Shiba Inu

Shiba Inu
Three-year-old Red Shiba Inu
Other names	Japanese Shiba Inu Japanese Small Size Dog Japanese Brushwood Dog Shiba Ken Shobe Shibe Shober
Origin	Japan
Traits Height Males 35 to 43 cm (14 to 17 in) Females 33 to 41 cm (13 to 16 in) Weight Males 10 kg (22 lb) Females 8 kg (18 lb) Coat double Color Red, black and tan, cream, sesame, black sesame, red sesame. Litter size 3 puppies on average Life span 13–15 years
Kennel club standards Japan Kennel Club standard FCI standard
Dog (domestic dog)

The Shiba Inu is a breed of dog from Japan. It looks like a smaller version of the Akita Inu, and was originally bred for hunting. Shiba Inu is one of seven Japanese dog species recognised as symbols of the country.

There are two variations of the species. Aka-Shiba has red hair, and Kuro-Shiba has black hair. Shiba are popular among breeders in Japan.

Shiba Inu are faithful to their owners but are wary of strangers. They are popular as guard dogs.

The Shiba Inu is the smallest of the Japanese native breeds and was originally developed for hunting by sight and scent in mountainous areas. According to the official breed standard, they are characterised by a "spirited boldness" and a "foxlike appearance" created by their clear red coat and "Urajiro" (cream to white ventral color) markings.

Other Japanese dogs

• Akita Inu
• Kai Inu also called the Kai Ken
• Kisyu Inu
• Tosa Inu
• Hokkaido Inu
• Koshi-no-inu (extinct since 1971)

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1. ↑ "Shiba Inu". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
2. ↑ American Kennel Club. (1997, February 7). Official standard of the Shiba Inu. https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/ShibaInu.pdf