… a FAT SHIBA???
All the expert advice you read about Shibas will say that they are very smart, but very stubborn, hard to train, and never completely reliable.
Well, Snick is pretty well trained for a Shiba and he can be as stubborn as me. But he’s also fat. Why? Because Shiba Inus are extremely food driven. Someone asked me months and months ago "Isn’t it cheating if you have treats in your pockets all the time?" I said "If he slips his leash, I call him away from running into the street and he comes, does it matter that he came because I have treats in my pocket?" Seriously. Think about that for a minute.
Snick got fat almost immediately after he was neutered (14 months of age). I thought it was just a combination of the hormone change and his lower activity level from growing up. Well, it was – somewhat. I put him on a diet and cut his treats in half (half size, not half as often). He lost weight and looked great. Just recently though, he started getting fat again and it dawned on me… T and I are in the process of teaching him a new command! (New command, more treats, more weight. DUH!)
This weekend, I met a Shiba and her owner in my neighborhood (unusual, really – I know most the dogs in my ‘hood already) and the first thing her owner asked me was "is he really treat motivated?" I said "YES, can’t you TELL?" LOL
So, to summarize, Snick’s very well trained for a Shiba. And it SHOWS. 🙂
Wolf is the same way, and I carry treats in my pockets when we’re out for the exact same reason!
My Shiba Thelma is the same way, although the breed books describe the Shiba as “picky.” All dogs love food, but Thelma will pry open closed doors and cupboards with her snubnose snout to get to Cheerios, cat food, and pretzels. Technically she gets 2/3 cup of Iams adult once a day, plus a few human treats inbetween. She responds to the words “cookie” and “biscuit.”