Shiba height

adri1012

Since many of you told me it's possible that a Shiba can be much bigger than what breed infos say. Is there a way you can determine that your Shiba will grow larger just by looking at a pup? Or are there different kinds of foods that would help with that

BradA1878

So you want your Shiba to grow larger than it should? I don't understand the question.

Sangmort

There is no way you can determine the size of a future shiba. Some shiba might start off small, then grow bigger. Some shiba start off big, but end up being small.

There isn't anything you can do to make your shiba grow larger, either. That's pretty much genetics.

Are there shiba that are "larger?" Yes. But they are the exception, not the rule.

Shibas are small dogs, if you don't want a small dog, or "wouldn't like" a small shiba, don't get a shiba, there are many other breeds that might be a better choice for you.

Most shibas will fall into the 15 - 25llbs range with a height of 13" - 16". Anything larger than that is what we'd call "rare." ~

tjbart17

If you are looking for a mid-size NK, then I wouldn't go for a Shiba. Although, they do have a larger than their size attitude!

Calia

Even if you can figure a way to make the shiba grow larger than it's supposed to, there are many risks associated with it. Many dogs and other animals, when given special diets to make them grow bigger, have suffered many health issues that would not only cost a lot in vet bills but also shorten the life of the animal. Great Danes are a prime example of this. Some people want to try to have a HUGE Dane, so they are overfed as puppies to make them grow. Sure the Dane becomes huge, but they always wind up having a heart that is too small and joints that can't handle the weight. These dogs can't enjoy life as well as a dog should, and they often die young (even for a Dane).

Besides, shibas are perfect at the size they are, so why ruin a good thing.

tobyshiba

My Shiba is about 40lbs and 18'' height, but it really isn't that much of a difference. He looks like a giant next to small/petite Shiba, but he still looks like a small dog and doesn't weight much at all. Especially considering I can still carry him around like its nothing.

If you are looking for a larger dog, I wouldn't get a Shiba and purposely feed it so that it grows over the standard. It could lead to health problems -- like Beth said.
Thankfully, Toby does not have health issues and he is pretty sturdy, but not all purebred Shibas would be that lucky. But then again, I'm only crossing fingers here; we're dodging bullets. Toby is only 2 years and 2 months old. Something could come up 3-4+ months/years down the road.

I'm a little bit OCD about Toby's health. And I regularly check all his joints/bone structure and feel everything and check to make sure everything is where it belongs and that he has no discomfort. I'm extra cautious because of his larger-Shiba size.

shibamistress

And I have another Shiba named Toby who is huge...about the same size as Tobyshiba's boy... My boy is really sturdy and healthy except for thyroid. We worried about his patella for awhile, but it turned out to be ok, or at least so far (he's 6). It seemed to have gotten messed up when he was injured and not able to use that leg for awhile.

I was worried that I would find the Shibas too small, as I had never had anything but large dogs (though as a kid had a great little Elkhound). Well, both mine are bigger than normal, but I wouldn't have minded if they weren't. They have BIG personalities, and are certainly in no way toy dogs.

And this may be slightly OT but I wondered if feeding raw (which is pretty high protein) does make them bigger? Just because all three of my dogs were pups who have been raw fed for most of their lives and all are larger than expected....even my GSD is a pretty big boy, and he had lots of health issues before I got him at 4 mos. (I'm not suggesting trying to make them bigger, btw. Just curious if this is even likely, or if it is just coincidental that I have bigger than average Shibas).

adri1012

well i originally wanted an akita but theyre too big and shibas seem a little too small for me haha. But i love the red sesame look they have. i love both but I'm trying to find an NK that will do fine in the space that I'm living in. I'm sure a shiba will do fine it's just that I've been around small dogs all my life and I thought I'd like a change.

JessicaRabbit

I stand by the idea of going to a shelter, also especially if you are in California a Jindo kind of sounds perfect for you. And there are a lot of Jindo's in shelters looking for loving forever homes.