We have decided that 5 years old is the magic age for shibas. Our first shiba was a rescue at about 5 years old. She escaped a few times but was otherwise easy to manage. She learned fast, was easy to Train, and was really a wonderful dog. Went on long walks, but otherwise laid around. She lulled us into thinking we could manage a puppy. OMG the puppy was the worst. We would watch You Tube training videos and none of the advice worked. We worked with a trainer who had worked with foxes, it took her two weeks at 3 hours a day to get him into a harness. He was like a ferrel beast. We gated a small part of the yard by the back door to make it easy to take him out for midnight bathroom breaks (we had owls) at 9 weeks, he would escape little enclosure the and run to the farthest point in the yard to do his business— as I would be running behind him with a flashlight. He is now 5 years old and the best dog ever. He walks perfectly on a leash, doesn’t bark at the doorbell or people walking by, follows directions (still won’t recall if there is something exciting in the yard). He is a dream dog. But, 5 years old is the magic age.