Do Shiba Inus Shed?

One question that often comes up while out in public with my dogs is if they shed.

...Ummm, yeah...they do...big time...

If you are considering getting a Shiba Inu as a pet, be warned: they are heavy shedders especially when they're 'blowing coat.' Roughly twice a year, Rowdy's undercoat will shed massively. By that I mean, every time he breaths he sloughs off hair; little Rowdy-haired tumbleweeds travel across our floors; hairs get embedded in our couches; I've found puffs of hair in the backyard; our A/C filter needs changing more often; you get the idea.

I have found (through my own experience as well as through the experience of other owners of this breed) that dietary supplements with claims that it will reduce shedding in this breed do not work. The food that Rowdy eats claims to have ingredients that will reduce shedding. See the picture below? If that is what reduced shedding looks like then I have nightmares about how much Rowdy would shed without 'special ingrediants'. I have found that regular brushing is the only way to go and during the times they blow coat, a bath helps.

One of the best investments I've made was purchasing a Furminator. As you can see, it really helped comb out some of Rowdy's undercoat.

"I didn't do it."

This is after one grooming session. He's got enough hair there to make another Shiba Inu. And guess what? He's still got just as much hair to brush out the very next day. I wonder if anyone would like to spin such fine animal fur into beautiful yarn? I'm sure it would make a lovely sweater or scarf, it would definitely be warm! Any takers? Anyone? $10 you?

So if you are still considering a Shiba Inu for your family, expect to be grooming and vaccuuming just about everyday.

At the carwash

The pups did not know what to make of the carwash. All the water bombarding the car at every angle was both interesting and alarming to them. River expressed her disdain by barking until the commotion subsided.

Notice that gook in Rowdy's eye? It's been like that for a couple of days. I may take him to the vet and have it checked out.

A Fun Day

I took the pups to their favorite dog park yesterday. Since it was the middle of the week, there was but one other dog, a French Bulldog, for them to play with. River and the French Bulldog, Louis, were so cute together, running around the park at full speed. They're about the same size (he's 7 mos.), so she wasn't as shy with him as she is with bigger dogs. His owner and I sat and chatted while the pups enjoyed the park all to themselves.

It was a pretty day outside, cool and not too many clouds out, which is why I decided to take the dogs out. Also, I was feeling melancholy being cooped up in the house so much. It was nice to get out and share a conversation with another human being.

When we got home I sat in the backyard watching Rowdy and River try to snatch bumblebees out of the air when they were close enough. It was humorous, my camera is never ready for times like those! I'll be ready next time, though.

Dog Park Aggression

The hubs and I took the pups to the dog park yesterday. There were a lot of dogs there, which was nice to see. It wasn't so nice that a few of them were possessive with toys and snapped at other dogs who were passing by. Two dogs in particular were showing aggression toward River, grabbing her in a not so playful way (I've seen enough dogs play to know what's aggressive and what isn't). For the most part River sat near the bench we were sitting on watching the other dogs play (normal for her). The aggressive dogs would wander over and start bothering her and she obviously was not comfortable. The owners just sat there oblivious, and at one point uttered a weak, 'Stop that whoever-the-dog-was' and I pushed the dogs away from her. After a couple of these episodes, I knew it was time to go. It amazes me how some owners feign ignorance when their dog does something wrong. It's sad to know that one day their dog will pick on another that is not as submissive as River and it won't be a very good day for them.

So what do I do the next time other peoples' dogs show aggression toward mine and do nothing about it? Ask them to leave the park? Call authorities? I'm not sure of the protocol... What would you do?