NIPPO – Boomlay Shiba Inu

NIPPO Classic Seminar notes 2024

Posted on May 7, 2024May 7, 2024 by boomlayshiba

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.

Breeding to Better or Preserve the Breed?

Posted on March 15, 2024 by boomlayshiba

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.

EDITED IMG_4481 — 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.

The Mame Shiba – Here to Stay

Posted on March 11, 2024March 10, 2025 by boomlayshiba

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.

Mame versus Shiba — 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?

Mame 2 — 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?

NIPPO Grand National 2023

Posted on November 22, 2023 by boomlayshiba

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.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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!

The Black & Tan Shiba

Posted on November 15, 2023November 15, 2023 by boomlayshiba

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

C4 Pet Photography Delilah 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.

Nekora’s coat color

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.

Hunting with Nihon Ken

Posted on March 17, 2018March 17, 2018 by boomlayshiba

3A0035E4-0F1B-4E6F-A3C3-245B4813A2FF — Baron and Shigeru after successfully taking a 60kg (132.3lbs) male boar. This is probably the most dangerous size of boar due to their razor sharp tusks, the boar’s speed and mobility.

Shigeru Kato is an important member of the Nihon Ken community. He helps with the exportation of Japanese dogs to breeders not located in Japan. He has a website dedicated to promoting and preserving the six native Japanese dog breeds (JapanDogExport.com). He also has a an informational blog that includes subjects such as registration numbers in the Nihon Ken, available dogs for export, and hunting news/information (The Nihon Ken Blog).
Since I knew Shigeru was an avid hunter I asked him a couple of questions in regard to hunting with Nihon Ken and he generously allowed me to share a blog post he wrote about hunting with Nihon Ken.

1. What made you decide to start hunting with Nihonken? Were you a hunter before you started using dogs? What’s the difference between using dogs for hunting versus hunting solo?

Other than my first season as a hunter (when my first dog was still a pup), I’ve always hunted with dogs. I started hunting to begin with because I wanted to get away from eating factory farmed meat. With the increasing number of boar and deer in Japan, an aging population of hunters, and widespread crop damage, hunting was the no brainer alternative.

I’ve always loved sneaking around watching wild animals, I used to do a lot of stalking just for fun, so the first hunting season was pretty much just an extension of that, only I was carrying a shotgun now. Here in Japan if you’re going to hunt wild boar and be successful at it, you need to use dogs or you’ll never see them. They’re generally nocturnal over here, and we’re only allowed to hunt from sun up to sun down.

I’ve always loved dogs, so getting to choose a breed was a lot of fun. In the end it came down to a simple idea that the hunting breeds that had evolved for thousands of years here in Japan were probably best suited to the game and terrain.

I can’t really speak to the difference between hunting with or without dogs. What I will say is that hunting with your own dogs is an amazing adventure, and once things start to click and you’re hunting as a real team it’s quite a magical experience.

2. How do you train Nihonken for hunting?

Being a primitive hunting breed, hunting is mostly instinctual. A pup has it bred into it, or it doesn’t. More than actual training to hunt, I work on the important things to be able to hunt safely with them. You obviously want a dog that has some semblance of a recall, is socialized and not going to be aggressive toward strangers (and hopefully not toward strange dogs either, but that’s a bit more difficult with the Nihon Ken), and will hunt fairly close to you. I’m basically going through simple obedience training with pups from when they’re 2 months old, socializing them a lot, getting them used to the smells of the game we’ll be hunting, playing and walking off leash a lot, and as they get older, learning how to move around obstacles in the mountains.

As they get from 8 months to a year old, I’ll introduce them to a live boar. Since we trap nuisance animals in the neighborhood (around 70 this past fiscal year), that’s often their first experience is to see a boar in a box trap. I want the dog to be aware of the boar, wary at first, and then hopefully to vocalize a bit (but that’s not a deal breaker for the first time). If a dog gets it right away and is moving around the boar with a lot of barking, the next experience will be to take them to a facility that has boar in a large pen. Here I want to imprint on the dog that boar is definitely what we’re after, and that they are dangerous, so be careful.

Once I’ve gotten to this point, it’s just about getting out in the mountains with them a lot. Experience is the best teacher, and it’s all about repetition.

3. What in your opinion makes a good hunting dog? What do you look for when selecting a hunting dog?

There’s a term in the Nihon Ken standard, ‘Ryo-sei’. I translate it to mean a dog with a good balanced temperament. I think a dog with ryo-sei makes a great hunting companion and a great pet as well. A good hunting dog is going to help you bring back meat for the table, is going to stay out of the way of injury, and help you hunt safely (that means you and other people/dogs you meet). This dog will switch it on in the mountains, but is just as comfortable switching off back at home and curling up by the fire.

When selecting a dog for hunting, I’m looking for a curious, even tempered dog that bounces back from surprising noises quickly (but is not oblivious to them). Obviously I need a curious dog that has some drive to hunt. An even tempered dog will be a joy to own, and if the dog doesn’t work out as a hunter, finding a new home will be easy. Bouncing back from negative experiences quickly is important when hunting boar, since they are dangerous game, charge a lot, and put a lot of pressure on the dogs.

4. What was/is your most memorable experience you had hunting with your dogs?

I’m not sure if they are the most memorable because they were special, or because my memory is fading, but there were two hunts from this last season that come to mind. The first was the most perfect and clean boar hunt I’ve been on bar none. I had my two Kishu with me, Baron and his daughter Karen, and within 5 minutes we were dragging out a 125kg boar. The dogs had picked up the scent immediately after we left the car, I took the high ground, and they had this mountain of a boar locked down right where he had been sleeping in thick bamboo cover. The dogs were baying and tustling together as a perfect team, I slipped in and one head shot later the boar was down.

The other hunt was a month or so later. Baron got very seriously injured this season when we were jumped by a large group of monkeys, so I had to start hunting the younger dogs more. Without much expectation I took Karen and Rin (young Shikoku female) out together as a pack, and that first day was shocking. They got on a boar right away, it got away, but 20 minutes later they were on another, and the day kept going like that. They were growing by leaps and bounds as a little hunting pack right before my eyes, and I was so proud of them. To see the dog’s genetics come through in dogs you produce is amazing.

5. Do you have any words of wisdom in regards to owners wanting to hunt with their Nihonken or why keeping the hunting “spirit”/prey drive is important for the Nihonken?

Well to borrow the words of an old NIPPO judge, a Nihon Ken that doesn’t hunt is not a true Nihon Ken. They’re a working breed, and since our goal here in Japan is preservation, that means preservation of not just the ‘look’ of the breed, but its temperament and working ability as well. To truly appreciate and understand the totality of the Nihon Ken, one must understand and respect its heritage. The traits that draw us to these breeds are there because of generations upon generations of selection, some of it human, but much of it natural, which created this magnificent, yet primitive hunter. If we are to preserve these breeds, selecting only for show will destroy them, leaving only a shell, a beautiful dog that has lost its soul.

As far as advice for owners that are thinking about hunting with their dogs, I would say it is extremely rewarding. You will experience an amazing bond as you learn to hunt together as a team. There an immense amount of joy that I feel just watching my dogs running through the mountains. They’re enjoying themselves to the fullest, free to dog. But here is where my advice comes in. Hunting is a life and death experience, for the animals you are hunting, and for you and your dog. It is a serious thing, not to be taken lightly. Make sure you’re ready to be out there physically and mentally to back up your dog, and make sure your dog is also physically prepared to be out there, and has the experience necessary to be as safe as possible.

230C02AC-8B88-42FB-9078-B6B0BE4D6D00 — Two Kishu working a boar. The Nihon Ken tend to hunt well in male/female pairs

Hunting and the Nihon Ken
By Shigeru Kato

The Japanese dog is first and foremost, a hunting dog. It is often said that a Nihon Ken that does not hunt, is not a true Nihon Ken. Hunting is the sole reason these breeds were born, and it is the reason they still exist today. The entire standard for these breeds was written to preserve the traits seen in a sound working dog. Temperament should be strong and bold, but balanced with calm confidence, as the words ‘kan-i’ and ‘ryosei’ in the standard suggest. Structure should be athletic, showing strength, power, and agility, while movement should be light. And finally, ‘soboku’ describes the aura and look of the Japanese dog. It can be translated to mean an unadorned beauty, not showy or flashy, but having a natural and simplistic beauty. The hunting Nihon Ken is a beautiful animal.

Unfortunately the Nihon Ken of today is primarily bred for show, leading to a decrease in the number of capable working dogs. With the decrease in hunters in Japan, more and more dogs are bred with non-functional structure and temperaments. In Japan, the modern hunter more often than not owns one of the many purpose bred western breeds for hunting, and big game hunters often use ‘ji-inu’ which translates to ‘local dog’. These breeds are often loosely based on the original Nihon Ken, which makes sense since the 6 Nihon Ken breeds were originally formed from dogs bought (or stolen!) from mountain hunters. These ji-inu are a mix and match of many breeds, and some also include blood from western breeds like hounds.
The hunting style in Japan has also changed over the years. Gone is the ‘matagi’ of old, the subsistence hunters who hunted large game, usually alone, and often with only 1 or 2 dogs. Today’s hunter usually hunts in large group hunts (not unlike European driven hunts), with packs of dogs that flush out prey. The matagi hunted in a style known as ‘nagashi-ryo’ where the hunter and dog work together as a team, the dog keeping in close proximity to, and regularly checking in with, the hunter as they walked through the mountain, often for many miles.

The Nihon Ken is a hot nosed breed, meaning it only reacts to hot (fresh) tracks. The dog’s job is to find the desired game, and to flush and then hold it at bay till the hunter arrives. Western breeds are often bred to a single hunting skill set. In the case of boar dogs for example, they can usually be split into catch dogs, and bay dogs (dogs that either attack and bite the boar to stop it, or dogs that run around the boar barking and dodging its charges). The Nihon Ken however is a different animal. These breeds are intelligent, with a strong prey drive, coupled with a strong natural survival instinct. They also have a great capacity to learn from experience. Dogs often develop their own balanced hunting style, combing baying with nipping and catching when necessary to stop the boar from running. They will also adjust their attack based on their evaluation of the strength of their quarry. One can often see a seasoned hunting Nihon Ken sizing up its opponent even before it can see it, based entirely on the animal’s scent.
A professional hunter like the matagi had no interest in aggressive or overly forward dogs that would continually become injured when tackling dangerous game. They prized quality dogs that could be hunted solo or in pairs. More dogs means more mouths to feed, and for a matagi living in a small mountain community, feeding a large group of dogs would have required too much effort. The term ‘ichijyu ikku’ means ‘one gun, one dog’ essentially describing the matagi way of hunting. One man, and one dog, successfully bringing home meat for the table. A dog that can be hunted solo with a high success rate is a prized possession even today.
Each of the Nihon Ken specialized in hunting the type of prey inhabiting their region of origin. The Kai hunted Kamoshika (Chamois) high in the mountains of Yamanashi prefecture, which is why the breed is still the most agile of the Nihon Ken, and a terrific climber. Owners of the breed can attest to the breed’s seeming love of heights and climbing, which make it a very difficult dog to keep confined. The Kishu were big game hunters, specializing in stopping boar in the mountains of Wakayama prefecture, and to this day many in the breed retain the temperament and instinct necessary to hunt this dangerous game. The breed is confident and not overly excitable, but once they are focused on their prey, they are fearless with seemingly endless stamina. The Shikoku hunted big game as well, in the high mountains known as the ‘Tibet of Japan’ on Shikoku island. Their athleticism, high energy, and tenacity are still evident in the breed today. The Shiba was used for hunting small game and birds, which means a fast, energetic dog was preferred. The Hokkaido specialized in hunting the dangerous Brown Bear, meaning a highly vocal and tenacious hunter, with the build and strength to move quickly through deep snow, was required. They also needed enough speed to hunt the large Ezo deer native to Hokkaido. The Akita, while greatly changed today from its ancestor the Matagi Ken, was once a medium sized hunting breed, working large game in the snowy mountainous north of Honshu.

While to my mind all the breeds have their specialties when it comes to hunting, truth be told all 6 of the Japanese breeds were all round hunters. A subsistence hunter is not too particular about what he puts on the table, and the Nihon Ken of today will hunt just about anything it is allowed to. I have seen Shiba working boar, Kai hunting birds, Kishu hunting bear, Akita hunting boar, Hokkaido hunting boar, and Shikoku hunting badgers. These are intelligent, athletic, and versatile hunters.
To truly appreciate and understand the totality of the Nihon Ken, one must understand and respect its heritage. The traits that draw us to these breeds are there because of generations upon generations of selection, some of it human, but much of it natural, which created this magnificent, yet primitive hunter. If we are to preserve these breeds, selecting only for show will destroy them, leaving only a shell, a beautiful dog that has lost its soul.

B7AF90F6-FD45-4011-8827-BD5EDA4F1561 — “We hunt from the high ground as it gives the hunter and dog the advantage of moving down hill. If the boar runs, the dog will often be able to stop the boar again once they reach the bottom of the gully.”

86DD8991-5BF8-4ED7-9B25-03A71E5F1AEE — The Shikoku is a tenacious hunter with a higher pitched bark and is less gritty than the Kishu

My Experience At The NIPPO Grand National

Posted on January 5, 2018January 11, 2018 by boomlayshiba

254 — Me showing Sawa No Benika in the Wakainu2 class at the NIPPO Grand National in 2016 in Chiba

Before I jump into this article I would like to thank Yumi Hagiwara and Shigeru Kato for their help by sharing their wealth of knowledge for this article.

This article, though it may be long, is informative about the technical side of NIPPO as well as my personal experience. In Japan. I went to Hiroshima in 2015 and Chiba in 2016 for the NIPPO Grand National. The Grand National is held on either the second or third weekend of November. One day is reserved for the judging of Shibas and the other day the remaining breeds are judged. The second day after the breed judging, all the Saikosho (BOB) winners (Shiba, Kishu, Shikoku) from the Seiken (adult) class compete for the Souridaijinsho (Prime Minister award).

Nihonken Hozonkai , also known as NIPPO, is an organization dedicated to the preservation of the native Japanese dogs – the Akita, Shiba, Shikoku, Kishu, Kai, and Hokkaido. NIPPO organizes shows – the largest one being the Grand National. Hundreds of breeder/owners and their dogs flock there for their chance to be recognized for their quality. The dogs competing in the Grand National must have received at least one yuuryou (excellent) rating from a regional NIPPO show. Only the winners from the Seiken class are eligible to compete for Saikosho. In order for the Saikosho winner to be eligible to compete for the Souridaijinsho there must be enough dogs/placements handed out. Usually the only breeds with enough entries for this honor are the Shiba, Kishu, and Shikoku.

NIPPO shows are held outside – the Grand National is no different. In Hiroshima it was held in a giant muddy field. The rain waits for no one and the show must go on literally. It reminded me of Florida, except it was cold… Very cold… I got very muddy my first show – my shoes were caked in mud, my feet were soaked, and I kept wishing I had a pair of rain boots. I wasn’t able to go shopping and I have quite big feet so I don’t think I would have had much luck in the woman’s department. I’m sure I received a lot of disapproving stares on the train ride home. But it was worth it to see all the amazing dogs. It was my first time seeing Shikoku, Kishu, and a Sesame Shiba in person – and they were gorgeous beyond belief! The show in Chiba was very pleasant – we got rain the first day (yes there was more mud – I started having flashbacks) and it was cold. The second day was a vast improvement, the sun was shining and it was warm. I was able to peel off layers of clothes. This Florida girl does not tolerate the cold at all; therefore, I made sure I bundled up. But once again the show was held in a huge field. Several large rings dotted the landscape, large white tents created a border around the rings giving it a nice, safe feel. There’s a large red and white striped tent, where the announcers sat, hat sellers were stationed, and where the prizes where kept. It was also where the judges ate lunch, much different from an AKC show.

The way dogs are handled at NIPPO shows is totally different from how dogs are handled in AKC. There is no baiting or touching the dog. The dog must stand in front of the handler to show off its kan-i (the dog’s spirited boldness) with the leash at a 45 degree angle. If the angle is any sharper it causes wrinkles, ruining the dog’s expression. For NIPPO judges a good expression is one of the most important things, followed by coat quality, body structure, and good character with a simple, general appearance. Judging starts at the dog’s front, side, and then rear end.

What judges look for when judging the dog from the front is the dog’s expression, ear pitch, and for a strong front assembly. When the judge moves to the side of the dog they get a better idea of the structure, and see the coat quality and color. When judging from behind the judge is making sure the dog has the correct urajiro on the tail, and down the hock if red. If the dog is black and tan they are looking to make sure the dog has black on its hocks in addition to the correct urajiro on the tail.

I knew I was given the amazing honor to handle my friend Yoshito Watanbe’s Shiba bitch Beni – but let’s just say I wasn’t quite sure how to execute the handling skill with a dog that didn’t know me or understand what I was saying. I tend to talk a lot to dogs when I handle them – it makes me feel less nervous, and I was extremely nervous. Watanbe-san yelled at me “Ms. Alexis – this isn’t an AKC show!” He made the motion of me baiting a dog in front of me and signaled me to stand behind her. Beni looked at me as if she knew I didn’t know what I was doing. I will say I got her to stand decently – the judge evaluated her, Yoshito held her for the wicketing and teeth counting, but I did the rest. I could not understand what they wanted me to do so they made hand motions; unfortunately I don’t speak Japanese, much to my dismay. I had to gait her in a triangle, the judge looked at her again, made notes on his clipboard and we were dismissed until afternoon judging.

The afternoon judging was less work than the morning judging but still pretty nerve wrecking. The class was way bigger than I imagined, honestly I can’t remember how many dogs there were but I have a feeling it was close to 20. I was directed where to stand, my heart was beating a million miles a minute, I’m sure they could see it beating through my shirt. We all stood behind our dogs, our bodies forming a semi circle of sorts – Beni was a bit more cooperative, she still knew I didn’t know how to correctly make her stand (sorry Yoshito!). After walking around and staring down the dogs, the judge started to make pulls. He stared with the dogs to my right, I was staring straight ahead at my friend Jun and Yoshito – I could only imagine what the look of my face! I watched the judge motion to handlers to move several steps out of the circle; I kind of forgot about Beni for a moment until the judge looked at me and motioned me to come forward. I worked hard trying to get her to stand perfectly (remember this was my first time showing a dog NIPPO style). He intensely stared at the dogs once more and then motioned us back to our spot. The judge and his assistant then split the group, unknowingly; I went to the left side thinking that’s where they wanted to split us. They motioned me to come back; I could have died from embarrassment I counted the other dogs realizing I was in 8^th in place. The other handlers started ducking under the white ribbon that served as a ring barrier. The judge and assistant came around handing out beautiful metals. I was shaking with excitement when I received mine. I bowed to them and said thank you in English, any and all Japanese I knew escaped by brain in that moment. They handed me a slip which I presented both the medal and slip to my dear friend. He told Jun and me to wait for a moment and we played with Beni as we waited for Yoshito to return. Beni really liked Jun over me, it bruised my ego a bit but she was still sweet to me. Yoshito came returned with what looked like a giant poster. It was like a score card for Beni’s placement in her class. We took a photo together, Beni wasn’t really interested in stacking anymore while I tried to get her to stand beautifully. Yoshito then so kindly presented me with the metal and the shoujou. It’s a paper that has the dog and owner’s name, it also states the dog received a yuuryo. I have the picture framed, with the medal, and the green handler ribbon that I wore at the show on my wall. Above it is the shoujou, that I had to make sure would survive my long trip home from Japan. I also regularly wear my NIPPO hat Yoshito gave me as a gift. I’ll forever treasure those amazing gifts and memories of that show. My heart hurts knowing I won’t be back in Japan for at least another 4 years but I’m eagerly waiting for the day I’ll be reunited with my friends, the Grand National, the beautiful Nihon ken, and a country that holds a very special place in my heart.