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, EXCEPT we do have an affiliate account with Dr. Bill's Pet Nutrition. This is a product in which we believe very strongly. The supplements have fantastic results, and the Shibas are obsessed with the taste. The company is local- Mountlake Terrace, WA. None of our puppy families are required to purchase or feed these supplements. We include them here because they have worked extremely well for us and many of our fellow show breeders.

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).

Our X-Pen (puppy playpen)- My #1 Recommendation!!

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 allow them a lot of supervised free roam time), 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, especially for potty training. 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.

FOOD

Click here for more info and recommendations on food

Please check with me to verify what food your baby is currently eating. I occasionally switch brands, and I will sometimes feed an all-life-stages food instead of puppy food, depending on whether I am keeping a puppy and the nutritional needs of the particular mom. I do send home a small bag of their current food- enough for several days, or enough to mix with new food if you are switching. It is absolutely fine to switch them to a different puppy food if you prefer. If you switch, mix their current and new food together for about a week, 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. I recommend that you feed them the food that they're used to (what I send home with you) for the first couple days prior to introducing the new food.

One of my favorite puppy foods is Nulo Frontrunner Ancient Grains Puppy (I order mine from Chewy. Be cautious ordering dog food from Amazon).

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...

Washable puppy pads can be less messy than disposables and are an excellent addition if you have easy access to a washer and dryer.  There are a lot of washable pad options.  I use a combination of brands and sizes.  For the base, I like to use a pad that covers the entire pen.  Then I layer a smaller pad on top, right in front of the gate.  The area in front of the gate/ door is where your baby will have most of their accidents, and it's quick and easy to change out the smaller pad without needing to change the entire pen every time.  FXW and EZ Whelp both make an excellent pen-sized pad and they're easily ordered on Amazon.  FXW offers pad options for different pen configurations as well.

If You Really Want to Buy a Puppy Book, Even though You Don't Need One