DOGFLUENCERS: Meet Mocha & Miel, The Iconic Shiba Duo

Welcome to the ultimate destination for dog enthusiasts and social media mavens alike. At Dogfluencers, we're passionate about showcasing the best and brightest in the world of four-legged fame.

Whether you're looking for adorable photos, heartwarming stories, or expert tips on how to turn your own pup into a social media star, we've got you covered.

Today we got the honor of interviewing Shae (Mocha & Miel's Human). You can find a direct link to their Instagram here.

Here is their story:

Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a dog influencer? What inspired you to start sharing your dog's adventures on social media?

Hamm: We actually first started our insta page as a way to share Mocha with family and friends. You see, the weekend we brought her home was the weekend everything shut down in Minnesota from Covid-19, so we weren’t able to have family and friends come over and see her much. Through instagram, we were still able to share Mocha’s daily happenings with our family and friends though. It wasn’t until a few months later that we found an amazing community of dog parents! So we continued to learn more about different dogs and their needs, and made a lot of really good friends! Fast forward and we’re still here because of the community and enjoy sharing our story and experience with others in case anyone resonates with it 🥰

What do you think sets your dog apart from other dogs on social media? What makes them unique or particularly interesting to your followers?

Hamm: We have two shiba inus who are fairly anxious and reactive. I enjoy sharing our training journey in hopes of inspiring others or just letting people know they’re not alone in having a difficult dog. I think our followers enjoy that authenticity! I’m also not in it for the brand deals, so only represent with a couple of small businesses I fully stand behind. Most of my content is just about Mocha & Miel (M&M) and our training journey or a slice of life.

How do you come up with ideas for your dog's posts and content? Do you have a specific creative process?

Hamm: Since most of my content is current happenings, either training updates or other slice of life things, I don’t plan out my content much! I’ll usually write up a caption the day before posting, and for photos I’ll go out and take some if I’m either running out of them or I had a fun idea come to me! My reels are generally more thought out and take more effort, so I don’t post many of those. Stories will just be current happenings or updates from the brands I represent!

Have you ever faced any challenges or negativity on social media, and how have you dealt with it?

Hamm: Thankfully I haven’t been met with any criticism on instagram. We did mainly do balanced training for M&M but even then the community I found is so supportive that those who believe in using positive reinforcement training instead simply shared their opinions with me in a nonjudgmental, non-confrontational way. It was actually super helpful and led to great conversations!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own dog influencer account or share their dog on social media?

Hamm: I would say just be yourself! Also find your community and be active in it. You can’t expect people to “discover” your account if you’re not creating consistent content yourself and engaging with others.

How has your dog influenced your life outside of social media?

Hamm: M&M have helped me understand dogs and their body language better. I used to think a dog with its tongue out and tail wagging was happy, but now I know these can also be stress signals too!

Can you tell us about a particularly memorable or funny moment you've had with your dog during one of your photo shoots or adventures?

Hamm: A memorable experience we had was when we took Mocha to downtown Minneapolis. Being an anxious dog this was a huge step for her! We’d been working up to it for a while when the perfect day came along - a nice cool and drizzly day. We chose this day because we knew less people would be out and about, which meant Mocha would be less stressed! I always wanted to get city photos with her and the streets were almost empty, so it really was a memorable experience (she also did so well 🥹)

What is your favorite thing about being a dog influencer?

Hamm: My favorite thing is connecting with different people! I also love when a post or story of ours touches another person and they share that with me 🥺 It makes me happy knowing we’ve helped someone else or spread joy 🤍

Lastly, what's next for you and your dog on social media? Any exciting plans or projects in the works?

Hamm: We’re currently working with a behavioralist to try and help Miel and his anxiety more! A lot of people are curious about what behavioralist all do and if that might be something helpful for them and their dog, so I will be continuing to share about our experience there! We also have a little roadtrip coming up with the pups so will be training more for that and sharing how it goes!