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The shiba inu, however, is one breed that legitimately evokes
feline comparisons. Japan's most popular dog, the shiba hates
to be dirty; and instead of barking he is more apt to purr,
yodel or even to scream like a panther — a vocalization he
employs when he wants to register his objection to doing something
contrary to his nature, like walking on a leash. Moreover,
the shiba's agility, surefootedness and independent spirit
are qualities that call to mind the cat. So, too, does the
shiba's highly developed sense of self.
"If a
shiba could only utter one word, it would probably be mine,"
writes one shiba owner. "Sharing is a concept he feels others
should practice."
This is not to say that shibas don't require love and affection,
or that they don't make wonderful family dogs. Yet it is to
observe that shiba owners have to keep these charming, catlike
rascals in hand because given half a chance shibas will claim
the catbird seat in the house for their own.
Ancient Patterns
Dogs have
lived in Japan at least as long as humans have. The earliest
known immigrants to Japan, the Jomonjin, came ashore roughly
9,000 years ago. Sometimes referred to as the rope-pattern
people because of the manner in which they decorated their
earthenware, the Jomonjin left behind shell mounds in which
archaeologists subsequently found the oldest dog remains yet
discovered in Japan. These artifacts belonged to dogs that
ranged between 14 ½ and 19 ½ inches at the shoulder. Some
observers believe the Jomonjin brought these dogs -- or their
direct ancestors -- to Japan.
The oldest
canine pawprints found in Japan were discovered at an archaeological
dig at Nagahama earlier this year. The seven sets of prints,
believed to be 3,000 years old, were discovered near human
footprints left by people who lived in the Jomon Era (10,000
to 300 B.C.). The diameter of the pawprints, nearly 1 3/4
inches, suggests they were made by a small- or medium-size
dog. The location of the prints, in soil that had once been
someone's grave — together with the lack of any sign of a
canine-human struggle in the area — led researchers to question
the theory that dogs in the Jomon Era were mostly feral and
their behavior was close to the modern-day wolf's. The dog(s)
that left those 3,000-year-old prints, said officials of the
Nagahama board of education, "had been domesticated and used
as either a guard or for hunting."
Although
a person would be hard put to identify the time when dogs
were domesticated in Japan, researchers believe that Japanese
breeds were created as a result of fraternization between
the Jomonjin dogs and a group of dogs brought to Japan by
immigrants who arrived in the third century B.C. The Jomonjin
dogs and the new arrivals cooperated to produce the mother
of all Japanese breeds: a dog with pointed, erect ears and
a curled or sickle tail. The descendants of this dog were
eventually segregated into six breeds and three sizes: large
(Akita), medium (Kishu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kai) and small
(shiba inu). Those differences among these dogs were a function
of the district in which the breeds evolved and the uses to
which they were put.
Preservation Societies
The shiba
inu was developed in the mountains near the Sea of Japan,
where the breed was used to flush birds and small game and,
on occasion, to hound wild boar. The shiba's keen senses and
determination and its ability to maneuver through steep hills
and mountain slopes made it a superb hunter.
The meaning
of shiba is a bone of linguistic contention. Some people
say it means brushwood and that shibas were given their
name because their fiery red coats are the color of brushwood
leaves in autumn. Other lexicographers believe that shiba
means bush dog, a reference to the bush land and hilly
areas in which shibas hunted. Still others assert that shiba
is an obsolete Japanese word meaning small. The breed's
surname, inu, everyone agrees, means dog.
Unlike
most other countries, which didn't spare a thought for keeping
track of dogs' ancestors, Japan considered its canine breeds
an integral part of the nation's culture. Therefore, as early
as the seventh century, the Yamato Court established a dogkeeper's
office to preserve the records and integrity of Japanese breeds.
Security was breached at various times nonetheless, and during
the latter half of the 19th century and the first decade of
the present century, to cite just one period of transgression,
the increased popularity of hunting resulted in the importation
of English setters and pointers — and a certain amount of
crossbreeding with Japanese stock.
The shiba
inu was in peril of being hybridized beyond recognition when
Hirokiosch-Saito formed a preservation society in 1930 to
keep the breed from becoming extinct. In addition to seeking
out uncompromised specimens of shiba inus from the more remote
areas of Japan, the preservation society drafted a breed standard
for the shiba as well as for its medium-size relative the
Hokaido inu and its larger cousin the Akita inu. All three
breeds were given official recognition by the Japanese Kennel
Club (JKC) and also by the Federacion Cynologique Internationale
in 1936.
Fending off the Wolf
Despite
its official status the shiba inu found the wolf at its door
again in this century. During the last desperate days of World
War II food was so scarce in Japan that those animals which
managed to avoid starving to death were eaten. By the end
of the war dogs were virtually nonexistent in urban areas.
Fortunately the few shiba remaining in the outlying districts
were relatively "purebred." These dogs were used to populate
the breeding programs set up to resurrect the breed. That
effort — along with most of Japan's canine population — was
decimated by a raging distemper epidemic in 1959, and Japanese
dog fanciers were forced to begin another period of reconstruction.
The first
shiba inus brought to the United States may have been imported
by servicemen returning from tours of duty in Japan. Absent
any records of previous importations, however, the first officially
recorded shiba arrived in this country in 1954 with an armed
forces family. Although the shiba's stuffed-toy appeal was
undeniable, any notion of registering the breed with the American
Kennel Club (AKC) came a cropper because the AKC did not honor
registrations issued by the JKC. Thus Americans did not import
shiba inus with any serious thought of breeding them until
the late 1970s. Finally in April 1992 the AKC added the JKC
to its primary list of foreign dog-registry organizations,
and interest in the breed skyrocketed. In 1993, on the eve
of the year of the dog in Japan, the shiba inu became eligible
to compete in regular classes at AKC shows.
Personality
Profile
Spirited,
good-natured, forthright and dignified, the shiba inu has
an independent nature. Reserved toward strangers and capable
of being aggressive with other dogs, the shiba is loyal and
affectionate to those who earn his respect. This is an exceptionally
clean dog and an easy one to housetrain. Shibas are not so
easy to lead train, however; and, in the words of one owner,
"a shiba who reliably comes on command in any situation is
rare indeed. Expect your shiba to be an on-leash [or fenced-yard]
breed, and if he proves to be otherwise, then you are among
the fortunate."
Shibas
were originally included in the American Kennel Club's by-now
notorious, not to mention rescinded, list of breeds that are
not good with children. The truth of the matter is, shibas
will respect children who respect them, but shibas do not
like to be restrained or kidhandled. For a child's safety
and a shiba's peace of mind, children must be taught that
the proper way to approach a shiba is to wait for the shiba
to approach them.
Building Blocks
The shiba
inu stands roughly 15 ½ inches at the shoulder and weighs
between 20 and 25 pounds. Its handy size and short, easy-to-care-for
coat make it an ideal apartment dog, yet its sturdiness allows
it to withstand the rigors of outdoor life as well as the
comfort of indoor living. The shiba can go jogging with anyone
who is so inclined or can get sufficient exercise from chasing
a tennis ball around the back yard.
Although a glistening red is the color most frequently associated
with the shiba inu, the breed also occurs in sesame (black
tipped hairs on a red background) and black-and-tan. All three
colors must also display urajiro: cream to white markings
on the sides of the face and cheeks, inside the ears, on the
under jaw and upper throat, the inside legs, the abdomen,
around the vent and the ventral side of the tail.
Like all
breeds, the shiba is heir to certain genetic diseases. Those
most frequently encountered in the shiba are luxating patella
(or slipped kneecap); hip dysplasia, which occurs with surprising
frequency in a breed so small; eye problems, including distichiasis
(inwardly growing eyelashes), entropion, (inwardly rolled
eyelids), and cataracts. Perhaps the most common health problem
affecting the shiba inu is a variety of allergies, from flea
allergy dermatitis to food and inhalant allergies.
Rick Beauchamp is a freelance writer who resides in
Cambria, California. He is author of numerous books on canine
breeds and is a judge licensed with the American Kennel Club
and the United Kennel Club..
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www.dogandkennel.com
