Digging Deep: What Makes Shiba Inu Dogs So Special?

One of Japan's most iconic dog breeds is the Shiba Inu.

Their various expressions are full of charm.

Fierce,

dignified...

active,

yet gentle.

Now, Shiba Inu is more popular than ever.

So what are their characteristics?

Today we'll look at Shiba Inus through the latest analytical research

and take a journey to uncover its long history.

Let's dig deep and discover what makes Shiba Inus so special.

Around 800 Japanese dogs gathered at an event.

We asked the owners what Shiba Inus are like.

He's not that friendly.

He only comes when he needs me.

He won't come when I want to cuddle.

In other words, Shiba Inus don't seem

to be such easy dogs to own.

Let's take a look at the temperament in Shiba Inus.

First, we'll start with this story.

This is Hanaka Takeshi

and his wife Yoshimi with their Shiba Inu.

Gonta is six years old.

Bang!

The wife Yoshimi has always taken care of Gonta,

walking and playing with him.

The husband, Takeshi, did almost nothing.

Gonta didn't seem to bond with him, either.

Gonta's favorite spot is in front of this door.

He spends most of his time by this living room door

and doesn't seem to pay much attention to his owners.

One morning two years ago,

when Yoshimi was just about to leave for work,

something happened to Takeshi.

I was here on the floor doubled over.

He came and stayed by my side and licked my hand.

Gonta wouldn't leave his side, so I knew something was wrong.

It was a heart attack.

He was in cardiac arrest.

I had open-heart surgery.

While Takeshi was hospitalized,

Yoshimi visited him every day

and she was filled with anxiety.

I'd come home exhausted and Gonta would stay by my side.

Comforting?

He eased my anxiety. Without him, I wouldn't know what to do.

Here's the picture.

This is the picture of Gonta that Takeshi had with him

while he was in the hospital.

I'm alive and well because of Gonta.

Gonta continues to spend most of his time in his favorite spot

in front of the door as if nothing had happened.

He watches over his owners from a distance.

This is seen as a common trait among Shiba Inus.

Azabu University is home to

one of Japan's leading faculty of veterinary medicine.

Professor Takefumi Kikusui

conducts research that compares the temperament of different dog breeds.

This is an example of one of his experiments.

The person in the middle is the owner.

The other two are people the dog has never met before.

The time the dog spends being in the area around the owner

is considered interaction.

The time spent looking at the owner also counts.

First, let's look at a European breed.

It goes straight to its owner.

This is how they interact with their owners.

Sometimes he looks up and they have eye contact.

European breeds repeatedly look at their owners while having close contact.

Now, how about a Shiba Inu?

It will check other people, but will not approach its owner.

It's looking at its owner, but not within touching distance.

And finally, the Shiba comes near the owner.

It rests near the owner without touching.

This is the distance between Shiba Inus and their owners.

Shibas don't cuddle much, but they make eye contact.

This is the result of the experiment conducted on more than 20 female dogs.

The amount of time spent watching their owners is not much different

between European breeds and Shiba Inus.

However, Shibas spent far less time

being physically near their owners.

This result was also supported by a survey.

2,500 dog owners responded to a survey

with more than 100 questions.

The results showed that Shiba Inus

are less likely than European breeds

to physically express their attachment or affection for their owners.

We found that Shiba Inus show less affection to their owners.

Shibas build a strong bond, by sensing the mood of the owner from a distance.

Professor Kikusui has also conducted other experiments.

First, a person puts food in a container.

She lets the dog know that the food is there.

In the next step, the lid is closed tightly.

Let's see what the European breed does.

After 20 seconds,

the dog gave up trying and turned to people for help.

They conducted the same experiment on a Shiba Inu.

The Shiba tries hard to open the lid.

It does not look at the owner at all.

The dog kept trying for over 40 seconds on its own.

This Shiba reacts the same way.

Here's the result of Professor Kikusui's experiment

conducted on nearly 400 dogs.

It confirmed that Shiba Inus work harder and longer

on their own compared to European breeds.

Shiba's strong sense of independence was cultivated through its relationship with people.

Humans did not manage or assist them too much.

Shibas probably went looking for their own food.

I think this quality has been preserved as the dog's strong independent spirit.

Acting independently, yet watching over the owner attentively

without being too close.

That's what makes them Shiba Inus.

Now, what is the history behind this special breed?

Let's go back 30,000 years.

To do so, we need to look at it in three parts.

The origin of dogs,

the evolution of Japanese dogs,

and the revival of Shiba Inus.

First, let's take a look at the origin of dogs.

Today, there are hundreds of dog breeds in the world,

but if you trace back their ancestors, they all lead to the wolf.

Wolves have always lived in packs and survived by attacking their prey.

They rarely approached human beings.

However, humans succeeded in domesticating some of these wolves.

This is the origin of the dog.

People began to live with them and use them for hunting and other purposes.

Through this process,

a big difference was created between dogs and wolves.

Veterinary anatomist, Yoshihiro Hayashi,

is focusing on a new study from the UK.

The main difference between a dog and a wolf is that the dog has facial expressions.

A recent paper proved that the facial muscles are more developed.

They are used for opening the eyes wide.

The facial muscles of the wolf is on the right,

and the dog on the left.

Compared to the wolf, the dog has two

particularly developed muscles shown in red.

The eyes open wide when these two muscles move.

Here, the dog is looking up, showing the whites of the eyes.

This kind of expression conveys something, prompting care and attention from humans.

The dog does it in hopes that will happen.

This shows that facial muscles have an important function.

Dogs can't talk like humans, but we've established a good relationship.

They communicate through their actions, including facial expressions.

Since long ago, this new ability that dogs have acquired

has helped create a trusting relationship between humans and dogs.

There's a discovery that points to this.

Please take a look at this.

These are 4,000 to 5,000-year-old dog skeletons found in Japan.

The bones were unearthed almost in their original form.

It is believed that the dog had been carefully buried.

Dogs were great hunting partners for people in the ancient world.

In cold weather, they were also companions that kept each other warm by cuddling.

Dogs must have been treated with respect.

I think burying them in this form, reveals the sense of respect.

Nagiso is a town in Nagano Prefecture

that preserves the atmosphere of a time long past.

Here, there is a dog with two typical dog traits.

The pink collar is a permit for taking off the leash when necessary.

For many years, farmers in this area

have been suffering from damages caused by monkeys.

Wild monkeys were destroying their crops.

They eat eggplants and broccoli.

They just make a big mess.

Installing electric fencing did not have much effect.

Monkeys climb the poles and jump inside.

The people came up with the idea of

having the Shiba Inus chase away the monkeys.

This is how they are trained.

He picked up a smell.

(Of an animal?)

It's a wild animal.

Shiba Inus have natural instincts.

In the woods, they'll pick up a scent automatically and chase away the monkeys.

This is a video of when a monkey actually appeared.

The Shiba Inus immediately dash towards the monkey,

and the monkey flees the area.

This wild instinct was inherited from the wolf.

And they have another trait.

Even when they're in a forest, they'll come back when they hear a whistle.

Dogs have learned to be obedient to humans.

She's a cute pet, but when a monkey appears, she's ready to fight.

The dogs of Nagiso are loved by many.

However, they have undoubtedly inherited their wild instincts.

Among the dogs that have emerged,

Japanese dogs have evolved a bit differently.

Dogs which evolved from wolves

have become domesticated in many parts of the world.

In Europe, mainly from the 18th to the 19th century,

dogs were bred for different purposes,

and various breeds with diverse physical appearances were born.

On the other hand, there are six major breeds in Japan

that are designated as natural treasures.

They all have erect ears and narrow faces.

There's not much variety compared to European dogs.

This is a member of the Shiba Inu family

which has been bred based on the skeletal structure of a Neolithic dog.

It's on the slim side, but there are no major differences.

The facial features of Japanese dogs look similar to wolves.

In Japan, there once was a species of wolf

called the Japanese wolf.

Although it became extinct about 120 years ago,

it had lived in the wild by hunting prey.

In a new study, they found that the DNA of the Japanese wolf

is actually present in the DNA of the Japanese dog.

Dr. Yohey Terai analyzes the genomes

of Japanese wolves and Japanese dogs.

He came up with the following hypothesis.

If they had interbred,

it explains why the Japanese wolf's genomic DNA is found in the Japanese dog.

This is Terai's paper.

The DNA of Japanese dogs

has 2.7 billion base pairs.

Among them, 45% are the same as European dogs.

However, it was found that up to 4% of the genome

of Japanese dogs were derived from the Japanese wolf.

Four percent may sound small, but that's 110 million base pairs.

DNA derived from the Japanese wolf is scattered in large regions

throughout the Japanese dog's DNA.

What exactly does this tell us?

Japanese dogs have erect ears and are also very alert.

Generally, the genomic regions derived from the Japanese wolf

is thought to have something to do with such features.

On the other hand, Professor Kikusui believes

that the differences in the way humans treat dogs

may have contributed to the unique characteristics of Japanese dogs.

Since long ago, Europeans have cross-bred dogs, so the animals need to be carefully managed.

Japanese people respect that animals have their own way of life.

People in Japan may be less inclined to manage animals compared to Europe.

I imagine the Japanese and Europeans feel differently about how people should interact with animals.

By not putting too much effort, the Japanese may have preserved the original nature of dogs.

This is how the Japanese dog has evolved in its own unique way.

The smallest of the Japanese dogs came to be known as the Shiba Inu.

Comparing the standard Shiba Inu with other Japanese dogs,

you can see the difference in size.

The relatively smaller Shiba Inu was an easy dog to keep.

But this beloved Shiba Inu had once faced a major crisis.

This is the story of the revival of the Shiba Inu,

once under the threat of going extinct.

There's a stone statue of a dog in front of a house

in a farming village in Shimane Prefecture.

His name is Ishi.

He's actually the ancestor

of many of the Shiba Inus that exist today.

During the 1930s when Ishi was born,

many Western dogs came into Japan

along with the European and American culture.

As Japanese dogs cross-bred with Western dogs,

pure Japanese breeds began to disappear.

The people who felt the need to take action

founded a preservation society.

They searched for the typical Japanese dog

and bred them in order to preserve the lineage.

One of the members of the preservation society

paid a visit to Shimoyama Nobuichi,

the owner of Ishi who lived deep in the mountains.

What happened to Ishi after the visit?

On November 2nd, Ishi's birthday,

a celebration was held in this area.

Let's find out the course of events in Ishi's life

through the storytelling performed at the event.

Long long ago, Nobuichi went hunting in the mountains with his dog Ishi.

Ishi was a smart, brave dog that could even hunt big bears.

One day, one of the members of the preservation society paid a visit.

He said, "Ishi is an extraordinary Shiba Inu.

Will you let us have him?"

After thinking long and hard,

Mr. Shimoyama decided to give up his beloved dog.

Ishi was put on a train, and it took many days to get to Tokyo.

Ishi was bred to a female dog

that was also very much a Shiba,

and their offspring were born one after another.

This is how the Shiba Inu lineage was revived.

It is said that most of the Shiba Inus in Japan

now have inherited Ishi's bloodline.

A memorial hall for Ishi was built beside the stone statue.

"The good luck dog, Ishi."

He had a very stiff coat.

This is a precious photo of Ishi.

Next to it is his family tree.

Currently, the tree extends to about 600,000 dogs.

When you trace back the father's bloodline, you end up here.

Ishi of Shimane.

Ishi never again returned to his hometown.

However, he came back in a form of the stone statue.

Nobuichi's house has been inherited to his grandson, Hiroyuki.

I believe dogs, too, miss their hometown as they get older.

Ishi returned home in a form of a statue.

He must be happy.

91 years have passed since the birth of Ishi.

People have gathered to celebrate his life.

Welcome back, Ishi!

Thank you, Nobuichi and Ishi!

Now, Ishi looks over the fields and mountains

where he used to run around with Nobucihi.

Now, what does the ideal Shiba Inu look like?

In a seaside town in Kagawa Prefecture,

an event was held where many prize-winning dogs came together.

Let's have two judges explain

what the ideal Shiba is, using three dogs as models.

First of all, the appearance. Hiryu is our model.

Unlike medium-sized dogs,

they have a body shape that can demonstrate agility.

Many Shiba Inus these days have loose, saggy skin,

but he doesn't.

This is a form with strong limbs.

Next, the eyes.

The iris is a dark-brownish color.

It's like the color of the bottom of a beer bottle.

It's not brown, it's not black.

Next, the ears.

It has rather small triangle ears,

straight on the inside and rounded on the outside.

Next, the nose. Our model is Ayaryu.

The nose influences how powerful the face looks.

If you look from the side, the nose is slightly higher than the nose bridge.

If it drops like that, the dog looks a bit goofy.

The upward nose makes the face look much more powerful.

The Shiba Inu is the only dog breed that has a nose that rises like this.

This millimeter makes a big difference in the impression of the face.

Now, let's look at the temperament.

Our model is Mandai.

The three elements that describe the temperament of the Shiba Inu are

"Kan-i," "Ryosei" and "Soboku."

Kan-i describes how strong the spirit is.

This dog especially has a great spirit

so we can say he's the ideal Shiba Inu.

Next, what is Ryosei?

It doesn't bother him when I stroke him.

This is my first time to touch him this way.

As a judge, I've only seen him from a few meters away.

A dog that barks at everyone doesn't have a strong mind.

Dogs like this,

that is, obedient and calm in the presence of the owner,

that's real strength.

The last element is Soboku.

A Shiba Inu is not necessarily cute at first glance.

Poodles, dachshunds and Chihuahuas are cute at first sight.

With a Shiba, the more time you spend looking at it,

the more you come to appreciate it.

It may be something that only a Japanese person can understand.

I think it boils down to one's sense of beauty.

A Shiba is a type of dog that doesn't wag its tail at everyone,

nor does it easily warm up to you.

But once it does, it becomes protective of that person.

It's not so easy to become an ideal Shiba Inu.

This is a story of another Shiba.

Nana is a poster dog for a Japanese-style hotel

in Ishi's hometown.

She's only 15 months old.

Nana is a bit mischievous.

She bit the scissors.

She chews on everything.

I guess it feels good.

The caster came off before we knew it.

She goes at anything.

She just loves it.

Ouch! That hurts!

Ouch! That hurts!

However, once she's outdoors,

Nana's behavior changes completely.

She runs around on her own and doesn't care to stay around her owner.

Nana's family completed Professor Kikusui's questionnaire.

Kikusui analyzed Nana's personality and gave them some advice.

The analysis revealed that Nana tends to misbehave.

However, she's calm even when the owner is away.

It's the temperament Shibas have by nature, so training is not necessary.

Increasing the amount of exercise will help her become more gentle.

Following Professor Kikusui's advice,

Nana goes for a long walk again today.

Next, let's meet Chacha.

He won't listen to his owners.

Once Chacha sits down during his walk,

he is stubborn.

He's always like this.

The owners decide to take him to a dog obedience program.

Good boy!

When Yamashita Kunihiro praises him and gives him treats,

Chacha becomes obedient.

Saying "no" denies what the dog wants to do.

Japanese dogs tend to ignore their owners, and pretend not to hear if they feel confronted.

This is a feature of an independent dog.

Basically, you should praise him and let him realize what he should do.

This is a training method performed by taking away dog treats.

Give me. Good boy!

Yank it away!

This makes the dog understand that good things happen

when he obeys the owner.

Next is a method to stop the dog from sitting down during walks.

Chacha tries to grab the snack on the ground.

Let's go.

Praise him.

As the owner praises and rewards Chacha with treats,

he eventually begins to follow his owner willingly.

This is the first step to achieving the ideal Shiba Inu.

Now, let's sidetrack for a quick moment

and look at some healthy food for Shiba Inus.

Shiba Inus often develop dementia and cataract

as they get older.

Kurihara Kimiko has come up with a diet

to help prevent such diseases.

Her dog, Musashi, waits patiently in the kitchen.

Sumire, her other dog, waits in the living room.

Blueback fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which is said to help prevent dementia.

I feed it to my dogs for this reason.

She sautes green peppers, broccoli and maitake mushrooms.

Rehydrated dry tofu is added into the pan.

Next, she adds Chinese herbal medicine,

chrysanthemums and wolfberries.

According to Chinese medicine, wolfberries help prevent aging and restore liver function.

Chrysanthemums are thought to prevent dementia and improve eye health.

I hope it'll help prevent dementia and cataracts common among senior Shiba Inus.

Kurihara serves it over rice.

She pours a generous amount of soup on top.

It seems like a lot of work preparing their meals every day.

The ingredients are mostly the same as our meals so it's no big deal.

And finally, the meal is topped with stewed mackerel.

Dinner's ready!

It's fulfilling and hydrating.

People say they have a beautiful coat.

Taking plenty of liquid is good for the coat.

Staying hydrated leads to good skin, naturally improving the coat.

All gone.

The last story is a heartwarming episode

about a dog and his family.

In the suburbs of Tokyo,

there's a studio where you can have your pictures taken with your pet.

The photographer is Daniel from Peru.

His wife Mayumi is in charge of dress and kimono rental.

She and her husband also sell handmade dried flowers.

Rin is their two-year-old daughter.

And this is Kaji.

They are a family.

Daniel is a fourth-generation Japanese Peruvian.

He lived in Peru until the age of nine.

He and his family moved to Japan and obtained permanent residency.

At first, he had a hard time because of the language barrier

but continued to pursue his dream of becoming a photographer.

Mayumi was born in China.

Her Japanese grandmother who could not return to Japan

after World War II married a Chinese man.

Mayumi grew up in China.

At the age of seven, she came to Japan with her parents and grandmother.

Although her family was not well off,

she was able to go to graduate school on a scholarship

and even study abroad.

The two met at a restaurant where they worked part time

and tied the knot in 2014.

Since that time,

Japan has been attracting many tourists from other countries.

They came up with an idea for a new business.

The couple opened a kimono rental store in Kyoto

which targeted foreign visitors.

It was during that time that Kaji entered their life.

Kaji was taken in by an animal welfare group

when he was found lying on the road,

scrawny and thin.

When the couple learned that he needed a new home,

they went to see him and took him in.

At the time, he had cracked paws and weighed half as much.

I was worried, because I heard rescue dogs are often afraid of people,

but Kaji was friendly from the start.

This is how their life started as a family.

Kaji turned out to play an important role in their newly-opened store.

Foreign visitors that spotted Kaji

flocked to the store to have a picture taken with him.

Shibas were very popular with foreign visitors.

About 50 tourists wanted their pictures taken.

Two years later, their first daughter, Rin, was born.

There was sibling rivalry between Rin and Kaji.

They took each other's food.

Their business was doing well,

and this happy life was supposed to continue on.

However, it took a turn for the worse.

The outbreak of COVID-19 swept across the world in 2020.

Foreign tourists disappeared from Kyoto.

Lots of Chinese tourists visit Japan in February, but the numbers dropped 90% that year.

It was the Olympic year so we had high hopes.

We decided to close the studio to minimize the damage.

The peaceful life in Kyoto that Kaji,

the homeless dog, had finally found was over.

Their business was permanently closed.

Kyoto was Kaji's new home, so we thought closing the shop would make him feel insecure.

But then, he's always asleep right by our side.

So we thought he'll be alright anywhere as long as we're with him.

The family started a new life in the suburbs of Tokyo

close to where they had grown up.

Today, they are taking sample photos for New Year's Day

with Rin posing as a model.

My sandals.

Rin also speaks Chinese

as her grandmother helps take care of her.

Look at the mirror.

So beautiful!

The studio is decorated with handmade dried flowers.

And of course, Kaji joins in.

He looks a bit restless but...

Stay. Stay.

When the photo shoot begins,

he stayed still posing for the camera.

The family has overcome many hardships with Kaji.

It has been four years since Kaji joined the family.

It's been 4 years since we adopted him, and we've been through a lot.

The things I can't tell people, I can tell Kaji without feeling ashamed.

He's very loyal, so I completely trust that he'll be with us wherever we go.

This is what it means to really be there.

Not affirming, not denying, just being there.

The true meaning of acceptance.

At first impression,

Shiba Inus may not seem very friendly.

But they'll be there for you and comfort you.

The profound charm of Shiba Inus

will continue to capture the hearts of many people.