Excercise

jakkihare

I been thhinking lately...shibas are normally a nono off the lead so what do you guys do to allow them to run about crazy and get rid of there energy...do you have super long leads?? I have a 60 ft one that im going to use when he is bigger..But how much of a night mare is that going to be when you get tangled in it..or tangle other people!!!i guess shibas are very popular in the states so do you have special fenced off parks?? all our parks in scotland prob wouldn't be so shiba safe i know he would get out somehow into the horse field or go chasing rabbits and sneak thru the bushes!!All the parks i found alot of them are walled and you think Yes but then there is a gap where there is a bush and wire fence..its rubbish!!

Any ideas

Thanks guys!

brandon_w

The long leash sounds like a good idea, though I wouldn't use it in public places where others got get tangled up in it.

I do take Nemo to the dog park, but not as much as I used too. Depending on where you live in the USA you may have a lot of dog parks in your area, or you may have none at all.

If you are a runner, that is a great way to exercise your Shiba once he is a bit older. Throwing a ball/toy in the house, can get them some good exercise too.

However puppies, Shibas and other dogs, have endless energy and can be pretty hard to tire out. Many Shibas have very high exercise requirements until they are 5-7 years old.

ljowen123

I occasionally take Jazz to a local dog park, but she gets a bit reactive at times and the closest one to me is 20 minutes away - so we do a lot of walking whether it's me, my nieces, nephews or brother. In addition, Jazz is in training and that seems to tire her out a lot too - we try to do 30 minutes each night. Also, I encourage Jazz to do the shiba 500 when I first get home and we try to do some crazy playing that Jazz likes called Toro, Toro - we hold up this one red blanket (think bullfighter) and she runs to it, we drape her in it, and she spins her way out of it.

tsukitsune

there are 2 dog parks in my area that we use but we do a great deal of walking and hiking with 4 or 6ft leads and they are pooped afterwards! Tsuki definitely has puppy energy STILL (she just turned one) and even she gets knocked out after a 2 or 3 hour hike!
Plus they get the 'zoomies' in the house to tire themselves out and that works too.
Plus when Tsuk was younger, just playing like nuts with toys, jumping, tugging, chasing a ball - that really got her panting.

A lot of people are convinced their dogs will only be happy off lead to run and exercise, but if they aren't used to that, they probably don't think they are missing out as long as you provide other types of exercise.

ljowen123

I've seen those youtube videos of animals on treadmills - anybody got a shiba that would do that?

brandon_w

Dogs on treadmills is an ok idea if the dog doesn't mind it. Nemo would be to scared. Also I would hope that people use a harness, and not a leash attached to the neck incase of an accident. I don't know if I would feel comfortable putting my dog on a treadmill and then going to do something else, I would want to make sure he is safe. So I'd be sitting and watching him, in that case, I might as well just walk him and get the exercise too.

ljowen123

I wouldn't think attaching them to the treadmill in any way would be a good idea. I don't think Jazz would do it either - I'm too cheap to buy a treadmill, but I was curious if anyone had ever seen a shiba do that.

jakkihare

Great guys!!! yeah zoomies...hilarious!!!i love shibas!! so full of character...thats why i wanted one,so unique also and rare...well in scotland anyway there are some up north as i was origionally going for one from there as there are breeders.Thanks for the advice

Heidi

I let Tojo off leash on my property, knowing full well that he may decide not to listen to me when I call him. He's usually pretty good about coming when called (for a shiba), but sometimes not. I feel safe doing so, though, even though the property isn't fenced in because it's 160 acres and there aren't even any other houses for miles in any direction. All of the neighbouring properties are just wheat fields. Also, he very very rarely leaves the property, and if he does, it's never far (like maybe he'll chase a bird into the next field, then come back). Another thing is that he usually runs around for a bit and then just lays in the driveway or on the porch. Even when I someone else goes on a walk, Tojo usually comes home halfway through the walk and sits on the porch or asks to be let in. From what I read, this isn't typical of shibas, and I didn't let him off leash for quite a while. I'd take him out with a long line and let him drag it. I also had been taking him to an off leash dog park since he was a pup when I lived in the city and he learned to have quite a good recall, I would say 90%.

That being said, I wouldn't dream of letting him off leash anywhere off my property. There's too great a risk of him getting lost and not knowing his way back. Like I said, sometimes he likes to end a walk early and go home. He also did this at the city dog park once, where he decided he was finished, so he went back to the entrance and waited for me. It was a really big park, so I couldn't even see him and I freaked out not knowing where he had gone. If I were, say, in the woods or something, he'd get lost so easily.

Heidi

Oh yeah, as for treadmills, I can't really imagine any of my dogs enjoying a treadmill. I think they enjoy running out in a grassy field and leaping and bounding. I really don't think it would be satisfying for them on a treadmill. I think they would still be restless from not having enough mental stimulation. One thing that seems to tire my dogs out is marrow bones. It takes them a long time to chew those up and they really have to use their teeth and work at it for at least an hour. Plus, it cleans their teeth up! I give it to them before bed so they won't run up and down the hall and play fight on my bed while I'm trying to sleep.