Shi-Beagle

18-30 lbs
13-17"
United States
Beagle
Shiba Inu
The Shi-Beagle is a hybrid mix of the Shiba Inu and the Beagle.  This hybrid combines the hunting and tracking abilities of both parent breeds with the amazing endurance known to the Shiba parent breed.  The Shi-Beagle is a perfect size for apartments or condos and also proudly sports other talents like watchdog, guarding, agility and can be quite the trickster.  This is a hybrid who will love you, attach herself to you but who can be left alone for longer periods of time without developing those annoying destructive behaviors which frustrate all dog owners.
purpose Purpose
Companion, Watchdog, Agility, Competitive Obedience, Hunting
history Date of Origin
2000's
ancestry Ancestry
Shiba Inu, Beagle

Shi-Beagle Health

Average Size
Male Shi-Beagle size stats
Height: 13-17 inches Weight: 18-30 lbs
Female Shi-Beagle size stats
Height: 13-17 inches Weight: 18-30 lbs
Major Concerns
  • Pulmonic Stenosis
  • Hip Dysplasia
Minor Concerns
  • Intervertebral Disc Disease
  • Demodectic Mange
  • Deafness
  • Demodicosis
  • Wobbler's Syndrome
  • Microphthalmia
  • Idiopathic Epilepsy
  • Mitral Valve Dysplasia
  • Cerebellar Abiotrophy (Ataxia)
Occasional Diagnoses
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Occasional Tests
  • Brain Auditory Evoked Response (BAER)
  • Internal Imaging (x-ray, CT scan, MRI, etc.)
  • Ear Tests and Myringotomy Tests
  • Blood Sugar and Thyroid Tests
  • Yearly Physical Examination
  • Full Chemistry Panel Tests and Blood Count
  • Eye Examinations (both internal as well as external)
  • X-rays of various parts of the skeletal system
  • Various Blood Tests
  • Echocardiography (ultrasound)
  • Myelography (Dye And X-Ray to Assess The Spinal Cord)

Shi-Beagle Breed History

The Shi-Beagle is a hybrid mix of the Shiba Inu and the Beagle.  There is no information available on the hybrid itself, so we must get our background from that of the parent breeds.  Since we don't know where and when the hybrid originated, it is probably safe to assume that its origin is most likely from the United States sometime during the late 1900's to early 2000's when interest in combining pure breeds for a variety of reasons become more popular.  The Shiba Inu is one of only six breeds which has its origin in Japan.  The Shiba breed was developed on the steep Japanese mountain slopes to hunt small and large game prior to the 1800's, no definite or approximate date of origin being available. The Shiba breed is quite nimble, quick and catlike in movement and is known to have been used to hunt birds, bear, boar and deer quite successfully, with their specialty being hunting birds.  It is believed that there may be some Chow Chow in their heritage but little else is known about the ancestry of this parent breed.  World War II all but eradicated most dog breeds in many countries, including Japan, but there were some faithful fanciers who preserved this breed and prospered it after the war ended.  The breed, even somehow surviving the massive distemper outbreak of the early 1950's, today still possesses its hunting and tracking instincts while also becoming a treasured family pet.  The Shiba Inu breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1992, where it is the 44th most popular breed in their registry.  The Beagle, also known as the English Beagle, is the smallest of the British pack-hounds and is one of the most popular breeds in America.  The Beagle originates in England and can be traced back to the days of King Arthur, before the time of the Romans.  The exact breed ancestry is unknown but it is strongly believed that the "superb white hounds" found at that time are in the ancestry of most hound breeds, including this one.  The Beagle has always been a scent hound and, today, it is still valued for that ability in addition to being a great all around family pet.  Its quickness, tenacity and stamina was also valued when it came to America in the 1800's and those virtues continue to be valued today.  The Beagle was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885 and is the 5th most popular breed in their registry.  The Shi-Beagle is recognized by the Dog Breed Registry.

Shi-Beagle Breed Appearance

The Shi-Beagle is a hybrid mix of the Shiba Inu and the Beagle.  She can take on the appearance traits of either or both parent breeds.  Accordingly, she can be 13 to 17 inches tall and weigh 18 to 30 pounds.  Her coat can be short, dense and water-repellent or short, fine, thick and corded, with coloring of white with tan or brown, tricolor or white, tan, red or black.  Her eyes can be brown or hazel and round or triangular and dark, a muzzle that is of medium length and either square or rounded with a black nose and a scissors bite.  Her ears can be widely spaced and drooped or triangular and erectly held and a tail that is set high and can be carried erect or curled over the back.  Her feet will be thickly padded and can be round and firm or compact and cat-like.
Eye Color Possibilities
hazel Shi-Beagle eyes
Hazel
brown Shi-Beagle eyes
Brown
Nose Color Possibilities
black Shi-Beagle nose
Black
Coat Color Possibilities
black Shi-Beagle coat
Black
brown Shi-Beagle coat
Brown
red Shi-Beagle coat
Red
white Shi-Beagle coat
White
Coat Length
coat
Short Medium Long
Coat Density
coat density
pin
Sparse Normal Dense
Coat Texture
coat texture
Shi-Beagle straight coat texture
Straight Wiry Wavy Curly Corded

Shi-Beagle Breed Maintenance

Your Shi-Beagle hybrid falls into the moderate category or maintenance and shedding.  Her coat is not hypoallergenic but it will need to be brushed at least two to three times a week as she inherits a constant shedding trait from the Shiba parent.  She will only need to be bathed when she is dirty or has an odor as frequent bathing can dry up the natural, vital oils needed to keep her coat healthy and water-repellent.  She will need to have her ears checked on a weekly basis, cleaning them as needed with a cotton ball and an approved canine ear wash.  Be sure to check those toenails, too, while you're looking at her ears, trimming them as needed unless she is able to keep them worn down with her normal daily exercise activities.  Brushing her teeth two to three times a week at home will help to avoid the development of periodontal disease and the tooth loss which accompanies it.  She is an active canine who needs a fair amount of exercise daily.  She falls into the low category for drooling and doggy smell as a rule.
Brushes for Shi-Beagle
Pin Brush
Pin Brush
Dematter
Dematter
Deshedder
Deshedder
Nail Clipper
Nail Clipper
Brushing Frequency
fur daily fur weekly fur monthly
Shi-Beagle requires weekly brushing
Daily Weekly Monthly

Shi-Beagle Temperament

Your Shi-Beagle hybrid can inherit the temperament and personality traits of either or both parent breeds.  As such, she can be affectionate, friendly, gentle, aggressive, independent, alert, intelligent, energetic, lively, loyal, loving, sweet, outgoing and territorial.  She will need appropriate socialization at a young age to ensure that she'll get along well with kids, strangers, the family cat and other dogs.  She has inherited a strong hunting and wandering tendency from both sides of the bio mix, so it will be important to keep her on leash when exercising her outside the house or fenced area. She gets huge amounts of stamina and endurance from both sides of the bio mix, so don't be surprised if she wants to play for hours.  She is also a frequent barker (or a Shiba screamer), a trait contributed by both sides.  The barking can sound more like a scream, a trait which is fairly unique to the Shiba parent.  Because she gets an amazing amount of independence as well as intelligence from both parent breeds, she'll be moderately hard to train.  Be patient with her and begin with the most basic of commands and build upon those.  Using positive training and encouragement methods will help in the training area.

Shi-Beagle Activity Requirements

Your Shi-Beagle hybrid is an active breed, but from the Shiba side, she gets a trait which allows her to be happy when left alone, which can limit the destructive behaviors which can develop that annoy and frustrate most owners.  Her size allows her to adapt well to apartment or condo life, keeping in mind that she will need her daily walks at the very least to keep her appropriately exercised.  She should be exercised at least 1 to 2 hours a day and this can be accomplished with daily walks or jogs, playtime in the dog park or fenced area, interactive games of fetch, Frisbee, flyball, agility training and obedience training.  She can also adapt nicely to living in a family home with or without a fenced yard in a rural or urban setting, in any climate as long as she is provided with appropriate protection in temperature extremes.  She has a high tendency for hunting and wandering, making it necessary to keep her on leash when she's outside the house, fenced yard or other safe enclosure...unless, of course, part of your exercise plan is chasing her through the neighborhood, down the street or through the woods in pursuit of some small animal or enticing scent which has attracted her attention.
Activity Level
low activity medium activity high activity
Low Medium High
Rec. Walk Mileage Per Week
9 miles
walk mileage
Minutes of Activity Per Day
90 minutes
activity minutes

Shi-Beagle Food Consumption

Cups Per Day
2 cups
cup per day cost cup per day cost
Daily Cost
$1.20 - $1.40
food bowls daily cost
Monthly Cost
$34.00 - $45.00
food bag monthly cost

Shi-Beagle Height & Weight

6 Months
Male Shi-Beagle size stats at six months
Height: 11.5 inches Weight: 18.5 lbs
Female Shi-Beagle size stats at six months
Height: 11.5 inches Weight: 18.5 lbs
12 Months
Male Shi-Beagle size stats at 12 months
Height: 15.0 inches Weight: 24.0 lbs
Female Shi-Beagle size stats at 12 months
Height: 15.0 inches Weight: 24.0 lbs
18 Months
Male Shi-Beagle size stats at 18 months
Height: 15.0 inches Weight: 24.0 lbs
Female Shi-Beagle size stats at 18 months
Height: 15.0 inches Weight: 24.0 lbs

Shi-Beagle Owner Experiences

Guardian
2 Years
5 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Playing in the snow
Dog Parks
Dog-friendly events
Walk
Fetch
Playdate
Sorry beforehand because I write a lot and sometimes it’s unnecessary and can’t be helped. If you’re into reading then gladly read my essay on my experiences 😂. Guardian is a brown shade color with a white chest and white paws, with little bits of black as well. He and his siblings have more of their mother’s(Beagle) traits than his father(Shiba), only three males had the same shade of color as Guardian, most resembled the father’s(Shiba) tan shade of color and white paws, and they all had their mother’s floppy ears, they all had great amount of energy and howled and screamed a lot at times, I decided to keep one which was Guardian. His dad the Shiba, used to be territorial and aggressive with his food and toys so I never wanted them to play until he was big enough and until the dad was trained better, since the father came from a family that didn’t train him well before my brother adopted him so we became a better dog a year after their birth. He and Guardian are best friends now whenever he visits and has the same energy to keep up with each other. The mother is older and was obese at the time of her pregnancy due to her eating habits. I could go on forever about them but its about my experiences with shi-beagles so I might as well explain their whole life story haha. His dad was only 2 years when he mated with Guardian’s mom the beagle who was 6 years and in heat. It was an accidental case but a miracle in disguise. The first Emergency Vet we took his mother to explained to me and my friend that she, a 2 month pregnant dog, had very underdeveloped pups in her womb and that they only heard one heartbeat, and it may have been because she was overweight at the time and the thick blubber shielded their equipment haha, but HEY... They gave me false information and I had to pay A LOT just for a checkup. But they recommended me go to another hospital for her c-section which I’m glad I did. This vet explained to me that it was possible she’d die because she couldn’t give birth on her own and she’s had breathing issues the past two days. Well little did they know, after the c-section, as I’d have very little hope left, the biggest miracle happened. The surgeon called me and told me she did well and that all EIGHT puppies are alive and HEALTHY! none were underdeveloped or dead! The vet before this one explained there were 7 and only ONE left alive... it was a crazy miracle. By the way the mother’s name is Angel 😇. So Guardian, Angel haha. My family has had the mother(beagle) for about 6.5 years before she and the father(Shiba Inu)mated. The father was only 2 years old and was not too good with his personal belongings at the time due to his aggressions. They were both stubborn personalities and escape artists. Most of the pups had a strong eating habit like mama and tendency to sniff and wander around like both hunting type of parents. They only grew to be just slightly bigger than the mother’s size but smaller than the father. The mother is about 25 pounds and small-medium while the father is 30-40 pounds, is a medium-large but has kind of short legs. Surprisingly there was one pup that managed to outgrow his father. That pup was super energetic and strong when he was first born, always crawling everywhere and whining to get his mother’s milk and loved eating a lot, and was the best escape artist of them all as he grew up. He’d literally become Spider-Man and climb the caged enclosure when mama needed a break and they were only 1 month old! When they reached 2 months, He and one of his sisters climbed up and we found them with their legs sticking out of the puppy food bag hahaha! They had big pot bellies after that and managed to digest it all in one go... ahh fun times. :) He was expected to become big, but he was apparently so big and tall when his owners showed a photo of his growth at 1 year and he looked so tall and different compared to all of the others, meanwhile Guardian is only slightly bigger than his mother and doesn’t have a big appetite, but he’s the perfect size for me. He’s been an escape artist just like his parents used to be, always either hopping over the fence or squeezing through little gaps, they are very swift tricksters. When Guardian was about 5 months he began his troublemaking streak haha. We don’t have... the best fences on the sides of the house because they were homemade fences since my parents never wanted to install real fences, so he sometimes would jump over the 4-5ft fences or squeeze through a tight gap if he really wanted to go chase a rabbit or squirrel, or go see what he smells in the front yard. He’s made me paranoid ever since haha. There’s been 2 times he was just in the garden sniffing around or digging and I didn’t see him in a quick glimpse because he camouflages well with brownish black landscapes, and he also wasn’t coming when I whistled or called out to him so I walked many blocks to see if anyone saw him, drove around the nearby lake to check if in case he was around since he loved the Lake as there was a forest entrance he liked walking through. After about 30 minutes to an hour, I go back to the backyard in a grieving moment, JUST to see him sitting and staring at me when I see him on the porch...(🤦🏻‍♂️...) I was sure he ran off and came back the second occasion because a stranger literally said he saw a dog roaming and scent marking around trees and Guardian literally peed on every tree. He was so nice he helped me look around but once I found Guardian in the backyard AGAIN... I didn’t see the guy ever coming back so I never got the chance to tell him I found him.. he might still be searching till this day 😂. God bless that kind person. He is surprisingly extremely well with chickens, ducks and other dogs since my family also has these animals around the backyard as well. He just has the problem of wanting to sniff all of them even if it means getting pecked or growled at. He’s always been submissive which is good with aggressive or territorial dogs since he usually knows to play nice but sometimes he can be a playful jerk who teases them and runs off 🤭😂. Anyways he is 2 years old now and he is not as crazy as he was when he was a puppy, no escaping attempt since 6 months ago so that’s good. He loves to cuddle with anyone when he’s asleep. He still acts like a puppy, maybe because he had been raised at this home since he was born and still gets to play with his mom as she also lives in the same household. I’m just glad he has a good heart and lively energy, has never hurt another dog on purpose and is not aggressive with his belongings, that’s Good enough for me 😅. He needs to stop humping everything and everyone though 🤦🏻‍♂️😂... If you made it this far, thanks you’re a trooper!
2 years, 8 months ago
Waffles
3 Years
2 People
Apartment
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Walks
Dog-friendly events
Dog Parks
Playdate
We've had Waffles for over 7 months now and while he was a rescue and we don't know his actual history, his DNA kit did come back 50/50 Beagle Shiba Inu. He certainly demonstrates some of these traits but is less active than expected, immediately loves anyone and everyone (and expects lots of attention in return), rarely barks/bays/screams, and seems to be much easier to train than the lab mixes and beagles we've had in the past.
2 years, 9 months ago
Java
14 Months
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Ours was a non-planned mix. Older Beagle was knocked up by a young Shiba Inu. We have 2 and they are each unique in their own ways.
6 years, 8 months ago
Kuma
16 Years
2 People
Apartment
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Walks, hikes, car rides
My dog was an accidental breeding of a very young male Shiba and a very small Beagle. I got her when she was 6 weeks and lost her when she was 16.5. We lived in apts with no yard and houses with fenced yards. When we lived in apts, we went to the dog park every day. I moved her around a lot and changed her environment several times. She went through 2 divorces and 2 cross country moves with me. She adapted to anything I threw at her. I never had a problem with her disliking people, kids, or other animals. Believe me, she was not a walk in the park every day. She could never go anywhere without a leash. She was a bolter if she saw daylight. The first couple of years of her life she had to be crated if I wasn't in the house. I came home once when she was a puppy and she had destroyed a 10 pound bag of flour and a bag of potting soil. I learned that if you left something where she could get it, she would get it. If she destroyed something, it was definitely my fault because I didn't take care of my stuff. She was a cat disguised as a small brown dog. Very independent. Very clean. Walked on the back of the couch. Had to have a perch to see out of the window or she would create one. Had no interest in people unless there was food involved. She could find the one person at the dog park who had dog treats. She was never mean or vicious, but everything was on her terms. But she was more compassionate than a cat. Never sick except for the time she tore her ACL when she was nine. She didn't slow down or decline until the last week of her life. She took very good care of me and after 2 years, I still miss her more than my husbands.
6 years, 7 months ago
Ras
2 Years
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
He is protective of family. He learns quickly. He is quick to bark and generally unwilling to let people in our house. He energetic and playful.
4 years, 5 months ago
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Sketch of smiling australian shepherd