Coat, Ears & Tail

AKC Non-Sporting Group · No. 44 in 2025

How to identify a Shiba Inu

The Shiba Inu is a small, foxlike Japanese breed, ranked No. 44 by the AKC in 2025. Look for small, pricked ears, a thick tail curled over the back and cream-to-white urajiro markings on the cheeks, throat and belly. It comes in red, black and tan, or sesame.

Photo of a Shiba Inu
Photo: Takashiba at English Wikipedia · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Field marks

These four marks are the ones the game gives you as clues. They paraphrase or briefly quote the AKC Shiba Inu standard.

  1. Small, triangular ears “firmly pricked” and tilted forward
  2. Thick tail “carried over the back in a sickle or curled position”
  3. Red, black and tan, or sesame, always with cream-to-white “urajiro” on the cheeks, throat, belly and inner legs
  4. Somewhat triangular, deep-set eyes; stiff, straight outer coat; males 14½ to 16½ inches

Tell them apart

Shiba Inu or Akita?

Check the size and the markings. A Shiba Inu is small, about 14½ to 16½ inches for males, and always has cream urajiro on the cheeks, throat and belly. An Akita is large and heavy-boned, with a broad, blunt-triangle head, and can be any color, including pinto and brindle.

Shiba Inu

Shiba Inu

  1. Small, triangular ears “firmly pricked” and tilted forward
  2. Thick tail “carried over the back in a sickle or curled position”
  3. Red, black and tan, or sesame, always with cream-to-white “urajiro” on the cheeks, throat, belly and inner legs
  4. Somewhat triangular, deep-set eyes; stiff, straight outer coat; males 14½ to 16½ inches
Akita

Akita

  1. “Large and full” tail carried over the back in a three-quarter, full or double curl
  2. Broad head “forming a blunt triangle” with small eyes
  3. Erect triangular ears “carried slightly forward over eyes in line with back of neck”
  4. “Any coloring including white; brindle; or pinto,” with or without mask or blaze

Shiba Inu or Basenji?

Check the markings and the forehead. A Basenji always has white feet, chest and tail tip, plus fine wrinkles on the forehead, and its tail curls tightly to one side. A Shiba Inu has cream urajiro on the cheeks, throat and belly, and a thicker, stiffer coat.

Shiba Inu

Shiba Inu

  1. Small, triangular ears “firmly pricked” and tilted forward
  2. Thick tail “carried over the back in a sickle or curled position”
  3. Red, black and tan, or sesame, always with cream-to-white “urajiro” on the cheeks, throat, belly and inner legs
  4. Somewhat triangular, deep-set eyes; stiff, straight outer coat; males 14½ to 16½ inches
Basenji

Basenji

  1. Forehead wrinkles that are “fine and profuse” when the ears are erect
  2. Tail set high and “tightly curled” over to either side
  3. “Small, erect and slightly hooded” ears set well forward
  4. Chestnut red, black, tricolor or brindle, “all with white feet, chest and tail tip”; coat “short and fine”

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