Shiba Inu German Shepherd Hybrid Mix Dog Breed Guide

Are you a dog lover or you are just about to get yourself a new dog? Probably your choice of dog is a German shepherd, this article is for you. It provides insight on the German shepherd dog breed. Find out more as you read along. 

What is a Designer Dog?

First, it is crucial to know what a designer dog is because we will keep mentioning it through the article. A designer dog is one which is a result of mating of two separate dog breeds. It is otherwise called a hybrid breed dog. 

Dog breeders have a certain reason why they mate two different dog breeds. Breeders breed designer dogs to encourage certain traits that are peculiar to both breeds. So, designer dogs are not a result of accidental breeding but rather well-thought-out and planned.

It is common to see designer dogs raised to be hypoallergenic. This probably explains why some dog breeds are partially Poodles. Poodle dogs have lesser likelihood of causing an allergic reaction to humans and they are said to be low-shedders. 

Thus, many designer dogs are partially Poodles. 

What is Shiba Inu Mix/German Shepherd?

Now that you know what a designer dog is, you should equally know what a German shepherd is. A Shiba Inu Mix and a German Shepherd is a hybrid breed dog (or designer dog) which resulted from the mating of two separate dog breeds. 

German shepherd is one of the newest addition to the hybrid breeds’ list so there is currently no name for the pups. However, some breeders call them Shepherd Inus. 

Note that a designer dog is not a product of accidental mating, but the American Kennel Club or the United Kennel Club do not recognize the breed. 

There are certain other breeders who also do not conform to the idea of mating two different dog breeds to create designer dogs. These people feel that some dishonest breeders might throw two unhealthy dog breeds (or dogs that are not worthy to breed) together or even demand the price of a designer dog for a low-quality puppy. 

The mixture of German Shepherd and Shiba Inu is not ideal for new dog owners or breeders. This is because they are working dogs who desire to be busy. New dog owners may not have the luxury of time to keep the dog busy. 

Additionally, both Shiba Inu and German Shepherd do not bond with just anyone, they are considered aloof. Sometimes, they even get wary of people. 

Although they are a great dog breeds, German Shepherd and Shiba Inu requires a professional and experience handler who can train them using the understanding of their intelligence. 

The handler must also have experience in handling canines because both dog breeds do not conform well to punishment (negative reinforcement) when training goes wrong for them. The Shepherd Inu has the tendency to be a dog with energy which needs to work. It also tends to be intelligent so it might take a long while to train the dog even with an experienced handler. 

The Shepherd Inu may sometimes be stubborn and tend to have a high drive for prey. This can be a turn off for dog owners with lesser experience. 

Nevertheless, Shepherd Inu will later grow to love its human parents and be loyal to them as long as it is in the right hands. 

German Shepherd’s Background

The German Shepherd dog dates to the 1800s in Europe where it first originated. As at then, there were many herding dogs that looked like wolves such that farmers called them shepherd dogs. Captain Max von Stephanitz had the objective of developing a shepherd dog that was a high prey drive, loyal, brave, and unrivalled in its capacity to protect and herd sheep. 

Captain Max was a career military leader in the German cavalry. After his retirement, he focused on breeding dogs at began to study breeding techniques which the British employed at that time. 

Max particularly started studying the indigenous herding dogs in the area. He kept note of their brilliant herding abilities. Max then began to fashion out the traits he would like to notice in the dog breed he was about to develop. 

This zeal to develop a new dog breed made Max to attend several shows in Britain where he decided that the perfect shepherd dog will be highly intelligent, athletic and brave. 

However, Max got disappointed when he never found any dog that possessed his desired quality in all the dog shows he attended. Later in 1899, at one of the shows he attended, Max noticed a wolf-like dog. He later bought the dog and started to observe it. He named the dog Hektor Linksrhein which is the father of all German Shepherd dog everywhere today. 

Although Max was still in the business of creating the perfect shepherd dog when industrialization of Eastern Europe started and shortened the demand for shepherding dogs. Once again, Max’s military experience made the difference and influenced the development of today’s German shepherd dog. Consequent pups that came from Hektor were highly trainable and intelligent and they loved working. 

Later, Max started rolling out the German Shepherds to the German government to use as military or police dogs. Hector’s descendants became so popular later on, such that they were used as guards, rescue workers messengers, assistants and supply carrying dogs to Red Cross workers during World War 1. 

American soldiers who served in the war in Germany noticed the great work of the German shepherd, so they took German Shepherd pups to America. One pup that stood out was a puppy that a soldier discovered in the ruins of a bombed hut in France. The puppy was just five days old then. 

The American soldier took the puppy home to the US where it later became popular and was called Rin Tin Tin. Retired Captain Max did not stop working on the breed even after its popularity in the United States of America and other places across Europe. He noticed that many of the pups were developing poorly and suffering from hip dysplasia and tooth decay. 

So Max stepped up the breeding standard to combat the new issues. As a result, all breeds were mandated to use breeding dogs that passes the following criteria: athletic, healthy, good temper and intelligent. 

This explains why German Shepherds love to work. They serve as seeing-eye dogs and assist the police and military on dangerous missions. Similarly, they can be general service dogs (i.e. working dogs or otherwise therapy dogs) or even family dogs. To date, the German Shepherd remains one of the most famous dogs in Europe and in the US.  

How About the Shiba Inu?

This dog breed is a Japanese dog bred with the original goal of flushing out birds and hunting small games. Today, the Shibu Inu acts as a companion to humans but still has hunting in its DNA. 

Shiba Inu is one of the six indigenous dogs in Japan. He has agility like that of cat and he is considered not ideal for novice pet owners. The Shiba Inu can be trained easily and is highly intelligent but requires positive reinforcement and patience.

The exact date when Shiba Inu was developed is unknown. What we know about the dog’s history is that the dog nearly went into extinction during World War II. 

As at that time, many Shiba Inu died from bomb raids and illness. Many of the dogs which survived are those living in remote countryside. The dog breed was later re-established through breeding programs created by breed enthusiasts. 

We also know that the first Shiba Inu in the United State was brought there in 1954 by a former soldier just like the German Shepherd. The first Shiba Inu pup in America was born in 1979.  There is a paucity of information concerning Shiba Inu between 1954 and 1979 in the United States when the first puppies were born. 

In 1993, the American Kennel Club started recognition of the Shiba Inu breed as part of the Miscellaneous dog class. The Shiba Inu was later reclassified to the Non-sporting Group in 1997.

The Shepherd Inu Overview

This dog breed has a medium size with a high level of energy. It cannot be left alone in the backyard. Dog owners must always get the dog busy. The dog will be miserable if they do not have work to do. 

They love to work and they require an amount of daily exercise to stay happy and active. The Shepherd Inu is loyal and protective to family members but indifferent to strangers. The Shepherd inu will equally recognize people who regularly come around the family like friends and relatives and won’t see them as a threat. 

Shepherd Inu are not lap dogs and do not need too much attention. Although, this does not imply that you can completely ignore them. If you ignore your Shepherd Inu for long, you will be left with an unhappy dog. 

You have to start training Shepherd Inu early and you will have to often repeat lessons because they naturally have a high drive for prey. 

You will enjoy owning a designer dog but you must be ready to give the dog the daily exercise it requires.

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