Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix-Physical Look, Lifespan and Temperament

Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix

Mixing breeds can lead to some very interesting hybrid dogs, such as the Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix. The energetic offspring of a pure Shiba Inu and a pure Border Collie, this mix borrows traits from both parents, resulting in a beautiful and active dog that is extremely loyal.

If you have been planning to get a Shiba Inu Border Collie mix, you need to have a good idea about its feeding, exercise, and health needs. This is the best way to tell whether or not this dog will make the right fit for you. To that end, here is a closer look at everything you need to know about this mix.

Table Of Contents
  1. Physical Characteristics (Size and Physical Look)
  2. Lifespan
  3. Grooming Needs
  4. Temperament
  5. Exercise Needs
  6. Health Risks
  7. Feeding
  8. Are Shiba Inu Border Collie Mixes Protective?
  9. How Much Does a Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix Cost?
  10. Is a Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix Right for Me?
  11. Best Climate for a Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix
  12. The Attention a Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix Needs
  13. Compatibility with Kids
  14. Compatibility with Other Animals

Physical Characteristics (Size and Physical Look)

Most Shiba Inu Border Collie Mixes weigh between 20lbs to 40lbs. This means it is a medium-sized dog breed. They stand about sixteen to nineteen inches tall, although if your mix takes after the Border Collie, it may end up being larger. Border Collies are larger than Shiba Inus.

On the other hand, if your mix takes after the Shiba Inu, it will have “wilder” dominant features. Shiba Inus look like wild foxes, with upright ears and independent temperament. They will pass these features on to the mix if they happen to be the dominant parent.

Expect your Shiba Inu Border Collie’s body to be muscular, well-proportioned and balanced in the front and rear angles. They tend to have shorter hair like the Shiba Inu, although sometimes you will get long hair like the Border Collie. They shed at least twice a year and require a little more care as far as grooming is concerned.

If you are expecting several pups, you can expect your Shiba Inu Border collie family to be a hotspot of various colors including white, cream, tan and white, red and black. Occasionally, you might find a Shiba Border mix with brindle, merle, blue merle, and lilac colors.

The coat can either have a rough or smooth texture, and rarely is the coat curled.

Lifespan

The Shiba Inu border mix is intelligent, energetic and stubborn (takes after the Shiba). This means it is not the best dog for first-time owners.

A purebred Shiba has a lifespan of 12-15 years while the Border collie has a lifespan of 10 -17 years. The mix will therefore have a lifespan of between 11-16 years. 

The Shiba collie mix is a relatively healthy dog that requires a lot of exercise and psychological stimulation to keep her happy. Good thing you have a good number of years to bond with your dog and learn all there is to know about them.

Grooming Needs

The Border collie is a notorious shedder while the Shiba Inu is not an aggressive shedder. The Shiba Border mix will likely take after both of them, meaning they’ll shed moderately. That said, you can’t run away from the shedding which should be taken care of with care and precision.

Temperament

The Shiba collie hybrid is a stubborn dog. They also tend to get bored rather easily so you have to keep a close eye on them before they start causing trouble. This kind of personality can be traced to both of these dogs.

The Border collie was bred as a working dog and needs to be kept busy doing some dog activities. Besides, the Collie is among the smartest dog breeds. If you combine these versatile characteristics you get a highly active, intelligent and stubborn dog breed.

On the other hand, the Shiba Inu is the more stubborn of the two and is a difficult dog to train. They are also loyal, focused, and devoted dogs. It is a friendly dog that sometimes exhibits calmness, eagerness to learn, and confidence. As her parent, Shiba is shy of strangers and loves to play around.

Therefore, your Shiba Collie mix will be courageous, loyal, lovable and warm, but at the same time stubborn, intelligent, and highly active.

Exercise Needs

As has already been mentioned, the Shiba Collie Mix is an energetic dog. Its parents were bred to perform almost similar work; the Border Collie as the herder while the Shiba Inu as the small game hunter. They loving working and playing in equal measure because they are lovable balls of energy, and all that energy needs to be released somehow.

Therefore, you will need to take your Shiba Collie Mix for walks and hikes. Otherwise they can become rather destructive. Also, watch out for herder’s personalities in your mix, which it gets from its Collie parent.

As far as training is concerned, your Shiba Collie will be intelligent and easy to train. However, since it is the offspring of a Shiba Inu, it will also retain some stubbornness, so you have to be firm and establish yourself as the one in charge for them to follow your instructions.

One great way to get her playing ball, so to speak, is to motivate her through positive reinforcement. Ensure you remember to offer her praise every time she performs well in her training. Do not forget to take her through physical challenges as she is a strong dog.

You should also ensure that she gets all the socialization she needs by introducing her to human interactions as a puppy.

Health Risks

Generally, the Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix is a healthy dog. It needs a high intake of nutritious and energizing food because of its highly active personality. That said, potential health risks affecting the Shiba Inu Border mix include epilepsy, hip dysplasia, collie eye anomaly (CEA) and Luxating Patella.

In rare cases, the Shiba collie mix is affected by glaucoma and eye cataracts, especially during the older years. Possibly, the Shiba Collie mix might be affected by hearing impairments which sometimes attack the Border collie breed.

It’s good to mention that all dog breeds are predisposed to various conditions because of genetic makeup. Some are more susceptible to serious genetically motivated conditions than others. To correct this you can choose to get a Shiba Inu Border Collie mix puppy instead of an adult.

The breeder, if satisfactorily qualified, should offer a health guarantee when you are purchasing a puppy. Ordinarily, a good breeder will offer you the health history of each pure breed in the mix back to the third generation. So you should ask for health clearance from the breeder.

Feeding

The fact is that each dog requires a different diet depending on the size, condition, weight, and age. Essentially, two Shiba Inu Border mixes could potentially have very different dietary needs. That said, there some general dietary needs with the Shiba Border collie mix.

For instance, you can feed this mix with a raw food diet because of its “wild” diet. In a sense, because it has wolf genes in her she will be at home with a raw food diet. Furthermore, you can feed her with glucosamine, fish oil, and chondroitin supplements.

The list contains supplements and oils that would be great for any dog breed that has a high risk of elbow and hip dysplasia. Again, be careful not to overfeed your pup because it increases health issues in your mix breed.

Are Shiba Inu Border Collie Mixes Protective?

The Shiba Inu is one of the more popular dog breeds from Japan. Naturally, they are protective and independent dogs. They are loyal and tend to be wary of strangers especially in their natural element. Since they do not like “touchy” interactions they can be aggressive towards younger children especially if they invade the dog’s territory.

Surprisingly, Shiba Inu has rather peculiar feline characteristics.  If the Shiba Inu Border Collie takes after the Shiba, you get a courageous and protective dog. At most times you’ll realize they like their independence because they are not too needy.

However, that does not mean that if you get a Shiba Inu Border Mix it will behave exactly like the Shiba Inu. It can also be friendly and nice to everyone, just like the Border Collie.

How Much Does a Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix Cost?

The Border collie costs range from $600 to $800 while the Japanese native Shiba Inu costs between $800 to $1000. With this pricing, it is easier to calculate how much it will cost to get a hybrid of the two dogs breeds depending on how you want to go about getting it. On average, buying one will likely cost you anywhere from $600 to $900.

Is a Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix Right for Me?

Again, the Shiba Inu Border Collie mix is not the right dog for a first-time dog owner. Plus, if you have a busy lifestyle, this is not the right dog for you. It needs a lot of supervision, monitoring and a keen eye during training and socialization. If the dog is not exercised it will end up being mischievous and destroying everything in sight, which is exactly what you do not want.

Nevertheless, the dog is a mid-sized hybrid taking from both parents. It has a lot of energy and will need a lot of dedication from you to maintain it. It also comes with a certain level of stubbornness, which is why it is a dog that most people would discourage you from getting.

Additionally, it is not a popular mix. This means there is a good chance that the only place you can find such a mix is through puppy mills or backyard puppy mills. But just like humans, dogs tend to surprise their owners by having different characters that are completely the opposite of what you’d expect.

Therefore, the only way to know whether a particular dog breed is good for you is to get one and see. Put in the work for it and find out first-hand how you like it.

Best Climate for a Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix

The Shiba Inu originates from the mountainous region in Northern Japan. So, it is well adapted for cold climates. The Border collie originates near the border between Britain and Scotland.  The difference between the two is that the Border collie is regarded as a great dog for warm climates while the Shiba Inu is a cold climate breed.

Therefore, the Shiba Inu Border collie Mix can be well adapted for both warm and cold climates. Remember, most of the mixes puppies retain the double coat which means they can survive in colder climates. On the other hand, if they are raised in warmer climates, they’ll adapt to that type of environment.

Usually, a dog tends to adapt to the climate they were raised in that’s why you’ll find Shiba Inus in as pets in parts of California or other warmer places. So the word “best” can only be used relatively to describe the Shiba Inu Border collie mix.

The Attention a Shiba Inu Border Collie Mix Needs

As stated previously, the Shiba Inu Border Collie mix requires a lot of attention because they are quite energetic. The Border collie dog breed is also naturally hyperactive and does not like to be left alone without any human supervision.

They can destroy everything when they get bored. It is for that reason that Border collie is not apartment friendly.  On the other hand, the Shiba Inu is not a needy dog but it’s rather territorial with a character leaning more to felines than dogs.

The Shiba Inu Border Collie mix is a demanding dog. It requires a lot of attention and dedication from its owner. It needs to be properly socialized and trained. Take it out for walks and hikes and remember to introduce it to parks from an early age.

Compatibility with Kids

The Shiba Inu is not highly ranked when it comes to child-friendliness because of its territorial behavior. It does not like being pulled and touched by small children. Therefore, it needs to be well socialized to make a good fit around children.

On the other hand, the Border collie is playful and very child-friendly. So it is safe to say that the Shiba Inu Border mix can take any of the parent’s temperaments. However, with proper training and socialization, they could be the most child-friendly dog you’ve ever seen.

There is a good chance that your mix will be right in the middle; on some days they enjoy the kids’ company while on others they prefer to maintain a distance. Every dog is different, though, and even the Shiba Inu can be socialized to live around toddlers and newborns.

Compatibility with Other Animals

When compared to each other, the Shiba Inu and the Border Collie are almost exact opposites of each other. The Shiba Inu does not do well with same-sex dogs and cats, and will often exhibit its huntinginstinct when out in the park. On the other hand, the Border Collie is a friendly dog towards other dogs, cats, and other animals.

Therefore, when it comes to compatibility with other animals, the Shiba Inu Border Mix could go in either direction. It might take after the Collie and be extremely good natured, or it could take after the Shiba Inu.

If you need a dog that will be compatible with the rest of your pets at home then, you can only hope that the puppy turns out to be like the Border collie. Luckily, any dog can be trained and socialized to behave the way you want it to, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it too much. The Shiba Inu Border Mix is an intelligent and highly trainable dog.

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