Effective January 1, 2006, a new Standard came into effect for the Shiba Inu breed in Canada. This new Standard is far more explicit than the original Standard, but the intent is the same. As in all breed standards, there is much room for interpretation. Shiba Inu Canada has produced this booklet to help judges and fanciers better understand the breed. The Shiba Inu breedeers was recognized in Canada in 1992, and in the United States in 1993. The Shiba Inu breed has not become an overnight sensation, but has slowly grown in popularity as people who appreciate a dog of this size and personality become aware of them.
Shiba Inu Breeders are fortunate to be able to import bloodlines from the country of origin when desired, and Canadian and American fanciers compete and cooperate equally to maintain, and in some areas, improve the breed. The increasingly global outlook has seen the Shiba Inu distributed to all countries, with quality animals distributed around the world. Studying a breed involves learning the little nuances of the breed that are not necessarily mentioned in the standard. Some of these things will be cited during this presentation but are not meant to replace any of the precepts put forth in the Standard, only to enhance an individual’s understanding of the breed.
The Shiba Inu standard is always the foundation by which to gauge the quality of any given dog. In no part is a Shiba an extreme dog, and its balance and symmetry are part of the breed’s general good health as well as natural beauty. Although the word cute is almost always heard when someone describes a Shiba, it never appears in the Standard and the Shiba is never to be considered a Toy dog.
The Shiba Inu was developed in Japan, and is the smallest of the native Japanese breeds. Developed as a hunting dog for boar, rabbit, grouse and other small game in dense undergrowth, the Shiba needed strength, agility and a coarse thick coat, as well as courage and tenacity. While still retaining these hunting skills, the Shiba is now primarily an excellent companion.
Around 7000 BC the ancestors of today's Japanese breeds accompanied the earliest immigrants to Japan. Archaeological excavations show that the Jomonjin people had small dogs in the 14.5 to 19.5 inch range. In the third century BC, a new group of immigrants brought their dogs to Japan, and these dogs bred with the descendants of the Jomonjin dogs, and produced canines known to have pointed, erect ears and curly/sickle tails. In 7 AD, the Yamato Court established a dogkeeper's office which helped maintain the Japanese native breeds as an integral part of Japanese culture. Although the country was closed to foreigners from the 17th through 18th centuries, some European and Chinese dogs were imported and crossed with native dogs living in the more populated areas. Shiba Inu Dogs in the countryside, however, remained relatively pure.
The Shiba Inu from the original Japanese native dogs, six distinct breeds in three different sizes developed. They are the Akita (large size); Kishu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kai (medium size); and the Shiba inu (small size). All were used for hunting different types of game the Shiba Inu was used on birds and rabbits, and also wild boar. The Japanese boar is not as large as the European, but is still a tough, wily foe.
The Japanese method of hunting does not involve the human hunter giving direction for locating, flushing, or retrieving the game. The Shiba Inu dogs are hunted in male/female pairs, and turned loose to find, flush and trail the game, using their own instincts. They are keen bird hunters, using both sight and scent to flush. They are NOT retrievers. Rabbits and squirrels they can flush and catch with amazing speed and agility. They are silent hunters and give voice only when the game is treed. If the game goes to ground, one dog will dig in, while the other watches for other escape routes. When hunting boar, the Shiba Inu are expected to hold it at bay until the hunter arrives on the scene, not to actually bring it down.
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