Pastimes
pawing for treats
digging in leave piles
Sniff out scents
Say hello
The following reflection is based off my time with the second Shiba Inu I have worked with professionally. This one in particular was roughly the same age as the first one I met, quite a youngster. The main difference was in overall demeanor. As opposed to the first Shiba I met, who was extremely anxious and incredulous of all interactions, this female Shiba I now have in mind was extremely comfortable and social. She had no problem trusting me outright, which is something that took a lot of effort with the other Shiba. The female Shiba understood commands like Sit, Go, her own name and overall, she seemed very skilled at interpreting my body language. These methods of communication can take some time to set in a dog's mindset, but overall, a Shiba Inu seemed naturally inclined to make the most out of a human connection. This is especially remarkable for having been noticed so consistently at such a young age. Likewise, many dogs tend to obsess over stains and the remnants of garbage. From my experience, this is not the case with Shibas. Their famous sense for consideration shows through, and they comprehensively sniff out all areas of interest, like all good dogs, but they tend to be less prone to fixation or an abandonment of respect for the social cues of their walkers. These are qualities of the breed that did not show through given the tension experienced by her male counterpart I have been referencing. Shiba Inus are famously playful, poised, and sincere animals. They are fun-loving but reserved. This young female understood the shifts of the surrounding traffic, and when pedestrians making their way began to crowd in around us, she was looking all around rapidly, to understand any possible courses of action. Here is where the understood companionship between a fresh face, the walker, and the dog, this Shiba, really stood out. She had a better understanding of city life than the male mentioned above. I believed she was very wise for her young age, and this showed through the consistent sense of maturity with which she carried herself. Some dogs need to have commands repeated or voices neutrally asserted over the din of city life: this is not necessarily the case with Shiba Inus. She clearly respected her environment and her circumstances, which included me (someone she just met). I was very appreciative of and I deeply respected the trust she showed me. She showed a great deal of reservation that served as a welcome balance to the very obvious joy she felt being an uninhibited puppy in the city.
1 year, 1 month ago