Shikoku Ken

Terrible Trio!

Calia — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:42:20 -0500

LoL, not really...Enjoy!

Shikoku before and after pics.

jikjak — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:08:41 -0400

hey everyone, hope all is going well with all of you,

i was just wondering if some of you shikoku owners could help me out and post up some puppy pics (approximately 4-8 weeks old) and then some pics of them more grown up.
im trying to get a good idea of how much their colors change as they get older. do they lighten up a lot or perhaps get darker? (like edgewood's sachi, very nice pup!)

thanks in advance, this would help in the pup choosing process. the temperament would be most important of course. anyways, i might be choosing one soon but unfortunately for me they are all red sesames ( i was hoping for a black sesame). they seem to be a little on the darker side based on a few pics i have seen so far, so thats a plus. i do have first choice since i have been waiting for quite a while so ill make my decision when i head over there to see them in person. if not then i guess i keep on waiting!

cheers!

Rakka

hondru — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:40:28 -0400

I don't have a thread for Rakka! So here we go.

We went to a field the other day, Rakka on a long line and Sosuke off leash, and Rakka had severe snow zoomies. She rolls around in the snow and then goes nuts.

There was an ice fort that some kids had built. Take that, ice fort!

Panda spam (new play date videos)

TaraA — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:51:24 -0400

I couldn't stop adding picks once, I started. Hope you don't get bored :)

Launch of the North American Shikoku Club (NASC) website!!!

brada1878 — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 19:13:22 -0500

Hi All -

Just wanted to let everyone know that the North American Shikoku Club (NASC) website has officially launched today.

To view the site go to: http://www.shikokuclub.org

While I'm making this announcement, I really had little to do with this launch. So, special thanks to Osy ( @Sangmort ), Chrystal ( @Wryly Brindle ), Shigeru ( @TheWalrus ), Dave ( @dlroberts ), Corina ( @ShikokuSpirit ), Kris ( @Edgewood ), Peggy ( @Shikoku1 ), and everyone who submitted pictures! I think the site looks great!

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Blue Buffalo Wilderness food

haalumni — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:30:10 -0400

I know food has been talked about before on here, but has anyone had any experience with the wilderness line from blue buffalo? I happened to be at petsmart yesterday for some toys and noticed it advertised being grain-free. Just wondering if anyone had any opinions?

Playing with Geni.com in making an extended pedigree

runx — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:21:07 -0400

I have started to organize our dog Mei's pedigree in geni, even though it may be a little bit difficult to manage all the different branches. I guess it's made to be easy with a more strict/straight forward familyrelations that we humans have ;) but I would, even so, like to try and make a pedigree that is more extensive than the normal tree in dogweb..

So if you have any tips on doing this on this site or others, please let me know.. Also if you recognize some of the dogs name and have relations to add ;)

http://www.geni.com/share?t=6000000013029700389

Mika Spam

Nadia — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:24:27 -0400

Mika was from the last litter that Katja's Mura would have x Kuma, as Mura has now been retired. She is a lively 10 weeks old now, and full of beans. I have a 3.5 year old Shiba Inu named "Loki" from Katja as well. The two are getting along ridiculously well. Here are some photos. I should have video edited soon as well.

Hopefully the links work.

Loki trying to figure out what this new "addition" is, and why she keeps hogging his bed.

Playtime, really... it's not as bad as it looks. There's a lot of teeth baring and snarling, but lots of rolling around and tug of war too.

Coming home

She's a little spitfire.

Share your Shedding Pics

haalumni — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:25:28 -0400

Hi Guys,
So I'm reading through some of the older posts and have seen lots of conversation about the wonderful time when Shikoku's shed. But I was wondering if you guys would share any pics you may have. I think it would help prep me for when I get my own bundle of fluff.

Pre-Puppy Wisdom

haalumni — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:32:21 -0400

Hi all, while admittedly I'm still a long ways away from my own new pup, I'd love to hear any pre-puppy advice from you guys. What is the thing you most wish someone would have told you or that one item you wish you had gotten before bringing your pup home?

Shikoku and the Blanket

TheWalrus — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:14:18 -0400

An amusing video I came across on the tube. I have my opinion on the behavior, but what do you think? Would you be uncomfortable if your dog growled at you like this?

Impulse Control

brada1878 — Sun, 22 May 2011 21:15:30 -0400

So Jen and I were working with the Shikoku today and I realized something rather obvious. What I consider "rudeness" in our Shikoku is really just a lack of impulse control. I think maybe the same applies with their dog-dog social skills too.

I'm wondering if other Shikoku Ken owners feel the same and what you have done to teach your Shikoku better impulse control.

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Early Training - The Come Command

orcasag — Wed, 18 May 2011 11:01:09 -0400

I would be interested in different ways to engage our girl, Emiko in the "Come", her attention span especially outside is hunt, sniff, run and the basics are all OK except the "Come"

Crisp's Shikoku Experience (ft. Mura)

Crispy — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:06:08 -0400

I thought I'd share a bit of the dog that brought me to this forum - Mura - who came to stay a weekend not too long ago. I have to admit, I was girlishly excited when her owner called to let us know she was coming in. Though, every time she comes in, I feel a badly for her because you can TELL she spends a lot of the time she's not playing thinking about her "person" like we've stolen her away. We end up giving her more one-on-one time to make sure she doesn't stress out.

We have to group her with the larger dogs when we put her in the play yard. The smaller dogs seem to irritate her a bit and she won't play with them as often as she plays with the larger dogs. It's a trait that makes her popular at work (we love when smaller dogs "rule" the big dog yard).

She really likes the guy in this picture, but it could be because he constantly has Twizzlers on his person.

...and she likes sneaking out of the yard and does her best to ignore you/pretend you can't see her. She'll just stop and look the other way like "hmmmm... nope! No Mura here. I think I saw her in the next aisle!"

play-time with Nikita

...and relaxing after she'd been playing with Jasper (a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the only one who'll "talk back" to her) all morning

Kimi and Yoshi

cmpteki — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:29:54 -0400

Hello All -

Here are links to the Facebook Photo Albums for our two Shikoku; Kimi and Yoshi.

Kimi
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.1518287083580.2065492.1426601754&l=a949858c3f

Yoshi
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.1658536229721.2078479.1426601754&l=05286e5b48

Kimi; 33lbs, is a 4.5yr old Intact female from Mike and Mura. Yoshi; 42lbs, is a 3.5yr old Neutered male from Mike and Yana.

I was expecting Yoshi to be a challenge; not having had much socialization with people, leaving him somewhat standoffish and grumbly. My first meet went reasonably well, and though he vocalized a fair bit initially, he was alright when I took over for the latter half of a walk, passing Kimi's leash to Katja. I briefly introduced Yoshi to my family; despite having next to no previous exposure to children, he did better than expected, though at this point his manurisms had me playing the over cautious parent. Overall Yoshi behaved himself; though once back in a kennel run, he stood and barked at me when I approached the door. The second visit I took him out for a long walk, solo; had him display some pulling and barking at a passing teen on a bike...who went out of his way to cross the road and ride close to us...and a much better display; calm and watchful, when a woman on horseback passed us. I then played fetch in a larger excercise pen with Yoshi for a bit. On this second visit I also lifted him onto a grooming table; where Katja and I proceeded to brush him. He still has a lot of shedding to do...and here I thought we were done with that; having just recovered from Kimi's spring coat explosion... :) I then led him back to an individual run, where all was well, and no grumbling. Our trip home went great; no car sickness, which was amazing...and he is already incredibly tolerant of my little ones. I think spending two days traveling with us; absorbing the sounds and scents, went a long way towards his acclimitization. We made plenty of stops; and at each one he was more greatful to be let loose from the crate, and more hesitant to go back in. On the plus side...Yoshi has now decided to behave when we meet strangers on a walk; quietly watching them pass, no more of the previous barking or growling displays. Yoshi is responding excellently to his new environment; I don't think he has ever experienced quite this level of attention before, and he is loving it. He has some interesting habits; and promptly jumps up and lies in my spot on the couch when I enter the TV room...I make him move every time...but he never stops trying... :)

Now...the real trick will be dealing with how jealous Kimi is upon her return...we did introduce the two, but having his smell on her turf when she gets back is likely to make for some interesting times...more updates on that in the coming weeks...and of course, more pictures once we have a chance to get out there and really play. :)

My girl is a mutant!

Calia — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:13:43 -0500

So I had her over with me at a friend's house, and as she was sleeping on my lap I was feeling her paws. I noticed that not only does she have small rear dew claws, but she also has an extra dew claw on the outside of both her front paws. All these dew claws are so small that they are hidden beneath her fur. Gonna have to take some pictures when she settles down now that we are home. Was wondering if anyone has heard of this happening in the breed?

Also if I should consider having them removed if it looks like they may be a problem?

Kaiju's Hips...

brada1878 — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:59:55 -0400

Well, I was SURE Kaiju had HD - I mean I was 99% sure of it - but take a look...

They look pretty good, huh? No HD there, as far as I can tell.

So, you know, once again this is an example of how much I have to learn. We'll be sending these to our Ortho expert for his opinion but I think his hips look pretty good.

Why does he move like he has HD tho? He bunny-hops at times, he falls over a lot (he has horrible footing), and he seems to have pain at times. He's also pretty weak in his back-end - even with 2 walks a day and lots of free-play. His knees look good too, tho he is strait in his rear, but that's pretty typical of NK.

So what do you think? Could there be another issue, or am I just hyper-aware (paranoid) of movement issue due to owning so many screwed up dogs? Why is his back-end so weak? He gets as much exercise as the rest of our NK and they all have very strong back-ends. Thoughts???

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Shikoku Male needs a home

BradnJess — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 19:16:46 -0400

Katja Weber will very soon be trying to find a new home for a Shikoku dog from her lines. He is a neutered 4 year old male in need of a new home. He is currently living in Nanaimo I believe, but will soon be with Katja in Courtnay. Things have changed in his owner's life and now, through no fault of his own, he finds himself in need of new loving owners. Any and all serious inquiries can be made to Katja Weber of Akashima Kennels as she can provide further details regarding the dog and the process for finding him a new home. We were there on the weekend and Katja has asked us to spread the word as her dogs keep her pretty busy with all that coat blowing and showing and breeding.

Kekko meeting boar

stiiina — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:05:02 -0400

This weekend we went to the boar yard and Kekko got to try hunting for the first time :). All this is really new for me as well.....I'm no hunter, I just wanted to see how Kekko will do with boar. It was really exiting and Kekko loved it. He went after the boar right away, no fear. And he was really quick and skillful in dodging the boars attacks. I guess he did great for the first time.
Have any of you tried your Shikokus with boar? Well Shigeru of course knows everything about hunting ;), but anybody else? Would be really interesting to hear about the first contact with boar...
I add some pictures as well :)

Having Shikoku Fever ... can you share your pics?

JennAB — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:36:39 -0400

I am totally having a Shikoku fever ... can't stop thinking about Shikoku's. I am still on a waiting list but as the time ticks away, I am getting closer to getting my very own Shika (months upon months away!). I was hoping fellow forum members could share some recent pictures of their Shikoku's.

Barking at strangers

TaraA — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 22:18:38 -0400

Hi everyone! I was just curious does anyone else's Nihon ken bark at strangers in a slightly fearful/excited way? To give a little more context to my question, let me describe Panda's behavior. (1 year old Shikoku female)

So, when we go on walks she tends to get weirded out by people walking on the side walk towards us, especially if they are looking our way, and her looks usually get her lots of stares. She's usually fine at Home Depot, at Cafes, or if the person is walking a dog, or if its a jogger that passes by without stopping to try and pet her or talk to me. She seems to feel threatened though by any stranger that stops to approach us on our walks. Today it was a mother walking her small son home :( I was in the front driveway doing some clicker training, and playing tug, and the mom and her son had to pass by to go home. Of course they stopped and asked what kind of dog she was, and Panda went nuts barking at them. I'm certain that Panda wasn't guarding me or our house, it was more to show her discomfort and to make sure they didn't approach any closer.

Let me also say that she has some people that she met several times as a puppy and continues to see consistently and she absolutely loves them! She's also surprised me a time or two by remembering trainers that she only met a few times as a puppy and giving them a warm welcome.

Also, the other day a friend of mine was visiting (a girl about my age) and Panda did her barking thing at her, and my friend was really good and just ignored it. I gave my friend some toys to try and play with and that really broke the ice, and Panda was fine after that.

I know I should have socialized Panda better towards strangers as a puppy, but somehow I wasn't able to get her used to people that approach us on walks or meeting strangers in my home.

I was just wondering if anyone has some socialization tips, did their dog grow out of this? Is it a training/socialization issue? Might it just be her personality that she needs time to meet and warm up to people?

Akashima Visit updated with pics.

BradnJess — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 19:35:22 -0400

Well what a weekend it was. Katja introduced Jess and I to all of her dogs and everyone had a great time! We got doggy hugs from all of them and have now officially fallen in love with Shikoku. All the pictures and videos we have looked at do not do Shikokus justice. They are truly an amazing breed. We saw Kuma in mid coat-blow and then fully combed out the next day! The rest of the pack was, mostly, holding on to their winter coats. It was nice to be able to see dogs with and without their winter undercoat. Yamato was there too and oh my goodness he looks amazing. Well they all! look amazing, but Yamato's red is so striking against his black. Oh, and she has one female black sesame pup there who is absolutley lovable! So cute!
Katja was so hospitable and helpful. She answered all the questions we had regarding the breed. Her love for her dogs is clear within moments of talking with her. Everything she does is in the best interest of the dogs. The weekend was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend for sure! In the end, we placed a deposit on a male Shikoku pup. Hopefully our number will come up next spring after we obtain our degrees.

We did take pictures and will be posting them as soon as possible. I just need to find the transfer cord for my camera and then email pics to Katja to make sure I have the names right for each of the dogs. We have pics of Yamato and the new girls Hana and Hima(spelling?) to post.

The Super Fantastic Pacific Northwest Shikoku Puppy Road/Ferry Trip Updated with Spam !!

the_november_rain — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:03:36 -0500

Yea!!!! My husband and I are headed up to Katja's on Wednesday to pick up the puppies. We'll be crashing at her house for the night. On Thursday we're bringing all three puppies back with us across the border. Canada passed legislation to combat puppy mills. Persons now have to use pet transportation companies or brokers to send puppies via air now. Which mean lots more money to send puppies. So we are putting the two girls on planes in Seattle to ease the price. So wish us luck on our journey. :D!!!!!!! And wish Kris and Winston good weather luck so there are no flight delays or cancellations.

I will take as many good pictures and videos as possible. :)

Shikoku Ken play videos

Edgewood — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:17:33 -0400

The weather is finally seeming a bit like spring (well the daffodils are coming up) - could be warmer though.

So I took a few videos of my two playing with each other and their favorite toy.

Looking for a Shikoku Puppy

SanoBattousai — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:59:41 -0400

Hello, I'm searching for a Shikoku Ken puppy and was wondering if this is really realistic in the US. I live in Kansas and within my family we have 2 Japanese Akita's and I would really love to add a Shikoku to the pack. I'm a lifetime dog owner so I'm no amateur and I'm experienced in raising Japanese dogs. The only US breeder I've come across are the owners of shikokudog.com. Any help you could provide would be tremendous! Thank You.

Adding a Shiba to a Single Shikoku Family

cmpteki — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:23:25 -0400

Hello All -

My family and I currently have a single, intact, female Shikoku; Kimi from Akashima, as part of our family. Kimi is amazing; excellent with people and small children, very calm and quiet indoors, energetic and playful outside. Interaction with other dogs...puppies can get away with anything, adult dogs are hit and miss; she either likes them, tail wagging, sniffing, and playful...or she feels the need to posture and dominate (growl, snap, pinch). I have not been able to determine any commonalities in the dogs she disagrees with; guessing something is happening at an instinctual, hormonal level. There are also some dogs that she isn't sure what to do with; the first weiner dog she saw, she went behind me and stayed there, only peeking around my legs at the other dog...hadn't seen that behaviour from her before; found it quite humorous...she will play the agressor with a larger Husky, but hides from a tiny weiner dog... :)

Anyways; on with the query, we would like to add a Shiba to our group; however, breeders I have discussed this with seem to be of mixed opinions on whether or not this is a good idea. I realize individual dogs have differing personalities, and that there is not a set, correct, or easy answer. I thought I would reach out to our forum members and gather some opinions and experiences; as I know there are several people who have this combination.

I have read the Q&A note on the new club site regarding mixing a Shiba and a Shikoku; it definitely explains some issues to watch for, atleast when introducing adult dogs to one another.

Will I have the same concerns adding a Shiba as a pup?

Will the Shiba consider the Shikoku's 'nosiness' as normal, since it will be introduced to this behaviour as a pup?

Will the Shiba; being substantially smaller, be at any risk from the Shikoku?

I know mice, birds, squirrels, etc are all on Kimi's 'catch' list; as terrible as it is to ask, could a small pup be potentially interpreted as a prey species?

Will a male or female pup have a better chance at successful integration once the 'puppy stage' has passed?

Thoughts?

Mac.

P.S.: We are also discussing the Kai Ken as a potential additional family member. With the Kai being closer in size to the Shikoku, it may be a better choice for our second Nihon Ken.

Royal Shikoku?

JessicaRabbit — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 23:05:17 -0400

Is it just me or does it appear that Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife, Crown Princess Masako (of Japan) have a Shikoku?

Mason

downright — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:43:47 -0500

Wanted to let everyone know that my wife and I took a drive from our home in NJ to Peggy's in Ohio. We went with the intentions of "checking out" her dogs, and especially the one 5 month puppy she had left from her unexpected Yamato and Suki litter, a brother of Cho Cho and Miyu. After hanging around Peggy's for a couple of hours and taking up way too much of her time, we made the decision to bring him home. Peggy never named him so we went with my wife's decision to call him Mason.

He is a completely awesome dog. Very chill and relaxed inside, great on walks and friendly with every dog he has met so far, big and small. Peggy said he had a dominant streak and I guess I could confirm this. He is not intimidated whatsoever by any other dog. My resident Shiba Sam is finally showing some signs of warming up to him. She is fine with him outside but is generally being somewhat aggressive towards him within the house. She's always done this with new dogs inside the house and it usually takes her some time to get comfortable with them invading her space (our fault for not taking the proper course of action and correcting this behavior sooner). But for the first time last night she initiated play in the living room and seemed to be loving his attention...until he started getting too excited and began trying to mount her. She wasn't having any of that. It's only been a few days and she seems to be getting better with him around....was thinking of bringing in a behaviorist (was going to ask for suggestions on here) but thought I would give it some time for her to adjust.

I have no pictures to upload right now. I'm at work and all picture hosting sites are blocked of course. Will try my hardest to get some pictures posted this weekend. He is a very good looking dog.

Meet Cho Cho...

brada1878 — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:13:39 -0500

This is Cho Cho, our new Shikoku Ken. She is from Peggy at O'iKon Kennel. She's very sweet and pretty sassy too (which is good, she puts Kaiju in his place)! I love here! :o)

I've got a video of her too, I'll upload it later.

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shikoku importing!

kyralyn — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:38:49 -0400

alright, so i see that most shikoku owners got their dog by having it imported from Japan. I am wondering...how in the heck do you find any breeders?? i sure can't find any shikoku breeder websites...that are located in Japan. so how do you all do it? how do you get your Shikoku's? do you fly to Japan and ask around? do you bring someone with you on the trip who can speak Japanese?
i would figure that you would definatley want to fly there to see the dogs/pups in person, to know if theyre healthy and the quality you want...and to save yourself from a disaster.. SCAMS!
anyway, so how did you have your shikoku(s) imported?

**PLUS**
and also...look at the pup on the left of the photo (if its showing up). are shikoku's show potential if they have white markings on different areas than there usually is? this little one has it around his nose.