Many of you have heard about Shiba Inu aggressive behavior. You may believe that they are the most aggressive dogs out there. In reality, they are not. They are no more aggressive than other dog breeds. But, their behavior and their temperament are completely unique and this can be seen as the main cause for the problem.
Temperament of Shiba Inu
If you see or have heard of Shiba Inu’s aggressive behavior, you will want to read this. In a nutshell, Shibas have a lot of energy and are active all the time. They must use all that energy. Shibas are also stubborn and they can live or withstand a lot of time without their owner. They can be independent dogs, and this is something most dog owners like.
Shibas were bred as hunting dogs in Japan. However, they were bred for hunting small birds. As such, they have a specific behaviour that allows them to hunt these small animals, who can change their direction, behavior, and actions within seconds. Shibas must adapt to that, so this is the reason why their behaviour can change in a second. They also had to hunt by themselves, so this explains why this breed can be extremely independent, much more than any other dog.
Yes, today they do not hunt, and they are ordinary dogs, but these instincts still live inside the dogs, and they are present. As a matter of fact, the same or at least similar reasons are seen in all dog breeds, and there are no exceptions.
Why Are Shiba Inu Aggressive Sometimes?
Here you must remember that dogs are not born to be aggressive. They like fun and friends and not to bite and kill. Aggression must be provoked or caused by one of many reasons. Below we will cover those reasons and you can see and try to deduce why your dog is aggressive.
Territory
All dogs can be aggressive when they are defending their territory. Shibas are not different and they can do the same thing. Keep in mind that a dog can consider his territory your backyard, a park, or anything else.
Protection Aggression
If a dog wants to protect you from aggression or even from people he doesn’t trust, he will display aggression. This is actually perfectly normal and common. All dogs do it but some have stronger instincts regarding the matter.
Aggressive Over ‘’Their’’ Things
Shibas are extremely aggressive when someone is touching their stuff. This can be a toy, a bone, an object, or something else. These are more aggressive in this case scenario than any other dog so be careful when touching their toys or stuff in general.
Fear
When a dog is scared he will display signs of aggression. This may happen when there is an actual threat or when there is no threat at all. It all depends. Anyway, a dog will be aggressive and he will literally try to defend himself.
Hunting Instincts
Shibas have strong hunting or better said prey instincts and this is normal. They were bred as hunting dogs. If this is the case, you will see your dog being aggressive towards small animals or even small children. Yes, it can be a huge issue and it must be addressed as soon as possible.
Redirected Aggression
Redirected aggression is when your dog is aggressive about something but he doesn’t know why. He may be aggressive due to countless things and there are no apparent explanations at first. In reality, he will be aggressive due to one of the reasons mentioned above but he will react at a different time or a bit differently in general.
How To Calm Your Aggressive Shiba Inu?
Yes, there are a lot of things you can do if your dog is aggressive. You need to react fast and you need to do a few things. This is most effective when multiple steps are taken at once. Let’s see the steps in detail below.
Take Him To A Vet
In some situations, it is possible that your dog is aggressive due to a medical condition or pain. A tumor can cause aggression! Hence, it is important to make sure this is not the case or other methods will not be effective.
Spay or Neuter
Dogs who were not spayed or neutered are usually always more aggressive than those who were. Keep this in mind and make sure you do this as soon as you can if you don’t want puppies. If you do, then this step is not for you.
You Must Stay Calm
When your dog is aggressive, if you are upset or show signs of fear he will become even more aggressive. The goal is to stay calm at all times and to try to solve the problem.
Allow Him To Exercise A Lot
Shibas have a lot of energy, far more than most other breeds. As such, you need to do the obvious. Allow him to exercise as much as he can. By doing this, your pet will use all that energy for something useful (burning calories, making muscles stronger, having fun, etc.). This also suggests that he won’t have the energy to be aggressive without a reason. It works perfectly, and it is one of those methods that is very effective and works with all dog breeds.
You Must Stay Consistent
When you give one command to your dog he may or may not obey you. But, if you are persistent you can see that he will obey you more and more frequently. The goal here is to stay persistent and your dog will start obeying you more and more. There are some boundaries you will want to use as well such as not jumping on other people. Do not climb on furniture etc. but these are specific and vary significantly.
Conclusion
By now you should know that Shiba Inu aggressive behavior is nothing unusual. Luckily there are a lot of things you can do about it. Just make sure that you understand the main cause of the problem and you can react accordingly. This is something you can sort out, with a lot of time and effort.
