You’ve decided to bring home an adorable Shiba Inu puppy, one that you are sure would bring joy to you and your home. But keep in mind that a puppy means endless poops and pees around the house, biting everything it sets its eyes on, and constant whining and crying. It can be quite a challenge if you are a new dog owner but knowing the essentials for Shiba Inu puppies can make life easier.
Below are some of the must-haves if you are bringing home a Shiba Inu puppy.
The must have essentials for a Shiba Inu puppy fall into five buckets: secure containment, a crate for potty training, safe chew toys for teething, grooming tools for a double coat, and tiny training treats. A Shiba puppy is a clever escape artist that will chew, dig, and test every boundary, so the gear that matters most is the gear that keeps it safe and channels its instincts. Buy durable and washable, expect to replace cheap items the puppy destroys, and spend your energy on containment and training rather than cute extras. Get the first weeks right and the rest of the dog's life is easier.
The short version, in four parts:
- Contain the escape artist. A right sized crate and a tall, secure playpen keep a curious Shiba puppy safe.
- Survive teething. Durable chew toys redirect a biting puppy away from your furniture and hands.
- Start the coat routine early. A double coat brush and gentle handling get a puppy used to grooming before the first big shed.
- Train with tiny treats. Small, soft treats let you run many repetitions without overfeeding a smart, food motivated pup.
For a comfortable space
Crate
To properly potty train your Shiba Inu puppy, buy a crate that’s just the right size: not too big and not too small. Avoid using crates for punishments. You should teach your Shiba puppy to associate the crate with only positive and safe feelings.
There are different kinds of crates so you can purchase one based on your lifestyle. If you are the type to go on road trips with your Shiba, light and portable crates might be the best for you.
Dog Bed
With Shiba Inu puppies (or puppies, in general), it’s best to purchase cheap dog beds. Since puppies have tendencies to destroy everything they lay their mouths and claws on, younger dogs tend to go through dog beds as fast as lightning, especially when left alone.
During their pup days, buy durable but less expensive ones, and as they get older and you’ve noticed that they’ve grown out of their biting tendencies, spoil them with nicer and cozy beds.
Playpen
A playpen is a convenient accessory to keep your Shiba Inu puppy from places you don’t want them lurking on. It could also be used to temporarily contain them in a certain area. We emphasize temporarily because Shiba Inus are excellent escape artists. They cannot be contained for too long and will always look for a way to a breakout from their confinements.
For feeding
Food and water bowls
One of the first things you should purchase. You can’t just bring home a dog without food and water bowls. There are a lot of types you can find in pet stores, so you can choose depending on your preference.
Dog food
What you feed your Shiba Inu puppy plays a vital role in maintaining their healthy condition. This is why it’s important to scour the internet and the market for the best quality dog food. According to veterinarians, dog food brands including Purina, Pedigree, Royal Canin, Hill’s Science, Bil-Jac, and Merrick, are the best.
Remember that poor quality dog food can lead to allergic reactions for your dogs.
For training
Shiba Inu is a very smart dog breed. They love challenges and are very fast learners. This is why training Shiba Inu puppies is such as fun activity, for both the dog and the human.
For training, here are some basic training tools you need for your Shiba Inu puppy.
Training treats
When training a Shiba Inu puppy, you need to make sure the treats are tiny. And we mean small, grain-like tiny. Since they are just starting, they need several repetitions until they understand and learn the commands so you don’t want to fill them up on treats. So when training, give small treats.
Store-bought treats would do just fine for basic command training but for more challenging tasks, you might want to level up your simple treats to high-value treats.
High-value treats are treats that your dog would do anything for. These are extra special treats like copped boiled chicken, boiled turkey, or liver treats. Make sure these are chopped to tiny pieces too!
For grooming
The basic grooming tools you need for your Shiba Inu are shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, and brush.
Brush for double-coated dogs
Shiba Inu falls under the category of dog breeds with double-coated fur. This means that they have two layers of fur, one undercoat, and one overcoat. Shiba Inu sheds a lot so you need to frequently brush them to avoid loose hair all over the house.
Make sure to use the appropriate brushes for double-coated dogs and to brush gently.
Nail Clippers
Shiba Inu doesn’t like their paw handled so nails clipping can such as taxing task. Failure to clip the nail can lead to overgrown nails which can be dangerous. So if your Shiba refuses to have its nails clipped, better bring him to the groomers for professional help.
For playtime
Toys
Shiba Inu puppies love to play bite. This being said, they’ll bite anything they lay their eyes on and this could cause some serious damage to some house furniture. The best way to redirect their attention is by using toys.
Make sure to pick sturdy toys since playtime can turn to training sessions too!
Chew Toy
Puppies go through teething and chewing toys can greatly help them.
How to prioritize a Shiba puppy's first purchases
After placing 250+ Shibas since 2019, many of them as young puppies, we know which first purchases pay off and which get chewed to pieces. Here is the order we tell new puppy owners to buy in.
- Containment before anything cute. The Shiba is a natural escape artist, even as a puppy. A right sized crate for potty training and a tall, stable playpen come first. A young Shiba we fostered learned to climb a short pen within days, so we upgraded to a taller enclosure. Spend here before you spend on anything decorative.
- Chew safe gear for teething. A teething puppy bites everything, so give it legal targets. Durable rubber chew toys and sturdy teething toys redirect the mouthing away from your hands, shoes, and furniture. Skip flimsy plush that a puppy can shred and swallow, and supervise anything soft.
- An inexpensive, washable bed for now. Puppies destroy beds and have accidents, so buy cheap and washable during this stage. Save the nice orthopedic bed for when your dog outgrows the chewing. A waterproof liner under a strippable cover survives the potty training months.
- Double coat grooming tools, introduced early. Start brushing before the first big shed so your puppy learns to accept it. A proper double coat brush and gentle, patient handling of the paws now prevent a fight over grooming and nail trims later, which this breed is famous for resisting.
- Tiny training treats and safe toys. Small, soft, low calorie treats let you run the many repetitions a smart puppy needs without overfeeding. Pair them with sturdy toys that double as training rewards. This breed is bright and food motivated, so early, consistent training is the best investment you make.
Before you buy, make sure the breed truly fits your life, since a Shiba is a long commitment. Our honest guide, is a Shiba Inu right for me, is the reality check, and the wider kit is covered in a Shiba Inu owner's shopping list.
What we have seen hold up
Across hundreds of Shibas since 2019, the puppy gear that survives is simple and sturdy. A solid crate, a tall pen, durable chew toys, a washable bed, and a real double coat brush get used constantly and last. What worked: rubber chew toys, strippable washable bedding, and tiny soft treats for training. What did not: flimsy pens a puppy climbed or chewed through, plush toys that became a swallowing risk in an afternoon, and expensive beds bought too early and destroyed.
The breed traits shape all of it. A Shiba puppy chews hard while teething, so durable and supervised beats soft and shreddable. It escapes, so containment has to be genuinely secure. It resists paw handling and grooming, so you start those routines gently and early. And it is smart and stubborn, so the training treats and the time you invest now set the tone for the whole relationship.
Every puppy that comes through our program is set up with this kind of practical, breed appropriate start, and we coach new owners through the first weeks. You can see how that structured handoff works on our adoption process page.
Related questions
What do I need most for a new Shiba puppy?
Containment and chew safe gear come first: a right sized crate, a tall secure playpen, and durable chew toys for teething. Add food and water bowls, an inexpensive washable bed, a double coat brush, and tiny training treats. Prioritize the items that keep an escape prone, mouthy puppy safe, and hold off on expensive extras until your dog outgrows the chewing stage.
Why buy a cheap bed for a Shiba puppy?
Because puppies destroy beds and have accidents. During teething and potty training, an inexpensive washable bed with a waterproof liner takes the abuse without wasting money. Once your Shiba grows out of the chewing and reliably stays clean, upgrade to a nicer orthopedic bed. Buying premium too early usually means replacing a shredded bed within weeks.
How soon should I start grooming and training a Shiba puppy?
Right away, gently. Introduce brushing, paw handling, and short training sessions in the first weeks so your puppy accepts them as normal. This breed famously resists grooming and nail trims, and early, positive exposure heads off that fight. Use tiny treats and keep sessions short, since a smart Shiba learns fast but loses patience with repetition.
What to read next
Get ahead of the mouthing with does your Shiba puppy like to bite, and stock the right rewards from the best dog training treats for Shiba Inu. Build the full setup with a Shiba Inu owner's shopping list, and when you need a trip covered, our boarding service keeps a young Shiba on its routine.
Need help training your Shiba?
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