My friend just got a Shiba Inu and it didn't act like the other puppies I've seen

shogun

I'm not an expert on Shiba Inus and I've only met a handful of them. My friend just got a Shiba Inu that is around 8 weeks old and he seems to be really good. He never whines or complains and usually just sleeps all day. You put him in the crate and hes totally fine being in there. When he does play he never makes a single bark or sound. He doesn't seem to be hyper at all. Sometimes when he walks he seems to run into walls or when you bounce the ball off the wall he'll run straight into the wall. I don't know if this is normal or not but I do remember a breeder had a dog that she said was a bit slow. He was different from all the rest of the litter. My friend's dog had similar traits to that dog. He also doesn't respond to any voices or anyone. Is this normal behavior for a 8week puppy? Or is something wrong. Hes going to take him to the vet next week to make sure everything is okay.

StaticNfuzz

Well it's hard to know from what you describe without a video or seeing it first hand. It may not be a matter of being "Slow"...coordination and verbal cues takes time to build up in some puppies. Is he getting a good quality food. Poor early nutrition or lead intrusion will hinder learning in mammals.

Snf

mlvue

Tank was a very quiet puppy (and still is, really). Shiba's don't bark much, and really - they are a very different kind of dog. When we first got him at 8 weeks, he was very shy and did not respond well to us. Imagine if you were introduced to a new family, wouldn't you be a bit shy and hesitant to your handlers? I remember when he started feeling comfortable playing with us, he'd be so into our chase games that sometimes he'd watch me while running and run into a wall or our kitchen island hehehe. At 7 months now, he's completely comfy with us and as sharp as can be. If we're playing chase, he does circles around me and doesn't miss a beat!

xremii

Pong used to hit the mirrors in our foyer all the time thinking there was "more" area to run. Jada did the same with walls for a while. Hitting stuff is just because since they're still puppies, they can't really coordinate where their feet go. lol. Just wait a few weeks for him to warm up to the owner. Usually by that time, you'll be so sick of stepping on them all the time because they're right on your heel

CreamyShibaMom

When we first got Shao New at 5 months, she would fall, run into walls, run into us, and b/c she never really ran before then, for a week she would run with one of her front legs up b/c she didn't know what to do with it (I laugh now but it was pretty sad to see). She still does occassinally slip at home, but that's mostly b/c of the hardwood.

She's now 9 months and can focus on another dog that she wants to play with and walk sideways and still manage to avoid the lightpole an inch away from her head while listening to me tell her to come along and keep going. A month ago she would have slammed her head into the pole (which she did heheh).

Your friend's pup is just a pup..always good to have an overall checkup with the vet as soon as you get a new pup / animal. And I agree re: food, make sure the pup is on a good diet, not puppy chow.