Inu/Ken-tude or Just Shiba-tude?

santuzza

I'm currently locked in a battle of wills with Tosca (See the "Hey Osy..." thread for more details on the argument) and I started to wonder if all nihon ken have 'tude or if the shibas stand alone in their mastery of The 'Tude.

So, what's the verdict?

Sangmort

I think Shibas are definitely at the top. All the akita I've known had never had the tude. We need more Kai owners on here, I'm curious as to whether they have the tude. I don't think Shika's have that much of a tude, but maybe just a little tude. I wonder if Hokka & Kishu have the tude also?


I'm seeing my name on the forum a lot the past week, it's scaring me lol [ I feel like I'm going to get in trouble? haha ]~

santuzza

We use your name with affection. I personally think you seem to love our pups almost as much as we do.

BTW - Tosca sends her love.

kwyld

Taj seems to have the worst tude out of my two Nihon Ken and it seems like she wastes a lot of energy flaunting it. Kohji has Nihon tude but it's on a much smaller scale, and he only uses it when he deems it necessary.

KFontaine04

Sake's Shiba 'Tude is coming out full force these days. I now know what everyone means when they talk about their female shiba's being the "Drama Queen". Miso has a 'tude but it's on a much smaller scale, although if he deems something unworthy of his higness he will throw a bit of a tantrum...nothing on the scale of Sake's though.


Osy - you know we all adore you, your animals, your love of Nihon Ken and all your advice. I like being able to share my dogs stories with people who appreciate them so and you are on that list!

tsukitsune

hmm. I'm torn to answer, since I've only known shibas, but of the shibas I have known and shared space with, not all of them have the 'tude. In fact, none of the ones I live with now seem to have as strong a 'tude... when we had Hachi, her tude was like a beacon - unmistakably a shiba queen and Tsuki amped up her tude to match it I think because now, Tsuki seems more sensitive than bitchy. And of the males, our Kitsune had the most 'tude, but his is pretty mild too.
I dunno, maybe I'm with them too much and had one too many over the last couple years and I'm just Nihon numb!

JessicaRabbit

I used to take care of an Akita who was the single most stubborn dog I have ever known. Miko has oodles of tenacity and but has the attention span of a flea. The shiba-tude is close to both but has it's own special je ne sais quoi. That said Piglet will sit down and refuse to budge if we take her on a walk and she thinks she is done. She is more stubborn than any Nihon Ken I have ever known.

Basically, dogs are punks.

Sangmort

Thanks Nancy & Kristin


I really want to know if Kai have some version of the tude lol~

lindsayt

Beebe is a punk. So is Ike if he feels like it. I don't think I have ever met a breed of dog with more attitude/willfullness, and I work with dogs. Hmm, on second thought, I think my Uncle's Tibetan Terrier is up there on the attitude scale asshole, I mean also.

tsukitsune

really? A tibetan terrier is totally on my realistic future breeds list!

lindsayt

Tibetans are also on mine still, but Loki and Webster are such picky eaters and totally unmotivated by food. They are totally sweet, silly and loving dogs but very territorial and yap non stop if they hear a noise. They also do the shiba thing when it comes to being off leash. Other wise, aside from destroying my uncle's house and furniture (which is a training issue) they lay around and look pretty. I babysit them occasionally and they are still easier than his Shar pei and my shibas. But boy, what kooky dogs.

Also, their hair is hard to groom, like a beardie or lhasa it tangles so easily and they get hotspots underneath. Their mouths are deceptively huge under all that fur, like Fizgib from the Dark Crystal.

santuzza

I'm a gluton for punishment. Now that I have one, I couldn't imagine a breed I'm better suited for.

AkiraleShiba

Akira definately has the attitude, to work around it only clicker training has worked. He retains it but he kind of likes doing what I ask him to.

baanton

Ok, here's scoop: I think its very clear to me that Kai have the 'tude. But given my (limited) experience with other dogs, I would say that Josephine has exhibited that she can be "trained" out of it to the extent it has been most annoying (much easier/earlier in life than our former dog, Joe, the Rott/lab/husky/? mix). Following are three examples (the first is just cute and we have done little to try to break this one -- in the other two cases she has responded well to "training"):

Josephine's 'tude seems to manifest itself at the off-leash doggie park from time to time. Particularly, it comes out when she decides she wants to be the "controller" of any and all doggie behavior that is not not focused and dedicated to her. Here's how it plays out some of the time ... She encounters a doggie and initiates the playing: favorite games are body contact olympics (sometimes known as the "puppy play", i.e. wrestling, gnawing on one another, "body-checking" with a swing of the back hips, or various other take-down maneuvers); "I run, you chase me" or vice versa; and running after any dog or group of dogs who are chasing a ball. All of a sudden, along comes another doggie or maybe two or three or four more... The first doggie now gets distracted and is enticed or initiates play with newly arrived doggy(ies). Now it's bark, bark, bark, bark, worry, worry, worry, let me get between the doggies and interject myself into the encounter, etc...... This is when I start calling her "Queen Josephine"... If this gets out of hand or uncomfortable for other dogs or owners, we have found the simplest thing to do is to proceed with our walking around the park and the vast majority of the time she will break it off with the dogs and follow us (often immediately, or at her "check-in" point).

We also used to see the 'tude a lot when returning home after leaving her alone (a couple minutes, a few hours... made no difference!)... Then it was bark, bark, bark, run, run, run, jump, jump, jump, sometimes that annoying peeing regardless of where she happened to be acting out. We have worked on this behavior alot --- seems like it has been possible to "train" this away for the most part and when it strikes now its of very limited duration. Maybe its maturing of the doggie, too --- she is soon to be the ripe old age of 2!

Lastly, we observe Josephine's 'tude on walks sometimes when her nose or vision tells her she must go a different direction from the human "walker". She has been very adept at plunking her butt down and refusing to move at all. We have found that this can be "cured" with the classic doggie-training lesson --- wait it out calmly, keep the leash control, then reward with a treat when she gets over it and starts moving in the right direction. I also have learned a "fake-out" technique that is effective for me some of the time: I merely start walking in the direction she appears to want to go (or at least an oblique angle that seems to be in her direction from her way of thinking), and then I "circle" her around to my direction very subtly. All of the above depend on the nature of the distraction, of course... If its a bunny or a squirrel it could be just as likely be manifested by pulling your arm out of its socket... Also working on that one quite successfully. This kind of 'tude behavior has been more a matter of us humans looking ahead and, in anticipation of her reaction, having her stop, sit, stay... as long as is required for the distraction to get very far away from her. This kind of training has been especially helpful when doggies or humans are approaching, given her love of all of them.

Bottom line: after all that, Josephine is amazingly good-natured, loves other doggies, loves every human she meets, has rarely been territorial (except with those doggie friends at the park), and advancing age and targeted training seems to be helping alot to diminish instances of the 'tude!

tsukitsune

omg Lindsay - you are like in our house or something... I was showing my husband pics of Tibetan Terriers since they were on my mind last night and he saw a brown/white one and say "I'd name him Fizgig!"

Crazy. Just crazy.

lindsayt

I have ESPN or something :)

I like the black and whites with the little bandit masks across their eyes, it fits their personalities the dirty beggers.

Heidi

Well, Tojo has the most 'tude of my dogs. Rakka can be intense, but she's also very lovey and willing to please. I'd say that she mostly reserves her 'tude for other dogs, because she's actually really sweet with people and is quite cooperative. Katja (Akashima kennels) who breeds shibas and shikokus told me that she finds shikokus much less stubborn than shibas.

BradA1878

I think what Jessica was saying is right, they all have their own form of tude.

The shiba is the most "diva" of the tho (imo).

try to pick up an akita or physically force them to do anything and you will see their tude.

watch a dog get snarky with a Shikoku and you will get a taste of the Shikoku tude.

wake kona up when he is sleeping and you will see his tude for sure. I think i have a video of that on youtube called "Kona: the demon within" or something.

they all have it, it just reveals itself differently.

KFontaine04

I got a full dose of Sake 'Tude this morning. It was crazy! Screaming, crying, throwing fits. All because we took all the presents and loaded them up in the car and we didn't take her yet...those dogs...

P.S. Hi Brad! Haven't seen you around in a while, hope Aspen is treating you well!