Shiba Inu
The Shiba Inu is a non-sporting breed from Japan, standing males 14–17 in · females 13–16 in at the withers, weighing males 18–25 lb · females 15–20 lb. Recorded lifespan is 13–15 yrs.
- Breed group
- Non-Sporting
- Origin
- Japan
- Height
- males 14–17 in · females 13–16 in
- Weight
- males 18–25 lb · females 15–20 lb
- Lifespan
- 13–15 yrs
Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Shiba Inu is taller than 21% of the measured breeds, heavier than 17%, one of 22 in the Non-Sporting group, one of 10 from Japan.
Living with the Shiba Inu
Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Shiba Inu’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.
- Affection with family
- 4 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
- Good with young children
- 3 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Good with other dogs
- 3 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Openness to strangers
- 3 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
- Watchdog / protective nature
- 5 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
- Energy
- 4 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
- Exercise needs
- 3 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
- Playfulness
- 3 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
- Barking
- 4 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
- Shedding
- 4 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
- Drooling
- 1 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
- Tolerates being alone
- 5 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates hot weather
- 3 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates cold weather
- 4 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.Shiba Inu on AKCShiba Inu on DogTime
Breeds that look like the Shiba Inu
A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Shiba Inu.
Height 0–38 in
- Shiba Inu14–17 in
- Hokkaido19–20 in
- Finnish Spitz17–20 in
- Chow Chow17–22 in
- Icelandic Sheepdog12–16 in
- Eurasier20–24 in
- Pastor Garafiano24–28 in
Weight 0–220 lb
- Shiba Inu18–25 lb
- Hokkaido44–66 lb
- Finnish Spitz26–29 lb
- Chow Chow40–90 lb
- Icelandic Sheepdog25–30 lb
- Eurasier51–71 lb
- Pastor Garafiano77–101 lb
Lifespan 0–20 yrs
- Shiba Inu13–15 yrs
- Hokkaido12–15 yrs
- Finnish Spitz13–15 yrs
- Chow Chow11–13 yrs
- Icelandic Sheepdog~12 yrs
- Eurasier12–14 yrs
- Pastor Garafianono recorded figure
Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.
Guides that mention the Shiba Inu
Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed.