A recent question that most of us have never asked was answered in a recent article by Dan Nosowitz: What is the fastest language in the world?

It’s a loaded question because it’s so broad.  Does “fastest” mean how rapidly words are spoken? How much information is imparted using the fewest amount of words?  The language with the fewest words or syllables with which to say something?

The short answer is that the fastest language in the world is Japanese, but how that answer was determined appears in an article that’s best read by you, the reader, because it’s fairly complicated. Read that article here.

If Japan has the fastest language, does it mean that the oldest and smallest of Japan’s dogs, the Shiba Inu, barks or “hears” faster than other breeds? We ask somewhat in jest.

The Shiba is considered a considered a basal breed, which is to say that it existed long before many modern dog breeds. Basal breeds are at the root of the breed evolutionary tree and not only may represent a more primitive or original form, but often show distinct physical and behavioral traits reminiscent of the early dog populations from which they evolved. 

All that said, we don’t know that “hearing faster” is a thing (we suspect it’s more a function of how fast the brain can process information), but if any breed could pull it off, it would be the Shiba Inu. Nor so we know that the Shiba barks “faster” than other breeds, but we suspect that the answer is probably no, and only because the Finnish Spitz has been recorded barking at 160 times per minute in competitions. As an aside, why, you  might ask, would anyone bother to record the number of barks in a breed?  Well, the answer is that in the “Finkie,” barking is an important part of the Finnish Spitz makeup, and according to old Finnish hunters, barking either mesmerizes a bird into staying in place for the shot, or it simply distracts the bird so he doesn’t notice the approaching hunter. Either way,  the world’s fastest barker distinction goes to the Finnish Spitz. 

This isn’t to say that the Shiba doesn’t have some bragging rights in that department. The breed can let loose an otherworldly, blood curdling wail known as the “Shiba scream.” It can come from a super happy Shiba, or one that is miserable. We’ll let you listen to one on your own here.

But as a rule, Shiba Inus are quieter than many other breeds, and not prone to yipping or excessive barking.

But “talking?” Oh gosh yes.  Check out this opinionated Shiba:

We’ve been having a little fun here, but we have heard it said that Shibas can be drama queens. We leave that assessment to people who live with the breed and know best, but we’ve been around enough Shibas at dog shows to have discerned that when they have something to say, they say it. We find their “talking” to be charming, if we’re honest, because each vocalization is so very expressive. They really mean what they say.