Questions

elliott06

Ok was wondering if shikokus are trainable also if they're stranger aggressive and if they're dog aggressive?I live in NSW Australia where during the summer it can get up to 40 degrees celsius can shikokus handle that?


Thanks

Deon

Shikoku can be aloof with strangers and they can have a certain play style that some western dogs can't tolerate sometimes.

yo_eddy

Depends on the dog. Yuki is not a fan of most strangers and will react to almost all dogs. We are working with him, and he is getting better, but he will never be a dog park dog and likely will not ever have any dog friends.

It rarely gets that hot here, but it does on occasion. Yuki deals with the heat fine. I wouldn't expect a ton of activity out of him though in the heat of the day, but early and late when it's a bit cooler are no problem

TheWalrus

My Shikoku are definitely not friendly with dogs they don't know. The vast majority of males I've seen are not okay with other males.
As far as heat goes, the dogs are definitely not happy in the summer unless they're in a very cool place. You can see the difference in their activity level and playfulness once the weather starts to cool down.

TreySmith417

Every spitz or double coated dog I've owned has had a noticeable difference in their activity level in the summer. They really slow down, and don't want to do much because of the heat. It was like a complete switch went off this year once the weather cooled slightly. All of my dogs were noticeably happier and had more energy with winter arriving.

Kaja

Shikoku are certainly trainable. People on these forums hunt with them, I think some have tried agility and scent training with them. Of course, temperament matters for this and temperament varies.

For my dog and I, we like doing tricks. I try to think of something new every few months. They dig the mental stimulation (and the treats, lol). She has trouble sitting pretty because she's kind of long and top heavy, but she does it for like a few seconds! She knows the difference when I ask her to bark (speak) and growl (grr). She just recently (and successfully) started control training where we combine her stay with her fetch (I throw her favorite toy and she's not allowed to go after it till I release her by voice command). So if fun time for you and your dog is doing stuff like that, Shikoku are really intelligent and enjoy it.

For strangers, yes mine barks. She is cautious of people she doesn't know. We have to quickly make guests friends with her or else the barking goes on and on. I am sure she enjoys the free food this entails... but it means when we are on the streets or at a cafe I have to ask people to ignore her and leave her alone or she barks

Dog friendliness: Off leash, she is good. She's only 3, so she still plays. Not sure what she would be like when she is older. If she doesn't want to interact with a dog she follows me and we walk away. On-leash is no good -- I avoid on-leash interactions.

I'm not sure about hot weather but everyone else seems to know what it's like so take their word for it xD

GrayJJ

They're very trainable and learn quickly. However I find they get "bored" so you have to keep rewards/tasks exciting.

Mine is both stranger/dog nervous. It really depends on the human and the dog for us (whether he will tolerate or react aggressively) so I just watch for his comfort level. I.e. def not a sweet golden retriever personality.

We maybe hit 40 degrees in heat waves but summer tends to fluctuate around 30 here. I would say they tolerate walks in heat but walk very slow. In that heat I wouldn't over exert them on walks/hikes longer than an hour. They'd much rather be in cooler temps. Cooling mats, air conditioning is required. It would be too hot in my opinion to leave the dog outside.