If you decide to groom your Shiba Inu at home, here are some useful tips to help you out with the task. The Shiba Inu is known as a “wash-and-wear” dog because she requires so little grooming. Every dog, however, does require a certain amount of grooming for the health and well-being of her skin and coat.
Maintaining a healthy coat for a dog like Shiba involves three factors: genetics, diet, and grooming. The texture and density of the Shiba coat is largely a function of genetics. Coarse thick guard coats come from your Shiba’s parents, not from a bottle of vitamins or shampoo.
The correct Shiba coat is a difficult trait to breed and maintain in a breeding program. If your Shiba Inu does not carry a coat like that of the Shibas you see in books or on televised dog shows, you are not doing something wrong.
Don’t spend a fortune on costly shampoos or vitamin supplements trying to create a coat your Shiba did not inherit.
Having said that, the condition of the coat your Shiba does have can be influenced by her diet and the materials you use to groom. A healthy, well-balanced diet will create a coat with luster and shine. Grooming your dog regularly will also keep her coat clean and shiny.
Maintaining the Transitional Coat
The Shiba has a double coat with two distinct types of fur. One type of hair is the coarse and harsh guard coat, the other is the soft and dense undercoat.
The typical Shiba Inu sheds her undercoat twice a year. This hair comes out in clumps, with the shedding process lasting between three and four weeks. After your Shiba has shed her coat, she will look like a different dog.
A common mistake Shiba owners make is to equate the loss of undercoat with weight loss. Because your Shiba looks smaller after shedding her coat, it’s easy to assume she has lost weight. If you increase your Shiba’s food intake to compensate, in a month or two, when her new coat grows, it will be obvious she has become overweight.
Shedding her coat is a natural process for the Shiba, and is of a relatively short duration. However, occasionally, the transition between the puppy and adult coat can take longer than the typical shedding experience. Don’t become alarmed if your adolescent Shiba is out of coat for as long as six months.
When your Shiba loses her undercoat, she will shed her coat everywhere; however, with proper grooming, the amount of fur you remove from carpets and upholstery is minimized.
Begin with a warm bath. After bathing, much of the loose undercoat can be removed by brushing and combing.
Removing Shiba coat during the shedding season can be tedious. The best way to accomplish it is to brush the hair with a slicker brush, against the grain.
With a medium- to fine-toothed metal comb, comb out the dead coat in one-inch sections. Carefully comb each one-inch section until no more undercoat comes out. Removing the dead undercoat in this manner will keep it from shedding all over your house and furniture.
Bathing and Drying Your Shiba Inu
Unless she has gotten into something that makes her really smelly or muddy, the Shiba shouldn’t require more than one bath per month. At a minimum, the Shiba should be bathed twice a year during her shedding season to help remove the dead coat.
A mild shampoo that will not soften the coat should be applied liberally into a wet coat. Work the shampoo into lather, paying particular attention to legs, feet, and underside. Rinse with warm water until water runs absolutely clear.
If shampoo isn’t completely removed, it may cause the skin to become dry and flaky, which, in turn, causes the dog to scratch and possibly create hot spots (inflamed red areas that may become infected).
If the dog is particularly dirty, the shampoo may be repeated; otherwise, one shampoo is usually sufficient.
Drying
If this is a routine shampoo and weather permits, your Shiba may be vigorously toweled and allowed to air dry. If you are preparing the dog for a show or if the weather is cold, she should be blown dry with a dryer that does not contain a heat element.
If you are unable to locate a dryer that does not contain a heat element, you may use a traditional blow dryer on the lowest heat setting. If you use a dryer with a heat element, you may wish to take frequent breaks during the drying process.
Blow the coat against the grain so that it stands away from the body. Never blow or brush the coat so that it lays flat. Special attention should be paid to the legs and feet, to also be sure that the hair in these areas stands out.
Brushing the Teeth
Teach your puppy to have her teeth brushed weekly with a commercial doggie toothbrush and paste. This will save veterinary bills later in her life in order to keep her teeth clean.
Check the molars and scrape with a flat-edged tooth scaler, if necessary. Feeding a dry food and supplying her with chew toys and bones will aid in keeping her teeth and gums clean and healthy.
Cutting the Nails
Your Shiba Inu can be very sensitive about her feet. Start with your puppy when she is very young, teaching her to allow her feet to be handled. Her nails should be clipped weekly, barely removing the tips, to get her accustomed to the process and without causing her discomfort.
Hold her leg by the elbow to steady it rather than by the pastern or foot. She will object less, saving stress on your eardrums and protecting you from scratches during a struggle. You may wish to wear a thick shirt with long sleeves and long pants to protect your arms and legs from scratches during grooming.
Nail trimming is one of the activities that can elicit the “Shiba Scream” and is a frequent source of this high drama. The Shiba will often start the scream merely at the site of the clippers or grinder.
If you are where others can hear, they will come running to you and your Shiba, firmly convinced that your Shiba is mortally wounded. Imagine the surprise when they find your Shiba without a scratch.
Shibas also have long memories. You may have trimmed her nails many times without incident, but the one time you cut a little too short is remembered. The Shiba associates the trimmers with that incident and will react by screaming in an attempt to avoid a repeat occurrence.
Many Shiba owners are able to work their Shiba through this by speaking to them in a soothing manner while calmly and firmly taking charge and trimming the nails. Others choose to take the Shiba to the veterinarian for nail trims instead of listening to the drama.
Remember, if you start trimming the nails it is best to complete the task. Stopping when your Shiba starts screaming reinforces this behavior when the Shiba determines that you will stop the activity if they scream.
