He's very handsome! I personally like the build of the lankier Shibas. Conker is like that, actually. If you make that Shiba red, they'd look almost identical. My guess is that if he's pure, would be that he was either a pup who just turned out a bit different, or the breeder was not choosy with type when they bred him.
Not a (recent) mix I am guessing. The dog actually has a pretty correct sesame. A "collie appearing face" is something that is seen in Shibas whose heads become too narrow (from cheek to cheek), and many also have narrow snipey muzzles, and the forehead may take on a somewhat bulging appearance (the brain has to go somewhere) which, with the oriental eye, accentuates that feature. The radar dish ears on this one make it stand out more. I've seen it in really well bred Shibas too, but it's not desirable. Seems to be a throwback when it happens, and in mill dogs, from continuing to breed snipey dogs to more snipey dogs, since a lot of buyers seem to really like the ultra accentuated fox or primitive dog "look".
I see a lot of dogs in Tokyo that look like a Shiba but are a bit too big or off color and when I ask the owners they always tell me the dog is a Zaishu (mixed breed). His color is beautiful but something about those big ears.......?????
I saw a coloring like him on a breeder's site recently. I believe they called the coat a black sesame. He's beautiful. My two mixes also had big ears. One was a shepard mix, the other was probably a mix with another nihonken. They were both sesame but redder, with big ears and a fox type look.
Comments
Jesse
Kind of reminds me of the Jomon, but their skulls seem larger.