Mame Shiba health: we tell you everything, the good and the not yet

Published October 14, 2026 · Last updated October 14, 2026

When you hear "Mame Shiba," you may picture a frail dog that has been forced to be small. That worry is fair. In Japan, there really are sellers who cut back on food to make puppies look small.

On this page, we tell you plainly what we have done for our dogs' health, and what we have not done yet. We are not going to list only the good things. Please read it and judge for yourself. You can read what kind of dog the Mame Shiba is under "What is a Mame Shiba?" on our English home page, and our kennel's story on our "History and achievements" page.

We feed our puppies well, and they still stay small

As the Mame Shiba became more popular, some sellers began raising puppies on barely enough food to survive, to make them look small. If a growing puppy does not get the food it needs, its bones, joints and organs cannot develop properly. Being hungry all the time is also a heavy stress on a dog's mind. The reputation that "Mame Shiba are weak" or "Mame Shiba don't live long" spread from this kind of raising. It is not that the Mame Shiba is a weak dog. Dogs raised without proper food are weak. We never cut back on food to make a puppy look small.

Our puppies eat about 100 g (3.5 oz) a day at four months, and about 100 to 155 g (3.5 to 5.5 oz) as adults weighing 4 to 6 kg (9 to 13 lb). They eat that much and still grow up small. That is the line of small Shiba we have kept going for generations. Feed a healthy puppy well and it still does not grow big: that is what separates a Mame Shiba from other dogs. A dog that grew up eating well and moving well feels heavy when you pick it up, even at the same size, because its bones are solid and it has muscle.

Among the places we have seen and heard about, some raise puppies on less than half of what we feed. Puppies raised that way may suffer harm to their bodies. Before you bring a puppy home, ask exactly how much it is fed each day, from puppyhood to adulthood. Not just in grams, but with the food's calories too. The right amount depends on the calories in the food, so only when you know the calories can you tell whether the puppy is really getting enough.

We base the amounts we feed on a formula provided by the nutrition service of The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center in the United States. It multiplies the energy a dog needs at rest by a factor for each stage of growth. The same center also explains that needs vary widely from dog to dog, so the calculated value should be a starting point, adjusted while watching the dog's body. We combine that calculation with our experience of raising thousands of dogs to set the amount for each age.

The table below is our kennel's guide for a food of 315 kcal per 100 g. While they are puppies, we split the food into three or four meals a day, and reduce the number of meals as they grow.

Once you have the calculated amount, watch your dog's stools and body every day. Stools should be firm enough to pick up with a tissue without falling apart. If they are loose, you are feeding too much; if they are small and hard, too little. As for the body, looking from above there should be a waist, and you should be able to feel the ribs under a thin layer of fat. From the side, the belly should be tucked up. On the nine-point "body condition score" used by veterinarians, this is the ideal 4 to 5. Dogs pass their growth peak between about six and ten months of age, so if you keep increasing the food at the same pace, they will get fat. When you feel fat building up, start holding back. Since my father's time, we have adjusted the amount a few grams at a time while watching stools and body shape.

The most common question we get from customers is, "Is my dog getting enough?" If the amount is 100 g a day, for example, we split it into 50 g in the morning and 50 g in the evening. So the dog eats 50 g at a time. It is only natural for a dog to look up for more when it has finished. If you feel sorry for it and give all 100 g at once, it will upset its stomach. There is also a reason dogs keep licking the bowl. In our experience, dogs are animals that bury what they cannot eat to save it for later. Indoors they cannot do that, so they try to eat everything while they can. A fat dog is not a healthy dog. At dog parks, our customers often proudly tell us, "Ours is the fastest one here." A body that can run at full speed: that is a healthy body.

How we choose our breeding dogs

We breed only from dogs over one year old whose bodies have fully matured. We measure their height and check their build, bite, face and temperament. For males, we also check that both testicles have properly descended (that they are not cryptorchid). Under Japanese law, businesses that breed dogs must have every dog they keep examined by a veterinarian at least once a year. Every year, our breeding dogs are examined at our regular clinic, Fujimori Veterinary Clinic, where the vet checks their knees (kneecaps) and examines their eyes with a light. They are also DNA-tested. Only dogs with no problems in any of these become breeding dogs.

DNA testing: every dog, without exception

The Shiba Inu has a serious inherited disease called GM1 gangliosidosis. From about five or six months of age, the dog's movements become abnormal and gradually worsen, and most die by about one year to one year and three months of age. There is no cure. The disease appears in a puppy only when both parents each carry one hidden copy of the disease gene.

After this disease in the Shiba Inu was reported in the news, we looked for a place that could test for it, and in March 2020 we began testing our breeding dogs. No one required us to. We decided on our own to test every single dog, including retired dogs. Since then, we have never skipped testing a breeding dog. When we breed with a dog from another kennel, we also require that it has been tested.

We have now tested 174 dogs, and every dog with a result has been "clear." The six dogs still waiting for results are young dogs not yet used for breeding. Because we only pair parents that do not carry the disease gene, the puppies born cannot develop this disease. The tests are done by Pontely, a Japanese genetic testing company, which issues a certificate of results for each dog. The photo below is the certificate for Takara, our kennel's senior dog.

This disease in the Mame Shiba has also been studied by a Japanese university. A research team at Kagoshima University examined 1,832 Mame Shiba used for breeding at 143 kennels from Kyushu to the Kanto region between 2019 and 2022, and published the results in 2022. The share of dogs carrying the disease gene was 0.49%. Compared with earlier figures for the Shiba Inu (2.94% in a 2008 study and 1.02% in a 2013 nationwide study), there was no sign that the Mame Shiba carries it more often. Even so, the researchers concluded that the gene has been passed on to the Mame Shiba too, and that it must be prevented by testing breeding dogs. That is why we keep testing.

What we do not test for yet

Pontely, our testing company, also recommends testing Mame Shiba for progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and degenerative myelopathy (DM). We do not test for these two at present.

When we started testing, the disease that was a problem in the Shiba Inu was GM1 gangliosidosis. The breeds known for DM include the German Shepherd, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Boxer; the Shiba Inu is not among them. We have never been told, either about our own dogs or by the families of puppies we have sent out, that a veterinarian diagnosed either of these two diseases. We have also consulted our veterinarian, who is of the opinion that these tests are probably not needed at present.

Still, genetic testing improves every year. If a test appears that is useful for the Shiba Inu, we will not hesitate to adopt it.

Feeding your puppy after it comes home

For a puppy, everything changes from the day it comes home: the smells of the house, the voices of the family, the feel of the floor. In the middle of all that, if only its food stays the same as yesterday, it steadies the puppy's body like an anchor in a storm. But our kennel's food is made in Japan and is not sold overseas, so it is almost impossible to keep feeding the same food. That is exactly why you should choose one food carefully in your country, and once you have chosen, stay with it. If you add another food because your puppy is eating less eagerly, it learns, "If I act like I won't eat, something tastier will come." It is natural for appetite to drop in hot weather or during heat, and it comes back with time. Every change of food upsets the balance of bacteria in the gut, and the more you change, the greater the risk of something that does not agree with your dog.

So please choose the food before your puppy comes home. When we choose a food, we do it the same way. We take photos of the analysis on our kennel food and on the packages of several foods sold at nearby stores, compare the numbers, and pick the closest one. I actually do this when I recommend foods to overseas customers. It is something owners can do themselves, too. Our kennel food's analysis is shown below.

Besides the numbers, look at the ingredients: the first five on the list. There are three things to look for. The first ingredient should be chicken or fish. It should contain grains such as rice or oats. And it should not be a food based mainly on beef or lamb. For thousands of years, Japanese dogs lived on what people shared with them: leftover rice and sweet potatoes, chicken and fish. They have no history of eating beef or lamb. If you are unsure, send us photos of the packages you are considering. We will pick two or three that are close and send them back to you. Some puppies will not eat a food whose taste is different, so we never narrow it down to just one. If you live where the water is hard, we recommend giving your dog soft water. When you change foods, please also consult your veterinarian.

We will give you enough food for your stay in Japan along with your puppy. However, some places, such as the European Union, do not allow pet food containing meat to be brought in from outside, and so far no one has taken our kennel food home to their country. From the day you arrive home, your puppy switches to the food you chose. That is why choosing it before your puppy comes home matters so much.

Skin problems are the most common thing people consult us about. And almost all of them have something in common: the owner keeps switching to a better and better food, or gives treats. Always out of kindness, "for my dog," "as a reward." At our kennel, we do not give treats. If a dog eats many different things, then when something does not agree with it, you cannot find out what caused it. If you have already changed foods, please do not blame yourself. You wanted to give your dog something good because you love it. If something worries you, you can start again from there, with your veterinarian's advice.

We do give bones, but not as treats. We give them for cleaning teeth. Dry food tends to stick to the teeth and eventually turns into tartar. The owner keeps a firm grip on one end of the bone while the dog scrapes its surface. As the bone rubs against the teeth, the tartar comes off. We never hand over a bone and leave the dog with it, and we never let the dog eat it. Start at about one year of age, when the adult teeth are all in. This is not a daily routine, but care to do when tartar starts to build up. The bone-cleaning chapter of my book and our training page explain how in detail.

Everyday life that protects the body

With small dogs, the knees and hips need special care. Slippery floors hurt the knees. In homes with smooth floors such as hardwood, tile or marble, lay cork mats where your dog often walks and runs, or coat the floor with a non-slip wax. We do not recommend rugs, carpets or soft, fluffy mats. Dogs learn where to pee by the feel under their paws, and to a dog, something soft feels like grass, a place it wants to pee. When the fur on the soles of the paws grows long, it becomes slippery, so keep it trimmed short. While your dog is a puppy, do not let it jump down from the sofa or use stairs. The best way to protect the hips is not to let your dog get fat.

Because they are small, Mame Shiba are easily affected by heat and cold. Puppies up to about four months old are sensitive to cold, so if you bring one home in the cold season, keep the heating on. Hot, humid summers are very hard on Shiba. On hot days, keep your home cool and do not walk your dog on hot ground in the middle of the day. That said, there is no need to be overprotective. A room where the family is comfortable is good enough for the dog. Do not skip prevention for fleas, ticks and heartworm. Have a veterinarian who knows your area well weigh your dog and decide when to start and which medicine to use.

The Shiba is a dog that hides pain. A drop in appetite, a slow response when called, heavy steps on a walk: do not miss small changes like these. Take particular care with the eyes. With eye diseases, finding them early and keeping watch over them matters more than anything. If anything worries you, see a veterinarian right away.

A long, healthy life

In Japan, since June 2022, the law has required breeders and pet shops to microchip the dogs they sell. Long before the law required it, we were microchipping our breeding dogs and linking each chip to that dog's records.

When I was a child, most Japanese dogs were kept outside on a chain. They endured summer heat and winter cold, their bodies were eaten away by fleas, ticks and heartworm, and Japanese dogs lived ten years at most. My father began raising our dogs indoors because of Ran, a Mame Shiba who disappeared one day and came home alone a year and a half later. After that, the lifespans of the Mame Shiba at our kennel grew, one dog at a time: 13 years, 14 years, 15 years. We think two things made the biggest difference: the dogs were protected from parasites and from heat and cold, and the family was close by, able to notice small differences between yesterday and today. Of course, better food and veterinary care also played a part. The average lifespan of dogs across Japan has grown too: a Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology study put it at 11.9 years in 2005, and today it is over 14.

Today, when the families of dogs from our kennel tell us their dog has passed away, the age is often 15 or 16. One year, a letter came saying, "This year our dog turned 20." I couldn't help calling to ask what they were feeding, and they told me they had stayed with only the food we recommended when they brought their puppy home, and gave no extra treats. Later, another letter came: "Our dog is now 22." The family of a dog that lived to 18 years and 11 months wrote about it in their Google review.

Even after your puppy comes home, please ask us any time you are unsure about its health or daily life. We are not veterinarians, so we cannot diagnose. Still, if our experience of raising thousands of dogs has something to say, we will tell you. Every dog we send out is family to us for life.

About the author

Tomoyuki Nishiyama, second-generation owner of Sesshu Hozanso, a kennel dedicated to Mame Shiba. I have lived with dogs for more than 50 years and am the author of INUDŌ: The Shiba Inu Code. Everything on this site comes from my own experience.

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