I've only been hunting over a dog for a short time, and am still learning a lot myself. I do not hunt with any Nihon Ken, I use a West Siberian Laika who was bred for treeing game. My Shiba will hunt but he's more interested in shredding things than working as a team. Something to take into consideration is the type of dog you have and the game you want to go after. My Laika is an excellent tree dog but may not be a good bay dog (I have not tried him on anything that doesn't tree). I do not know if Nihon Ken make good tree dogs, my Shiba will tree but he's not really into it like my Laika is. It's also helpful to have a dog that was actively selected for hunting, but that is getting harder to come by with the Nihon Ken.


01. How did you start hunting?
I just picked up a shotgun and went out to a pond, stalked around for a bit and shot a couple birds. Thought it was fun, I liked the meat, so I decided to stick with it. I pursued hunting over a dog several years later.

02. Can Shikoku hunt Smaller prey?
Sure. If your Shikoku shows interest in small game, encourage them to hunt it.

03. When Shikoku's hunt, do they kill the animal themselves, or do you intervene?
Most of the time the hunter is the one who kills the animal. If it's something small the dog may grab it before it can tree/hide and the dog could kill it, but usually with Nihon Ken it's something much larger and to allow the dog to attempt to kill something (say, a boar) would be inhumane to both animals. The dog could take a while to kill the animal, or get ripped up in the process. It's much better for the hunter to shoot the animal as you can be much more precise and kill it quickly.

04. How would one go about starting to hunt? What would be the best thing for a novice to begin with?
I started with small game and birds, coot, squirrel, rabbit, grouse, and raccoon. Because my dog is a tree dog and shows more interest in smaller animals than large ones, that is what I go after. Some people start big, others small, it just depends on what you want to go after, what you're comfortable with, and your dog.

05. What sort of animals can a Shikoku hunt?
Anything it wants. Legally, that varies from state to state. For example, here in Michigan, you can hunt squirrel, raccoon, bobcat, fox, coyote, most game birds, and bear with dogs, but not deer, marten, elk, otter, beaver, etc. You need to check the specifics on each species you want to hunt in your state to determine if you are allowed to use a dog on it or not. Also find out when the season opens and closes.

06. Should a Shikoku hunt alone, or in a unit?
Depends on the dogs and the game. I wouldn't hunt bear with only one dog, but smaller game like squirrel I do. Some dogs don't get along when hunting, that is something else to keep in mind. Mine is usually fine when hunted with another dog.

07. What measures do you take to ensure a safe return to you or to ensure the dog isn't shot accidentally?
Orange, orange, orange! My Laika wears not only a 2" thick orange dayglo collar and a GPS tracking collar on a reflective orange strap, but also a orange vest. I will pack up and go home if there are other people in the area. Recall is incredibly important too, I will not hunt over a dog that doesn't come when called. I don't allow my dog to range too far either, I keep him under 250 yards from me. This can be harder with a bay dog since the prey they go after can run for a while before it's bayed up. I won't shoot something I don't have a clear shot on, and if the dog is too close, I won't shoot then either.

08. Do you feed the animal you catch, if yes: do you butcher it yourself and everything, or do you take it to a Butcher to have it done?
Yes, I do everything myself and feed what I don't to the dogs. If it's cooked or not depends on the species. You can take larger game to a butcher if you don't want to do it yourself but will have to gut it first or the meat will spoil quickly.

09. How did you teach the dog to start hunting?
My dog had really strong natural instincts, all I had to do was get him in the woods and let him see game and encourage him when he did what I want (chase to a tree and bark). Some people use pelts and caged game with young pups or untrained dogs to start them, I did not.

10. What is the best age to start working with the dog in hunting?
As soon as possible, the younger the better. I do know of some dogs that were not hunted until they were over a year old and are excellent hunters though. Just depends on the dog, if they were discouraged to chase game when they were younger, and how strong the dog's hunting instincts are.


Not all firearms are big and kick hard. Something you might want to look into is a small caliber rifle like a .22 if you go after smaller game. They have almost no kick and are very quiet. A versatile one is a 20 gauge shotgun, bigger kick and louder, but you can use several types of shells and can hunt a wide variety of game with one. I commonly use that on squirrel and birds. You will need a larger rifle if you hunt some larger game.
There are "no waste" laws that you need to be mindful of. If you shoot something or your dog catches and kills it, you are required to salvage the usable meat. Again read the laws for your state, watch videos on skinning/butchering on youtube, and if you can, tag along on a hunt to see how it's done.

There is a balance between the dog's work and the human's work, and the dog needs to be able to (as said above) stay on task, and communicate with you. Hunting is not about how insane your dog goes when he sees an animal. He must be interested in the prey but not lose his mind and forget you.

I hunt grouse with my two Kai Ken (one at a time though to maximize our cooperation and eliminate competition for the downed bird). In hunting-magazine terms, they hunt "close" to me. They are flushing dogs and I have had to learn to be very good at reading their body language to pick up the earliest sign that they are detecting the right animal (the grouse) and not dicking around after chipmunks. I have to be ready when they say "bird soon!"and get the safety off and be ready to point and fire when they flush it.

You sir are awesome.

You sir are awesome.

Yes, she is absolutely awesome. And her dogs are pretty cool, too. :-P