Mischievous, neurotic dogs need to be brought to heel with training

All dog owners have expectations of their pet. If we love, feed and care for man's best friend, it should love us back and treat us with respect. But what happens when your dog is less like Lassie and more like a Tasmanian Devil?

Victoria Chow Ka-yue envisioned owning a friendly and dutiful dog named Jack, similar to her sister's dog, Daisy, when she took home a Shiba Inu almost two years ago. Instead, Ms Chow was left with an incredibly wilful and determined dog that always wanted his own way.

'If I had done my research, I would have found that Shiba Inus will never give up when they want something and they have a stronger will [than people],' she says.

As a puppy, Ms Chow says Jack was so hyperactive that a veterinarian described her dog as 'obsessive with neurotic tendencies'. Another problem with trying to train Jack was that Shiba Inus can make screaming noises in addition to barking and whining.

'We tried to house train Jack, but within a week all the neighbours complained. It sounded like a small child being tortured; people were shouting from the building for us to leave the dog alone,' she says.

As Jack matured his behaviour became more aggressive. The last straw was when Ms Chow and her partner returned from a week's vacation. At eight-months old, Ms Chow says Jack was territorial in the apartment and attacked her late at night as she emerged from the bedroom. 'We needed to call a trainer after that, and sort it out,' she says. '[The trainer] showed us techniques to re-establish the house as our own.'