The responsible Shiba owner asks himself, what type of child would he like for his favorite dog. It would be a child with a good nature and stable temperament, one that was gentle and most of all, easy to train. A child of an extremely energetic nature or whose hearing is too selective may be better suited to a larger, more docile breed.

Interactable children should have animals made of plastic, or maybe cement. All dogs, and especially puppies, regard very small children as peers rather than superiors. Puppies will try to play with children as they would another puppy, particularly if the child falls on the floor or runs around making squealing noises. Nothing was more misleading than an advertisement aired on television a few years ago depicting a two year old child rolling around on the ground, laughing while being bombarded by about six small Labrador puppies What wasn`t shown were the tears that must have followed as the puppies sharp nails raked the child`s tender skin and the puppies pulled at his hair. The responsibility of how a puppy interacts with children falls on the parents. Most trainable children over six years of age should have no trouble adjusting to a Shiba puppy. Dog oriented people find it easy acclimating a Shiba to a household with children. People with little dog experience should visit several households with Shibas.

DO NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH A SHIBA AT A DOG SHOW AND IMMEDIATELY RUN OUT AND BUY ONE.

Take time to visit the dogs in the home environment. See how they react to children and let your intuition be your best guide. When adults visit a home with Shiba puppies, they usually sit and wait for the puppies to come to them. Children tend to pursue the puppies. Shibas do not like to be continually restrained and manhandled. Although a well socialized puppy will tolerate some of this, too much will make him shy or irritated. It is absolutely necessary that a child learn to sit and let the puppy come to him. It is difficult to train a child who is used to running in and out of the house at will to close the door quickly and make sure the Shiba doesn't get out. It is even more difficult to train the child`s friends. Training the puppy and child when little can make the child aware of the necessity to use a double door system or exercising caution when going in and out, but it is up to the parent to watch when visitors come and to put the puppy out of harm`s way.