Food

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).

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).

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 tailor my feeding habits to the needs of each individual dog. Some of my Shibas are free-fed (dry kibble available at all times), and some are on an amount-limited diet (older Shibas and Shibas who tend to gain more weight). You're welcome to free-feed or 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), or put half in their bowl in the morning, and half at night. 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. 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 be 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.  

WET FOOD

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