Shikoku and Other dogs
I'm just curious if I ever add another dog to my family, what breeds get along well, play well . . . etc with a Shikoku. So far I noticed that some people on the forum have Siberian Huskies, Pit Bull, Shiba, Kai, Malinois, LGD, . . . I think Akita, although I haven't seen Brad's Ahi or Loa playing with his Akita.
From what I've heard on the forum, Shikoku play rough and can be a bit rude in their play style for some dogs . . . plus they can be reactive if a dog is rude back to them.
On I side note I noticed in a recent discussion Brad was showing how his dogs will change their play style depending on who they are playing with. I thought that was interesting.
So, I was just curious to hear other peoples experiences . . . good, difficult.
From what I've heard on the forum, Shikoku play rough and can be a bit rude in their play style for some dogs . . . plus they can be reactive if a dog is rude back to them.
On I side note I noticed in a recent discussion Brad was showing how his dogs will change their play style depending on who they are playing with. I thought that was interesting.
So, I was just curious to hear other peoples experiences . . . good, difficult.
Comments
Piglet, my pit bull before Ruby had no patience for Miko's hijinx. If SHE felt like playing they would play. But I wouldn't leave them unattended because Miko doesn't take no for an answer. But Piglet was also a senior dog. Had she been younger it may have been different.
Miko has had lots of dog friends of many different breeds, English Mastiff, Corgi, Puggle, Shiba Inu, Pit Bull, Shepherds. The common denominator every time was energy level and patience of the other dog to put up with Miko's punk ass.
Since Riki is so old he kind of keeps to him self and does'nt really play with the other dogs and the other dogs knows he's a alpha male.
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Off topic - but, I wouldn't consider a JA a "guard dog". JA should be accepting of strangers, maybe a bit aloof, but certainly not a guardian.
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Kotomi has been pretty good with other dogs. Shoushuu is "afraid" or feels threatened by larger dogs...he is good with dogs his size or smaller.
If you want to go REALLY "off-breed", get a cat! =p My 10 month old domestic mix kitten has been the PERFECT playmate for my Shikoku. This is a whole other level though...and probably not the best choice for most Japanese hunting dog homes but it works for mine. They provide me with loads of entertainment when I'm bored and the Shikoku are surprisingly gentle mouth/bite inhibition wise for dogs that love rough play. The only thing though is they aren't always so careful of where their feet land near or on the cat =/.
Brad- about the JA, I had heard that they are friendlier towards strangers than the AA, but when I was reading about them they were still represented as a good guard dog. I'm not really interested in getting an AA though because they are quite a bit larger and I liked the fact that the JA would be more accepting of my friends and family when they come to visit. I guess I was imagining that they would go into more of a guard dog mode if say someone was breaking into my house at night.
Corina- I love the videos of your dogs and cat playing. It's the cutest thing ever!
How about a second Shikoku of the opposite sex?
Truthfully, I'm just distracting myself from the torture of waiting :( I'm driving my boyfriend crazy with my non-stop puppy talk/planning. I think I have almost everything the puppy might need. It's actually pretty funny. I don't think I'll even have to go shopping for anything but food for a few years after I get my pup:)
Actually, the dogs we currently own aren't the best playmates for each other. Tojo has such a grumpy old man demeanor; he plays when he wants, what he wants and routinely gets sick of everyone and holes up in the bedroom. Skella is exuberant and playful, but she's sensitive and would definitely prefer someone gentler than Rakka. Although, Tojo probably is better for her, because when he is in the mood, he can handle the roughness.
I think another shikoku would be a great playmate, actually. I definitely plan on another shikoku for the next dog.
Our Shikoku LOVE LOVE LOVE puppies, they play really nice with them and handicap appropriately during play. I think a Shikoku under 3 years of age would be more excited about a puppy, but even and older one would probably enjoy a pup a little too.
Of our dog mix here, the Shikoku Ken and Kai Ken play the best together. I think our Kai and Shikoku pair up and play better than our Shikoku girls do. Our Kai also play nice with our Shiba, but our Shikoku do not play great with our Shiba.
Our Akita play well with our CCs and each other, but that's about it. Our Akita are not very playful when compared to our other breeds. Our Akita would probably not be very excited about a puppy Shikoku.
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As for your comment regarding JA / AA as guardians...
"Brad- about the JA, I had heard that they are friendlier towards strangers than the AA, but when I was reading about them they were still represented as a good guard dog. I'm not really interested in getting an AA though because they are quite a bit larger and I liked the fact that the JA would be more accepting of my friends and family when they come to visit. I guess I was imagining that they would go into more of a guard dog mode if say someone was breaking into my house at night."
Its generally unlikely you will find a dog that is accepting of strangers but also a formidable guardian. From my experince with my guardins and non-guardians, the 2 traits kinda contradict each other in dogs.
If you are looking for a true guardian then an Akita (JA or AA, IMHO) is not the right fit. Akita are not guardians. This comes up a lot with Akita, I have a video on YouTube with tons and tons of comments from viewers about how Akita are "the best guard dog in the world", yet you never see an Akita employed in a working role to guard or protect anything. Maybe in the past, 1000s of years ago (back when they had significant amounts of Mastiff in them), they made good guard dogs, but I don't feel that's the case now.
A "guard dog" is a dog that will defend his/her property, this means they will actively patrol their property and deter as well as, when necessary, engage a threat. In other words they will bite an intruder.
An "alarm dog" or "watch dog" is a dog that will bark to alert you of something, like an intruder. An Akita makes an OK alarm/watch dog (they don't bark too much, but they bark when they feel there is reason), our Akita will bark at an intruder, but I would never put my life in their paws and expect them to take down a threat.
I think a better way to describe Akita is to say they are a "protective" breed. A dog can be "protective" without being aggressive or without being a true "man stopper" or guardian. For example, the Leonberger is known for courageous feats of rescue and protection, pulling children from burning buildings and warning people of others danger - you know "protecting" their family - but Leonberger are not at all a "guard dog" (they LOVE people).
Anyway, sorry, kinda rambled, my point is this: An Akita will probably alert you to danger, meaning they will alert you that an intruder is trying to get in, and bark at intruders when you are not home, they also have the problem solving abilities and family-values to alert you to other dangers (like fire), but I wouldn't get an Akita if I was wanting a "man stopper" or guardian.
From my experience AA are more defensive dogs when compared to JA, and so there is probably a higher chance a AA will bite an intruder, but I wouldn't rely on that chance.
This is JMHO, from my own personal experiences. I'm no expert.
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I would think that most guardians would not be great play partners to an NK. They will play differently, but you will know more when your pup comes home and you can watch him/her at the park. You will see who they chose to play with. Koda loves playing with Shibas. He will also play with goofy lab puppies. He has one pug bff, but I don't know how they paired up. They just love eachother.
I don't think that Koda would ever play with a Rott, Tosa, GSD, Mastiff, or a CC, dogs that most people would call a guardian. He doesn't mind them, but has no interest playing with them because they have such different styles. You saw him ignore the GSD. lololol.
Tara- I totally agree, I've seen how wonderfully Brad's Kona plays with Ahi and Koda was very tolerant when I saw him at the dog park here in Reno. I wasn't really able to get to know him very well because he was distracted by all his dog friends at the time :(, but I wouldn't say that I'm not interested in Kai. I've heard so many good things about them on this forum after all. If I were to get one though, I think I'd want to import one from Japan, but that seems pretty costly. I'm not sure I could afford that any time soon.
If you do import a Kai and you need to quarantine it in SF before it can go to Reno then it can stay with me!!! lololol. Actually, that offer extends to anyone. he he he.
I too would like a red brindle someday, but that cost is a little too steep for me right now. :0 When you think about it, it's just a color and when you are talking at least 5 times the cost then a color isn't that important. Someday though.....
I guess, a Belgian Malinois might not be the best choice then. It might depend on the dog, but I could see something like that becoming an issue with that breed. I haven't been able to meet one in person, yet, so I may be wrong.
With a Malinois it just depends on the individual dog and breeding. Lynx developed some "personal space issues" I think around 1 or 2 years of age. Also, after my German Shepherd was placed in a pet home (when Lynx was 5-6 months)...Lynx had been my ONLY dog until I got Shoushuu (Lynx was 2 years by then). Well, I did live with a roommate for a year who had Rotties and a Malinois and she got along GREAT with the male Malinois. Lynx seems to prefer boys as playmates. Her mom is the same way...plays with the boys, there's only 1 other female I know of that her mother can be left alone undersupervised with. And Lynx plays with Shoushuu when she wants too
There are a variety of Malinois temperments. As a breed they tend to be sensitive, high-strung and come with endless amounts of energy. I think the Malinois that live in a multi-dog pack and are constantly exposed to humans tend to be more dog and people social. Though I wouldn't recommend the breed for everyone and a lot of times I actually talk people out of getting a Malinois, lol. If you think though that the Malinois might be an option for you I would highly suggest you check out the Malinois Rescue. They always have Malinois of variety that are in need of fosters and adoptions. You could always apply as a foster and "try out" a Malinois to see if this breed would fit into your lifestyle...this way you will have the option of also sending the dog back in case the breed isn't your cup of tea
Some Malinois are great with other dogs and some Malinois just aren't good with other dogs, period. It boils down to genetics (how that particular dog is wired), temperment and upbringing (exposure/socialization).
My shibas pretty much ignore my GSD, though they liked him a lot when they were puppies. He was a good "foster father" to them both.
I had a friend awhile ago who had a Malinois. Yikes! His dog was incredibly smart and yes, very very highstrung and territorial. Luckily very well-trained too, but not the dog for everyone! (as they often say of Shibas!) I know that they vary in temperment of course.
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Tara,
What non-Shikoku breeds strike your interest?
Dog Breed List --- this website also included mixed/cross-breds.
Let's see, some of the non-Shikoku breeds I've been looking at:
American Pit Bull Terrior/ Chocolate lab mix - My friend has one and it's adorable and very friendly towards people. I think this mix would probably get along with a Shikoku.
Cane Corso Italiano - I love Brad's Blue, and I like the idea of having more of a guard dog. I'm still not sure tho how well a "guardian" type breed would fit into my household. Another problem with this choice is that I don't know when I will have the space neccessary for this breed. Right now I own a medium to small house with a medium sized yard, but I think one of these guys will probably need more space than that. I also don't know if my Shika will be interested in playing with such a large playmate. I think Brad's dogs play well together, but I'm not sure if they are just exceptional or the norm.
A Kitty : I love cats, but my boyfriend isn't a big cat fan, so I'm going to have to wait on that until I can talk him into it :)
With Cane Corso, its all about selecting from the correct lines, if you want a softer dog, one that looks the part but is not very proactive in guarding, then I would go with show lines. If you want a real guardian then I would look to the few working kennels that are around. I know of a few kennels that fall in the middle - they have very good working blood lines in their lines as well as softer show lines - that could work too.
With Blue, we have trained him to associate the word "friend" with treats and good stuff. So, when someone comes over, I give him the "friend" command and he will generally chill out... but, there are still times when he just needs to go to a crate in the other room - and that is something an owner of a guardian just accepts - you would never own a horse without the proper equipment, right? Same applies to a true guardian.
Really tho, looking the part may be all you need, I mean who's gonna come in your home when they are faced with this:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4345048732_2ddb48f3bf_m.jpg
*That's JJ, she looks pretty serious, huh?
If you are interested, and want to chat with a breeder, let me know, I can through a few names at you.
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I'm not planning on another puppy for a year or two, but I enjoy researching way ahead of time :)