Coat texture
What is the proper coat texture for a Nihon Ken? I know coats are difficult to describe in text and is generally something you have to feel in person to understand. At a NIPPO show last year, the judge explained that one of the current trends was a degradation of coat; that the dogs coats were all becoming too soft, especially Shibas. He went on to say that he blows on a dog to see if the hairs move in a slight breeze, and that they should remain stiff and upright.
(I was amused by the image of this austere Japanese business man blowing on dogs. I'm sure the dogs were less amused.)
My four Akitas (one American, three Japanese) all have different coats from each other. I can tell which dog is which simply by placing my hand on the fur. I've only had limited opportunity to pet other Nihon Ken, so I am not sure if there is as much variation among them.
(I was amused by the image of this austere Japanese business man blowing on dogs. I'm sure the dogs were less amused.)
My four Akitas (one American, three Japanese) all have different coats from each other. I can tell which dog is which simply by placing my hand on the fur. I've only had limited opportunity to pet other Nihon Ken, so I am not sure if there is as much variation among them.
Comments
Outer coat bristle like and straight, under coat soft and dense, hair on tail somewhat long, with hairs open and standing.
The outer coat shouldn't have noticeably longer/shorter areas (and of course should cover the entire body), should stand (shouldn't lay toward the tail), and feel stiff to the touch.
In the Kai, a mane of longer fur around the neck and top of the back should be present (KKA). However the NIPPO standard does not call for this longer portion of guard hair in the NK.
I don't find Toki's undercoat to be soft. Its not like touching velvet, its more like touching... used apartment carpet...soft without actually being soft at all, but actually kind of uncomfortable if you spend to much time laying on it. I hope that is a good comparison. He is fuzzy without being soft. I think a lot of non-akita folks expect him to be soft and plush until they pet him. I do wish I could meet other JAs to compare him to, seeing as I am probably the person on this thread who has seen the least amount of JAs in real life. Therefore, my comparison lies with other breeds.
From my memory, he has the same about of guard hairs all over as his daddy, and his sister has a little bit more.
All his fur sticks up perpendicular to his body. You can brush and pet him anywhere in his fur, including the hackles, against the grain and he is never even the least bit phased. Its kind of fun to pet against the grain on his back because the fur is so long, it springs back into place like shuffling cards.
oh! And a slight breeze happened upon Toki's fur. It stayed in the same spot. Then there was a harsh breeze, and he wasn't happy.
I have two shibas. One is a finished champion, the other was destined from the start for a companion home. They're full brother and sister (repeat breeding, so different litters) and have fairly similar faces (he's super masculine looking, she's super feminine looking but strong resemblance) and both have very rich red coloring. The boy has a proper, stiff coat, proper length, lots of undercoat. When he's not naked he looks nice and feels both bristly and plush. The girl's coat is on the short side and very soft, not as thick as the boy's. When we walk the two of them almost everyone comments on her coat and not his. I have to explain that his is how the coat should look and feel and that soft coat of hers is undesirable in conformation.
@lindsayt - what's a weak underjaw? Also, no morries about dilution of coat color from the San Jo shibas or any of their stock. Everytime I see them their color is really rich. Have you heard anything about urajiro problems? I went to a show recently and saw a bunch of specials, some of whom looked like they had very muddy urajiro. I keep forgetting to ask my breeder to show me what is ideal. If anyone who knows wants to start a new thread on urajiro in the different nihon ken I'd be pretty happy (though I'd be equally happy to keep it in this thread).
Well, the softer coats are really nice to pet
Think of weak underjaw as a receding chin. It gives a snipey look and can even be a cause of dentition problems. Dilution can be a potential problem for any breeder, so it definitly bears careful observation and pairings. I have readjusted my breeding plans for instance, since my pairing has lots of flashy urajiro on both sides and we don't want to make puppies that wash out and fade prematurly. Even the very carefully made selections may result in dogs without enough urajiro and muddy color. Personally, I would chose a well put together dog with sound structure and temp with not so great color over one with flashy markings that is not sound (I think that goes without saying but still, not all show people or breeders agree).
Fading and too light urajiro is an issue for some breeders in the US and it is usually addressed whenever they get together, as is the muddy red problem. I think any conscientious breeder will keep that on the radar even if they don't see it within their own dogs.
So, since I just got this in the mail, I thought I would share it since this dog has what I consider "ideal" urajiro in a red Shiba. Sorry for tooting my horn a little here, I am still walking on clouds. Please forgive the poor quality of the image, my scanner is pooping out and the dog is much darker in person:
Ike, Best of Breed and Group 3 placement last weekend over multiple top ten Shiba Specials in the country:
Ike is almost 5 and his urajiro has basically stayed very moderate and the red has intensified as he aged and filled out. One problem I see is very young dogs, puppies, finishing early as they may come out of the womb with perfect markings and so are very flashy and the judges like that. Well, those markings will spread and the pigment will fade as they age, so when you see a really young champion that looks great, look at that dog again in 5 or 6 years as a mature adult and see how it has held up, since the mature adult is what you will be breeding to and reproducing in your program. So, I am actually seeing some good reason to wait to show dogs until they have matured out, as people will have a better idea of how the dog will look as an adult (which should be 15 or so years compared to 6 months as a really cute puppy) :
This puppy (Farrah) had a bit too much Urajiro and she will probably wash out as she ages. Breeding her with well pigmented males will be a goal:
Here she is at 6 months or so. At this point I am hoping she doesn't lighten any more, but she is young and will unfortunately lighten further as she ages:]
This little 6 month bitch has pronounced fading. She will have an Akita Geisha girl thing going on by the time she is 1. It is not desirable in Shibas:
Hope this helps!
http://www.shibas.org/newstand/urajiro.html
My male Shiba (also San Jo lines) has the good rough outercoat. His undercoat is plush and soft, and once you get past the rough guard hairs, it feels like you're really sinking your fingers into plush. And he has the softest ear fur in the world--his ears feel better than velvet! He's turned into a kind of orange color--it has faded some over the years, but not too much. But Toby does have that "stripe" effect of slightly longer/stiffer guard hairs down the middle of his back.
My Akita's coat is probably too soft. The breeder said she thought he'd have a nice rough coat, but instead, his coat is long and soft, almost silky, and it mats on his elbows. I think his coat--lovely as it is--is too soft for an Akita.
My puppy mill girl has almost no undercoat, and even her guard hairs are short and soft. She is a pretty bright red, though!
And Leo has a puppy coat! (Oh, I love the soft, wooly puppy fur!) But what lovely stripes he has!
The difference between my three JAs is that Ghidora has almost no undercoat and his hair lays more flat (not as flat as Gryphon's back stripe, however, and it can be brushed in any direction). The lack of undercoat makes his fur seem thin and short. Gojira and Mosura both have thick undercoats and bristly hair that stands out nicely and does that "card shuffling" thing when you rub it, but Mosura's is longer, stiffer, and her woolies softer and thicker.
How interesting to know that urajiro spreads with age. I had no idea that happens. Thanks for the infos on the chins as well. I see so much variation even within show dogs (both the domestically bred ones and japanese import).
Ike looks great!
Thanks everyone for posting on coat texture. I wonder if it's supposed to be similar for all nihon ken ir if it differs from breed to breed.
@brada1878 - you've posted a bit on kai coat texture and color. Can you elaborate on what's expected or is it largely the same for all nihon ken?
No wonder he never wants to go outside when it's hot!
A picture of his red coat:
the "stripe":
I'm also interested on proper Kai coat texture...