History of occurrence
This breed goes back to medium-sized dogs that existed in Japan in ancient times. The Shikoku was bred as a hunting dog, mainly for hunting boar in the mountainous districts of Kochi Prefecture. It is sometimes called « Kochi-ken » (ken = dog). There were three varieties of this breedAwa, Hongawa and Hata-all named after the area where they were bred. Among them, the Hongawa maintained the highest degree of purity, because the breeding area was not easily accessible from anywhere. These dogs are tough and sufficiently agile to run through a montainous region. They are characterized by their sesame coloured coats. The breed took on the name of the region and was designated as a « natural monument » in 1937.
General form
A medium-sized dog with well balanced and well developed clean cut muscles. It has pricked ears and a curled or sickle tail. Conformation : strong, well-boned and compact.
Отличительная особенность породы Shikoku
Skull: forehead broad.
Stop: shallow, but defined.
Nose: black.
Muzzle: rather long, wedge-shaped. Nasal bridge straight.
Lips: tight.
Jaws/teeth: teeth strong, with a scissor bite.
Cheeks: well developed.
Eyes: relatively small, triangular, set well apart, dark brown in colour.
Ears: small, triangular, slightly inclining forward and firmly pricked.
Neck: thick and powerful.
Back: straight and strong.
Loins: broad and muscular.
Chest: deep, ribs well sprung.
Belly: well tucked up.
Shoulders: moderately sloping with developed muscles.
Elbows: set close to the body.
Forearms: straight and clean cut.
Pasterns: slightly inclining.
Hindquarters: powerful, with muscles well developed.
Hocks: moderately angulated and very tough.
Feet: tightly closed with well arched toes. Pads hard and elastic. Nails hard and black or dark in colour.
Set on high, thick and carried over the back vigorously curled or curved like a sickle. The tip nearly reaches the hocks when let down.
Hair: outer coat rather harsh and straight, undercoat soft and dense. The hair on the tail is rather long.
Colour: sesame, black sesame and red sesame. Definition of the colour sesame:
Sesame: equal mixture of white and black hairs.
Black sesame: more black than white hairs.
Red sesame: ground colour of hair red, mixture with black hairs.
Resilient, with rather narrow strides, but light. Action is quick and turning is possible.
Height:
Dogs — 52 cm.
Bitches — 46 cm.
Character
A dog of marked endurance, keen in sense with a naive feeling, energetic and highly alert; an enthusiastic hunter; docile towards his master.
Maintenance care
The Shikoku dog possesses a beautiful double coat which consists of a soft, dense under coat and a coarse outer coat. They tend to keep themselves well groomed and have little doggy odor.
Their coats require light brushing a couple of times a week to control shedding and bathing is only as needed.
However, in the spring the Shikoku dog will go through a period of heavy shedding where the under coat will lift and fall out in clumps. It is nature's way of removing the dog's heavy winter coat in preparation for the warm weather. Many people refer to this as "blowing the coat." Depending on how "coated" your Shikoku is and your climate will determine the extent of this shedding phenomenon. It is easily taken care of with some plucking, a good shedding tool and brush (and constant vacuuming).
Lifespan — 10-12 years.
Dignity
It is cautious and brave; a temperate dog with good judgment.
They do not have a strong doggy smell.
Shikokus are very intelligent and are fast learners.
Difficulty keeping
Since they are natural hunters, small animals in their yard may not exactly be safe.
In the spring the Shikoku dog will go through a period of heavy shedding where the under coat will lift and fall out in clumps.
Diseases
Like most other purebred breeds of dog, the Shikoku is at potential risk of developing certain health problems that are prominent within the breed, and which may have a genetically inherited element to them. While the breed is generally considered to be hardy and able to shake off most minor ills without incident, they may be prone to heart problems in later life, as well as potentially urinary tract problems and issues with the eyes such as cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy.
