What is a good Shiba owner?

My regular spiel is "passive people do not do well owning Shibas".  I do think a person should be somewhat assertive to own any kind of animal.  A passive rider of a 1200 pound horse will soon lose control of the horse's actions correct?  A passive person with a 20 pound dominant female Shiba will also lose control of the dog's actions.  Then it's oops, she slipped her out of her way too loose collar (can't be mean with a chain collar right?) and darted into traffic. One dead dog....not good. Who's in charge now?  Just sadness & regret.

I tend to find myself on the fence about so many important issues but when it comes to dogs my opinions are pretty definitive.  I know I'm an extrovert as I know what I want to convey and I'm confident in expressing it.  However, many times I'd rather be an introvert and let someone else go for it and wait and see if my own opinion can be swayed by a good theory.  Does that mean I am this new thing they call an ambivert?  I think not.  Sometimes I think labels are just a bunch of hog wash anyway.  Shibas taught me that.  A Shiba can be dangerously aggressive toward smaller animals but obliging to a Rottweiler or a giant horse. They can be submissive with their human owner but leathal to another Shiba in the household.  Shibas can be total opposites of the scale on traits based on the danger to themselves......they aren't stupid.

I would say both introvert and extroverts can be good dog owners.  It's more about actions then feelings when you are dealing with animals.  Remember all other animals besides humans live in the moment.  They don't much care about your thought on things or your past experiences. They just know what they want at that moment in time and their goal is to make the stupid human to give it to them.  The rest doesn't matter. There are very few gray areas with animals.  Their decisions are based on instincts of survival even if they aren't in any danger at the moment.  You don't see it as much when you have one or even two pets but when you get packs like we have, it's very obvious if you are at all attentive.

Important thing is you are open minded enough to think like a dog because lets face it, dogs do NOT have the capacity to think like humans.  So that is what I look for in good potential Shiba owners.  It isn't science but science has proven that we have to think on the animals level, thinking like a human is way too confusing for them and if you treat them like little furry humans it won't work for the animal or the human.  That way of thinking always ends badly for both parties.

Shibas are such cool dogs, they aren't like any other animal.  They have tons to teach us stupid humans about the natural world. Things we have long forgotten.  If we will only listen to them.  It is such a gift!  However to keep them safe in this land of humans we need a form of communication to speak to them with.  You must learn it.  If you do this will be the most rewarding relationship of your life and it will definitely change you in ways you can't even imagine.  My sister is always telling me she never thought I would be the way I am now.  I was such a type "A" (for asshole....tee hee).  Now I am relaxed and truly generous with my heart.  The Shibas changed me for the better. It's a gift I can never repay.  There is just no way.

All my animals have taught me things.  I've made a TON of mistakes with my animals and they have all forgiven me.  How generous is that????  When I don't listen to them, shit happens.  Ooops.  I should have listened!  Women are notorious for not following their heart or listening to their instincts.  We always question it when we should just go with it.  It's human nature at work.  Damn it.....I hate when I was right the first time and didn't listen to myself!!!!!

Anyway, owning a Shiba is a learning experience you should not deny yourself if you feel at all drawn to them in any way.  As long as you listen to your breeder's suggestions on care and training you should have a really nice dog.  You pay for their experience so don't believe you know better then they do just because you've owned other dogs in the past.  LISTEN and LEARN.  You will never regret this decision.  If you do, return the Shiba to his breeder and move on.  It's still a learning experience none the less.  Just because you aren't a perfect Shiba owner doesn't make you a bad dog owner.  Life is way to short to have a dog, horse, cat or spouse you can't get along with.  Everyone deserves to be happy so make it happen for yourself.