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When looking for a companion dog, yours or your family’s, you might wonder about the Shiba Inu lifespan. If you choose a Shiba Inu, a favorite companion to many, you’ll certainly want to know; How long do Shiba Inu live?
Shiba Inus live for an average of 12 to 15 years. Both male and female Shiba Inus live for that period. However, diseases can shorten the period.
Neutering male Shibas can prolong their lifespan while spaying female Shibas also boosts their lifespan slightly. Keeping your Shiba Inus in good health helps maximize their lifespan.
Let’s explore more about Shiba Inus and how long they live. Also, I’ll share some tips to prolong your pooch friend’s lifespan.
Table of Contents
The Shiba Inu Lifespan
Shiba Inus lifespan ranges between 12 to 15 years maximum
Given that your Shiba Inus has excellent health, you should expect to have them around for a minimum of 12 years.
If you take good care of your Shiba Inus and prioritize their health, the duration you have them around can extend to 15 years or more.
Moreover, only one Shiba Inus did more than 20 years and died at 26 years of age. That means their lifespan does a maximum of 15 or 16 years.
According to a study survey by the National Shiba Club of America, the median age of Shiba Inus is 14 years. That means most of the Shibas didn’t die until they were 14.
Among the study participants, 50% of Shiba owners had their pooch friends attain between 13 and 15 years of age.
Considering that Shibas are middle-size dogs, this is a good lifespan. The study also identifies that Shibas bearing puppies affects their lifespan. The more the puppies, the less the Shibas likelihood of having a longer lifespan.
So, neutering your Shiba helps a lot in terms of lifespan. Also, it helps prevent health problems like cancer of the reproductive system.
See our other post on Shiba Inu health issues.
Male Shiba Inu Lifespan?
Male Shiba Inu lifespan generally averages 14 to 16 years, which has no difference from the lifespan of female Shibas.
Male Shibas likely live more than female Shibas because they have fewer risks of diseases. The risks arise due to breeding purposes.
Also, males have risks of diseases, but they are not as high as females. A pro-tip to extend the lifespan of your male Shiba Inus is spaying them early enough. Most disease risks arise from breeding, which your male Shiba can practice without your knowledge.
For example, if your male Shiba finds his way to the outside environment where there are stray dogs, they can easily contract dangerous infections
Therefore, spaying your male Shiba Inu helps a lot if you’re not planning to use him for breeding. However, if you plan to use your male for breeding, ensure your homestead has no escape route.
Preventing your male Shiba Inus from escaping to the outside keeps him safe from many diseases. These diseases endanger his health status, thus shortening his lifespan.
Here is our guide on, Shiba Inu food allergies.
Female Shiba Inus Lifespan!
Female Shiba Inu lifespan also extends between 12 and 15 years of age. However, female Shibas’ lifespan is slightly below that of males.
If you own a female Shiba Inus, you know that females require more frequent visits to the vet than males. This is a result of their high risk of contracting diseases. So, health check-ups help keep them in good health status to keep their lifespan intact.
In addition, female Shibas can easily suffer from generational diseases. Generational diseases often involve the reproductive system and are more fatal. Besides, they’re hard to detect even by the vet. As such, they pose a bigger threat to your Shibas lifespan.
Now, if you’re not planning to use your female Shiba Inus for breeding, you might want to consider neutering her. Neutering helps keep female Shibas’ lifespan intact.
Most diseases that affect female Shibas come from the reproductive process. So, neutering prevents the risks of all these diseases that threaten her lifespan.
If you don’t want to neuter your female Shiba and have no breeding plans, prevent her from interacting with males. So, ensure there’s no escape route in your yard where your pooch friend might find a way out.
Since Shibas are escape artists, you should be keen enough to avoid any chances of escape. I’d recommend neutering your female Shiba if you have no breeding plans for her.
Factors Affecting Shiba Inu Lifespan?
Shiba Inus have a complex body that requires utmost care and love. So, the much you care for your Shiba Inus, the longer they’re likely to live.
Now, what are the factors that affect Shiba Inus’s lifespan?
- Diet
- Living Environment
- Activity Level
- Family History
What’s more:
1. Diet
A healthy diet is necessary for your Shiba to enjoy their lifespan’s potential and is a key to good health. So, what you feed your Shiba directly translates to their life expectancy.
Besides, a group of dog psychology researchers suggests that homemade raw food is good for your Shiba Inu friend. Therefore, dogs that feed on it are likely to live longer than dogs that often eat processed foods.
So, feed your Shiba Inus high-quality grain-free food if you want to boost their lifespan. And, always ensure to balance proteins and nutrition while preparing your Shibas food.
2. Living Environment
The immediate environment surrounding your Shiba also affects their lifespan. Like other dogs, Shibas need a safe living environment where they grow healthy and happy.
A safe environment doesn’t put your Shiba under extreme temperatures. Temperatures put these dogs in danger, especially if the dogs’ body isn’t suitable for a given temperature.
Also, exposing your Shiba to high noise levels increases frustration, stress, and fear. Prolonged exposure to loud noise could cause hearing impairment in Shibas. Thus, shortening their lifespan.
3. Activity Level
The activity level of Shibas affects their lifespan. Therefore, doing it regularly prolongs your Shibas lifespan. Remember, these are hyperactive dogs; hence, they need frequent exercise.
By exercising, your Shiba stays fit to prolong their lifespan. Although they seem quiet and calm dogs, Shibas need more than moderate exercise. So, ensure to exercise your Shiba for them to dispel energy.
Failure to exercise also makes your Shiba Inus turn destructive. Increasing your Shibas activity level offers them an opportunity to dispel energy positively. Without enough exercise, your Shiba Inus finds undesirable ways to release energy, like chewing carpets and shoes.
4. Family History
Before getting a Shiba, you must ask about their lineage history. So, ask about the parents and possible degenerative diseases as they may affect their offspring’s lifespan.
Also, unhealthy parents easily pass these genes to their puppies. As such, puppies have a high risk of developing a genetic disorder if it was present somewhere in their family lineage.
For example, hip dysplasia is a genetic disorder. So, puppies can inherit this disorder from their parents.
Now that we know about the factors affecting Shibas lifespan, can we explore some ways to improve your fur friend’s lifespan?
Ways to Boost Your Shiba Inu Lifespan!
Can you imagine a year of living in humans equals seven years in dogs? Yes. A day in humans is equal to a whole week in dogs.
That said, what are ways to improve Shiba Inus’s lifespan?
- Regular Vet Check-up
- Spaying or Neutering
- Healthy Living Environment
- Basic Dog Training Programs
Let’s explore each above;
1. Regular Vet Check-up
Regular vet visits are as important to dogs as they are to humans. As such, take your pup to the vet severally in a year. I’d recommend you do it thrice a year, after every 3 to 4 months.
Vet visits keep Shibas healthy and help diagnose diseases early enough. Some diseases are fatal if diagnosed late. As such, ensure to visit your vet severally.
Although vet visits are expensive, they’re necessary. They give your Shiba Inus a long healthy lifestyle.
Of course, ensure your Shiba has all necessary vaccinations, including the parvo vaccines given to puppies. Other useful vaccines are canine hepatitis and rabies.
Vaccines stimulate your Shibas immune system for timely response to actual diseases.
2. Spaying or Neutering
Spaying and neutering mean eliminating ovaries from female Shibas and testicles from male Shibas. Of course, they increase the lifespan of Shibas.
Male neutered Shibas live 18% longer than unneutered Shibas. On the other hand, spayed female Shibas live 23% longer than un-spayed female Shibas.
Spaying and neutering reduce the risks of various diseases, especially diseases that affect the reproductive systems. Also, they reduce the risks of cancer.
Neutering your male Shiba eliminates the chances of testicular cancer. Spaying your female Shiba reduces the risks of uterine cancer and other system diseases.
3. Healthy Living Environment
A healthy living environment is a key to prolonging Shibas lifespan. It involves frequent exercise and a good diet.
A healthy living environment also requires care and love from the Shiba owner. Note the three things necessary for a healthy lifestyle: diet, exercise, and a good relationship with the owner.
Examples of unhealthy lifestyles in Shibas include;
- Lack of exercise
- Unhealthy or unbalanced diet
- Lack of companionship
- Stressful environments with loud noise
4. Basic Dog Training Programs
Ensure to provide your Shiba with essential training tips. They include behavioural training, obedience training, and agility training.
Shiba Inus training stimulates their brain to keep it active. Besides, they prepare Shibas to solve future challenges and problems in life.
Also, behavioural training helps prevent bad behaviour in your fur friend. You can stop your Shiba Inus when they’re doing something bad through the training. Other destructive behaviours in Shibas include excess chewing, fighting other dogs, and aggression.
Also, training programs prevent your Shiba from being in a mess or fighting. In return, your Shiba gets a lengthier lifespan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Oldest Shiba Inu?
Pusuke goes down in history as the oldest Shiba Inu. The Shiba died at 26 years of age in 2011.
Pusuke’s 27th birthday was three months away when he died. This is as per the Guinness World Records.
What Health Problems Do Shiba Inus Have?
Health problems common in Shibas include hip dysplasia, eye problems, and patellar luxation.
Also, Shibas often suffer from genetic health problems and allergies. Such allergies common in Shibas include atopy. It’s an inhalant allergy and typically causes itchiness.
Can Shibas Live Longer Than 15 Years?
Yes, Shibas can live longer than 15 years if you give them compassionate love and keep them in good health.
However, hardly do Shibas go past 20 years of age, like in the case of Pusuke.
What Is the Longest Lifespan of a Shiba Inu?
Since the oldest Shiba did 26 years, that’s the longest lifespan of these small foxlike dogs.
Moreover, most Shibas have a lifespan of between 12 and 16 years of age. This is the average Shiba Inus lifespan.
Reference Articles;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiba_Inu
https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/shiba-inu