Japanese dog – Boomlay Shiba Inu

Hunting Shiba Interview

Posted on March 2, 2026March 3, 2026 by boomlayshiba

The Shiba Inu was once used as a hunting dog in Japan, a history that is seemingly forgotten by modern day fanciers. Shiba are now breed for companionship with many that seem to lack the drive to hunt and work with their owner.* I might have people read this and think ‘well my Shiba can hunt because they murder lizards, snakes, birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc. in my yard’. Prey drive is one part of the hunting equation; it is not the only part. The desire to want to search for prey and work with the owner are also important when looking for a hunting dog.**

Imagine my surprise when I found someone actively hunting with their Shiba. Naturally I made a mental note to interview him about his Shiba and I finally got around to thinking of some questions to ask to get a better understanding of what it takes to hunt with a Shiba in this day and age.

But before I get into this interview, I want to thank Blong for taking the time to fill out my interview questions and ‘talk shop’ with me as I tried to get a better idea of what is needed to hunt with a Shiba.

1) What originally made you want to hunt with your Shiba?

My dog Big Bear is a big part of my life and I wanted to find activities that I thought my dog would enjoy doing. Based on the breed’s history, they were originally developed for hunting small game. Part of it was wanting to include my dog in my activities and part of it was out of curiosity if it was even still possible given that the Shiba hasn’t been used as a hunting dog for generations.

2) Were you a hunter first then a Shiba owner or did you have a Shiba and decide to hunt with him?

I hunted casually as a youth, but I didn’t get serious about it until I got my Shiba and started hunting with him. I had stopped hunting before my dog came along. I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at had I not gotten a dog. I originally didn’t get my dog for the purpose of hunting, but it ended up working out that way.

3) What were some challenges you faced when training your Shiba to hunt? What are challenges you face when hunting with him?

As a first-time dog owner and novice hunter I had a lot to learn. I didn’t have any real guidance, and it took some time before I felt confident enough to start hunting. Shiba are known to be stubborn and not eager to please. Mine is no different. Some dog breeds are practically born off leash trained. The Shiba is not one of them. The learning curve was slower than most dogs when it came to training. There is no step-by-step guide on how to train your Shiba to hunt. There is plenty of literature and videos on how to train a hunting dog, but none of it is Shiba specific. It will get you most of the way, but the remaining is learned through trial and error.

When hunting with a Shiba it may be difficult to keep track of them because of how small they are and their coat blends well with the brush. My dog doesn’t make any noise when hunting. I cannot rely on barks to alert me that he is onto something. I keep a blaze orange vest and bell on him for this reason. A Shiba is an independent hunter and if I don’t watch him, he may get too far ahead chasing after something. I once lost track of where my dog went for a good hour only to find him back at the car.

4) How did you train your Shiba to hunt?

I started with basic obedience training. Hunt training didn’t happen until much later since my original intent wasn’t to have a hunting dog. I am an outdoor enthusiast. We started hiking the trails early which allowed the dog to get used to the outside world. That led into off leash training. I started small and gradually increased the time and distance my dog was off leash. I was fortunate to have been able to spend more time with my dog during his formative puppy stage than most people get to. I feel that it helped with building the bond tremendously. Our first hunt was when my dog was around one and a half years old. I didn’t have any expectations and treated the first hunting season as training. I started my dog off on squirrels because that is what I was most familiar with. Gun fire introduction was with a 22 rimfire rifle. It is important that you start with something not too loud to prevent gun shyness.

At that point my dog had only seen squirrels from a distance. Once I finally got one, I let my dog smell it, play with it, and carry it around. I then praised my dog to reassure him that is what I want him to do. My Shiba hunts squirrels mostly by sight and sound. With a dog I prefer to use the walk and stalk method rather than stay still in one spot. He will walk and stop every few yards to scan for movement if something catches his attention. I can pick out squirrels better at distance than my dog, but he has me beat at picking up movement. I try to keep my dog within eyesight. The goal is to have the dog chase squirrels up a tree for me to shoot.

Rabbits are hunted in a similar manner. The main difference is the dog’s scenting ability comes more into play to find and flush them out into the open. My dog was introduced to rabbits before anything else simply because they are out everywhere in the evenings. I used to live next to a wooded area and would let my dog sniff around and chase rabbits.

I transitioned to birds when my dog was six years old. I tried to pheasant hunt with my dog a few years prior to that but we did not have much luck. My dog had never seen a pheasant before and although he was likely picking up the scent he didn’t understand what we were after. It took me flushing a pheasant, shooting it, and then presenting it to my dog that he understood the assignment. Pheasants are also mostly hunted by scent. Some will run and hold tight and you almost have to step on them to get them to flush. The ones that have been pressured by hunters will flush far out at any sign of danger. I try to stay close to my dog so that the flush is within range of shooting. I mostly hunt with my 28-gauge shotgun so keeping the shot close becomes even more important. Our first season was very productive and we bagged 44 pheasants over a two-month period.

It is important to encourage interest in the game animals you want to hunt and discourage interest in the animals you don’t want the dog to hunt. My dog usually doesn’t bother deer but I can quickly call him off if he does start chasing them. Some other small animals he may also chase out of curiosity but won’t attack. Be firm and consistent in your training.

5) What game do you feel that your Shiba hunts with the most success?

Strictly based on numbers, we have had most success with squirrels. But that is because we have been doing that the longest. Based on how efficiently a limit is bagged I would have to say pheasants. The effort to reward ratio is higher. My dog also seems to be more excited about birds over rabbits and squirrels. There is a noticeable difference in the intensity in which he picks up and follows the scent of a pheasant over a rabbit.

6) Is there anything you would do over or wished you knew when you first started hunting with your Shiba?

If I could do it over, I would have started the hunting training much sooner by incorporating it into basic training routines. I would have made sure the proper live bird introduction was done prior to the first hunt. I wished I would have done more retrieval training early on. I know Japanese dogs aren’t known for their retrieving skills, but had I ingrained it sooner it would likely be better than what it is now. My dog will retrieve a short distance but the longer retrieves he may drop the animal before making it back. I focus mostly on bird hunting now and wish I transitioned my dog sooner. My dog is almost 8 years old now and I know I have limited hunting seasons left with him.

7) What are some things you looked for or encouraged in your Shiba to decide he would be a successful hunter?

My Shiba was very energetic as a pup and still is. Being a small dog, he has to work harder to complete the same tasks as a bigger dog. High energy shouldn’t be confused with drive and grit but it helps. As a 9 to 10 week old pup he was already wanting to chase the rabbits in my yard. I have always encouraged curiosity rather than stopping it. I remember my dog would always find stuff buried in the snow so I knew he had a decent nose. Apparently, he has good recall for a Shiba so I may have lucked out there.

8) Do you have any tips or suggestions for people who want to hunt with their Shiba?

If you don’t already have a Shiba and would like to get one that can potentially be a good hunter, I suggest doing your homework and picking a reputable breeder that has dogs with the qualities you desire. If you don’t care about your level of success and just want to have a fun experience with the dog you already have, that is fine also. I would suggest starting training as soon as possible. Off leash recall is a prerequisite for a successful hunting dog. That is probably the biggest hurdle you have to get over. Many Shiba people will tell you to never risk it, but I say just be smart about it. There is a time and place for off leash training. Live animal introduction is recommended prior to the first hunt. That is especially important if you want to use your Shiba for bird hunting. My dog does not care for training dummies and scents, so the training has to be done on the real thing. Take your hunter safety class and make sure you are proficient with the firearm you will be using. The animals you hunt deserve at least that much. Don’t take it too seriously. The important thing is spending time with your dog and not how successful the hunt is. Your dog is more important than any bird or game animal. Be safe and have fun.

*I’m no expert, but this is based more so off of my observations.

** Again, not an expert as I don’t hunt. More so based off of observation & understanding.

The Black & Tan Shiba

Posted on November 15, 2023November 15, 2023 by boomlayshiba

I want to preface this with these are my musings, findings, and observations. I am by no means an expert, just an enthusiast who is always learning and asking questions. My intent with this post was less about venting frustrations and more along the lines of observations and education. This post has been at least 6 months in the making, as I was trying my hardest to formulate my thoughts in a positive and constructive manner.

Black and tan Shiba have a special place in my heart – I mean just look, it is the only color I own. What drives me absolutely nuts is the overall discredit that the color gets in the conformation ring. Shiba are not a red only dog, they naturally come in 4 colors, 3 that are acceptable to show. There is no written preference for red over any of the other 2 acceptable colors (sesame and black & tan). To directly quote the AKC Shiba Inu standard “the three allowed colors given equal consideration.”

Hell, the 2014 NIPPO Grand National Prime Minister (Souridaijinsho) award winner was a black & tan male. For the 2022 NIPPO Grand National, the best male and best female Shiba were – surprise – black and tan! How is it that black and tans can and have done well in the top Japanese show (think the Super Bowl of dog shows) while in America they are practically invisible? Is it politics? Lack of good judge’s education? Or is it that red is the safe choice? I mean look at any big American show like the yearly National, regional specialties, and Royal Canin – a majority of the specials are red and most of the winners are red. Where are the black and tans? Where are the sesames?

Black and tan, as a color, does have a lot of little nuances that need to be followed. I’ve been repeatedly told that it is much easier to get a correctly colored red – bright flame orange, no black tipping, strong face color (color around eyes and to the nose), good urajiro (white markings a Shiba must have), and a bow tie pattern on the front. Side note: I have also have seen incorrectly colored reds get rewarded over nice black and tans. So I do dare say it is not a color thing but a lack of good education for the judges and possibly the judge making ‘safe’ choices.

Black and tan is not black and white. The dog still needs to have tan markings, in harmony with the pattern. The black in a black and tan is not pitch, shiny, blue black but a more matte black, and from my understanding, red tones in the coat. Black and tans should have eye dots, not eyebrows or glasses/googles of tan. Eye dots should be circular in shape, similar to if you stuck the tip of your thumb in ink and placed it on paper. To me, a lot of tan ruins the expression of the Shiba, which is a hallmark of the breed.

2 years

4 years

Astrid’s eye dot shape and color.

2 weeks

6 months

1 year

2 years

4 years

Delilah’s eye dot shape and face color. (Nekora x Zorro)

Newborn

2 weeks

2 months

7 months

1 year

Tsubaki’s eye dot shape and face color. (Astrid x Zorro)

4 years

8 years

Nekora’s eye dot shape and face color.

7 months

3 years

Hanzo’s eye dot shape and face color. (Nekora x Taka)

A correct, overall coat of the black and tan is in my humble opinion, a thing of beauty. The black and tan Shiba has an undercoat of red, grey, and/or buff. It is striking when the sun hits the coat, and you see that indeed it is not just a pitch-black dog with tan points. This is probably the hardest thing to achieve in producing a correct black and tan. It seems to be more common to have this undercoat around the neck, hindquarters, and ears. It is harder to get the obvious, even distribution of this undercoat color throughout the entire coat.

5 months

2 years. Photo by C4 Pet Photography

Astrid’s coat color

C4 Pet Photography Delilah coat color — 2 years. Photo by C4 Pet Photography.

Delilah’s coat color. Her coat lacks the undercoat color but she is not blue black. Her color faults is the amount of tan on her face, lack of undercoat color, and she is rather shiny.

7 months

1 year

Tsubaki’s coat color. She is a half sister to Delilah, they share the same sire. Tsubaki’s mother, Astrid is a half cousin to Nekora who is Delilah and Hanzo’s mother.

Nekora’s coat color

Hanzo’s coat color. Ironically Hanzo is from a black & tan to black & tan breeding, a taboo breeding as black & tan to black & tan is thought to produce pitch/solid black coats with tan points. My theory is black & tans with good coat color breed together will/should produce good color but in order to avoid incorrect color the following generation should be bred back to a red. In a perfect world I would love to see how many generations of great undercoat black & tan breedings it would take to produce a incorrect coat color.

Another added difficulty is the chest markings. All Shiba, regardless of color, should have bow tie pattern on their chest. It is harder to keep it a clear definite bow tie shape, and the little (for a lack of a better description) individual bars above the bow tie are not required on a black and tan (from my understanding) but seem to be preferred by Japanese fanciers. (bars similar to the first picture.)

Different chest markings on a black & tan. Top 3 have that extra white marking, while I was told is not required it seems to be preferred. Bottom 2 have no extra white markings.

From the AKC Shiba Inu standard. Parts about red or sesame only have been omitted due to the fact that this article is about Black and Tans.

Color

Coat color is as specified herein, with the three allowed colors given equal consideration. All colors are clear and intense. The undercoat is cream, buff or gray.

Urajiro (cream to white ventral color) is required in the following areas on all coat colors: on the sides of the muzzle, on the cheeks, inside the ears, on the underjaw and upper throat inside of legs, on the abdomen, around the vent and the ventral side of the tail… On blacks and sesames: commonly as a triangular mark on both sides of the forechest. White spots above the eyes permitted on all colors but not required.

Black with tan points and urajiro. Black hairs have a brownish cast, not blue. The undercoat is buff or gray. The borderline between black and tan areas is clearly defined. Tan points are located as follows: two oval spots over the eyes: on the sides of the muzzle between the black bridge of the muzzle and the white cheeks; on the outside of the forelegs from the carpus, or a little above, downward to the toes; on the outside of the hind legs down the front of the stifle broadening from hock joint to toes, but not completely eliminating black from rear of pasterns. Black penciling on toes permitted. Tan hairs may also be found on the inside of the ear and on the underside of the tail.

Instead of completely reinventing the wheel, these two resources are an excellent break down of information on judging the Shiba Inu including the nitty gritty of the black and tan color. Here is a link to the National Shiba Club of America’s judge’s education seminar. Slides 42 – 47 are about the Black and Tan color in Shiba. There is also the National Shiba Club of America’s judge study guide.

Below is a scan of an article from the Japanese Shiba Inu club of Great Britain written by Nobi Astumi. This was published in 2002. I feel this is excellent information to share, as I will not rewrite the article or claim it is my own.