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Is my purebred Shiba Inu still purebred if he has long legs?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shiba Inu | Male | unneutered | 8 months and 14 days old | 28 lbs

Hey so I had Hachi for about 6 months now and I noticed other Shiba inus have very short legs while Hachi has long ones one if you compared to the other Shiba inus.I asked the owners of those Shiba inus and they said pure breeds Shibas have short legs but at the same time the pet store owner told me Hachi was also pure breed.The vaccination and deworming record the store provided when they sold Hachi states that he is a shiba inu.Is there any reason why Hachi has long legs?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Ana M, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 5th, 2018

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Hachi. He does appear to be a Shiba Inu from your picture. Differences in genetics will dictate the height of each individual dog even within the same breed. The breed standard is 14.5-16.5 inches in height. However, even this will vary a bit between dogs. Hachi likely came from a line of dogs with greater height than the other Shibas you have seen recently. His height is no cause for concern. I hope this information helps!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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