Dog Breed Guide

Shiba

Profile

Size

Small

Country of origin

Japan

Origin

Ancient

Bred for

Hunting small game and birds, Watchdog

Height

male 38 - 41cm (15 - 16in), female 35 - 38cm (14 - 15in)

Weight

male 9 - 11kg (20 - 24lb), female 7 - 9kg (15 - 20lb)

Life span

12 - 15 years

A Japanese dog with erect triangular ears, a curled tail and a compact, muscular body. Accepted colors are red, black and tan, and sesame, with red making up the large majority. The pale cream areas on the muzzle, chest and belly are called "urajiro" and are considered an essential mark of the breed.

With its simple, dignified bearing, the Shiba combines strong alertness with loyalty to its owner. It is independent, and many do not like to be fussed over. The "Shiba refusal," when a Shiba plants its feet and won't budge because it does not want to go home from a walk, and the loud "Shiba scream" it lets out when it does not like something, are familiar sights to fans.

In shedding season it loses an astonishing amount of undercoat, so frequent brushing is essential. It is very clean and housetrains easily.

Good to know

Many of today's Shibas are said to descend from a single dog named Ishi, who lived in the mountains of Masuda in Shimane Prefecture. Ishi was a local Sekishu dog who roamed the hills until the age of five as the hunting dog of a local hunter, Shinichi Shimoyama. In 1936 he went to Tokyo and was registered with the Japanese dog preservation society as a pure small Japanese dog. His descendants spread through the postwar Shiba bloodlines, earning him the title "ancestor of the Shiba," and today Masuda is visited by fans as a "Shiba holy land."

The Shiba is one of Japan's oldest breeds. It was kept as a hunting dog in mountain regions throughout the country, and there were regional lines such as the Mino Shiba, Shinshu Shiba and San'in Shiba. Crossbreeding with Western dogs and the war nearly wiped it out, but it was revived from the few dogs that remained, and in 1936 it was designated a Natural Monument of Japan.

The most famous Shiba in the world may be Kabosu of Sakura, Chiba Prefecture. A photo of her glancing sideways spread around the world as the "Doge" meme and became the symbol of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. In 2021 an NFT of the photo sold for more than 4 million dollars. Kabosu passed away in May 2024 at an estimated 18 years old, and Sakura now has a statue of her funded by donations from fans around the world.