > Dogs > Breeds

• This item is part of The Complete Pet Owner's Manual Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shiba Owner, September 8, 2003

By	fastfire "fastfire" (NJ - United States) - See all my reviews

This book is a ton of value for your money. A book like this was needed because of the growing popularity of this breed. It gives a good description of the breed as a pet, what to expect and what would be expected of you - the prospective owner. I've read through other Shiba books and most of them are geared more for those who are interested in competition/dog-show/breed history. This book will save you 'surfing' on the net. I'm sure all those Shiba puppies will be grateful to this author for prepping their new owners!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Owner's Man. for a Shiba, May 9, 2005

By	robswife "robswife" (Sac, CA) - See all my reviews

My family and I researched dogs through a breed book for almost a year before we settled on the Shiba. We went to Northern CA Shiba Club picnics and dog shows to get a look at these dogs. After meeting with several reputable breeders, we decided, these dogs were a great fit for our family of 4 (husband, wife, 2 girls that were 5 & 6 at the time of getting our Shiba.) The sire came from another state 3x to get mom pregnant. Finally, she did. We got our black/tan Shiba, Yoshimatsu, when he was approx. 10 weeks old. Everything I was able to learn at that point about Shiba's was through owners, breeders, and online websites. I couldn't find a book on these little guys. Well, what do you know, this book could've prepared me or at least explained a lot about why a Shiba is the way it is. This dog was my first dog, but the 3rd for my husband who had an Akita in his younger years. Since the Shiba is bred down from the Akita, my husband noticed many similarities and explained certain attitudes or actions were normal for the breed (cat pounce stance, cat pouncing, inquisitive, playful, fast learning, and defiant). But, Laura Payton's book was the best source of information all in one place, shy of having a breeder come stay with me for a week to tell me everything. The glossy pages with color photos is nice. This book is written so that anyone can understand it. I already knew a lot about the Shiba, but, I learned more from Laura. She writes with a good sense of the reader, it's not written like statistics.
Of course you hear that Shiba's are like no other breed and may scoff at that. But, it DOES take a special owner to handle this breed. The Shiba is NOT FOR EVERYONE. This book can make or break the decision for you. If digging bothers you or the thought of your dog jumping 6 ft. in the air from a sitting position, or if you don't want to take the time to train/keep the dog trained or spend time with this pack oriented breed, don't get this dog. You'd be doing yourself and the dog a disservice. If you love a playful, inquisitive, fast learning, macho, catlike, stubborn, smart, coatblowing, protective, fun dog, then read this book to decide if the Shiba is right for you and your family. This book goes in depth, no nonsense, goes straight to the point for information about this dog...easy read, beautiful pictures, just a great book all around!

Helpful Shiba information....
I've had my Shiba for about 2 years now. I trained him the best I could and recently got him a personal trainer for $500. For an $800 pet quality dog, that I want to be the best little guy, the price was fine. Because Shiba's are still a bit rare, we get stopped and questioned A LOT! This dog can easily appear to be aggressive like a rot. We always get comments like: He's so cute, look at that tail, what a beautiful coat, look at those teeth! So, train your dog. They shouldn't jump or nip at people! This scares others and having a dog is a liability. Having a well behaved dog makes us feel good and we've never had someone say bad things of Yoshi. Finding a dogsitter, groomer or trainer may be difficult. Shiba's are considered a semi-primitive breed. In my town, we have about a dozen Vet's, but only 3 have or have had a Shiba as a client. Try to get one with experience.

Update: Nov. 13, 2006
Yoshi has done wonders with a personal trainer (training us, the family) on how to train our dog to obey commands. Shibas are VERY smart. I was dismayed to read that someone was not satisfied with this book for training purposes. This is an owners manual, not a training manual. I believe in the world of dog books, there are manuals for the breed/s and there are manuals for training, at least in the bookstores I frequent like Borders, Walden Books, etc. This book seems to be more geared towards those who own a Shiba or those thinking about owning a Shiba. If you want to train a Shiba, look elsewhere or get a personal trainer familiar with this breed.

Since we've moved to the mountains, we are surrounded by what we call "moon dust" dirt. We have this moon dust directly around our house where it's "defensible" (fire safe) space. When Yoshi's time is up outside, we've taught him to "shake" to get the powder off. We say "shake" and/or take a relaxed hand and fingers pointed in his direction and "shake it all about" (as in the Hokey Pokey dance/song.) We've also taught him to use his nose (not a paw as this would scratch surfaces) to hit a bell on a string tied to the sliding glass door handle whenever he wants to go out. Later, we tied one in the Class A RV on the stair handle just inside the door step area...he saw it and used it right away! These "tricks" took about a month to teach him. If you are consistant, your dog will learn many commands/tricks. Of course, Yoshi looks away, giving you the "I no see you, you not there" or "I'm not looking at you, you're not talking to me" looks/attitude. Deal with it. It's how these dogs can be. Work with it. They learn! They know what you want. (Of course anytime I have a treat in hand, he miraculously understands ALL commands the first time they are given.) Yoshi also understands multiple commands for the same thing. For instance, Sit is also cop a squat. He also understands the difference between bone, toy and ball when we tell him to get one. I got a few training books. I pick and chose what I wanted to teach my dog. I did not do the "click" method in fear that should another owner use this, he'd look to them for commands. K.I.S.S. Guide to Living with a Dog was fun to read. What is my dog thinking? by Gwen Bailey was helpful. Communicating with your dog by Ted Baer was very helpful. Our personal trainer was the best!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific little book!, January 31, 2004

By	Fantastic (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

American dog books generally don't have too much to say about the Shiba, so when I saw that there was a book devoted to this breed, I had to get it, and it did not disappoint. For such a small, compact book it contains a wealth of information, all useful and practical. I often feel books are overpriced, but at approximately eight dollars this one is a great value. If you like Shiba, also consider Japanese Dogs by Michiko Chiba.