The name, Shiba Inu was officially coined in Japan in the 1920’s. However the origins of Japan’s oldest and smallest breed began more than nine thousand years ago.
The modern day Shiba Inu is the result of thousands of years of importation, selective breeding and preservation/protection. The Shiba Inu breed is one of the six distinct original native Japanese breeds.
These Japanese breeds from smallest to largest include; Shiba Inu, Shikoku, Kishu, Kai, Hokkaido, Akita.
Out of these six breeds, the Shiba Inu is the recognized in Japan and throughout the world.
The Shiba inu is recognized as the the official national dog of Japan. The Japanese people take great pride in the Shiba Inu and the breed was declared a national treasure in 1936.
Japanese breed clubs and organizations like NIPPO go to great lengths to ensure that proper breed standards are followed.
Tragically, the bombing during World War II caused the deaths of many Shiba Inus and other dogs in Japan.
Even after the bombing ceased, a Distemper outbreak claimed the lives of even more Japanese dogs.
In an effort to conserve the breed, Japan implemented breeding programs to preserve the native dogs of Japan.
Initially, there were three types of Shiba Inu dogs; San-in, Mino, Shinso. However, the war and disease outbreaks killed too many of each Shiba Inu strain to preserve each strain individually.
So, in an effort to preserve the Shiba inu breed, the Japanese bred all three lines together to produce what is now the modern day Shiba Inu.
Source: My First Shiba Inu
