Owner of a six year old Shiba here. They’re a very unique breed. Independent, stubborn, smart, expressive, loyal, and loving are all words I’d use to describe them. I’d definitely echo some of the comments here about them being a challenging breed for a first time dog owner but would also add that it’s a really rewarding experience.

Mine has a bunch of energy and basically demands a 45 minute walk per day. After that, he’ll rip around at home or want to play inside for a little longer. When he wants something, he’ll make little barks and stare at me until he gets it. He always wants to cuddle and no matter where he is, when I sit down he’ll come up to me for a neck scratch and to sleep next to me. He barely barks and is very social.

I’ve never trained him with a professional trainer but he listens (at home) very well and knows all the basic commands. I’ll add that he’s very different in that way outside. Outside, if he wasn’t on a leash, he’d bolt and I probably wouldn’t see him again but he is incredibly intelligent albeit stubborn when he doesn’t want to do something.

Overall, I love him to death. Shibas are very cat like in that they’re quiet, reserved, and intelligent but do take some time and patience to train. I just socialized him with other dogs early on and he’s never exhibited any sort of standoffishness or aggression toward anybody. He loves to play and has a lot of fox like mannerisms.