A Few Shikoku Questions
Hello, I am a hopeful Shikoku owner and I have been doing research about shikoku's for about six months now. I joined the forum in December and was reading posts before joining. I have read almost every thread about shikas on the forum and have a few questions...
Are Shikoku comparable in size to kishu and kai, with Shiba being slightly smaller and Akita being both taller and stockier? What is the average lifespan of Shikoku?
Many of you shika owners also have shibas. I have a one year old male shiba who is well socialized and was wondering if a male or female shikoku would get along better with him, in your opinions.
I have read about Shishiinu and his hunting kishu, has anyone been hunting with shikoku?
Finally I just want to say that the members of this forum are doing a great thing, by keeping the shikoku breed both alive and pure, and by giving the shikoku (and all dogs) the respect and love that they deserve
Are Shikoku comparable in size to kishu and kai, with Shiba being slightly smaller and Akita being both taller and stockier? What is the average lifespan of Shikoku?
Many of you shika owners also have shibas. I have a one year old male shiba who is well socialized and was wondering if a male or female shikoku would get along better with him, in your opinions.
I have read about Shishiinu and his hunting kishu, has anyone been hunting with shikoku?
Finally I just want to say that the members of this forum are doing a great thing, by keeping the shikoku breed both alive and pure, and by giving the shikoku (and all dogs) the respect and love that they deserve
Comments
But! Surprising facts:
1) Ahi, the black sesame owned by this forum's founder, is really really big.
2) There is photographic evidence in another thread that Shibas can get to be bigger than Shikoku.
I hear that it if you are going to add a second dog to a pack that has one Nihonken in it, you would do well to get one of the opposite sex, because it seems easier for them to sort out their relative pack positions that way. I don't know if that applies more or less to Shikoku - Shiba combinations.
The age thing is an interesting question. The oldest Shikoku in the Western Hemisphere is probably one of Katjas, right? Anybody know who that is? Probably nobody who speaks English has had a Shikoku die of old age yet. I wonder where the typical age range quoted on Wikipedia comes from. I'd assume they'd live 13-15 years given that they are medium-framed dogs but the received knowledge seems lower than that.
1) Are Shikoku comparable in size to kishu and kai, with Shiba being slightly smaller and Akita being both taller and stockier?
> Yes, tho Kishu are slightly larger and have a slightly longer body. Kai tend to be a bit smaller than Shikoku [tho a bit heavier due to build]. Akita are taller and stockier than the Shika Inu.
*Edited to add: Ahi is close to the size a male Shikoku should be [48lb and 21"], which is close to the size of a (small) female Akita Inu [but not nearly as stocky].
2) What is the average lifespan of Shikoku?
> A general rule of thumb is that the larger the breed the shorter the life - there are some breeds that break this rule - but in general it's pretty accurate. So a Shiba will probably out live a Shika by a little bit, while a Shika will out live an Akita. I would expect a Shikoku to live to be 14 years old - Akita 12 and a Shiba 15 or so.
3) Many of you shika owners also have shibas. I have a one year old male shiba who is well socialized and was wondering if a male or female Shikoku would get along better with him, in your opinions.
> I have found that Nihonken do best in male/female pairs.
4) I have read about Shishiinu and his hunting kishu, has anyone been hunting with Shikoku?
> I don't think anyone in the US has hunted with their Shikoku yet. I know member w/ the username "TheWalrus" has seen and/or hunted with some hunting Shikoku in Japan.
5) Finally I just want to say that the members of this forum are doing a great thing, by keeping the Shikoku breed both alive and pure, and by giving the Shikoku (and all dogs) the respect and love that they deserve
> Thank you.
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Early in the life of this forum Dorothy [ddowdemers] met a Shikoku that was 11 years old named Koji - I think he is probably the oldest Shikoku in North America. Here is the thread.
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Here is the website, look under The surch to find the story of the 1st Shikoku to leave Japan
http://www.shikoku.nl/?pageid=16
- About 12-14 years.
- It really depends on what you plan on doing with your dog. If you are just keep a Shikoku more so as a pet, they tend to live a longer lifespan. If you are keeping a Shikoku both as a pet and working dog, depending on the work and if he sustains any injuries this may lessen her lifespan (the same can be said about any dog though).
- At 13 years of age, Koji is the oldest, living Shikoku that I know of outside Japan. He currently resides in San Diego, CA.
I have read about Shishiinu and his hunting kishu, has anyone been hunting with shikoku?
- Not yeah, but I'm planning on it. Thinking about taking up deer hunting, as I'll be able to use everything and not be wasteful.
Finally I just want to say that the members of this forum are doing a great thing, by keeping the shikoku breed both alive and pure, and by giving the shikoku (and all dogs) the respect and love that they deserve.
- Thank you!
- I have a male shiba and a female shikoku who met as adults. They had a rough introduction, but are best buds now. When bringing a puppy in, you're probably fine either way, but with a female you are less likely to have issues. Personally, I would focus more on the personality of the individual dog.
I have read about Shishiinu and his hunting kishu, has anyone been hunting with shikoku?
I, like Corina, plan on hunting with my shikoku. Next hunting season, I'm taking a few courses that are necessary here to start hunting. Before then, I will have my shikoku (and my shiba) evaluated by a local hunting trainer for drive, and possibly have him help train my pups. I'll post an update when that happens.
Finally I just want to say that the members of this forum are doing a great thing, by keeping the shikoku breed both alive and pure, and by giving the shikoku (and all dogs) the respect and love that they deserve
Huzzah! Thank you!
He is the oldest Shikoku in North America. Koji is in great shape.
Where did Koji come from (ie, breeder)? From the Dutch kennel? Of directly from Japan