With their adorable foxlike looks, many people want to get their hands on a Shiba Inu puppy. Their popularity may be a curse though, as people have the wrong reasons for getting one. Getting this breed for only their looks is not good enough of a reason.
For one, this breed is pricey to buy, and the costs do not end there. You need to spend for their vet visits, their supplies, and more. And because they are stubborn and are a primitive breed, you need to spend on pet services.
The cost of doggy daycare, professional training, dog walkers, and more, can stack up. And each of these can be heavy on the wallet. While not necessary, these will help your buddy become better behaved.
There is a lot of money that goes into buying, owning, and caring for a Shiba Inu. And this article will give you better insight into your possible finances should you choose to get one
Are Shiba Inu Expensive?
Shiba Inu is not one of the most expensive dog breeds but they also are not one of the cheapest. Since the rise of their worldwide popularity, you will often find that they cost no less than $1000. This is only the average cost of buying a puppy, and several factors affect their price, such as:
- Age
- Gender
- Color
- Litter size
- Breeder
- Quality
Age
Compared to adults, getting a Shiba Inu puppy is more expensive, especially if you get one from a reputable breeder. Not only that, you have a lot to spend when caring for them too.
In their first year alone, you can easily spend a few thousand dollars on a puppy. This covers their vaccines, necessities, vet visits, and more.
For this breed, socialization, and training are vital. While you can do this on your own, seeking the help of professionals is much better. And you will have to spend money on puppy classes too.
Gender
Female Shiba Inu are more expensive than males, and this goes for any breed of dog. This price difference boils down to breeding. When you get a female, you get breeding rights to produce more pups.
Color
Red is the most common Shiba Inu color, thus, they are the least costly to buy. Since sesame is the rarest coat color of the breed, sesame Shiba Inu is the most expensive to get. Another uncommon coat color of the breed is black and tan.
White or cream Shiba Inu can occur naturally, but they are not eligible for show. Thus, may find that these dogs get sold at a much lower price.
Litter Size
Breeders will adjust the size of their puppies depending on the litter size. If the mother produces fewer puppies, each pup will come at a higher price due to supply and demand. This breed can produce between two to five pups each litter, with an average of three pups.
Breeder
As you can expect, puppy mills will sell you much cheaper Shiba Inu puppies. While this may entice you, the quality of their puppies is subpar. This is because they breed for profit without regard for health and the breed standards.
The cost of getting a Shiba Inu puppy upfront may be cheap. But you will end up spending more for them in the long run because they are prone to health issues. This includes conditions such as allergies, glaucoma, cataracts, hip dysplasia, and more.
Quality
The main factor that affects a puppy’s price is its quality. Companion-quality Shiba Inu is a more affordable option for you. But with a show quality Shiba Inu, you will have to pay a premium to get them.
Why Are Shiba Inu So Expensive?
Supply and demand are the main reasons behind this breed’s high price tag. Before their rise to fame, this breed cost no more than a thousand dollars. But now that a lot of people want to get a Shiba Inu, their prices skyrocketed.
It does not help that Shiba Inu only produce small litter sizes. The average litter size of the breed is only three puppies, but it can be anywhere between two to five pups.
With this, reputable breeders cannot keep up with the demand. To keep their dogs healthy, they limit the number of times they breed their Shiba Inu.
Females go in heat twice a year, but this does not mean that you can mate them this frequently. Mating them once a year is even pushing the boundaries. Responsible and ethical breeders know this, and they stick to it.
This only adds to their struggle of meeting the demands of those who want to get their hands on a Shiba Inu puppy. But the health and well-being of their Shiba Inu dogs always come first before their profit.
Other than this, breeding high-quality Shiba Inu is expensive for breeders. They spend a fortune on health tests, food, prenatal and postnatal care, and more.
The average cost a serious Shiba Inu breeder spends to produce one litter is anywhere between $1609 to $8245. This is a steep price and they need to cover those costs. Thus, the more care a breeder puts into their dogs, the higher the price tag of the puppies they produce.
How Much Is a Shiba Inu?
The price range for a Shiba Inu puppy is anywhere between $1000 to $5000. The cost can vary though, and it mostly depends on the quality of the puppy. Below are some price ranges for this to give you a better idea of their price.
If you buy a pet-quality Shiba Inu from a reputable breeder, the average cost is around $1500 to $2500. But if you want a top-quality one with superior lineage, you can expect to pay around $3500 to $5000 for a Shiba Inu puppy. So if you plan on joining competitions, you will have to go for the more expensive pup.
Other than that, the price range for a Shiba Inu pup with limited registrations is around $1400 to $2200. Meanwhile, a pup with full registration papers will cost you about $2000 to $3500.
These price ranges will be a helpful guide when you are talking with breeders. Puppy mill Shiba Inu will be cheaper, and they may cost less than $1000. And some will take advantage of you and charge you way higher than normal.
If someone sells you Shiba Inu puppies that are way over these ranges, it is best to walk away.
How Much Does a Male Shiba Inu Cost?
You can still expect to spend anywhere between $1000 to $5000 if you want to buy a male Shiba Inu. The quality of the pup has the biggest factor in their price. But their gender will still make an impact on this.
Male Shiba Inu are less expensive than their female counterparts. So you can expect to pay on the lower end of this price range.
How Much Does a Female Shiba Inu Cost?
The cost of a female Shiba Inu will be on the higher end of the price range, which is anywhere between $1000 to $5000. The main factor for their high price is the quality, and a Shiba Inu with superior lineage is more costly. But a pup’s gender will also have to affect the price, and below is an explanation of why.
When you get a female Shiba Inu, you have the potential breeder. Because of their breeding rights, you can produce more Shiba Inu puppies. And this is why breeders bump up their costs compared to their male counterparts.
How Much Is a Full Breed Shiba Inu?
A purebred and pet-quality Shiba Inu will cost you around $1400 to $2200. But show-quality Shiba Inu with champion pedigree will cost a premium, at around $3500 to $5000. If you want to get a purebred Shiba Inu of the Japanese variety, they are also more expensive to get.
How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Shiba Inu?
During your Shiba Inu’s first year, you can expect to spend around $3450 to $3800. But you will continue to shell out money for them. And the average cost for them is around $127 to $710 a month, or $1525 to $8525 a year.
You may be on the higher or lower end of these ranges. Factors that will affect this include the following:
- Your lifestyle
- Your location
- Your Shiba Inu’s needs
Of course, you will want to know where your hard-earned money goes. Below is a breakdown of your costs to help you with your financial expectations. And to keep things organized, these will get divided into the following:
- Initial costs
- Recurring costs
Initial Costs
Your initial costs will mostly go to buying your puppy, their vet trips, and their supplies. Their first vaccines are costly because your Shiba Inu puppy needs several shots. But after these, you only have to go for annual vaccines.
You must also consider microchipping your Shiba Inu puppy. They are escape artists, and this will help you track them down if they do stray away from home.
A huge chunk of what you will be spending will also go to your furry friend’s necessities. To ensure that they have all they need to be comfortable, here are what they need:
- Dog bowls
- Dog bed
- Dog crate
- Playpen or baby gate
- Leash, harness, and collar
- Grooming supplies (shampoo, brush, etc.)
- Toys (chew toys, puzzles, interactive feeders)
- Potty supplies (poop bag, puppy pad, etc.)
- Age-appropriate dog food
Recurring Costs
To keep your Shiba Inu happy and healthy, you must allot finances toward the following:
- Dog food
- Veterinary care
- Pet insurance
- Pet services (dog daycare, dog walker, grooming, etc.)
- Miscellaneous
The most expensive part of your yearly budget goes to your furry friend’s food. You never want to go cheap on their dog food as this has a big impact on their health. Feeding them with premium dog food will help ensure that they are healthy.
Here is a rough estimate of your annual food costs depending on what you feed your Shiba Inu:
- Budget-friendly Dog Food: $200
- Premium Dog Food: $600 to $900
- Homemade Dog Food: $1000
- Ready-Made Raw or Fresh Dog Food: $1700
Other than that, you must also shell out money for their health maintenance. Shiba Inu are generally healthy dogs, but they are prone to the following health issues:
- Glaucoma
- Cataracts
- Hip dysplasia
- Allergies
- Progressive retinal atrophy
Frequent trips to the vet will help you spot any issues before they become worse. If you overlook any of these, they will become harder and more costly to treat.
Treating glaucoma can cost $350 to $3500, and you will pay a premium if its condition worsens. Other than that, hip dysplasia treatment and surgery are very expensive. You may spend $3500 to $7500 to treat only one hip.
You also need to go back to your vet once a year or so for preventative care. Some of them include the following:
- Yearly Vaccines: $120
- Heartworm Preventative: $120
- Tick and Flea Preventative: $150
- Dewormer: $40
With all these vet costs, pet health insurance will help you a lot. If you get one while your Shiba Inu is still young, you can get a better quote. The average cost for this is around $500 per year, or $42 a month.
If this does not appeal to you, you can always set up an emergency fund for your Shiba Inu for their lifespan. Setting aside at least $5000 for them will help you get them immediate help when they need it.
How Do I Choose a Shiba Inu?
A big bulk of your work in choosing Shiba Inu goes into looking for a reputable breeder. But you must also consider their health, their parents, and their personality. These will help ensure that you are getting a Shiba Inu puppy that conforms to the breed standards.
With all these to keep in mind, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. So here is a guide that you can follow to select a quality Shiba Inu puppy:
- Choose a breeder wisely
- Visit the breeder
- Assess the puppy
- Meet the puppy’s parents
Choose a Breeder Wisely
You must do your due diligence and make a shortlist of reputable breeders. This will not only ensure that you get a healthy and good-quality puppy. It will also avoid wasting your time checking out ill-bred pups.
The importance of buying a Shiba Inu from a serious breeder is obvious. Badly bred Shiba Inu dogs will not look like the breed standard.
They will look disproportionate, and they will look like they got bred with another dog breed. They will not have the right coat coloring and markings that are sought after in the breed.
There is no way to sugarcoat this, but they are not good-looking dogs. And this is a big injustice to the breed, as preserving their looks is crucial. One should only breed dogs to preserve them, not to alter them.
Some breeders will only produce Shiba Inu for profit, and not for this purpose. They do so without regard for health, temperament, and conformation.
With this, make sure that you never get your puppies from the following:
- Puppy mills
- Pet stores
- Backyard breeders
- Online sellers
Responsible Shiba Inu breeders do not need to advertise their dogs heavily. They even do the opposite as they cannot keep up with the demand. So here is how you can find a reputable breeder:
- Looking into Shiba Inu official clubs or groups in your region
- Going to dog shows or dog events
- Consulting trusted breeders or veterinarians
- Going through organization-accredited breeders
Visit the Breeder
Once you have a shortlist of breeders, you may want to visit your top choices. There are two things that you should do during a visit. One is to ask questions, and another is to check their environment.
You can also ask questions by calling or messaging them. But they may prefer to talk to you in person.
Prepare a list of questions beforehand, as this will help you gauge how serious they are about this. But this will also present you as a responsible buyer.
Here are some questions that you may want to ask:
What do you look for in a potential buyer during the screening process?
What is the biggest issue with Shiba Inu health-wise?
And while you are there, make sure to check your surroundings. This will give you a good idea of how their puppies get treated. Some good signs include the following:
- A clean, spacious area
- Well-maintained place
Assess the Puppy
It is hard to compare a puppy to the breed standard as they are still developing. So when checking them out, you must assess their health instead. If the puppy shows any of these signs below, do not get them:
- Sluggishness
- Eye or nose discharge
- Noisy breathing
- Excessive sneezing or coughing
- Pus along with a foul odor
- Dull, patchy, and greasy coat
- Limping or stiffness when walking
You should also test the puppy’s hearing and vision to be sure.
Clap your hands or make loud noises. The puppy must react and turn to the source of the sound.
Now you can toss a ball near the puppy within their field of vision. They must also follow the item with their eye.
Other than these, you must also assess the puppy’s personality. Shiba Inu are proud and playful dogs, and this should show. They should not be shy or show any aggressive tendencies.
Meet the Puppy’s Parents
A puppy’s parents are a good indicator of how your Shiba Inu will grow up to be. How they look is likely how your puppy will look once they grow up. And their temperament will most likely resemble your pup’s.
You may only meet the mother of the puppies though, as the father is likely a stud. But this is better than meeting none of them at all.
Make sure that you have a good idea of their breed standards. This will help you compare the parents to what an ideal Shiba Inu should be.
Where Can I Find a Shiba Inu?
If you want to buy a Shiba Inu puppy, you must only go to a reputable breeder. This ensures that you will get a healthy Shiba Inu that follows the breed standards. Otherwise, you will get a sickly pup that may not look like a Shiba Inu once they grow into an adult.
But if you are not fussy about their age, you can always go to an animal shelter or rescue. This way, you can give a poor Shiba Inu a second chance at having a loving family.
How Do You Adopt a Shiba Inu Puppy?
To adopt a Shiba Inu, looking for a shelter is your first step. But this is the hardest part of the adoption process, and it can get discouraging.
A reason why this is challenging is that you often do not have a say on the dog’s breed when you go to a shelter. Thus, you will have to go through several shelters before you find a Shiba Inu. And when you do, you may often find a mixed breed.
Another reason is that shelter dogs are often adults. So if you are looking for a puppy, you might not see success. Shiba Inu of all ages get surrendered at shelters, but you often find adult ones.
So before you begin your goal of adopting a Shiba Inu, make sure to keep an open mind. You will not get exactly what you want, so if that does not appeal to you, it is best to buy from a serious breeder. But if you are not fussy about this, you will be saving two lives in one go.
When you rescue a Shiba Inu from a shelter, you are giving them another chance at having a loving home and family. You are also freeing up space for the shelter to welcome another dog in need.
To help you save time in looking for a rescue Shiba Inu, here is what you can do:
- Look for breed-specific rescue shelters for Shiba Inu
- Ask vets and shelters who can point you in the right direction
Now that you have found one, you have to go through the shelter’s adoption process. You will need to pay a fee, and they will get to know you more to see if you are a great fit to rescue a dog. They may also ask for a home visit to see if your home is conducive for a dog.
Once you go to a shelter, make sure to be meticulous about your visit. Like visiting a breeder, you must also do the following when adopting:
- Ask the workers various questions
- Interact with the puppy to check their personality
- Assess the puppy’s health, hearing, and vision
- Check if the facility is clean and well-maintained
If you do find a Shiba Inu puppy that you like, you can go on to sign the adoption papers. Finalizing the adoption may look different from one shelter to another. So it is best to ask for help from the worker to guide you through the process.
Where Can I Adopt a Shiba Inu?
If you want to adopt a Shiba Inu, the best place to start is your local animal shelter. You may have to go through several animal shelters nearby though to find this breed. So if this does not work for you, there are other options.
You can ask your veterinarian or other shelters if they know of any shelters with Shiba Inu. Asking any local Shiba Inu clubs may also give you some great advice. They can help in pointing you in the right direction.
But if this still does not work, you can always look for breed-specific animal shelters. There are Shiba Inu rescues almost everywhere. They dedicate their time and effort to saving any abused, neglected, and abandoned Shiba Inu.
How Much Is It to Adopt a Shiba Inu?
On average, the cost of adopting a Shiba Inu is around $300 and $550. But different rescue shelters will vary in price. And the main factor that dictates this is the age of the Shiba Inu you are going to adopt.
To give you a better idea of adoption costs, below are the fees of some Shiba Inu rescues.
Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue (MSIR) adoption fees:
- 0 to 12 Months: $400
- 13 Months to 3 Years: $325
- 4 to 5 Years: $275
- 6 to 8 Years: $225
- 9+ Years: $150
DC Shiba Inu Rescue (DC SIR) adoption fees:
- Puppies: $500
- Adult Dogs: $350
- Senior Dogs: $250
Shiba Inu Rescue Association (SIRA) adoption fees:
- 0 to 6 Months: $500
- 6 to 12 Months: $400
- 1 to 3 Years: $350
- 4 to 6 Years: $300
- 7 to 9 Years: $250
- 10+ Years: $200
NYC Shiba Rescue (NYCSR) adoption fees:
Here are the fees for a purebred Shiba Inu:
- Less Than 12 Months: $400
- 1 to 6 Years: $350
- 7 to 9 Years: $250
- 10+ Years: $150
And here are their fees for a Shiba Inu mix:
- 0 to 12 Months: $350
- 1 to 6 Years: $300
- 7 to 9 Years: $200
- 10+ Years: $100
Colorado Shiba Inu Rescue (COSIR) adoption fees:
- 0 to 6 Months: $500
- 7 to 11 Months: $400
- 1 to 3 Years: $350
- 4 to 6 Years: $275
- 7 to 9 Years: $175
- 10 to 11 Years: $75
- 12+ Years: $50
How Much Is a Rescue Shiba Inu?
Depending on where you live and on the Shiba Inu’s age, rescuing one will cost anywhere between $50 to $500. The price often includes all the necessary vaccinations already. And it may or may not include spay or neuter fees as well.
Should I Buy a Shiba Inu?
You must only consider getting this breed if you can handle their attitude and if you are ready to invest a lot of your time and effort in them. Shiba Inu are not for everyone because they are not like typical dogs. Thus, you need to be compatible with them in the first place.
This is a small dog with a big personality, and this is what makes them unique. They are demanding yet like to keep a distance. They are aloof yet loyal and affectionate.
Because of their personality, many have a hard time understanding the breed. Unprepared owners get frustrated and end up surrendering their Shiba Inu to shelters.
With this, you need to do extensive research about the breed before getting one. And with your research, you need to be honest with yourself. You must identify if this breed is what you truly want for a furry friend.
To help you with your decision, below is a list of the pros and cons of the Shiba Inu.
Pros
- Easy to Groom: You do not have to take them to a professional groomer each month like other breeds. Shiba Inu only need regular brushing to maintain their looks.
- Easy to Potty Train: Shiba Inu are naturally clean dogs. So you will have an easier time potty training them than other breeds.
- Not Yappy: This breed rarely barks, and this is likely due to their past of hunting small game. They only bark to alert you or to ask you for something.
- Manageable Size: It is easy to carry this breed around and take them with you wherever you go. But they are also not too small that you worry about overpowering them.
- Less Dander: Shiba Inu are not hypoallergenic dogs. But they do produce less dander compared to most other dog breeds.
Cons
- Stubbornness: This may be the biggest downside to owning a Shiba Inu. They will refuse to listen to you if they are not in the mood.
- Extra Effort: Because of their stubborn nature, Shiba Inu are tough to train. Thus, you need to spend a lot of time and effort on them. Rigorous socialization and training are a must for this breed to be well-behaved.
- Not a People Pleaser: This breed has a “what do I get in return?” mentality. They are not eager to please their owners for the sake of it. Instead, you need rewards to motivate them.
- Safe Environment: You need to have a fenced yard if you have a Shiba Inu. This is a well-known escape artist, so you need to secure your home. You must also secure your doors, locks, and windows at all times.
- Basal Breed: Shiba Inu have a lot of primitive traits that they still keep today. Being less domesticated, they are challenging even for experienced dog owners. This breed does not know how to behave well as a pet, so you need to teach them how.
