I want to start this off by saying, no dog is perfect. All dogs have faults, but it is our responsibility as purebred preservationist/fanciers to realize and understand exactly what this statement means. Some faults are more detrimental than others. Sometimes the harshness of the faults can be an individual preference. I am extremely lucky that I was given a great start with good structure dogs and mentoring from Leslie (LeSand/Akakiyosou Shiba) when it came to understanding exactly what a good structured dog is.
Understanding your chosen breed’s standard is important. How can you preserve a living piece of history if you ignore the very blueprint of it? Specifically, for the Shiba Inu, many people love to boast how it’s a head breed. Why or really, how did a small hound/hunting dog from Japan become a head breed? How does having a good head (not meaning mentality) help a hunting dog track its quarry? Structure should be one of the most important parts of a hunting dog. The drive to hunt is obviously first and foremost, but I would think that logically, those two characteristics should go hand in hand. But just maybe don’t quote me as I’m not a hunter, I’m more of a bleeding-heart taxidermist.
The Shiba (as well as the other Nihon Ken) are moderate dogs. Moderate in movement, in angulation, and in type. Movement is not big and flashy as that wastes energy in any terrain, much less a mountainous one. Moderation in angulation keeps movement moderate. Too much angulation can lead to wasted energy (from my understanding) while not enough angulation can lead to injury (also from my understanding).
Forequarters: Shoulder blade and upper arm are moderately angulated and approximately equal in length… Forelegs and feet are moderately spaced, straight, and parallel.
Hindquarters: The angulation of the hindquarters is moderate and in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Also, that topline should be level when the dog is standing or moving – from AKC: “Topline is straight and level to the base of the tail.” “Gait: Movement is nimble, light, and elastic. At the trot, the legs angle in towards a center line while the topline remains level and firm. Forward reach and rear extension are moderate and efficient.” Not roached or swayed backed, as it seems many Shiba trend towards. A level topline comes from balanced angulation in the front and rear of the dog. Good structure is hard to get and hard to keep. Good structure also seems to be lacking due to some breeders thinking type, and only type matters. Now, some people will say well mutts can have good structure and without type how will you know what breed of dog it is? I always feel like this counter agreement comes from breeders who don’t understand the basis of balanced, good structure, have dogs with zero structure, and type is their only saving grace. Now I’m not necessarily saying type isn’t important, even though it is rather superficial (hey I don’t like ugly men or dogs, so I get it). I’m saying ignoring structure for the sake of outer beauty is damaging to a breed. Bad structure leads to pain – like arthritis, knee, hip, other joint and ligament issues down the road. Is only having a pretty face really worth it?
But in summary, while structure varies from breed to breed, overall, good structure is balanced movement viewed from the side, front, and back. A dog should be clean moving and going, not throwing feet to the side, elbows pointing out so they’re pigeon toed, or rear feet that point in or outwards due to bad hocks. The dog’s legs on either side, typically move perpendicular without becoming a tripping hazard to the dog. Breeds typically will converge to an imaginary line down the middle, but this isn’t to be confused with crossing over or single tracking (Shiba shouldn’t single track, they do converge when they move when viewed from the front or rear.)
When viewing balanced movement from the side, a dog’s front legs and rear legs should create an equilateral triangle in the front half and the back half. A line can be drawn from the front foot off the ground, to the rear foot off the ground and it should be a straight line. Dogs should reach from their shoulder, not their elbow. Reaching from the elbow creates restricted, choppy movement. Which you guessed it – leads to wasted energy.
Overreaching in the front or too much drive (rear kick) are also energy wasters and should not be bred for or awarded. When rear angulation is too great, the drive of the dog does not match the reach leading to a unlevel topline. It does not great the picture of harmony or efficient movement which was critical in a hunting dog.
Short backs (dogs that are square) run into another issue, while their front and rear angles can be balanced, there might not be enough space and the paws cross over, leading to potential off gaits as the dog compensates to move efficiently and not trip itself up. Shiba dogs are longer than they are tall, with bitches being slightly longer. So, this is another example of needing to know your breed standard, as a square Shiba is another type of structural fault.
Delilah movement by Kayes Media. You can see she’s very balanced – topline level, equal, moderate reach and drive.
Photo by Kayes Media
Nekora movement by Kayes Media. For 11 years old, her movement is pretty balanced. Her front foot is higher than her rear, leading to her topline not as level as it should be. She also was very excited in the ring which can throw movement, which is why a hands on exam of structure is important.
Photo by Kayes MediaWallen movement by Kayes Media. 10 month old puppy needing more ring practice/exposure. While he’s not perfect, I’m pleased with his movement overall, as he has some more maturing to do and hopefully will improve with training and of course maturity. He’s a bit square so he will have to compensate for that. He’s clean coming and going, reach and drive is moderate.
Photo by Kayes Media
Astrid movement by Phyllis Ensley. She was 3 years old in this picture. Level topline, moderate balanced reach and drive.
Astrid out coat at almost 3 years old. Perry 2021. Photo by Phyllis Ensley
It is no easy feat trying to balance temperament, type, structure, hell, I’ll even throw in drive into the mix, with unfortunately, in my humble opinion, structure being one the last things considered. Judges, breeders, exhibitors, and enthusiasts need to be aware of the consequences of ignoring something like structure in their breeding program. Flashy, exaggerated, energy wasting movement should be a no go, just as small, tiny steps are also useless in the grand scheme of a hunting dog traversing the mountains of Japan. Honor what the breed was originally developed for. Understand structure and drive were the very basis of the Shiba Inu, not to mention correct bone structure leads to a more comfortable existence (think less arthritis, knee, hip, and elbow issues while the dog is young). Being aware of your dog’s structural faults isn’t a negative thing. Understanding what improvements are needed in your breeding program is the first step in responsibly promoting and preserving our amazing breed as it was intended it be.
What was nice about this year’s NIPPO seminar was we received a translated copy of the judge’s notes. These notes were translated by AI (ChatGP) so there is some awkwardness with them. I am taking the time to retype the notes to make them slightly less awkward without too much deviation from the original notes; with a little bit of supplementary notes I took while the judge was discussing his notes. There are things I might have understood, which I do welcome any feedback to try to correct the information I am putting out there. I will make my supplementary notes obvious, so one does not think they are the notes we received. I will put these in italics. A reminder that the NIPPO standard is universal for all NIPPO breeds.
Thank you NIPPO judge Mr. Hidehiko Sato for coming to the states to judge our dogs and for the seminar.
Agenda
What attracts people to Japanese breeds (nature and expression)
The standard and current issues
Breeding
What attracts people to Japanese Breeds
Look at the roots of attractiveness – why are Japanese breeds so handsome?
The balance between strength and dignity – the root of impression
Male dogs have dignity with strength, females have dignity within strength. This phrase was coined by Sato-san’s mentor Yamamoto-san. I am understanding it as males show dignity in their physical presence/strength while females show dignity with inner strength, meaning that while they’re maybe not as physically impressive they still have a strong presence.
Their strength comes from being a carnivorous animal, similar to a wild animal, preserved as a hunting dog. A rustic wonderful wildness, nothing fancy but still striking as this is a hunting dog.
Dignity from the intelligence for being a working partner for humans (they’re smart animals).
Structured as the Japanese Breed Standard. Nature, expression, and strength are part of the standard.
The assumption to understand Japanese Dog (Nihon Ken) standard
One owns Nihon Ken and understands the breeds’ attractiveness
This is what started the preservation of the Nihon Ken – let’s not allow this attractive animal go extinct.
Formed the Nihonken Hozonkai (NIPPO) and established breed standards
“Let’s inherit these dogs from the past and pass them on to future generations.”NIPPO started to preserve the breeds for future generations.
Standard of the Nihon Ken and current issues
The nature and expression of the Nihon Ken are part of the standard.
Kan’i – boldness or bravery (spirited boldness)
Ryousei – good natured or gentle disposition
Soboku – simplicity or naturalness
Kankaku Eibin – sharp or keen senses
Dousa Binshou – quick or agile movements
Hoyou Keikai Danryoku Ari – Light and elastic gait
2.1 General appearance issues – dogs with short torsos
The standard states that males and females should be distinguishable. Males should have a height to length ratio of 100 to 110, and females should have a slightly longer length compared to their height, with a height of 39.5 cm (15.5 inches) for males and 36.5 cm (14.37 inches) for females, allowing for a difference of 1.5cm above and below. (SHIBA) Dogs are longer than they are tall, with bitches slightly longer.
Recently there has been an increase in female dogs with disproportionately short bodies (short torso) compared to their height. Dogs with short torsos often have restricted movement (gait). Female dogs, especially those fulfilling roles relating to pregnancy and nurturing, tend to have slightly longer body lengths compared to male dogs due to their anatomical structure. However, if a dog’s body length is insufficient, it may lack certain gender characteristics. A short torso in bitches means less puppies.
2.2 Limb structure issues
According to the standard to the standard, the forelimbs should have a moderate slope of the scapula (shoulder blade) and well-developed muscles. The forearm should be straight and the toes should firmly grasp the ground. The feet should be tight for better gripping (cat feet) as this would assist the dog with hunting through the mountains. If the dog has flat feet (hare feet) they can’t grip the terrain as well.
Due to the shallow angle of the scapula. A crucial component of the forelimb, the shoulders are positioned forward, resulting in a shallow chest and weak elbow joint. The elbows may turn outward or even inward, forming a narrow arch. The connection between the forelimbs becomes outward, causing the forelimbs to curve. The long and steep front pasterns further weaken the connection, and the detrimental effects of neck hanging aggravate the issue, leading to an extreme front landing stance. Pasterns should be slightly sloping. Straight pasterns or sloping pasterns are weak, therefore are undesirable. Not enough angulation in the front leads to a chest that is too narrow. Handling can make a front look ok (lifting by neck and setting down where one wants the legs to land) but once the dog stands naturally, it will return to it weak and faulted stance. Improper front angulation causes the dogs to stand learning forward.
Dogs with weak hocks – The standard states that the hindlegs should be powerful, with strong hocks, and the toes should grip the ground firmly. The hindlegs are crucial for propelling a dog’s movement forward. Various types of hock angles are observed, including deep angles, X-shaped hocks, and straight (upright) hocks. Especially common are those resembling sickle hocks. Dogs with excessively deep hock angles significantly impact their agility and overall movement capabilities. Proper stability and secure landings in both the front and hindlimbs are desirable, allowing the dog to stand firmly as if rooted to the ground. From this perspective, limb structure should be emphasized during evaluations, and a front to rear ratio of 6:4 is preferable. Over angulated hocks creates a weak rear, a weak rear creates more grip and strength in the front which off balances the dog. Typically, a dog that has bad front structure has bad rear structure. Short hocks have been a trend, short hocks leads to weak rear structure as it impacts the hindleg structure. A weakness in structure leads to the dog compensating when standing. Correct bone structure leads to correct muscle development!
2.3 Head and neck issues
According to the standard: “broad forehead, well developed cheeks, and a robust neck.”
The forehead should be wide, the cheek area well developed, and the neck of moderate thickness and length. The neck should have supple, strong muscles. A single line called the vertical groove is visible in the center of the forehead, although it is shallow, it should distinct. If there are several wrinkles other than this vertical groove, it becomes a significant fault.
Some dogs with good head development tend to exhibit a slight “apple head” shape. I did not ask for this to be clarified, but what I think is meant by this statement is the forehead is not flat nor is it so domed it creates a helmet like shape.
Is there a connection with the body type of stocky dogs? I do not remember this question being discussed so I have nothing to answer this question. ☹
A straight/flat forehead is undesirable. Too much of a stop is also bad, this tends to be a trend with smaller dogs though (Shiba). Steep stops do not allow a good flow on outline. A nice stop will allow for correct eye shape. Improve the skull shape to improve the eye shape.
2.4 Muzzle and lip issues
Dogs with overlapped upper lips and thin lower jaws. The standard states: “the nasal bridge should be straight, the muzzle well developed, and the lips firm and tight. The teeth should be strong and properly aligned.”
Particularly dogs with overlapping upper lips or when viewed from the side, shallow (thin) lower jaws (not quite duck-billed) are noticeable. The Shiba Inu’s muzzle has a significant feature – it tightens noticeably from the rich cheeks to the stop (forehead area). Since the muzzle is a central part of the face, deviations from the standard can compromise the overall facial aesthetics.
A tongue spot in Nihon Ken are allowed but it is preferred that they do not have a tongue spot. For a Shiba, a tongue spot no more than the size of pad of your pinky finger (fingertip) is allowed. For the medium breeds (Kishu, Shikoku, Kai, and Hokkaido) the spot can be no larger the pad of your pointer/index finger (fingertip). For Akita the tongue spot can be no larger than the pad of your thumb.
2.5 Coat color and quality issues
In Shiba Inu, black and tans with a dark glossy appearance in the color are considered undesirable. This is partly due to the coat not being in perfect condition. As a result black-coated Shiba are often exhibited in a faded black color tone. Shiny black or grey black coat is undesirable. It is becoming more common to have too much tan (creeping tan) on the legs of a black and tan. Black and tans should have a graduation from black to tan on their legs, not solid/clear borders. The extra white markings on a black and tan’s chest should have black borders, not be totally white or bleeding into the white bowtie chest marking. Black and tans have banded colored hair, goes from black to grey to buff.
For red coated dogs, we seek those without an extension of white fur on the face (cheeks) or the front chest. These dogs should have an overall rich red color but the intensity of the hue lacks clarity and appears somewhat dull. Red Shiba should have red on the bridge of their muzzle as well as the cheeks. The urajiro should not make the entire cheek white. White should only be on the inside of the leg, gradually the white goes to red. Clear, distinct borders are undesirable.
Furthermore, in red-coated Shiba, if the white fur on the front chest extends, it should not reach the shoulder joint, instead it stops just before the shoulder.
Hair is 3 banded, darkest color is at the top, followed by a medium color, to the lightest color at the root. Breeders need to pay attention to the eye dot size and the color under the eyes when breeding. Large eye dots and a lot of white under the eyes is undesirable. There has been a trend of too much white on the rear legs.
Sesame – even distribution of black hairs on the head, body, and legs. Shiba and Shikoku sesame are different. The underside of the tail in a sesame should be light in color. Sesame also needs ticking under the eyes.
Sashige – heavy concentrated black ticking on the back only is not good. The black ticking should be evenly distributed.
According to the standard, Nihon Ken* should have a stiff and straight outer coat, a soft and dense undercoat, and come in colors such as sesame, red, black (black and tan), brindle, and white (cream for Shiba). The coat quality and color should reflect the distinctive characteristics of Japanese dogs. *the original notes said Shiba Inu but the NIPPO standard is universal so using context clues, I’m understanding Shiba Inu as Nihon Ken is this situation.
In the 1980 resolution of the review committee, titled ‘Regarding the Arrangement of White Markings and Urajiro” (urajiro is the white markings on the underside). These markings, including facial saku (white hairs on the nasal bridge), front chest (surrounded by both shoulders), front and hind legs (socks), and the tip of the tail, are more appropriately referred to as roppaku (six white markings) rather than urajiro. These markings have a clear boundary between colored and white areas and align with the black and tan coat pattern, representing fixed markings. It is crucial not to confuse them with white spots or urajiro markings.
2.6 Tail problems
Dogs with tails that are not significantly erect are also weak. The standard states that the tails should be “thick and strong, with a sickle or curled tail, and almost reaching to the top of the hock.
The natural thickness of the tail is determined by the thickness of the tail vertebrae. In addition to the thickness of the vertebrae, the thickness of the tail hair (typically longer than the body hair) makes the tail appear even thicker.* It is natural for the normal thickness of the tail to be weak during the shedding season. Soft or uneven tail hair in undesirable. *I reworded what was written in the notes – the exact verbiage is this: to this is added the thickness of the longest tail hair when erect, making the tail appear even thicker.
The tail should be in good balance with the body – thick, well erect, rising from the base of the tail, and not cramped. A well-shaped tail that is suitable for the Shiba Inu is strong and expressive to the tip and allows the tail to uncurl when working is a good tail. (The original words: allows the tail original ability when working is a good tail. Tails will drop when hunting.)
Tail spacing – the space between the back to the tail (if curled): Shiba – golf ball, medium breeds – baseball, Akita – softball.
High tail sets are preferred. Meaning the tail base comes straight from the back.
On breeding
Improvement of defects (avoid repeating defects).
It is easy to break down a good trait, but it takes time and effort to restore it. Bred to improve, it is easy to lose a good trait through breeding and hard to breed back a lost trait.
Emphasis on pigmentation (fundamental mucosal pigmentation). It is easy to get caught up in coat color alone, but it is important to look at the overall pigmentation – inside the mouth, lips, anus. Coat color need to have an overall balance.
Skeletal structure – the importance of re-examining the skeletal structure of each part of the dog’s body.
The standard is EVERYTHING. To understand the Nihon Ken you have to know the standard.
Miscellaneous information shared in the seminar:
Judges judge from overall balance, then they go to the details of the dog and how they meet the standard. Temperament (attitude) is then judged after the detail judging. Judging the dog’s attitude allows you to see the dog’s true nature. Example: active, cheerful, or scared. After understanding the dog’s nature, the judge will nitpick based on the standard. (Not sure if it was Sato-san’s specific way of judging or is a general rule for NIPPO judges).
Rear dewclaws are acceptable. The Kishu Ken have rear dew claws more often as it comes from hunting. Rear dewclaws apparently lead to better balance when hunting through the mountains.
I didn’t grow up in the dog world. We (as in my family) had a dog when I was younger, and I always dreamed of having multiple dogs that did different activities and were my best friends since I was eleven (I was either a really pathetic child or just a weirdo). I had no prior knowledge or experience of anything doggy besides what I read in books and imagined. At the age of 14 I felt the overwhelming desire to show dogs, as I believed the only reputable way to breed dogs was to show them first, then breed them. * I wouldn’t say I’m the smartest person out there, not even close. But I will say I thirst for the knowledge of things that I am interested in, and I get obsessive – I mean dedicated – very easily. I had to learn everything I could about the dog world through Google and good ole fashion books, as no one in my family raised, showed, or bred dogs. Everyone was very into mixed breeds and not buying dogs as there’s more than enough needing homes.
But I digress, when the show dog bug bit me it was in 2007 where the motto was very much ‘breed to improve/better the breed’. I went along with it; I mean nothing is perfect and anything can stand some improvement, ne? But the thought process shifted within the last, I’d say 5ish years. The new mantra was ‘preservation breeder’.
I mean, I’m no English scholar, but those sound rather contradictory to my hillbilly** self. Did we, as a collective whole, improve the breeds to the uttermost perfection in 12 years? Or did we realize there were no ‘real’ improvements to make?
I can see wanting to breed to improve health, especially in a breed that has many health issues (this statement is a general one and not about Shiba). You wouldn’t want to preserve life threatening issues in the name of the breed I would think (again, what do I know?). Breeding for improved temperament is also something I typically don’t have a problem with.*** And I think to an extent it needs to be done. I also support breeding to improve structure that allows the dog to, well dog, but when is it too much of a “good” thing? I personally believe breeding for type as an improvement runs into creating a breed that no longer resembles the breed it was intended to be and promotes hyper types that have no form or function except for being pleasing to the eye (beauty is in the eye of the beholder). Yes, we want all of our dogs to look nice, but give me a dog that can do its job or go hiking for 5 hours, still want to keep going and not break down over a cute little shell of a dog. I can breed a homely dog with good work ethic to a nice-looking dog to get nice dogs with a good work ethic.**** But you can’t breed pretty to pretty with 0 drive and expect a dog to be able to perform.
But preserving the breed as it was originally meant to be, while noble, seemed to have turned into an almost egotistical motive (hell, improving the breed is also egotistical as well). Preserving the breed should be about making sure a piece of history is able to out survive you for future generations to enjoy and embrace the cultural significance the breed bears. We shouldn’t be breeding to improve unless it directly correlates with providing the breed a better quality of life.
Then this is where things get hairy, there are some slight improvements that need to be made per individual dog, as no living organism is perfect, but typically as a whole does the breed need it? You might want to improve a dog’s front assembly so it moves more efficiently and can go hiking for 5 hours or be able to chase prey with better endurance. So, you plan a breeding with the hopes of improving that dog, or maybe in essence, that line to make a more ‘functional’ dog. Is it improving the breed overall?
Some might say, well yes Alexis, that is improving the breed as you fixed the problem in this new dog and this new dog will contribute to the gene pool. But how much will it contribute to the gene pool? If a dog, potentially more than a bitch, but is that individual dog really going to make that much of a difference? Will it be paired up with others that compliment and promote that improvement, affecting more than just a line?
With that train of thought, every time there is a deviation of the standard of said breed and that dog is being bred, is it ruining the breed as a whole or just damning that new dog/line? We dog people all know what happens with popular sire syndrome, there’s good and bad. From personal opinion I’ve seen breeders talk about improving their chosen breed. They have a picture in their mind of what is perfect, which honestly is understandable as standards are open to interpretation and I have found out that many people’s reading comprehension level isn’t where its suppose***** to be and opinions on what are moderate angles seem to differ between individuals, thus making an individual’s ideal/perfect dog differ from the other breeder – which leads to a lot of confusion. But what I find frustrating is the talk of preserving the breed as it was intended with no back up to said claim. Either the dogs don’t have the drive or they do not look like what the country of origin promotes. Last time I checked the Shiba does not belong to me, I did not write the standard. The Nihon Ken Hozonkai (NIPPO) did. What gives me the right to deviate from the standard they composed in order to preserve the native Japanese dogs in their truest form?
My goal, as a breeder (even though I have taken a huge step back for personal reasons), is to preserve the Shiba as it was intended to be, in both looks and in drive. I’m not erasing the almost 100 years of work****** that the NIPPO did. I’m not going to disregard the Japan’s clear wishes in promoting a dog that deviates from the original breeders’ and organization’s hard work. I want future generations to enjoy the Shiba and Kishu as I have, to understand the uniqueness of the breeds, and not turn them into generic dogs. I want to keep this living piece of history alive and functioning as long as I can. Is it egotistical? Maybe, but I feel like I’m doing this out of love and a fear of Japan losing some part of its cultural heritage.
Delilah & Tsubaki playing. May 2022
*Oh my, how that has changed, but again, a topic for another time.
** I’m totally not a hillbilly, as I am not from a mountainous backwoods region. Plus, as it was pointed out my accent is a “store brand fabricated twang”.
*** When I say breeding to improve or better a temperament, I’m talking about creating stable temperaments as a majority of puppies will go to pet owners who may not have the means to handle a difficult dog. It is our duty as responsible breeders to produce sound dogs that will be able to live safely with their owner and in society. Do not agree with watering down temperaments to where anyone can own a dog, as you lose that uniqueness of the breed and just have a generic dog wearing said breed clothing. Unfortunately, it is a very fine line and very few people understand it, it seems. There needs to be a happy medium. Once again, a whole other topic for a different post.
****I know that isn’t exactly how genetics work, but its more of a best case/hope for the best scenario. I would expect some drive put back into the gene pool with this kind of breeding truthfully. But I’m just a young woman with a computer and a passion for words, what can I possibly know?
***** Wow I’m sounding really mean…
****** The Shiba Inu along with the other native Nihon Ken are NOT thousands of years old. They are NOT from the Jomen period, but their ancestors were. There were no breeds, there were not standards, just landrace hunting dogs secluded by geography in different areas of Japan. You cannot have a breed without a written standard. I promise you thousands of years ago there were no written standards for the dogs. The standards of these breeds were written from 1934 – 1936, the founders of the breeders were hunting dogs from the mountains. They were designated by size, small, medium, and large, and later became refined due to the standards set forth by NIPPO.
This is an opinion piece. Basically my thoughts and musing on the subject, which is going to piss off a lot of people. This is by no means fact, just my observations and my opinions based off of these observations.
Ask any reputable preservation breeder of the Shiba Inu about the Mame Shiba and I’m sure you’ll see them cringe and blurt out that the Mame is not a real Shiba but an off-shoot bastardization of the Shiba. Think along the lines of a teacup poodle or yorkie, just a bullshit marketing term to make people shell out more money for an unhealthy dog. I admit, I despise the whole Mame Shiba thing because I see a darker side of the Mame Shiba that people may or may not realize.
Mame Shiba are gaining popularity in Japan, practically any Shiba I met during my last trip was a Mame. Some were slightly smaller than a ‘regular’ Shiba but I saw some that were legit purse dogs, which makes me wonder what they could have been crossed with as they looked more like a Shiba mix than a smaller version of Shiba. I originally thought the smaller size of the Mame was what propelled it to this insta fame. Japanese living spaces are small, especially in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo. A small dog is more appropriate for apartment living, which, I know, a Shiba is already a small dog. So, for the life of me I couldn’t understand why someone decided the Shiba needed to be smaller.
It was on my trips that finally allowed me to understand why the Mame Shiba have become “the Shiba of choice”. There’s famous Mame Shiba Instagram accounts, merchandise being sold, and lots of Mame Shiba cafes where not only are the Japanese but foreigners are being exposed to them! But before I deep dive into this theory, I want to quickly explain a Shiba first.
A Shiba is a small hunting dog from Japan. The breed can suffer from same sex aggression (SSA), resource guarding, high prey drive, and honestly just be little shits if not selected for temperament or socialized/trained.
Shiba are not and should not be a dog for everyone. I liken them to feral little coyotes*. The Shiba is a dog that is for a dedicated owner who understands breed traits and works with the dog and not against it. I hate to admit it, but the average pet owner is not equipped to deal with cunning, borderline feral** dog. They’re use to the western perspective of a dog – which is stereotypically obey because the owner says to.
But who doesn’t want a cute little dog that is almost foxy in appearance?*** The Shiba’s good looks but potentially difficult personality leads to many irresponsibly bred Shiba being purchased and then in turn dumped into rescues or shelters. But what if, hear me out, there’s a smaller, more docile version out there? They would be a novice dog owner’s dream – the looks and an easy-going temperament in an even smaller package?! They’d sell like hot cakes!
A friend of mine surprised me on my 2019 trip to Japan taking me to a Mame Shiba café. These guys were pretty dang cute, they were slightly smaller than my smallest Shiba (who is 14 inches at the shoulder) and looked pretty well proportioned, as compared to some of the Mame I’ve seen (although the structure – the way a dog’s skeleton is put together – left a lot to be desired. BUT I feel like a lot of breeders have not the slightest inkling of what good structure is). Many foreigners in my time block complained at the lack of ‘friendliness’ of the Shiba, something that if anyone looked up breed characteristics of the Shiba they would see they are aloof by nature. These Mame did a great job driving that point home. But at that time, I wasn’t really understanding the significance of the café having 10 Shiba in a small room together with no fights, all them peacefully getting along, and playing. My three Shiba get along and don’t fight, so that didn’t really stand out to me at that time.
The top is a Mame Shiba from the Cafe in Harajuku in 2019. Look at how straight the front and rear is! It is also square, Shiba are not suppose to be square. They are longer than they are tall! Bottom is Nekora in 2019, overall a much more pleasing dog to look at and only slightly taller than a Mame (14 inches at the shoulder)
This last trip I was in Japan for 88 days, so I got to experience the country in a more in-depth way than my previous 2-week adventures. Almost every Shiba I saw ‘out in the wild’ – meaning a pet person owned it and it was not at a dog show – was a Mame. Even the pet stores that sold dogs only had Mame Shiba, no ‘regular’ Shiba. These Shiba I saw on the street were chill and friendlier than I expected, which lead me to believe that they were probably well socialized. I came across a Mame Shiba account where there are multiple reels showing her getting pampered and is just so relaxed through anything her owners do to her – even clipping nails. I watch those videos with awe and slight jealousy as I know mine would not put up with half of what that Mame Shiba does. (I hate to admit, she is really cute.) Then a friend showed me a video at Mame Shiba kennel. This kennel had at least 30 Shiba just chilling in a kennel yard with each other, even with levels of high excitement, these dogs were not getting into spats (as far as I could tell from the videos). Honestly, I think I would struggle to keep 30 Shiba even keel where there are no spats, and I know of some breeders who can’t trust/run their dogs together, yet this kennel was doing it, and it seemed with ease. I watched other videos to see if it was a fluke, it wasn’t.
Which got me thinking, are Mame being selected for easier temperaments? Or is selecting for a smaller dog, inadvertently creating a friendly Shiba? I’m pretty sure I’ve read in my college Biology textbook or some other scholarly text that seemingly unrelated genes can be linked, specifically breeding for one trait leads to some other trait also being expressed as a ‘by-product’. It’s been a while so don’t quote me, I need to find a link.
But I get it, a watered-down dog makes for an easy keeper. I don’t want my Shiba to be similar to a lab or a Golden in temperament while on the flipside I don’t want a dog that requires a master’s degree in dog management to coexist with. I’ve heard breeders (in several different breeds, not just Shiba) brag about how difficult one (or more) of their dogs are. How they have to do XYZ to make it cooperate/bearable to live with. That same dog (or dogs) will most likely be used to make puppies potentially passing along its difficult temperament. Where do the puppies go? To the general public, where the majority cannot handle a ‘strong’ temperament. If a dog person struggles with this type of dog, how could the average pet owner be successful? That’s when a breeder needs to step back and assess their breeding program but that’s a rant for another day. Preservation breeders should strive for a nice middle ground, a small hunting dog that’s not going to terrorize its household but still embodies its ancestors’ spirit. Although is that only what we (preservation breeders) want, while pet owners are wanting the Labrador in Shiba clothing?
The Mame is here to stay, regardless of if we like it or not. I do fear that the Mame will surpass the Shiba in being THE Shiba in the next ten years. If that is the case then our Shiba as we know it will most likely be facing declining numbers, maybe extinction, a fate that the medium sized Nihon Ken are facing right now. Money talks, and with pet owners wanting a smaller, easier dog that resembles just the Shiba in shape, our breed is in serious trouble. I don’t know what the answer is to stop this, as I think there is no stopping it. Education only goes so far, and you can’t educate if no one is willing to listen and understand. The Nihon Ken Hozonkai aka NIPPO actively discourages Mame as it is a deviation of the Shiba Inu (as seen here), as NIPPO was created to preserve to native Japanese breeds as they originally were… but the Mame Shiba already has a registry (nail one in the coffin). I’m not even sure if breeding for generic easy temperament would be able to save the Shiba, even though that is not what I personally want. Which again leads to another discussion of should we breed dogs to fit in with how our society wants them to or do we breed with the goal of preserving the originality of said breed?
A picture I took of the Mame Shiba at the Harajuku café in 2019
*I know coyotes are wild animals and using the word feral to describe them makes no sense, but Shiba can act feral and/or like cunning little coyotes, too smart for their own good. Better now?
**Meaning wild like, not domestic animal turned into the wild to fend for itself. Don’t @ me because descriptive language is my thing, not technicalities. I have a writer’s soul, what a poor scientist I would be…
***I hate it when people say they look like little foxes, I understand the AKC standard even mentions a fox like appearance in reds but have any of y’all actually seen a fox?
A friend made me aware of an Akita Inu event/parade happening in Tokyo on 12/2 in Shibuya in honor of Hachiko’s 100th year. Ironically, I was in Shibuya for the week as I was getting a tattoo done, so the universe must have wanted me to go. I was supposed to leave that morning, but the event was to take place from 2pm – 4pm, me, knowing that if I didn’t go, I would be mad & regret my decision. I booked an extra night at the hotel – which meant checking out & then checking in to a much more expensive but nicer room. I kid you not, that room made me wish I booked it in the beginning even with the price difference!
Anyway, I got to Saturday’s event early as I was not sure what to expect. I’m glad I did as I was able to get close to the barricade to take pictures of the dogs who would be participating in the parade. It got crowded super quickly, which again I wasn’t expecting it to be packed, so I was glad I got there when I did. Unfortunately, I do not speak or understand Japanese, so I could not understand the speeches given before the parade started. But it was nice to see the Akita Inu and experience an event honoring the breed.
These are some edited pictures of the event, with this link having all the pictures I took. All the pictures are unedited except for the ones posted here (which are in the beginning of the album).
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I wasn’t aware of an AKIHO show the next day, luckily for me it was in the morning, so I planned to leave Tokyo at 12:50 to get back to Chiba at a reasonable hour. It was supposed to start at 9am which I was planning on staying until 11 so I had plenty of time to see the dogs, catch the train back to Shinjuku, grab my luggage from the coin locker, and make it to the bus. Due to some technical difficulties the opening ceremony didn’t happen at 9 and the show started around 9:40 (cue my anxiety) but even with that little hiccup I was able to see a fair number of the dogs. I wandered unknowingly to what I assume was the adult male ring.
AKIHO shows are set up differently than NIPPO shows (which I was more familiar with). Again, this event was packed, most likely due to being tied with Hachiko’s 100th year. There was a square barricade, 6 tapes circles spaced out in this square space. Dogs were shown simultaneously in the rings, but it was near impossible to wander to get good photos of dogs in different rings due to the amount of people present. I again was lucky as I got up to the barricade to get photos of the males in front of me. I tried my best to get pictures of the other rings but due to location, people moving, and distance made it hard to do so.
Another thing that really stood out to me was the overall engagement of pet dog owners. The Akita seemed rather friendly and willing to socialize, there was a fair amount of tail wagging from pet and show dogs alike, although there was minor posturing & noise at the other Akita to remind us all that the breed isn’t just giant teddy bears. Outside of the show area there was a ton of pet people out & about with their Akita, who all seemed to love the attention from adoring strangers. Which I’ve never experienced that kind of socialization at a NIPPO show. Granted this might have been because, again, this was tied to Hachiko’s 100th year, drawing Akita owners and fanciers alike to the event. I also have no other AKIHO experience to compare this adventure to.
My time was limited which sucked, but I was happy that I was able to experience an AKIHO show as Akita were my first Nihon Ken crush. I wish I took more photos (a common occurrence for me) but here are edited photos from the event as well as a link to the whole album. All the photos except for the ones in beginning (same ones posted here) are unedited.
Part of the fun of freezing my Florida butt off in Japan, in November is to go to the NIPPO Grand National. This show is held yearly, and this is the first time I’ve been back to Japan since 2019.
Plans got weird, so I made last minute plans to crash a Shiba group in order to go. That included a 4 hour train ride from where I’m staying in Minamiboso City to Narita airport. Due to the nature of living in a rural area, I had to wake up early to make sure I got all my connecting trains to the airport. I left the house at 7am and arrived at the airport at 11am. My flight didn’t leave until 8:55 but due to the schedules, it was better to be way early. I landed at Kansai airport at 10:30pm, took a short train ride to the hotel & fell asleep after midnight (the latest I’ve stayed up since arriving). I had one day to recuperate (which I spent going to the Osaka Pokémon Center & surprise getting lost per usual). Sunday morning was an early morning, we got up at 5am & there were more trains (several hours of riding in them) as well as a taxi ride to the show site.
Luckily for me, it wasn’t too cold, but I was bundled up to the point I’m sure people were wondering why I was so bundled it. It was great seeing the dogs, meeting new people, and just visiting an area I’ve never spent time in.
I also made the journey to Wakayama as in the recent years I’ve taken a special interest in another Nihon Ken – the Kishu Ken. Wakayama is one of the 2 places deemed the birthplace of the Kishu Ken (the other being Mie) since I was in the Kansai due to the NIPPO Grand National I figured I might as well visit. I wasn’t sure if I’d find anything Kishu related as my plans were to visit Momijidani Teien garden, Wakayama castle, & Wakayama Castle Park Zoo, but indeed I did.
Wakayama’s mascot is a Kishu named Ki-Chan. There were keychains, magnets, cookies, stickers, & a shirt with Ki-Chan on it. There were also Kishu on a couple different advertisements. But the icing on the cake was Wakayama Castle Park Zoo actually had Kishu! I was looking for the castle, thinking I’d spend more time at the zoo, so I wanted to do that last, but I got to the zoo first (didn’t realize I needed to climb up the mountain for the castle). The zoo is tiny & that’s all I’m going to comment on about it. As I left from one of several entrances/exists I noticed a brochure with 2 Kishu on them. I opened it up & it said there’s a meet & greet with the Kishu at 11! It was 10:40 so I waited around to see them. I really think it’s amazing the amount of pride Japan has for its native breeds. I have yet to encounter another breed/breed group of dogs saturated in so much cultural significance.
Anyway, here are some of my favorite pictures from the Grand National – 10 out of 341! These ones were slightly edited to enhance the colors. Here is also a link to the public Facebook album.
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Here are pictures from the Wakayama Castle Park Zoo Kishu Ken. Also an informational link about the Kishu Ken who desperately in need more fanciers as it’s an endangered breed!
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Hopefully this post is coherent as I just got back to home base. The flight was the easy part, the 4 & ½ hours of trains, then a bus, then walking up a mountain isn’t necessarily my idea of fun but hey I did it & I didn’t get lost!
I want to preface this with these are my musings, findings, and observations. I am by no means an expert, just an enthusiast who is always learning and asking questions. My intent with this post was less about venting frustrations and more along the lines of observations and education. This post has been at least 6 months in the making, as I was trying my hardest to formulate my thoughts in a positive and constructive manner.
Black and tan Shiba have a special place in my heart – I mean just look, it is the only color I own. What drives me absolutely nuts is the overall discredit that the color gets in the conformation ring. Shiba are not a red only dog, they naturally come in 4 colors, 3 that are acceptable to show. There is no written preference for red over any of the other 2 acceptable colors (sesame and black & tan). To directly quote the AKC Shiba Inu standard “the three allowed colors given equal consideration.”
Hell, the 2014 NIPPO Grand National Prime Minister (Souridaijinsho) award winner was a black & tan male. For the 2022 NIPPO Grand National, the best male and best female Shiba were – surprise – black and tan! How is it that black and tans can and have done well in the top Japanese show (think the Super Bowl of dog shows) while in America they are practically invisible? Is it politics? Lack of good judge’s education? Or is it that red is the safe choice? I mean look at any big American show like the yearly National, regional specialties, and Royal Canin – a majority of the specials are red and most of the winners are red. Where are the black and tans? Where are the sesames?
Black and tan, as a color, does have a lot of little nuances that need to be followed. I’ve been repeatedly told that it is much easier to get a correctly colored red – bright flame orange, no black tipping, strong face color (color around eyes and to the nose), good urajiro (white markings a Shiba must have), and a bow tie pattern on the front. Side note: I have also have seen incorrectly colored reds get rewarded over nice black and tans. So I do dare say it is not a color thing but a lack of good education for the judges and possibly the judge making ‘safe’ choices.
Black and tan is not black and white. The dog still needs to have tan markings, in harmony with the pattern. The black in a black and tan is not pitch, shiny, blue black but a more matte black, and from my understanding, red tones in the coat. Black and tans should have eye dots, not eyebrows or glasses/googles of tan. Eye dots should be circular in shape, similar to if you stuck the tip of your thumb in ink and placed it on paper. To me, a lot of tan ruins the expression of the Shiba, which is a hallmark of the breed.
2 years
4 years
Astrid’s eye dot shape and color.
2 weeks
6 months
1 year
2 years
4 years
Delilah’s eye dot shape and face color. (Nekora x Zorro)
Newborn
2 weeks
2 months
7 months
1 year
Tsubaki’s eye dot shape and face color. (Astrid x Zorro)
4 years
8 years
Nekora’s eye dot shape and face color.
7 months
3 years
Hanzo’s eye dot shape and face color. (Nekora x Taka)
A correct, overall coat of the black and tan is in my humble opinion, a thing of beauty. The black and tan Shiba has an undercoat of red, grey, and/or buff. It is striking when the sun hits the coat, and you see that indeed it is not just a pitch-black dog with tan points. This is probably the hardest thing to achieve in producing a correct black and tan. It seems to be more common to have this undercoat around the neck, hindquarters, and ears. It is harder to get the obvious, even distribution of this undercoat color throughout the entire coat.
5 months
2 years. Photo by C4 Pet Photography
Astrid’s coat color
2 years. Photo by C4 Pet Photography.
Delilah’s coat color. Her coat lacks the undercoat color but she is not blue black. Her color faults is the amount of tan on her face, lack of undercoat color, and she is rather shiny.
7 months
1 year
Tsubaki’s coat color. She is a half sister to Delilah, they share the same sire. Tsubaki’s mother, Astrid is a half cousin to Nekora who is Delilah and Hanzo’s mother.
4 years
Nekora’s coat color
7 months
Hanzo’s coat color. Ironically Hanzo is from a black & tan to black & tan breeding, a taboo breeding as black & tan to black & tan is thought to produce pitch/solid black coats with tan points. My theory is black & tans with good coat color breed together will/should produce good color but in order to avoid incorrect color the following generation should be bred back to a red. In a perfect world I would love to see how many generations of great undercoat black & tan breedings it would take to produce a incorrect coat color.
Another added difficulty is the chest markings. All Shiba, regardless of color, should have bow tie pattern on their chest. It is harder to keep it a clear definite bow tie shape, and the little (for a lack of a better description) individual bars above the bow tie are not required on a black and tan (from my understanding) but seem to be preferred by Japanese fanciers. (bars similar to the first picture.)
Different chest markings on a black & tan. Top 3 have that extra white marking, while I was told is not required it seems to be preferred. Bottom 2 have no extra white markings.
From the AKC Shiba Inu standard. Parts about red or sesame only have been omitted due to the fact that this article is about Black and Tans.
Color
Coat color is as specified herein, with the three allowed colors given equal consideration. All colors are clear and intense. The undercoat is cream, buff or gray.
Urajiro (cream to white ventral color) is required in the following areas on all coat colors: on the sides of the muzzle, on the cheeks, inside the ears, on the underjaw and upper throat inside of legs, on the abdomen, around the vent and the ventral side of the tail… On blacks and sesames: commonly as a triangular mark on both sides of the forechest. White spots above the eyes permitted on all colors but not required.
Black with tan points and urajiro. Black hairs have a brownish cast, not blue. The undercoat is buff or gray. The borderline between black and tan areas is clearly defined. Tan points are located as follows: two oval spots over the eyes: on the sides of the muzzle between the black bridge of the muzzle and the white cheeks; on the outside of the forelegs from the carpus, or a little above, downward to the toes; on the outside of the hind legs down the front of the stifle broadening from hock joint to toes, but not completely eliminating black from rear of pasterns. Black penciling on toes permitted. Tan hairs may also be found on the inside of the ear and on the underside of the tail.
Instead of completely reinventing the wheel, these two resources are an excellent break down of information on judging the Shiba Inu including the nitty gritty of the black and tan color. Here is a link to the National Shiba Club of America’s judge’s education seminar. Slides 42 – 47 are about the Black and Tan color in Shiba. There is also the National Shiba Club of America’s judge study guide.
Below is a scan of an article from the Japanese Shiba Inu club of Great Britain written by Nobi Astumi. This was published in 2002. I feel this is excellent information to share, as I will not rewrite the article or claim it is my own.
Thanks to my Asian Humanities class this semester, I was required to pick one cultural aspect from a country of my choosing in Asia, to write a research paper that was a minimum of 5 pages long with at least 6 academic resources. Challenge accepted. Since Nihon Ken did not have 6 academic sources I went with the next best thing – Japanese wolves with tying wolves to Japanese dogs.
Without further ado here is my research paper – formatted as my professor asked. Spoiler alert – I received 110% on this paper!
Some still say they can hear the howl of the long extinct Honshu wolf in the isolated mountainous forests of Japan. Some stand idly, glass eyes watching descents of the humans who at one time revered it and in turn, extinguished it. The lucky ones still haunt Japan’s forests, streets, and households. Some of the fortunate ones have even found themselves halfway across the world enjoying the spoils of domestication. The Ōkami no bourei – ghost of the wolf – still roams Japan today.
Japan at one time had two grey wolf subspecies, the Honshu wolf that was located on Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu areas and the Ezo wolf that lived in Hokkaido (Knight, 2006, p.3). The last Honshu wolf died in Japan in 1905, the species became extinct due to the epidemic of contagious diseases like rabies and distemper while the Ezo wolf was hunted to extinction around 1868 – 1912 due to livestock operations taking place in Hokkaido (Knight, 1997). The Japanese wolf was not viewed as a murderous or criminal individual as its cousins of the west were perceived. It was viewed as an important mountain spirit (yama no kami) as it kept away destructive wildlife such as deer and boar from crop fields. In Japan there are several Shinto shrines that have the wolf as its otsukai, which is a messenger to the gods/divine spirits (kami). The Mitsumine shrine in Saitama is one of the most famous shrines to have an ōkami no otsukai. Ōkami, which is Japanese for wolf, phonetically means great deity, which rooted the animal in a mainly positive light in Japanese history (Walker, 2005, p. 69). This might have led to its significance in one aspect of Japanese culture that is not commonly talked about.
Perhaps, only to me, what is really fascinating about the Japanese wolf is the fact that it seems to be so interwoven in Japanese dog culture and history. According to modern research, the Japanese wolf might actually be one of the closest relatives to dogs, as its DNA differs (like domestic dogs) from the modern Grey wolf. With the help of genome sequencing, scientist were able to find that the Siberian wolf’s evolutionary pathway split, one way leading to the Japanese wolf while the other to the dog. This is one of the first times that wolf DNA was found to be so closely related to dog DNA (Gamillo, 2021). Early visitors of Japan even commented how Nihon Ken, “looked and acted more like wolves…” (Walker, 2005, p.52). In Walker’s book “The Lost Wolves of Japan” backs up the modern claim, stating that DNA testing does not yield definitive distinctions between Japanese dogs and wolves is most likely due to the fact that Japanese breeds such as the Shiba Inu or Akita Inu are not only phenotypically similar to wolves, but they can also be considered one of the closest genetic relatives to wolves and nomadic pariah dogs (p. 26). Although an opposing side to this comes from Knight’s book “Waiting for Wolves in Japan”. He claims that there is a widespread assumption that waken are descendants of the Japanese wolf. Even though, at the time the book was published (2006), it was believed that the native dogs of Japan, the waken, were actually descendants of wolves from the Arabian Peninsula and South Asia (p. 210). But current research, at this time, has debunked that thought process. The new DNA evidence suggest that the Grey wolf species that dogs are descended from actually come from east Asia., not from the Middle East as originally thought. This wolf line eventually migrated to Japan and there is some evidence that the Japanese wolf line did interbreed with the dog line prior to it reaching Japan (Yirka, 2021). But new information was found in the regards of the still unknown origin of the Japanese wolf. It follows the thought that the Japanese wolf is a hybrid between a giant Pleistocene wolf and unknown wolf variant. The unknown wolf variant could have been responsible for the small size, as it is theorized to be small as well (Takashi, 2022). The Pleistocene wolves were much larger than the Japanese wolves, they reached 70 centimeters in height. DNA from a female Pleistocene wolf skull and DNA from a male Japanese wolf skull showed that the Japanese wolf was genetically related to the Pleistocene wolf lineage (Martin, 2022).
Nonetheless, the Japanese wolf and the Nihon Ken culture are still intertwined with each other. The yamainu were originally developed for hunting. Even hunting terminology relates to the Japanese wolf and the hunting style of the yamainu. Ōkamiryō which translates to wolf hunting, is a technique to hunt wild boar. The hunting group fans out to surround the boar while the dogs prevent the boar’s escape. This hunting style is believed to mimic the hunting abilities of a wolf pack. Another term for this hunting technique is called ōkamioi, which translates to wolf chasing (Knight, 2006, p. 210).
Kishu Ken holding a boar. Art by Alexis Amerosa
One of Japan’s tennen kinenbutsu, or national treasures is the Kishu Ken. The Kishu Ken is a medium sized Nihon Ken that retained subarashii yaseimi, or wonderful wildness in both looks and spirit. A well-known folklore dedicated specifically to the Kishu Ken is the story of a hunter who stumbles upon a sick wolf in the forest. He discovers what is ailing the wolf is a bone lodged in her throat. He bravely sticks his hand in the wolf’s mouth, freeing her of the bone. As a thank you, she later gifts one of her pups to the hunter, the pup, in turn becomes an amazing boar hunter and becomes the forefather of the Kishu Ken. Due to this legend, even modern-day hunters believe that the Kishu has wolf’s blood coursing through their veins. Wolf themed names for Kishu Ken are fairly common, (Knight, 2006, p. 210 – 211). Kishu Ken breeders also tend to choose a wolf themed name for their kennel as well. Kishu Ken are still regarded as phenomenal hunters, the phrase ichijyu ikku translates to one gun, one dog, is used to describe the hunting techniques of a Kishu. Simply put, you only need one dog (Kishu) and one gun to have a successful hunt, as Kishu are so skillful with hunting no other breed can compete (Nihonken Hozonkai). The Kishu Ken was given the status of tennen kinenbutsu in 1934 by Nikon Ken Hozonkai (NIPPO), or the Japanese Dog Preservation Society (Nihonken Hozonkai). Ironically enough, the Kishu Ken was developed in the Kii Peninsula, (Chiba, 2003, p. 47) where not only was the last wolf of Japan was killed in 1905 but there are also numerous ‘wolf’ sightings and claims of wolf hybrids (Knight, 2006, p.195 – 196).
Another breed of Nihon Ken that has wolf heritage is the Ainu or Hokkaido Ken. The Hokkaido Ken is considered to be the oldest of the Nihon Ken. They are the medium sized dogs that the Ainu (the indigenous people of Japan) took with them when they were forced from the main island of Japan to settle in Hokkaido thousands of years ago (Dowdy, 2020). The Ainu’s lifestyle relied heavily on hunting due to the short summers and harsh long winters of Hokkaido. They needed hardy dogs that could withstand the extreme cold, as well as have a strong sense of tenacity and vigilance as they were used for hunting bear (Chiba, 2003, p. 50). The Ainu appreciated the hunting skills of the wolf so much that they tried to reproduce the wolf’s traits into their dogs through intentional and unintentional breedings. One account of this cross breeding was in 1792 in Sōya, Hokkaido. An Ainu bitch went into the mountains while she was in heat and mated with a wolf. She returned to the post and whelped three puppies. The wolf sire also periodically ventured into the post, extremely wary of the village life. Eventually the wolf and bitch took the puppies back into the mountains, with the bitch visiting periodically until she was killed in the mountains (Walker, 2005, p. 85 – 86). The Ainu were claimed to make no distinction in regard to wolves and dogs, as they were one in the same. The Ainu considered them as wolves when they behaved as wolves in the wilds of the mountains but as dogs in the villages where they were in the company of humans. The behavior and location of the animals dictated what they were considered. (Walker, 2005, p.87)
Shiba Inu flushing a pheasant. Art by Alexis Amerosa
The Shiba Inu, while not directly linked with any wolf folklore, has been considered one of the breeds closely related to the wolf. One has to question if this is due to the fact that the smallest of the Nihon Ken is so popular both in and out of Japan, making it readily available for DNA testing or is there a little more behind it than originally thought? Skeletal remains of Japanese wolves have been found buried in archaeological sites from the Jomon period (10,000 – 250 B.C.) (Ishiguro, 2009). But the same claim is made about the Shiba Inu, as skeletal remains of dogs with the close resemblance of the Shiba Inu has been uncovered at Jomon archaeological sites as well (Chiba, 2003, p. 44). These skeletal remains of Jomon dogs gave rise to a new line of Shiba, modeled after the bone structure of these remains. Interestingly enough, the Jomon Shiba have been shown to have less copies of the amylase gene (gene used to in starch digestion, like rice) as compared to the modern Shiba Inu. Theories behind this is rice farming might have been introduced sooner to the area where Shiba might have originated from versus where the Jomon Shiba originated from (Tonoike, 2015). But could selecting for phenotype possibly have an effect on the genotype of the Jomon Shiba, especially in regard to amylase gene? The Jomon Shiba was recreated from modern Shiba Inu for the specific look of ancient waken. Could this unintentional selection lead to more “wolf” like DNA, leading to smaller numbers of genes that digest starch, as dogs evolved to be able to consume starches through domestication?
Japanese wolves were not big wolves, they are actually smaller than any subspecies of Canis lupus. This is due to the island effect where large animals are dwarfed to adapt to the environment (Walker, 2005, p. 48 – 49). The Japanese wolf’s height at the shoulder is recorded as slightly taller than 30 centimeters (Knight, 2006, p. 194) while the standard for a Shiba Inu bitch is 36.5 centimeters (Nihon Ken Hozonkai). Due to the fact that yamainu and ōkami were not differentiated by the Japanese, some of the claimed to be wolf skulls were actually mountain dog skulls (Ishiguro, 2009). Genetic research has found multiple genes in the Shiba Inu that determine smaller body size, as the study used both the Shiba Inu and the bastardization of the Shiba called the mame Shiba (Lyu, 2021). There has been a deliberate selection to try to produce a slightly smaller “breed” of Shiba. The Nihon Ken Hozonkai strongly opposes alterations of tennen kinenbutsu breeds, such as the Shiba Inu, as the Nihon Ken Hozonkai’s mission is to preserve Japanese native breeds as the breeds are a cultural asset that was close to extinction after World War II (Nihon Ken Hozonkai). Mapping the genomes of both Shiba did lead to an interesting study that the small size in mammals is controlled multiple genes, as both Shiba are genetically similar. This makes me wonder, due to the Shiba’s claimed genetic closeness to the wolf, the Japanese wolf’s genetic closeness to domestic dogs, and the fact that both yamainu and ōkami skulls were found at Jomon archeological sites, could the possibility of cross breeding of the waken and Japanese wolf led to the Shiba’s small size?
Even though there are claims of Japanese wolves stealthy still roaming Japan’s mountainous regions, in reality, the possibility of wolves evading human contact for 117 years seems extremely unlikely. In 1996, Hiroshi Yagi saw a wolf like canine in Chichibu, an area that is traditionally considered the wolf worship center of the Kanto region. The animal was short legged, pointy eared and had a black tail tip. The pictures of this animal were sent to Yoshinori Imaizumi who is Japan’s lead wolf researcher. The animal was dubbed the ChichibuYaken (wild dog) (Martin, 2019). Another ‘wolf’ encounter happened in 2000 in the Fukuoka Prefecture. A man photographed a medium sized canine with pricked ears and a coat of black and grey. The photo also shown to Imaizumi who said it did resemble a wolf. Naoki Maruyama of the Tokyo College of Agriculture and Industry claimed that the ‘wolf’ looked more like a German Shepherd mix. (Walker, 2005, p. 24 – 26) Although looking at the photo myself, it looks like a Shikoku Ken, one of Japanese waken and a breed erroneously called the Japanese wolfdog. Unfortunately, there is no verified evidence of the Japanese wolf, all that is left of the species are taxidermy specimens located in the National Museum of Nature and Science (Tokyo), The University of Tokyo (Tokyo), Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Nature History (Wakayama), and the National Museum of Natural History (Leiden, Netherlands) (Ishiguro, 2016). The closest one can get to interacting with a Japanese wolf would be through Nihon Ken. Besides being phenotypically and genotypically close the wolf, the Nihon Ken do share some behavioral patterns of wolves. Studies have shown that Nihon Ken typically sought out owner attention less frequently than European/western breeds (Nagasawa, 2017), similar to how a wolf, even when raised by humans does not necessarily seek out human attention or seek out eye contact. Edward Morse, an American zoologist at Tokyo University stated that Japanese breeds are of the “wolf variety”, claiming that they howl instead of bark due to the state of semi feralness. Even Darwin commented that “… dogs relapse from their cultivated state to a semi-savage one, they lose the bark and take on the howl again.” (Walker, 2005, p.52).
History is what makes culture. The Japanese wolf has left its mark in both religious context and beliefs, as well as branding itself in Japanese dog culture. The Nihon Ken boast as rich and unique cultural aspect due to the ōkami folklore that surrounds the waken. Something that most other breeds cannot claim.
Works Cited
Chiba, M. (2003) Japanese Dogs: Akita, Shiba, and other breeds.
Ishiguro, I., Y., & Sasaki, M. (2017). “Computed tomography examination and mitochondrial DNA analysis of Japanese wolf skull covered with skin.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 79(1), 14–17. https://doi.org/10.1292/jvms.16-0429
Knight, J. (2006). Waiting for Wolves in Japan. University of Hawai’i Press.
Lyu, F., C., Zhu, S., Ren, S., Dang, W., Irwin, D. M., Wang, Z., & Zhang, S. (2021). “Whole genome sequencing reveals signatures for artificial selection for different sizes in Japanese primitive dog breeds.” Frontiers in Genetics, 12, 671686–671686. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2021.671686
Nagasawa, O, M., Mogi, K., & Kikusui, T. (2017). “Intranasal Oxytocin treatment increases eye-gaze behavior toward the owner in ancient Japanese dog breeds.” Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1624–1624. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01624
Tonoike, Hori, Y., Inoue‐Murayama, M., Konno, A., Fujita, K., Miyado, M., Fukami, M., Nagasawa, M., Mogi, K., & Kikusui, T. (2015). “Copy number variations in the amylase gene (AMY2B) in Japanese native dog breeds.” Animal Genetics, 46(5), 580–583. https://doi.org/10.1111/age.12344
Walker, B. (2005). The Lost Wolves of Japan. University of Washington Press.
I read this article last night. I had time to think it over, digest it, and hopeful write a good opinion of it. First off, I enjoyed the article. While it does not directly relate to my breed, I could easily envision the Shiba being part of the article. The Shiba was once a hunting breed. The Shiba is now mainly a companion and an occasional rat or lizard killer. People will argue that their Shiba is a hunter because, like any dog, it will chase, catch, and unalive the unfortunate quarry. Does this make the dog a hunting dog, or simply a dog acting on instinct? From my limited knowledge but thanks to my lust for it, I have learned that the Nihon Ken aren’t typically hunting dogs anymore*, but more show/companion dogs. Especially the Shiba Inu. Gone are the days that the little brushwood dog goes streaking in the mountains after prey, flushing or even baying (as I have heard), the quarry for their owner to dispatch. Pouncing on lizards in the backyard is hardly hunting in the way the breed was originally developed. Hunting in Japan (again from my limited but romantic view on it) was where the dog and the hunter worked together to locate, flush or hold, and eventually dispatch the pheasant, rabbit, deer, or boar. It wasn’t necessarily the dog going ‘hold my beer, I got this.’ It was a complicated dance of understanding between two beings and the balance between life and death. Can today’s Shiba do that? I honestly think not. Who’s to blame? Show breeders? The decline of hunting for food? The society’s need for a softer, easier going pet? People turning the breed into something of their own creation out of greed with no regard to the culture or history behind it? Am I to blame? I show my dogs in conformation. I participate in multiple performance events/venues – heck all three of my Shiba are NSCA (National Shiba Club of America) Versatile Shiba Inu recipients. But… I don’t hunt. I do not participate in the activity that the breed was originally developed for. Can my Shiba track a boar or deer? Can they hold it until someone comes to end the animal’s life? Can they be fast, smart, and strong enough to survive a wild animal fighting for its life? When I go hiking, they definitely are searching – noses to the ground, muzzle thrusted into wild pig ruttings, or scenting the air as we approach where a wild animal was once at very recently. We have encountered boar, deer, turkey, armadillo, opossums, raccoons, and I swear a bear**. Each animal we’ve encounter, my Shiba went into the primitive state of let’s get it (especially with the feral pigs). But that is not hunting in the traditional sense. That’s not teamwork, that’s a disregard to any training, giving into raw instinct that would probably get them killed. Do I think my Shiba have what it takes to be a hunting dog? Honestly, I do not know. Do I like to think they could – of course. But wanting them to be versus what they are, are two different things. They can and will track – it’s more of a hobby for them. Something fun to do while out in the Florida scrub. Are they following some kind of ancestral guidance? Hopefully. But I wouldn’t know if they can perform as hunting dogs in days past until I put them to the test. But I’m not a hunter. This is my dilemma. Am I really preserving the Shiba as it was meant to be? This is the question I feel I cannot answer, and it haunts me. I am not a hunter. I have never hunted in my life. So, I voice my opinion on hunting on the simple fact of doing research and listening to stories. With that being said the article gave me a lot to think about, now I must figure out what I will do with this information. Here is an older article I did on hunting with Nihon Ken several years ago, which I feel pertains to my jumbled thoughts.
*Kishu are still used for hunting in Japan. I’ve also heard of some Shikoku are as well. (I have a friend who has used/uses both). I saw some hunting line Shiba on my last trip, but I do not know how successful they are. ** I can’t be for certain it was a bear, but I’ve never experienced the quiet of the woods where even the squirrels were silent and not daring to move. A slow rustling was all we heard, the girls were on high alert – on their tip toes, hackles bristling, Delilah let out the loudest snarl/bark I’ve ever heard, which echoed through the scrubby woods. I had to DRAG them away from the area, they were ready to fight. I did not stay around to see it. There was no way that was a bobcat, it sounded large and heavy. Cats are quiet.
So I decided before I make the huge leap into creating an online shop that I’d make a rinky dink page attached to my website selling a couple of the Shiba Inu items I brought back from Japan. I’m hoping to expand my inventory & possibly stock several units of the same item. But we’ll see how it goes, it’ll be a learning experience either way.
Boomlay Shiba Inu 