How to Potty Train Your Shiba Inu: 7 Vet-Approved Steps
By Hanh Duong
Updated on
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The Shiba Inu is a Japanese-bred hunting dog. They are small, intelligent, and known for being difficult to train. So, it takes time and patience to teach a Shiba anything, including potty lessons. Getting your dog to comprehend the toileting behaviors and locations you want them to follow can be tricky. But things will hopefully be easier after you read this post.
Before You Start
Your Shiba Inu will need plenty of praise, treats, and positive reinforcement as they learn potty training. Negative reinforcement such as shouting is not recommended since Shibas typically find it confusing and ineffective. They are sensitive souls, and because of this, punishment rarely works, which frequently leads to stubborn behavior.
Be consistent with your dog and ensure you have a well-defined potty place. Be ready to monitor your furry friend and keep an eye out for indications that they have to go potty, such as sniffing, pacing, or circling. Also, plan your dog’s meals carefully so you can anticipate when they need to go potty.
The 7 Steps to Potty Train a Shiba Inu
1. Follow a Schedule
You should consistently take your Shiba Inu outdoors to potty to prevent accidents. By how often? When potty training is just starting, we suggest taking puppies outside first thing in the morning and then routinely every hour or so until shortly before bed.
In addition, it’s a good idea to let your dog out before and after:
- Sleeping
- Drinking
- Eating
- Playing
Besides planning toilet breaks, try to feed them at roughly the same times every day. You might also want to limit water access a couple of hours before bed if you don’t want to have to wake up at night to clean up an accident – leave a small amount of water, but avoid filling up the bowl.
2. Establish an Outdoor Potty Area
Do you want to prevent your Shiba Inu from going potty in inappropriate places? If so, you may want to create a designated elimination spot outside, such as in your backyard, and make it obvious where they should go.
Quickly direct your puppy to the designated spot whenever you take them outside to relieve themselves. They’ll eventually come to link that location with using the restroom. This will not only keep them from moving somewhere else but also make it simpler for you to clean up.
3. Use a Consistent Command
There are so many great things to sniff and examine outside that bathroom breaks could take a while unless you teach your pet to go on command.
The answer is to link the elimination procedure with a set word or phrase. So, for instance, if you chose the word “go potty,” you would say it when:
- Taking them outside
- Pointing the canine in the direction of the toilet
- Your dog starts to go
Shiba Inus are clever. Yours will quickly discover that the phrase “go potty” implies that it’s time for them to go potty.
4. Celebrate Instantly
Making your puppy feel fantastic about going potty in a specific area is essential for housetraining. You can take advantage of the general desire that most dogs have to please their owners.
Reward your dog with affection, praise, and treats as soon as they have finished toileting in the specified area outside.
5. Supervise
You should monitor your puppy at all times and take them outside as soon as you notice that they may need to relieve themselves. Consider limiting them to one part of your home to make supervision easy. But what ought to be done when you’re not there? How can your dog be trained to go potty while you’re at work or elsewhere?
Plan to have a neighbor, friend, relative, pet sitter, or other person assist. But if you’re unable to do that, you can also leave your Shiba in a crate or other confined area while you’re out. But remember that you shouldn’t leave your puppy in a crate for more than 3 hours at a time, and they should be well-trained with being comfortable in the crate, first.
Crates are a great way to help with potty training. If you make their crate their cozy, happy, safe-space, they will be less likely to want to relieve themselves in there. This means that each morning, or throughout the day, you can collect them from their crate and take them straight outside to the toilet.
6. Deal with Accidents Properly
Accidents will inevitably happen. When they do, (or before they do) breathe deeply and do the following:
- Make a noise to interrupt them, like clapping your hands. Don’t use their name – their name should always be a positive thing, not negative.
- Take them outside to the specified area.
- When they’ve finished going outdoors, give them praise and a treat.
- Make sure to use an enzymatic cleanser to clean up the mess thoroughly. Eliminating any scents lowers the likelihood of a further mishap.
Last, but not least, avoid scolding your Shiba. Redirecting your dog and then rewarding good behavior are the best ways to tackle the situation.
7. Take them out, and then take them out again
It’s really common to have the frustration of a puppy that goes potty indoors five minutes after they’ve been outside. The trouble is that when you’re a puppy, going outside is exciting, interesting, and distracting. So much so that often your puppy will be too distracted to bother with boring tasks like going potty! Even if they have gone to the toilet, bring them back inside, and then go back out again after about five minutes.
It’s also common for pups to have their ‘before breakfast poop’ and ‘after breakfast poop’, so make sure you take them out before and after meals.
Is It Difficult to Potty Train a Shiba Inu?
You’ll be able to housebreak your Shiba Inu quickly by following the above steps. However, it’s crucial to remember that your puppy is still young and has a lot to learn. So, the key is patience. You will get through potty training eventually, even if it is occasionally frustrating.
After weeks of dedicated training, if you discover that your puppy or adult dog is still having accidents indoors, it’s time to identify the root of the issue and take appropriate action. Contacting your veterinarian will allow them to check for any medical problems that influence your Shiba’s capacity to manage urinating and pooping.
You might need some expert assistance if your veterinarian has ruled out any potential health issues.
Conclusion
Most owners are nervous about potty training because it is messy and frequently fraught with failure. But with perseverance, love, encouragement, and treats, your Shiba Inu puppy will soon be potty trained. The key to being successful is being Persistent and Consistent.
Don’t forget to use positive reinforcement and try not to become frustrated if your Shiba Inu puppy doesn’t pick it up right away.
We sincerely hope you found these puppy toilet training ideas helpful, and I wish you luck as you go out on this fascinating journey with your new furry friend.
Featured Image Credit: Molica_an, Shutterstock
