Things We Use

These are things that we use with our Shibas. They have worked for us, are Shiba-approved, and we recommend them. However, no one is required to use anything on this page! We have no financial relationship with any of these products. Links are only provided for the convenience of our extended family of Shiba parents (and we don't receive anything when someone clicks on a link).

FOOD

The babies are eating Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Puppy (I order mine from Chewy. Be cautious ordering dog food from Amazon). You may switch them to a different puppy food if you prefer. If you switch, mix their current and new food together for a week or two, gradually increasing the percentage of new food vs current (guideline is start at 75% current/25% new, then 50/50, then 25/75) to avoid upset tummies. They need to be on a puppy food (or all-life-stages food) until they're about a year old.

Puppy food recommendations

I do NOT recommend the grain-free versions of ANY of these. Please feed your puppy a grain-inclusive food!! All puppy foods listed below are grain-inclusive. There are lots of other fantastic puppy foods, feel free to go with other options as well! If you have questions, I'm always happy to give advice on anything that you're considering. Also, I love Amazon for many things, but I do NOT recommend purchasing your dog food on Amazon.

Orijen Amazing Grains Puppy: https://www.chewy.com/orijen-amazing-grains-puppy-dry-dog/dp/380298

Acana Wholesome Grains Puppy: https://www.chewy.com/acana-wholesome-grains-puppy-recipe/dp/294318

Earthborn Holistic Puppy Vantage: https://www.chewy.com/earthborn-holistic-puppy-vantage-dry/dp/273651

Nutrisource Small & Medium Breed Puppy: https://discovernutrisource.com/collections/dog-foods/products/small-and-medium-breed-chicken-and-rice-puppy-dog-food?variant=16314181484618

Purina Pro Plan Small Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice: https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-puppy-small-breed/dp/52427

My two cents about food

A word of advice about grain-free

I VERY STRONGLY caution against grain-free food. This is a trend diet with a lot of marketing. It's not recommended by vets, unless your dog has a specific health issue, allergy, etc that requires a special diet. If you have your heart set on grain-free for your Shiba, please make sure it's balanced. Grain-free doesn't necessarily mean that it contains more high quality ingredients. In most cases, the grains are replaced with peas/ lentils/ legumes. It's not that grain-free foods are bad, it's that not all grain-free foods are good.  If you need (or have your heart set on) a grain-free food, personally I'd start with something like Earthborn Holistics Venture limited ingredient line. It's pea/legume/lentil free, and balanced to AAFCO standards. I sometimes use the Venture limited ingredient line to supplement grain-inclusive kibble for my adults. (I make both available to them at all times, and some of my Sheebs prefer one and some prefer the other, but they all eat both). I sincerely believe that dogs need grains in their diets, except in specific cases. (My puppies are on a grain-inclusive food).

Grain-free choices that do not include large amounts of peas/ legumes/ lentils:

Stella and Chewy Wild Red Raw Coated line

Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural

Earthborn Holistic Venture line

More reading on grain free diets can be found here:

https://humanesocietyhbg.org/2021/05/05/should-you-feed-your-pet-grain-free-food/

https://www.petmd.com/news/view/veterinarians-perspective-grain-free-dog-foods-and-grain-free-cat-foods-37231

https://www.dutch.com/blogs/dogs/grain-free-dog-food

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/is-grain-free-bad-for-dogs/

Tips on feeding schedules and amounts

I free-feed my Shibas (dry kibble available at all times), but you're welcome to put your baby on a feeding schedule if you prefer.  Please keep in mind that the suggested serving size is an ESTIMATE, and some puppies will require more or less. Some Shibas prefer to eat at a certain time of day (such as at night), and aren't very interested in food at other times. If on a feeding schedule (time-limited), puppies should be fed/ offered food 3- 4 times per day. If you're concerned about weight gain but prefer to free-feed, a good option is amount-limited feeding. This is where you put the entire daily amount of dry food into the bowl and allow your Shiba unlimited access, but do not refill until the following day (when they receive their next daily amount). If your Shiba tries to guard the bowl, you can switch to either free-feeding (unlimited) or scheduled (time-limited) feeding. They're hardwired to guard resources, it's a natural instinct for them. Not all Shibas resource-guard, but for those that do, the best way to address the issue is to either remove the item they are guarding, or make it a low-value resource instead of a high-value resource. Food available at all times = low-value resource. Food available only part of the time = high-value resource. Customize/ adjust for your particular Shiba.

NEVER restrict your Shiba's water intake!!! Your Shiba should have access to clean water AT ALL TIMES (except for if they are in a crate at night). You can cause behavioral issues in Shibas if you present water as a resource that is not always available to them. 

Adult food recommendations

I tend to switch food brands and proteins periodically.  My Shibas are currently in love with Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Chicken, Oats, & Turkey. The adult Shibas also think that Open Farm Wild Caught Salmon & Ancient Grains is delicious. It can be difficult to choose a quality food that you and your Shiba(s) can agree on, and mine are no exception. There are tons of food options. I'm always happy to hear any food suggestions for things that have worked for you and your Shiba.

I love Amazon for many things, but I do NOT recommend purchasing your dog food on Amazon. I purchase most of my kibble from Chewy. Nutrisource must purchased from an authorized retailer or can be ordered online directly from the manufacturer here: https://discovernutrisource.com/#

Here are a few adult choices. We've tried many of these and my Shibas have liked and tolerated them well. I do NOT recommend the grain-free versions of ANY of these. Please feed your Shiba a grain-inclusive food!! All versions listed below are grain-inclusive:

Open Farm Wild Caught Salmon & Ancient Grains

Orijen Amazing Grains line: Original, Regional, Six Fish (mine love original)

Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains: Chicken, Oats, & Turkey; Beef, Barley, and Lamb; Turkey, Whitefish, & Quinoa; or Turkey, Trout, & Spelt.

Stella & Chewy Wild Red Raw Coated Wholesome Grains (Ocean, Prairie, Red Meat)

Acana Wholesome Grains: Free Run Poultry, Red Meat, Sea to Stream, Lamb & Pumpkin, Duck & Pumpkin (mine love Red Meat the most)

Earthborn Holistic Unrefined: Smoked Salmon, Roasted Rabbit, Roasted Lamb, Smoked Turkey (mine prefer Lamb)

Earthborn Holistic: Meadow Feast, Ocean Fusion, and Small Breed (I haven't tried these. They look ok, but tapioca is higher on the ingredient list than I prefer.

Nutrisource Element Series: Coastal Plains, Open Waters, Outback Trails (mine like all of these ok)

Nutrisource Adult Small Bites Chicken & Rice, Trout & Rice, Chicken & Rice, Beef & Rice, Super Performance, Performance Chicken & Rice, Turkey & Rice, Lamb Meal & Rice, Senior Chicken & Rice, 

Nutrisource Choice: Turkey Meal & Barley, Chicken Meal & Barley, Whitefish Meal & Rice

Nutrisource Pure Vita (Limited Ingredient) Chicken & Brown Rice ONLY (all other Vita flavors have high pea/ potato/ lentil content)

Purina Pro Plan Small Breed is an ok choice on the more affordable end.  

My Shibas also get eggs, chicken, oatmeal, salmon, fruits and veggies, lamb, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. in limited amounts.

TREATS

STAIRS

If your Shiba will sleep on your bed, we strongly recommend you have stairs for them (unless your bed is low to the floor). Over the years, the repetitive impact from jumping off the bed can be hard on their joints. When choosing stairs, you should measure the distance from the floor to the top of your bed to ensure that you get stairs that are the proper height. The top stair doesn't need to be even with the top of your bed (it's fine if the stairs end a few inches below the top of the bed, the Shibas just treat it like another step).

CHEWS

Shibas love to chew. Shiba puppies REALLY love to chew, especially when they're getting rid of their puppy teeth and getting their adult ones. Shiba puppies are biologically hardwired to chew. They do some pretty intense chewing during the first year, and then they (usually) calm down a bit. But they still love to chew, even as adults. Cow ears and bully sticks will usually last them an hour or two, depending on the Shiba and age. Sometimes they'll last several sessions. Providing a variety of things for your Shiba to gnaw on has multiple benefits. It helps with boredom. It gives them an outlet. It helps to clean their teeth. Chew toys are the safest and most effective way to redirect your Shibas natural urge to chew. 

PLEASE NEVER FEED RAWHIDE CHEWS. They are not digestible and can cause intestinal blockage, which can result in death.  They can sit in the stomach for months, causing digestive upset.  They are often made with chemicals and salt brines and are bad for your baby. 

We like the chews shown below.

ALWAYS AVAILABLE CHEW TOYS

For longer-lasting chews, my Shibas (and I) love Nylabone PowerChew or DuraChew. I don't recommend the Nylabone puppy- they break apart. But the ones shown below last practically forever and don't have an odor like bully sticks do. My Shibas greatly prefer the variety packs I pick up from Costco, but they'll chew the other ones in a pinch. They're safe on the bed, in the toy box, on the carpet, etc. And the Shibas love to chew them! They're perfectly fine from the day you take your puppy home, and will last well into adulthood. You can allow your Shiba to have free access to these long-lasting chew toys at all times. My Shibas have some in the bedroom, some in their living room toy box, and some in their outside toy box.

FAVORITE TOYS

Over the years, we've discovered some toys that Shibas really love. These are some of our favorites.

HYGIENE

FOR SPAY & NEUTER

HARNESSES, HARNESSES, AND MORE HARNESSES...

MISC LUXURIES THAT MAKE MY LIFE EASIER

Our X-Pen (puppy playpen)

X-Pens are an excellent way to confine your little bundle of joy while you're finishing their potty training, working, sleeping (if they don't sleep on your bed), or otherwise occupied and if you don't want them to have free run of the house. It's fine to allow them free run of the house (when I get a new puppy for our program, I don't use the playpen), and you should never keep them confined to the playpen all the time, but pens can be a very useful tool during the puppy stage. I feel that playpens are a much better option than confining them to a small crate. The babies spend the first few weeks in their whelping box in my bedroom, and then move to a large playpen in our living room (they're also allowed to have free run in the house several times per day). Since they're used to their playpen, transition should be fairly easy if you choose to use one. If you have carpet or are worried about your floors, you can get a cheap piece of linoleum/ sheet vinyl flooring from Lowes/ Home Depot to go under the playpen. Size it a little bigger than the pen, or else your precious baby will make chewing all of the edges their main goal. 

The FXW (shown below in white) is my preferred indoor pen simply due to the height, and the fact that the door is a little wider.