The most important time to start training any dog is when they are a puppy. If you start training as soon as you get your Shiba Inu puppy home it will save a lot of difficulty later in life when your dog is more set in his ways. You should never be harsh when chastising a puppy as this can lead to aggression problems later. Gently roll your puppy onto his back and whilst keeping eye contact reprimand him. This must be done immediately at the moment that he has done something wrong as Shiba's like most dog live in the moment and if you hesitate he won't know what he is being reprimanded for.

One of the first problems you will want to overcome is any toilet training problems. Happily for you the Shiba Inu is a very clean dog and toilet training is usually not a problem, usually your dog will let you know when he wants to go out. A Shiba will never foul his sleeping area even if left for long periods of time, although this is something that should not be done on a regular basis. One problem you may have is that many Shiba's are so picky about where they go to the toilet often choosing not to even use their own gardens but only relieving themselves when you take them for a walk. The only way to overcome this is by using praise to show that you are pleased with his actions as this will imprint on him that this is correct behaviour.

You will always remember the first time you try to put a collar and lead on your Shiba puppy. Shiba's hate any kind of restriction and a puppy will soon let you know this by making a big fuss about it often by emitting the famous Shiba scream. You need to be firm with him and just keep trying, this is one area that you will need to show whose boss and not back down, if he wins this battle a Shiba will try to capitalise and take command of all situations. Start your lead training when your Shiba is about 5 weeks old, start by just putting a collar on your Shiba around the house for a short while without going anywhere. If your puppy is having particular problems with the collar, trying to take it off, use distracting measures like playing with him or giving a treat, he will soon forget about the collar. Once he is used to this you can proceed to the next step, attach a lead and leave him to play with it, then progress to walking around the house or garden. It important to do this first as your Shiba is likely to make a lot of noise and fuss and you will certainly want to overcome this in the confines of your own property, it is not something to be inflicted on the general populace.

It may take a while before your Shiba is OK with the restriction of a collar and lead; some Shiba's have been known to enact a choking fit as if the collar is to tight becoming quite manic causing their owners to become concerned as to the dogs safety. Don't take any notice of this though he is perfectly fine and will soon give up especially if he thinks he is missing out on something. Eventually your Shiba will become used to having a collar and lead on and you will be able to take him out for his first walk.