He is looking for the bag of food
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I’ve been too busy with Sushi who needed a home as he’s a bit psycho and reactive. He’s a 5 year old Shiba Inu who’s been getting more aggressive so his owners couldn’t risk keeping him with a baby on the way. He’s pretty happy with his new toy and bed, his rewards for making it through the first week without eating my face.
He’s had a hard week, this is the 3rd home I believe that he’s been bounced around to in the last month so he’s pretty scared and was mostly waiting by the door for his owner until the last day or two when he started following me around and sleeping on his bed in my room. Endless walks (roughly 2-3 hours a day) and lots of treats for doing tricks is slowly convincing him I may be a better friend then food but he’s still on the fence. Despite being a sweet, curious, playful and very smart dog he’s got some pretty serious issues to work through. He’s gone after me twice after getting triggered so we have a lot of work to do.
Who could resist his adorable little face though? It’s definitely more work then a puppy and I doubt he’ll ever be a cuddly doggo but I find rescues more rewarding in the end as they definitely appreciate being given a stable home and show it in their own way. Which for Sushi is hopefully deciding not to eat my face…
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What a sweetheart!
Our Celia was a street dog from Texas, crated up and in a van for 24 hours to get to Toronto 
where she was adopted… and then returned 2 weeks later. Adopted AGAIN and then re-returned a week later, and then fostered 2x.
Just like Sushi, Celia is “smol and cute” but deep down a trauma hound and thusly: a loaded gun. Those that had adopted her before wanted a “purse dog” but what they got was a stubborn Dachsund mindset blended with the aggression and strength of a Patterdale Terrier with a bite force of a much larger dog..
The day I picked her up she bit me hard enough to bleed but like in Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind I took the hit without flinching (to this day I have no idea HOW) and then she released my bleeding hand and then accepted the leash and walked with us to the car. We took her to a dog trainer that specialized in police dogs and film production dogs which made a world of difference for all of us (the trainers most recent film production work was in season 3 of the tv show SEE; one of the dogs trying to kill Jason Mamoa was the dog that trained Celia 
)
It’s been three years and she still is a loaded gun but only as much as can be expected for such a smol thing going through such trials all before being 1 year old.
Celia then:
Celia Now:
She isn’t a “grab and cuddle girl” but when she wants it she gets it!
Keep up your fine work and it’s always gonna be worth it!!
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What a sweet girl, I’ve always loved dachshunds. Thanks for sharing the story and words of encouragement as it’s definitely a process. I’m looking at trainers/behaviourists although I’ll probably need to get pet insurance first to afford it. Sushi decided to commemorate the week anniversary of biting me by reliving the memory when I went to put his leash on this morning, like you said the key is to not react and calmly gain control of the situation. At least this time he listened to verbal commands instead of having to rely on treats, which is progress as it’s counterproductive to use treats to diffuse an aggressive dog. Baby steps and we’ll eventually get there.
Not as bad as last week but still a sign of how much work Sushi needs to feel comfortable, safe and to trust me…
Updated to add: He’s come up to smell/lick my hand which is another sign of progress as he was triggered and growling for most of a day last time. Of course my phone didn’t snap a pic while he was licking, it’s got a weirdly long delay between hitting the button and it snapping a pic…
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Finn
The 10 miles a day we run is showing on him .
He is getting buff . Even sound asleep you can see his muscle tone
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To be honest, in your case treats are NOT a bad thing. Our trainer emphasised that with this level stressed out doggo you NEED a “redirector”. With Celia it’s treats, so no matter what’s happening we use them to diffuse her “bad focus” into her “food focus”.
Some other dogs it’s a toy or a ball. While if we did this with a puppy it would be counterproductive as we would be teaching the dog that by doing the bad thing they are getting a treat… but when your doggo is a 
the treat re-focus is purely a diffussing mechanism.
My partner used to pet sit as her living and she only ever looked after 1x Shiba Inu and this is her report:
- They bond with 1 person… if they bond.
- They are VERY ACTIVE. (as you can tell from all the walks)
- They often can be independent, territorial and have a high prey drive.
You’re doing a solid job bud!
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I have no problem using treats if needed as like you said, when the doggo is out of their mind and just reacting it’s a simply way to gain control. I’m just wary of conditioning him to be aggressive when he wants a treat. In retrospect I realised that since he’s both smart and doesn’t go to the bathroom indoors (he’s held it for 24 hours until he let me put a leash on) the better way to handle it going forward is to approach with the leash and if he growls correct the behaviour by saying no and then walking away and ignoring him. He talks to me when he needs to go out, so when he does I’ll approach with the leash again and repeat as many times as needed until he let’s me put the leash on without growling and then give him a treat to reward the proper behaviour. Keeping in mind he’s smart and independent makes it clear that letting him decide is better then trying to get him use to things through exposure therapy. It’s a learning process for both of us.
You can tell he’s missing his humans as he was camped out by the door for a solid 3-4 days before starting to come lay in my room or follow me around. It seems like he’s camping out in my room now though, as well as following me around; so hopefully that’s a sign he’s starting to trust me more instead of seeing me as a walking snack lol
She was also dead on about their independence an being active, Sushi loves his walks unless he refuses to get out of bed. I think a couple days I’ve worn him out lol
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You and all whom rescues dogs are badasses. I watched @PlantShepherd do the same with a beast of a dog. Just straight awesome.
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Hang in there man! As Boozer said, I had quite a go with a rescue. He’s turning out to be a great dog, but it has been work. I have been very happy with Fear Free training, and I would recommend looking for a Fear Free Certified trainer. If they have attended an Animal Behavioral College, even better. My opinion is find a trainer sooner rather than later. That biting needs to get corrected asap.
I’m super grateful for the support on I received in this thread. If there is anything I can do to help, please shout. 
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Good looking boy you got there Jetdro! 
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As you stated a few posts up, your the third home in a short period of time. Your dog is scared, confused and defensive. Great to see he has moved into your room at night. Looking at your pictures, I see a fierce intelligence in his face. It’s going to take time and maybe a couple or more “nips”, but you have a buddy in the making. Good luck!
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Badass, masochist; same difference lol. Thanks for the kind words
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Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into fear free training and see if I can find someone certified locally. There’s a couple local Shiba Inu rescues around so I may check them out as well as from what I’ve read working with Shiba’s is different from a lot of other dogs. The biting absolutely needs to stop as everyone tries to walk up and pet him when we’re walking because he’s so cute and they assume he’s a puppy not a mature dog with finely aged neurosis.
I’ll definitely reach out if I need any help, opinions or moral support, cheers.
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His intelligence is what gives me confidence we’ll be able to work through his psychotic urges and build trust. When he’s out walking you can see the playful doggo come out as he chases leaves and stomps on the, his curiosity about everything and how social he is as he often goes up to people/dogs to smell them. Time and more then likely a couple more flesh wounds and I have no doubt he’ll settle in and get past his bad habits in time.
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Mine don’t watch tv
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