Breed # 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. ![A photograph of the Shiba Inu](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/shiba-inu.webp) 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. Compare the Shiba Inu with another breed ## 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. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 3 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 3 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 3 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 4 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 5 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 4 of 5 1 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 AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/shiba-inu/)[Shiba Inu on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/shiba-inu) ## 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. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/hokkaido.webp)Hokkaido](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/hokkaido/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/finnish-spitz.webp)Finnish Spitz](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/finnish-spitz/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/chow-chow.webp)Chow Chow](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/chow-chow/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/icelandic-sheepdog.webp)Icelandic Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/icelandic-sheepdog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/eurasier.webp)Eurasier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/eurasier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pastor-garafiano.webp)Pastor Garafiano](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pastor-garafiano/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Shiba Inu14–17 in 2. Hokkaido19–20 in 3. Finnish Spitz17–20 in 4. Chow Chow17–22 in 5. Icelandic Sheepdog12–16 in 6. Eurasier20–24 in 7. Pastor Garafiano24–28 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Shiba Inu18–25 lb 2. Hokkaido44–66 lb 3. Finnish Spitz26–29 lb 4. Chow Chow40–90 lb 5. Icelandic Sheepdog25–30 lb 6. Eurasier51–71 lb 7. Pastor Garafiano77–101 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Shiba Inu13–15 yrs 2. Hokkaido12–15 yrs 3. Finnish Spitz13–15 yrs 4. Chow Chow11–13 yrs 5. Icelandic Sheepdog~12 yrs 6. Eurasier12–14 yrs 7. 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. - [Dog Refusing to Eat but Still Acting Normal? Here’s What It Means](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/my-dog-isnt-eating-but-acting-normal/) - [What Kind of Dog Is Doge?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/what-kind-of-dog-is-doge/) See the Shiba Inu on the breed map Read about the Shiba Inu on Wikipedia