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The or Kōchi-ken (高知犬)FCI Breed Standard
/ref> is a Japanese breed of
Shikoku are typically brave but wary, and very alert to their environment. They should be sensitive without being nervous.
Shikoku dogs are tough and sufficiently athletic to run through mountainous terrain. The dog’s overall movement is agile and it should walk with springy steps.
They are an excellent companion for active outdoor people, though they can be very challenging to off-leash train. They are very energetic and active outside but they are generally calm and quiet indoors. The Shikoku is a very intelligent dog and a quick learner. They are not as stubborn and independent as some of the other native Japanese breeds, but still require patience to train.
The Shikoku stands 18.1–21.6 inches (46–55 cm) tall at the withers and comes in sesame (red with black tipping), black and tan, or red. Sesame coats are found in a range of saturation and black pigment- typically designated as red sesame, sesame, or black sesame. In addition, there is a cream colored coat that is rarely seen as it is not an accepted color in the breed. In all of these colors there is usually a mixture of white found around the underside of the body, near the eyes, snout, and legs called "urajiro". The Shikoku tends to shed its coat at least one to two times a year. The dog has a fairly thick coat with pointed ears and a curved tail. The body conformation is typically of the spitz-type: the square body, the wedge-shaped head, the prick triangular ears, and thick curled tail.
The Shikoku dog is somewhat unusual in its appearance. It looks similar to a Siberian Husky dog physically, but differs in its size and color. The Shikoku Inu ranges (male; approximately 20 inches tall; female; approximately 18.5 inches tall). This dog would be considered medium-sized.
North American Shikoku Club (NASC)
{{Authority control FCI breeds Spitz breeds Dog breeds originating in Japan
/ref> is a Japanese breed of
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relativ ...
from Shikoku island
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), ' ...
. It was designated by Japan as a culturally important national treasure in 1937.
Comparison to other Japanese breeds
The Shikoku is one of the six native Japanese breeds, it is intermediate in size between the largeAkita Inu The is a historic dog breed of large size originating from the mountains of northern Japan. The two separate varieties of Akita are a pure Japanese strain, commonly called Akita-ken (''ken'' is the on'yomi for ''inu'' meaning dog in Japanese), and ...
and the small Shiba Inu
The is a breed of hunting dog from Japan. A small-to-medium breed, it is the smallest of the six original and distinct spitz breeds of dog native to Japan. Its name literally translates to "firewood dog".
A small, alert, and agile dog that ...
; all are within the Spitz
Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops. While all of the breeds resem ...
family of dogs.
A study of the 1930s carried out by the Japanese cynologist Cynology (rarely kynology, ) is the study of matters related to canines or domestic dogs.
In English, it is a term sometimes used to denote a serious zoological approach to the study of dogs as well as by writers on canine subjects, dog breeders, ...
Haruo Isogai classified all native Japanese dog breeds into three categories: large-, medium-, and small-sized. The Shikoku belongs to the Shika-inus, the medium-sized dogs. Other medium-sized dogs are the Kai Ken, the Ainu Ken and the Kishu Inu. They are all very similar with overlapping colors and only minor differences in size and morphology.
It also served as the partial ancestor to the Tosa after it was crossed with European breeds such as the Great Dane
The Great Dane is a large sized dog breed originating from Germany. The Great Dane descends from hunting dogs from the Middle Ages used to hunt wild boar and deer, and as guardians of German nobility. It is one of the largest breeds in the world ...
, Old English Bulldog
The Old English Bulldog is an extinct breed of dog.
Physical characteristics
The Old English Bulldog was compact, broad and muscular, as reflected in the painting '' Crib and Rosa''. Through John Scott's engraving, this painting became the ...
, English Mastiff
The English Mastiff, or simply the Mastiff, is a British dog breed of very large size. Likely descended from the ancient Alaunt and Pugnaces Britanniae, with a significant input from the Alpine Mastiff in the 19th century. Distinguished by it ...
, St. Bernard (dog)
The Saint Bernard or St. Bernard (, ) is a breed of very large working dog from the Western Alps in Italy and Switzerland. They were originally bred for rescue work by the hospice of the Great St Bernard Pass on the Italian-Swiss border. Th ...
and others.
Characteristics and temperament
Shikoku are typically brave but wary, and very alert to their environment. They should be sensitive without being nervous.
Shikoku dogs are tough and sufficiently athletic to run through mountainous terrain. The dog’s overall movement is agile and it should walk with springy steps.
They are an excellent companion for active outdoor people, though they can be very challenging to off-leash train. They are very energetic and active outside but they are generally calm and quiet indoors. The Shikoku is a very intelligent dog and a quick learner. They are not as stubborn and independent as some of the other native Japanese breeds, but still require patience to train.
The Shikoku stands 18.1–21.6 inches (46–55 cm) tall at the withers and comes in sesame (red with black tipping), black and tan, or red. Sesame coats are found in a range of saturation and black pigment- typically designated as red sesame, sesame, or black sesame. In addition, there is a cream colored coat that is rarely seen as it is not an accepted color in the breed. In all of these colors there is usually a mixture of white found around the underside of the body, near the eyes, snout, and legs called "urajiro". The Shikoku tends to shed its coat at least one to two times a year. The dog has a fairly thick coat with pointed ears and a curved tail. The body conformation is typically of the spitz-type: the square body, the wedge-shaped head, the prick triangular ears, and thick curled tail.
The Shikoku dog is somewhat unusual in its appearance. It looks similar to a Siberian Husky dog physically, but differs in its size and color. The Shikoku Inu ranges (male; approximately 20 inches tall; female; approximately 18.5 inches tall). This dog would be considered medium-sized.
Varieties
Out of the reconstruction effort, three distinct lines of the Shikoku were developed: the Awa, the Hongawa and the Hata all named after the area they originated from within the Kochi prefecture. More recently the distinction between these lines has been blurred as remote areas where the dogs originated became easier to access and lines were cross-bred. The modern Shikoku is thought to descend mainly from the Hongawa and Hata lines as the Awa line essentially disappeared as a result of the hardships caused by World War II and a lack of quality specimens due to cross breeding with outside dogs.See also
* Dogs portal *List of dog breeds
This list of dog breeds includes both extant and extinct dog breeds, varieties, landraces, and dog types. A research article on dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines modern dog breeds as "a recent invention defined by conformation to ...
References
External links
North American Shikoku Club (NASC)
{{Authority control FCI breeds Spitz breeds Dog breeds originating in Japan