Difficulty Finding Shiba Breeder
So I need some aid in finding a breeder of Shiba Inu.
I had one before. A little spitfire asshole senior with RG and DA who eventually went blind. She was put down from a liver shunt at 12 about two years ago. I now have a big doofus LGD with one working eye.
I live nomadically, aka I live in a truck camper. I do have steady work but it's all seasonal and I travel as much as I possibly can. I try to tether as much as possible because it's the big outdoors, we should all be enjoying it, plus carrying a fence sturdy enough for a 100lb dog just... isn't happening. The cats also get tethered when outside, so it isn't just the dog
I'm going to be picking up a poultry fence specifically for a barrier for stray dogs (I got my gun too). I feed raw, usually whole prey sometimes prey model. I want to hunt small game and maybe do some ratting with the Shiba. I hike A Lot, and might be doing some overnight trips in the future. Usually an hour or two walk is the norm. I fully believe in Vasectomy and Ovary Sparing Spay, my LGD is currently intact and I'm debating on if the vasectomy is worth it just to say he's "neutered" so people don't think I'm breeding or will be breeding 
Now, all those Lifestyle points above? One or more has blacklisted me from pretty much all the local breeders around me. If they like my lifestyle, they loathe my alternative spaying. Or they like the raw feeding but think I'm leaving my dogs to rot on tethers or something. I live in Western Northern Canada and none of the US breeders suggested ship their puppies.
I love Shiba's and gosh darn it I want to find a well bred one.
Help?
I had one before. A little spitfire asshole senior with RG and DA who eventually went blind. She was put down from a liver shunt at 12 about two years ago. I now have a big doofus LGD with one working eye.
I live nomadically, aka I live in a truck camper. I do have steady work but it's all seasonal and I travel as much as I possibly can. I try to tether as much as possible because it's the big outdoors, we should all be enjoying it, plus carrying a fence sturdy enough for a 100lb dog just... isn't happening. The cats also get tethered when outside, so it isn't just the dog
I'm going to be picking up a poultry fence specifically for a barrier for stray dogs (I got my gun too). I feed raw, usually whole prey sometimes prey model. I want to hunt small game and maybe do some ratting with the Shiba. I hike A Lot, and might be doing some overnight trips in the future. Usually an hour or two walk is the norm. I fully believe in Vasectomy and Ovary Sparing Spay, my LGD is currently intact and I'm debating on if the vasectomy is worth it just to say he's "neutered" so people don't think I'm breeding or will be breeding Now, all those Lifestyle points above? One or more has blacklisted me from pretty much all the local breeders around me. If they like my lifestyle, they loathe my alternative spaying. Or they like the raw feeding but think I'm leaving my dogs to rot on tethers or something. I live in Western Northern Canada and none of the US breeders suggested ship their puppies.
I love Shiba's and gosh darn it I want to find a well bred one.
Help?
Comments
You will likely need to fly to pick up your puppy for most NA breeders, given your location. Another option would be importing from Japan (info on http://japandogexport.com) or from another country. I only know of a single Shiba breeder who ships puppies in NA and they're more lax, which is an issue for me personally but you sound like you have a situation breeders don't immediately agree with.
I would still suggest fully explaining your situation and reasons to the breeders you have (or haven't?) contacted if you feel like they might be misunderstanding your intentions. You really are at the mercy of the breeder when getting a puppy, so try to respect where they're coming from and how much they love the breed and their dogs. If in the end they truly just don't agree with you, then that's fine, but you want to choose a breeder where there is a good bit of mutual trust because they should be your first point of contact when you have breed or dog specific questions.
Good luck with your search!
Vasectomy and OSS is less common around here, which is part of the issue. I try to give links and research papers explaining my choice. The tethering is probably the most difficult thing to get across as there is nothing *inherently* wrong with it but most people have a knee jerk reaction to the idea and sort of shut it down immediately before even considering it. And there's not much I can say about it except that it's done in a safe manner, is better than crating and kenneling, etc etc.
You will be hard pressed to find a breeder who will let you tether long term or without supervision. I don't know if there's any NA breeder who allows their Shibas to be "outside" dogs (well taken care of or not) but I'm not seeing where the issue would be for supervised tethering... Plenty of people are active with their Shibas, I don't think your on-the-road style is inherently something a breeder wouldn't approve of if you seem trustworthy to them otherwise. But I'm not a Shiba breeder, so I wouldn't really know!
Like I said before, you will probably need to be willing to fly out to pick up a puppy from other NA breeders if you can find any who approve if outside life for their puppies. You can try with European breeders, or from what I understand a good bit of Japanese breeders tend to keep dogs outside or indoor/outdoor anyway. Just a warning, all of these options are VERY expensive in comparison to being able to drive and pick up a puppy.