At What Age Do Shiba Inus Calm Down? Answered!

Shiba Inus naturally like to run up and down. They’re uniquely energetic and stubborn with hunting instincts that manifest through an uncalm attitude.

Every Shiba owner concurs that they hardly calm down. Since they’re very active and full of energy, every other person would ask themselves, when do Shiba Inus calm down?

Hyperactive Shibas calm down when they attain adolescence at 6 to 9 months. However, proper behavior training, socialization, and a relaxing atmosphere are necessary for Shibas to calm down. Training helps calm down Shibas; besides, they’re not hard to train; you can do it yourself.

Below we’ll see why Shibas hardly calm down and how to calm down your Shiba without seeking help.

When Do Shiba Inus Calm Down?

Shiba Inus calm down when they attain the adolescent stage, which comes 6 to 9 months after birth. What’s more, training and socialization help them calm down.

The furthest Shibas can go without calming down is 2 years. Moreover, this can vary depending on the breeder you got your Shiba puppy from.

If you’re lucky to get a calm Shiba Inu, it’ll take him between 6 to 9 months to calm down. However, if you get the stubborn Shiba, it can take up to 2 years before he calms down for you to pet him comfortably.

Also, exercise is vital for Shibas. Not just exercise, but frequent exercise. You’ll need to take your Shiba Inu for a walk for at least 40 to 50 minutes every day. Exercise offers a noticeable improvement in matters concerning calming down.

All said and done, Shibas need obedience training to calm down. Besides, consistency is key when training Shiba Inus on what to do and what not to do.

If the hyper behavior gets out of hand and your Shiba becomes a hellion, make good use of time out or puppy jail.

For time-outs, utilize any room or enclosed place where you can restrict his movement for a given time, not for long, though.

What Makes Shiba Inu Not Calm Down?

There are several reasons why Shiba Inus don’t quickly calm down, especially during the early years. 4 of these reasons include;

• High Prey Drive
• Strong-will Personality
• Never Gives Up
• Shibas Are Naturally Rebellious

Grasp a snack, and let’s learn more about the reasons above.

High Prey Drive

Remember that Shibas were initially hunters of birds and small games in ancient times. As such, they still have a high prey drive in them.

They have a high chase drive that prompts them to often run after their targets. This makes Shibas fail to calm down most of the time.

When your Shiba engages in chase games, he’ll most likely not pay attention to you.  Along with hunting traits, Shiba Inus don’t calm down at ease and act independently most times.

They love making their own decisions and following their instincts which makes them “busy.”

Strong-will Personality 

Shiba Inus have a strong natural will to do things of their own. They’re confident and bold with a strong personality, making them independent pets.

If you have a Shiba, you can tell this as they can easily stay home alone for long without needing your attention.

In addition, Shibas always have their ideas about different things. That said, they follow their hearts and often ignore your instructions. That’s why first-time dog owners shouldn’t go for Shibas.

They’ll hardly calm down despite your attempts to give directions, which might irritate first-time owners.

However, training makes a huge difference in Shibas. You can tame his strong-will personality and get him to follow your instructions most of the time.

Never Gives Up

Shiba Inus don’t give up; every person with a Shiba will tell you this. If a Shiba has to push boundaries to acquire something, they’ll do it without hesitation.

Shibas can even insist on something harmful to them or puts them in a conflict with their owner or master.

As a result, Shibas hardly calm down before getting what they want. So, they show persistent stubbornness and are ready to endure any pain that comes their way.

A good example is when another dog attempts to snatch a Shibas toy, they won’t give up until they have it back. Besides giving up, the Shiba won’t also calm down the entire period.

Shibas Are Naturally Rebellious  

Shiba Inus are naturally rebellious. As we said above, Shibas are independent and have aloof personalities. Also, they’re brave enough to follow their instincts and ignore you.

Shibas like doing what you’re against. For example, if you forbid your Shiba from doing something, he’ll try to sneak back and do it as soon as you turn your back. Therefore, we can agree they’re naturally rebellious.

When acting rebellious, Shibas will hardly calm down in one place. They move all over, playing hide and seek games with you.

Does Obedience Training Calm Down Shibas?

Obedience training helps calm down Shiba Inus; however, it isn’t 100% effective since Shibas have an anti-calm down personality.

Owning a Shiba Inu can be troublesome if you don’t understand what steps to take and calm down your fur friend.

However, obedience training works wonders for some Shibas and not all. For better results, one should initiate training at a young age, from five months onwards.

It helps your Shiba gain courage and understand how to deal with situations that call for calmness.

Therefore, if your Shiba hardly calms down, don’t freak out. Consider booking him for puppy obedience training classes, and all will be well.

Obedience training also improves your Shibas response to instructions, thus making it easy to calm him down.

Those who don’t understand bringing up Shibas are late to initiate training. It makes their puppies hard to control as they grow up.

Now, you shouldn’t fall for the same; instead, start training as soon as your puppy begins to show hyperactivity. That way, you increase the chances of calming your Shiba Inu early.

Now that we know training helps Shiba Inus calm down, how about socialization? Let’s see that below.

Does Socialization Calm Down Shibas?  

Like training, socialization also helps Shibas calm down, but isn’t 100% effective in calming down this breed. Socializing a Shiba Inu dog breed is crucial to the owner and those around, including family members.

You can socialize your Shiba Inu with both people and other dogs. As such, your Shiba becomes social with people and other dogs and is free from fear when meeting new people.

So, socialization also helps calm down your Shiba.

There are various places to socialize your Shiba. For example, you can tag along your Shiba when meeting friends and have him socialize with them.

On the other hand, to socialize your Shiba with other dogs, you might need to consult a dog psychologist about dog playgroups and whether they offer the service.

How To Calm Down a Shiba Inu?

Shiba Inus hardly calm down, mainly during the early days when they’re still young and learning the basics. This calls for your attention to intervene and create an environment that encourages your Shiba Inu to calm down.

You’re probably asking yourself, how do I promote an environment that makes my Shiba calm. Below are 6 surefire tips to calm down your Shiba Inu;

• Do Obedience Training Often
• Do More Walks or Hiking Trips
• Use Positive Reinforcement
• Don’t Be Physical (Don’t Use Physical Punishment)
• Reward Your Shiba with Treats
• Organize For Play Sessions with Another Dog

Let’s see why and how each of the above tips plays a crucial role;

Do Obedience Training Often

Obedience training is vital for Shibas to calm down. You need to teach your Shiba to obey simple verbal commands before you advance to the complex ones.

If you have your Shiba Inu from when he’s a pup, then teach him to follow the simple commands first.

If your Shiba learns to obey commands at an early age, he’ll forever remain obedient even when he’s an adult. For example, use the command “STOP” to prevent him from engaging in destructive behavior.

Obedience training helps calm Shiba down and makes him follow simple instructions. Commands also help to stop your Shiba from throwing tantrums at you. Therefore, ensure you prioritize obedience training for your Shiba.

Do More Walks or Hiking Trips

If you have a Shiba Inu, never underestimate the power of walking your Shiba Inu. Remember, this dog breed is hyperactive and has lots of energy accumulated in its body within a short time.

When you take him out for a walk, you give him a chance to dispel this energy.

After returning home from a walk, your Shiba will relax and act calm.  Your Shiba Inu hardly calms down because he has extra energy that he doesn’t get time to dispel. So, walks outside your home offer the chance to release this energy.

Also, in case you’re going for a hiking trip, tag along your Shiba Inu. This is another opportunity for him to dispel energy accumulated as he rests at home. Therefore, hiking trips and walks help calm down your Shiba.

In addition, walks help build the bond between you and your Shiba, thus making him loyal to you.

Use Positive Reinforcement  

Positive reinforcement is something most people ignore. However, it works miracles when calming Shibas. It involves the careful redirection of your Shibas attention to something useful like cuddling or chase games.

Anytime you notice your Shiba Inu is all over the place, take the initiative and initiate positive reinforcement. Redirect his energy to something that keeps him busy, like playing with his toys.

That way, your Shiba gets something to keep him alive and thus quickly calms down.

Don’t Be Physical (Don’t Use Physical Punishment)

As a rule of thumb, never use physical punishment to calm down your Shiba Inu. Physical punishment never works well with Shibas and any other dog breed out there.

Besides, Shiba Inus never respond positively when you use an aversive attitude.

When you use physical punishment, your Shiba Inu responds by fighting you back and can even hurt you. First, your Shiba Inu becomes aggressive when you have an aversive attitude.

Besides, he might turn to destructive behavior because he knows you don’t love and care for him.

As a result, when your Shiba is experiencing challenges calming down, seek other ways apart from physical punishment. Act calmly, and go ahead to deal with him calmly without showing anger.

Reward Your Shiba Inus with Treats

When your Shiba Inu isn’t calming down, you can redirect his energy to some sort of training and reward him with treats when he does the right thing.

This works well to calm your Shiba and turn his energy to something more useful and less harmful.

However, if your Shiba shows signs of independency when you attempt to redirect his energy, it’s safe to leave him alone. As we said earlier, this is an independent dog breed.

So, sometimes your Shiba might want some space.

As you redirect your Shibas attention, use treats to keep him around you and happy. Shibas are obsessed with treats. Use them for a better experience when calming your Shiba.

Organize For Play Sessions with Another Dog

Playing with another dog can also help your Shiba Inu calm down. However, the other dog must not be dominant to your Shiba. Shibas like to play with dogs that look up to them as the pack leader.

So, when organizing play sessions with another dog, ensure it’s a less dominant dog. Otherwise, if the other dog doesn’t recognize your Shiba as the pack leader, you’re in for chaos.

If you’re not sure about doing it yourself, you can approach a dog psychologist to help you do it.

Playing with another dog helps your Shiba calm down, and, in the event, your Shiba gets a chance to play and dispel the energy in him.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shiba Inu Calm?

Shiba Inus aren’t calm dogs; however, you can make them calm through dog training and socialization practices.

They’re so aloof and hardly calm down during their early ages between birth and 6 months. Although they begin to calm down immediately, they attain adolescent age.

Are Shiba Inu Hyper?

Yes. Shiba Inu have hyper behavior as a result of their high energy level. They have high energy, which accumulates in their bodies and makes them hyperactive.

To deal with this hyper behavior, you need to master such tips as taking your Shiba for daily walks and carrying out obedience training.

Why Is My Shiba Inu Crazy?

If your Shiba gets the zoomies often, don’t worry, it’s normal. They just need to burn off excess energy in their bodies, which makes them crazy.

Therefore, don’t worry when your Shiba begins the yipping, jumping, and bowing; it’s all normal. Your Shiba will regain senses after a moment; all they want is to burn off excess energy.

Are Shiba Inus Hard to Take Care Of?

Shiba Inus are naturally notorious for many things; therefore, they’re a jack of all trades, making them hard to care for.

However, in my view, they’re the best dogs. People just don’t know how to handle and deal with them. One needs to learn the dos and don’ts of Shiba Inus to enjoy taking care of them.

Can Shiba Inu Be Trained Off-Leash?  

Yes, you can train Shiba Inus off-leash. In fact, it isn’t as complicated and tricky as it looks. The trick is that you need to teach your Shiba obedience commands first.

After teaching him obedience commands, you can train your Shiba Inu off-leash. However, it’ll be a challenge if you attempt to do it without obedience commands.

Concluding Sentiments on When Do Shiba Inus Calm Down?

Shiba Inus hardly calm down before they attain the adolescent age, which begins from 6 to 9 months. Nevertheless, don’t worry when your Shiba Inu is still hyper and finds it hard to calm down after this age.

You can use several other measures to initiate a suitable environment for your Shiba to calm down. For example, begin obedience training at a young age.

Obedience training plays a crucial role when calming down your Shiba Inu.

When I first got myself a Shiba, I always asked myself, when do Shiba Inus calm down until I started obedience training during the adolescent stage.

The response was good, and my Shiba was the coolest friend by the time he was 1 year old. As such, obedience training, among other tips in this guide, can help you calm down your Shiba.