The Shibadox is a remarkably healthy crossbreed between the purebred Dachshund and Shiba Inu. Despite its fine looks and health, this designer dog is not well-known, and breed documentation is limited. Only two breed registries, which are related, currently recognize the hybrid. The Shibadox may be registered with the Designer Breed Registry or the International Canine Designer Registry. Neither registry has current information on this hybrid but owners who wish to understand the history and character traits of their Shibadox may review the respective histories of the parent breeds. The Shiba Inu is an ancient dog that developed alongside the Akita in Japan but is a smaller dog and belongs to the Spitz family. Spitz dogs are exceedingly healthy canines and are usually marked with a flush brushed tail that curls over the back. The Shiba Inu is an exceptionally healthy dog whose original role was as a small game hunter that flushed birds and earthbound creatures from the Japanese brushwood. The Japanse word, Shiba, means brushwood and may indicate the origin of the Shiba Inu's name. One theory is the breed was named after the brushwood where the dog hunted, whereas a second theory suggests the breed was named Shiba because the red color of its coat is akin to the foliage of the brushwood in autumn. A third theory suggests the word Shiba may be archaic Japanese for small and refers to the Shiba Inu's size. The true meaning of the name may be lost, and the Shiba Inu lived in relative seclusion on the island of Japan until after World War II. The bombing raids on Japan devastated the Shiba Inu population, but the breed survived. Westerns imported the Shiba Inu by 1954 but it remained an obscure breed until the 1970s. However, by 1993, the Shiba Inu's popularity had risen, and the breed achieved its first recognition by the American Kennel Club in the Miscellaneous Group. Today, the breed enjoys moderate popularity and is well-known. The Dachshund is a dog of German descent whose name means badger dog. These small, low to the ground dogs were tenacious earth dogs, capable of hunting and dragging vermin out their hiding places, despite the viciousness and near equal size of some game. The Dachshund can trace its lineage as far back as the 15th century in Germany where the breed developed as both an above ground and below ground hunter. However, by the 1800s, Dachshunds were bred more for companionship rather than hunting. Selective breeding programs opted for smaller dogs and gave the Dachshund a wide range of weight from 15 to 30 pounds. The Dachshund was imported to America in the 1880s and accepted by the American Kennel Club in 1885. Today, the Dachshund ranks high in popularity.
