Shiba Inu Forum:
crazy dog

I love my Shiba but she seems to have duel personalites. One minutes she's sweet and happy the next she's growling at me. Her personality/behavior isn't really a problem- I love her just the way she it. I just want to know if this is normal Shiba behavior?

It depends on her age and under what circumstances she is doing this. If she's being playful, then don't worry about it. But if she's a little older and is doing it in an agressive manner, then you might want to have her checked. It might be an allergy of some kind. Also a way to show her who if boss, put her on her back and growl at her until she calms down. It might take a minute and when she does, shower her with praise. It's good to do this at least three times a day. Stay in control.

We had the exact same situation until our breeder told us our shiba was trying to act as the leader as we humans had not assumed that role. Never having had a dominant breed before and now having one was a real change. We quickly assumed the leadership role, letting him know he was not in charge of food, toys, walks, etc. and the dual personality stuff stopped. Good luck!

Part Shiba behavior, part asserting his/her belief that he is the leader of the pack. When my dog (5 mo. nutered male) gets like that, I ignore him. When he keeps it up, I give him a firm NO/DOWN command. He usually bares his teeth and growls at me (the rabid dog look), but he will go down and stay until I release him. It is important that a shiba knows who is the boss.