Shikoku Ken

Nippo Ibaragi Regional

TheWalrus — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 08:30:03 -0400

Went to Ibaragi to attend the regional today. Snapped a few pics and videos.

The Shikoku is a friend's dog. He took 3rd in the National last Fall, and has been taking a lot of 1sts in the regionals recently. Very good looking red Shikoku.

And a Yushoku Kishu for fun.

Random Clips of Shikoku

TheWalrus — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:10:35 -0400

Some random clips of Shikoku I've taken recently.

Some InuYasha Videos

the_november_rain — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:59:15 -0400

Here are some short InuYasha videos,

Our lot is like a triangle and the one corner grows wild. InuYasha loves to romp in the overgrowth.

Here he is having breakfast. Normally Frannie just watches from the cubbyhole in front of his dishes. But the past few days she has been trying to eat out of the bowl with him. Today he said "No! My food, thank you very much." She was displeased and acted out, little punk...He said "whatever". lol

InuYasha/Kitty Update

the_november_rain — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:22:07 -0500

InuYasha has been doing well so far.

But he constantly harasses the cats. At first they were giving him warning hisses and swatting, but he continues to go after them. Now they are getting fed up and the swiping and hissing has become more aggressive. This morning the little one Frannie managed to bite him on the head and must have had claw contact with him. He has a little blood between the nostril hole and fur.

He completely ignores anything we are saying. When they run he chases, when they don't run he tries to chew on them.

I don't think they would mind playing with him if he didn't chew on them.

Should I just keep telling him no and wait it out?

Nice shot of Loa...

brada1878 — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:20:38 -0400

I took this today, I thought it came out pretty nice...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4437017818_8a0c7be029.jpg

I know its been a while since I've posted any pics of little Ms. Loa.

Here are a few others I took today, but they are not as good...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2800/4436249201_cfda4ae618.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4437021252_8be1f7d6d5.jpg

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Growth pains for young Shikoku

Reno&Rico — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:29:57 -0500

Hello you all,
Shousei is 6,5 months now and has been growing pretty fast. He looks really nice, is doing very well. However, the last few days he seems to be very stiff, walks unnaturally, his back is arched and sometimes he walks around like he is in serious pain. However, he doesn't show any pain, doesn't make any sounds like he is in pain. He can still run, jump and play but at home he's laying in his bench and doesn't look very comfortable.
I think we have him too much high protein food. Somehow he seems to like the senior food of Reno and Rico better than his puppy stuff. So to avoid he wasn't getting enough protein, we gave him extra tuna, meat, chicken liver and more protein rich stuff. We probably overdid this. So we will limit his food intake now to stop this, hopefully with quick results. It really doesn't look very nice; it hurts to see him so uncomfortable.
He might also have had too much linolic acid, the oil that was in the tuna cans. This promotes inflammation, actually counteracts the benefit of the tuna. It seems the bone membrane is inflamed now, due to problems with arteries en veins going in and out, but without enough space. I will add high amounts of fish oil in his diet to counteract this. I hope it will not take to much time to make him comfortable again.
Anyone has experienced anything like this?

Loa Passed Her CGC!!!

brada1878 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:50:54 -0500

Loa passed her Canine Good Citizen test on Saturday, this was her first try - and she passed! She did really well, we are very proud of her!

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/67822174.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1267401467&Signature=z5QSSdqt0R%2FBuLzBUnJJ6jsTI2o%3D
(This is a pic of her, and Ziggy, practicing for the CGC test)

I think this is the first female Shikoku to get her CGC, (tho I may be wrong, Himiko may have her CGC too - Jess???).

The only other CGC Shikoku I know of for sure is Ronan, he got his a few years ago.

Kris - Does Kuma have his CGC too?

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Nightly Rituals

JessicaRabbit — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:12:32 -0500

Every night my girls tackle my husband and maul him with kisses.
(Pardon the initial darkness, it brightens up when I remembered to turn on the lights)

Then Jay takes his boots off. Miko waits with deep anticipation for his boots to come off so she can do this.

Feeding habits

Saya — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:14:34 -0500

I was wondering are Shikoku like shiba inu in the terms of eating that they'll eat what they need, but they won't over eat like say like some other breed that tends to over eat?

I dunno why but I just wanted to know out of curiosity is this a shiba inu thing or do all Nihon Ken eat what they need and not over eat?

Eventually I'd like to have a Kai ken or a Shikoku ken as my next dog not any time soon, but I thought I'd ask this question though the question isn't really a good one, but I really like it that Saya eats, but won't act like she wants more food.

Shoushuu: Training Under Distraction

ShikokuSpirit — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:32:41 -0500

These photos were taken by me earlier on this past week. Shoushuu has gone through a lot of changes growing up. Looking back at his photos from his "younger days" one can distingush infant puppy from "child" pup and adolescent pup from young adult. I think he's starting to look more like a "man" now. Give him about another 6-9 months or so...and he'll be a full fledged adult Shikoku male =).

img src="http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff235/ShikokuSpirit/Shoushuu%20Photos/HPIM3199.jpg">

Shikoku ken playing fun

Reno&Rico — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:53:24 -0500

I went out with all the boys and had them play and run free so a good opportunity to shoot some action pictures. Oh yes, they were lots of fun to take. Shousei wants to play with Reno and Rico so badly he is doing all he can to get their attention. Not scared by anything he is extending his bounderies. This results in awesome faces and expressions. I guess I have to make more in the near future. Do you like this stuff? Don't forget to check Rico & Reno's faces too, they do all they can to run away from him. Or run after him to scare him away :-) But they never hurt him and so he continues to "attack" them trying to find out about their limits.

Shousei in the snow pics

Reno&Rico — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:41:49 -0500

Since our "Raising a shikoku pup" is getting a bit to long, it might be a good moment to post some pictures of Shousei in a new lead. Today, playing in the snow and with an other dog. It was fun to watch, I hope you enjoy the pics!

I really like this Shikoku

brada1878 — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:37:36 -0500

He's handsome and cute. :o) He reminds me of a mix between Katja's Kuma and Ronan/Tenji with a little Kei thrown in there. His face reminds me a lot of Tenji.

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Raising a shikoku pup

Reno&Rico — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:05:02 -0400

Hey Nihon-ken lovers,
We have two Siberian Huskies, Reno and Rico. They are brothers and all their life together. Not always easy but they cannot be without each other. Meanwhile they are past 11 years and luckely still very fit. But one day…
Now we are considering a shikoku for the future, not in a hurry. Just thinking, does it make sense to wait to start from scratch with a new puppy or is it very helpful to have two adult (and very obedient) Huskies to help with the raise of a Shikoku puppy. What about the temperament; is it okay to add a third male to the pack?

Shikoku and Other dogs

TaraA — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:38:36 -0500

I'm just curious if I ever add another dog to my family, what breeds get along well, play well . . . etc with a Shikoku. So far I noticed that some people on the forum have Siberian Huskies, Pit Bull, Shiba, Kai, Malinois, LGD, . . . I think Akita, although I haven't seen Brad's Ahi or Loa playing with his Akita.

From what I've heard on the forum, Shikoku play rough and can be a bit rude in their play style for some dogs . . . plus they can be reactive if a dog is rude back to them.

On I side note I noticed in a recent discussion Brad was showing how his dogs will change their play style depending on who they are playing with. I thought that was interesting.

So, I was just curious to hear other peoples experiences . . . good, difficult.

Koshi

Two Socks — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:17:08 -0500

I thought I should give a little Koshi update. Koshi has been a family member for a little over 2 weeks now. I have to say she has been a great puppy. The relationship building with the shibas has been challenging.
On week one Koshi gravitated to Gin right away almost to the point of obsession many times I had to end the constant harassment that Koshi inflicted upon Gin . As time progressed The obsession seemed to go away & healthy play is developing nicely.
The relationship with Levi was much more difficult, he was very intolerant of her for a week & a half. Truth is he would try to attack her every chance he could get. However things have improved greatly between them & they now play at least twice a day.
Things are really going great at this point. Koshi is learning the routine around here very quickly & the relationship with the three dogs is great compared to week one.
I started Koshi in puppy class last Sat. & she is really doing great !@
here's a couple photos .

Kekko - new Shikoku

tini — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:13:46 -0400

Hi all shikoku lovers :). I'm Stina from Estonia and would like to introduce my new family member - Kekko, a Shikoku pup from Holland. He is the first Shikoku in Estonia, so will be interesting. Kekko is soon 3 months, but already very well behaved boy. He is quite a quick learner, never makes pipi in the house etc...
He has also adopted well to my furry pack :) - 3 siberian huskies. Although Siberians and Shikoku have totally different background, there are many similar behaviors in them, so they seem to be getting along very well.
I'm extremely happy about having Kekko, I waited for him almost 2 years. Will add some pictures of him as well..

Miko and Ruby are Ridiculous

JessicaRabbit — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:57:31 -0500

It has been a while since I posted pictures. To be frank, with so many accomplished photographers here, and me with my crappy point and shoot, I hesitate to post snap shots.
One day I will invest in a better camera. But for now here are some silly snapshots of my dynamic duo.
Oh, and if anyone ever tells you, that two females can never work, show them my kids. Dear god they are silly.

Shikoku puppy video channel…

Reno&Rico — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:37:55 -0500

This lead is a new video channel for shikoku puppies, but only the cute ones… so, all of them :-) The first one is shousei, 4.5 months young here.

Shikoku breeders in Japan?

Two Socks — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:01:46 -0400

Does anyone have any information on Shikoku breeders in Japan ?.I have a friend that lives in France & wants to travel to Japan in search of a shikoku.I told her I would throw this question out and see if we can help her!

Kotomi: Yesterday's Spam

ShikokuSpirit — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:21:25 -0500

You won't believe this!

montanadoglover — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:33:28 -0500

We were at the Fairgrounds today for a training session at our club's training building. I load the dogs up after letting them run around a bit, turn around and a couple are walking up the road with a white dog, curly tail, on leash. I look and look and am thinking, MAN does that look like a nihonken of some kind, or maybe a white Jindo, maybe a white Shiba but he was a bit large. So I get in the car, slow down to catch up with them and ask what breed -- he says it's a Shikoku -- and he spelled it out for me! OMG -- I nearly fell out of my car. I said I didn't know they came in that color. He said this dog was the first one born of his litter and all the others were normal-colored. I asked him whether he had imported him from Japan, and he said no, he'd gotten him from Peggy Graham out of Kirkwood, Ohio!!

We're in a winter storm watch, the snow was coming down all around, I was in no position to exchange pleasantries about whether they lived here or were just visiting or how old the dog was or was he friendly or could I pet him. They DID say he was WONDERFUL, the best dog they had ever had. He had a nice broad head, the slanted eyes, the guy owner said he was 40 lbs, 22 inches at the shoulder -- he looked very sound, moderately angulated (which I always look at). I asked him whether he knew what a Kishu was, and he said no -- so other than the fact that he knew they were related to the Akita, he didn't know that much about Nihonken.

Can the world get much smaller????? Made my day.

She's here!

Two Socks — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:02:51 -0500

I just got home and thought I'd better get a few pics up while I still have the energy... (These are the best 4 in a hundred attempts)

I can't keep this to myself any longer!

Two Socks — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:22:35 -0500

I have some super exciting news! For the past year I have been actively pursuing a Shikoku pup. After the disappointing news I received from Katja a few months back,I contacted a very good friend of mine with close ties to Japan & nihon ken I told her about my quest, and she talked with a few of her connections in Japan. This is a very long story but the short version is she found me a female Shika puppy from a very highly respected shikoku breeder and he agreed to sell her to me. My friend will be traveling to Japan next week to the Nippo show and will be bringing her back . I've been keeping this to myself because I really didn't think this could become reality,but it appears that all the T's are crossed & the I's dotted.She is to fly in Thanksgiving day!!!!

Shikoku Registry?

montanadoglover — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:01:46 -0400

Is there a Shikoku Registry in the United States? Is there anyone keeping track of bloodlines, accomplishments, etc. of this breed here? Is anyone thinking about starting a national club to pursue AKC recognition?

I'm on a puppy waiting list for a Kishu, and was just wondering why the Shikoku had never made it to FSS status with the AKC, when the Kishu had done so with very few dogs actually in the U.S.

Katja's website/email

TaraA — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:36:09 -0500

Has anyone on the Forum talked to Katja recently?

I noticed yesterday that Katja's website wasn't working, so I sent her an email to let her know, but I just received a postmaster delivery status failure notification. I was hoping someone might know if she's working on her website or something. I might give her a call sometime, but I didn't want to bother her if she's just working on updating her website.

Awa, Hongawa, Hata

Two Socks — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:46:23 -0500

Does anyone know if there is any differences between the three varieties of shikoku? I understand that these are the regions of origin and that the Hongawa variety is known to have the highest degree of purity. Can anyone expand on this for me?

Shoushuu, Kotomi & the Rest of the Crew!

ShikokuSpirit — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:13:27 -0500

Here are some recent pics of my dogs:

Lynxiene

Shoushuu

Kotomi

More photos will be forthcoming...

Name Themes

TaraA — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:52:39 -0400

I've been thinking up names for my future puppy and I noticed a lot of you use great Japanese names, which makes sense of course. I really like Japanese names, but my boyfriend wants an English name. So I'm trying to find a Japanese name or other foreign name that doesn't sound too foreign.

My family think I'm an oddball for constantly researching dog breeds and giving my animals strange names. Example: I have two cats, one named Hiroshi and the other Mapache (which is Spanish for raccoon). I also used to have two birds named Toru and Yuki. I love naming animals after some of my favorite Anime characters. I'm just curious to know if anyone has found good name themes. Shikoku are so beautiful and distinguished, so I just want to find a name to fit. Right now I'm thinking of Kaya for a female or Nova for a male or female.

Shikoku Loyalty?

Two Socks — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:31:58 -0400

After reading Shawna's post "Akita Loyalty" I was wandering ,if those of you that have shikoku, would describe your shika's loyalty.