Sexual Dimorphism
I didn't want to steal Shigeru's thread on the amazing Kais, but I wanted to look into Ayk's question about dimorphism.
To use as an example I have taken pics of Koda and Tora. (Stacey I hope you don't mind.) But they are littermates of opposite sex who at times look a lot alike (no dimorphism to me), but can also have very different masculine/feminine features. Here are some pics to compare.
Side shots. Can you tell which is which?
And full bodies. I tried to pick out pics of them at about the same age, and above 9 months old. Koda did look a little bit more feminine before that age. There is a pic of Koda at 5 mos. old that makes him look just as feminine as Tora in this shot. They look like twins. But I think as they get older, and full shots you can clearly see the dimorphism between the two.
To use as an example I have taken pics of Koda and Tora. (Stacey I hope you don't mind.) But they are littermates of opposite sex who at times look a lot alike (no dimorphism to me), but can also have very different masculine/feminine features. Here are some pics to compare.
Side shots. Can you tell which is which?
And full bodies. I tried to pick out pics of them at about the same age, and above 9 months old. Koda did look a little bit more feminine before that age. There is a pic of Koda at 5 mos. old that makes him look just as feminine as Tora in this shot. They look like twins. But I think as they get older, and full shots you can clearly see the dimorphism between the two.
Comments
My guess is that in the second row of head shots, the dog on the left is the female, Tora?
So is that Koda pictures on the left, and Tora on the right?
Just a sample of two pups out of the same litter.
I'll see if I can get some better comparison pictures this weekend.
I can see the difference between Tora and Koda and Koda and Maymay definitely. Remember I've never met Tora in person. It easier in person with my two. Mainly I see the difference in head on shots like that last one. Side shots the look the same. They have the same profile but Tora's face is more narrow and definitely feminine. Koda gas a block man head. He looks very manly in person.
It's kind of hard to tell, but the nearly all-black pup seems to have a broader muzzle and more of a forehead. Spacing between the ears might also be wider?
My male and female definately look different in the head shape, and I can usually tell by glancing at the head if a Shiba is male or female....(doesn't always work, though, esp. with less well bred Shibas).
3 Kishu females
3 Kishu males
Shikoku females
Shikoku males
Obviously no dog is perfect, but in general females should have a feminine look to them, and males masculine. In my opinion the kuro-goma male was a little thin boned, and thin muzzled, but he still looked like a male. Maki, the dark goma Shikoku female, has a pretty strong face that could be construed as looking a little bit masculine.
Dogs 53 cm (approx. 20-21 inches)
Bitches 48 cm (approx. 18-19 inches)
*There is a tolerance of + 3 cm.
Mochi is 17 inches and Kona is 21 inches, but both are still within the standard. So 4 inches of difference. That's a pretty huge difference in one breed. For Shikoku it's like a 2 inch difference allowed from male to female. So in Kai, with such a big range between the males and females, and with the type variation too, males and females can barely resemble the same breed.
----
Males 50 cm (19.7 in) to 56 cm (22.0 in)
Females 45 cm (17.7 in) to 51 cm (20.1 in)
Mochi would be under standard per the FCI.
One thing to factor in when using Japanese heights is that they measure height differently than in the US. (I don't know about the FCI way.) Dogs are wicketed at the withers (highest point of the shoulders) in the US, but NIPPO style is to measure right behind the withers.
edit: Sorry if I come off as being nitpicky. I think working too many hours in a lab brings out the detail-obsessive monster in me.
FCI:
-Size: Dogs 53cm (20.9 inches) Bitches 48cm (18.9 inches) with a tolerance of +/-3cm (1.2 inches)
-Weight: Couldn't find a specified weight
UKC:
-Size: Dogs 18½ to 22 inches (47.5-55.9cm) Bitches 17½ to 20 inches (44.5-50.8cm) with a tolerance of +/-half and inch (1.3cm)
-Weight: 25 to 55 pounds (11.3-24.9kg)
JKC:
-Size: Dogs 50cm (19.7 inches) Bitches 45cm (17.7 inches) with a tolerance of +/-3cm (1.2 inches)
-Weight: Couldn't find a specified weight
Nippo:
-Size: Dogs 52cm (20.5 inches) Bitches 49cm (19.3 inches) with a tolerance of +/-3cm (1.2 inches)
-Weight: Dogs 17-23kg (37.4-50.7 pounds) Bitches 15-18kg (33-39.6 pounds)
Aigokai:
-Size: 40-50cm (15.7 inches - 19.7 inches)
-Weight: 11.25-22.5kg (24.8-49.6 pounds) (the decimal points are due to the fact that the weight measurements are old Japanese measurements, 3 'kan'- 6'kan' is the standard)
For the record tho, I did pull those stats directly from the FCI Kai Ken PDF: http://www.yamabushikennel.org/kai_standards_FCI.pdf
I would hope Mochi would be too small, she is really small... but looking at KKA's standards she is an ok size. 15.7 inches is really small.
----