- Sesame (well mixture of black, red and white hairs in whole.), red, black and tan
About the Shikoku
Origin: Japan
- Typical life span
- 10-15 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 16-25 kg
- Female
- 16-20 kg
- Height
- Male
- 47-55 cm
- Female
- 44-52 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Spitz and primitive types
- Origin
- Japan
- Known hereditary risks
- None well documented
About
What is a Shikoku?
A medium-sized, primitive spitz-type hunting dog from Japan with a wolf-like appearance, compact build, and dense double coat. Known for its keen senses, endurance, and spirited yet cautious nature.
Shikoku history and origins
Ancient Japanese breed developed for hunting wild boar and deer in mountainous regions of Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island. Declared Japanese Natural Monument in 1937 for preservation, maintained in relative isolation.
Shikoku appearance and size
Males typically weigh 16-25 kg and stand 47-55 cm at the shoulder; females 16-20 kg and 44-52 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Hunting dog, companion
- Behaviour and temperament
“A dog of marked endurance, keen in sense with a naive feeling, energetic and highly alert; an enthusiastic hunter; docile towards his master”
Quoted from FCI standard n°319. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Nothing hereditary documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Shikoku
What you get with the Shikoku
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Hunting dog, companion”
- The standard describes the breed as: “A dog of marked endurance, keen in sense with a naive feeling, energetic and highly alert”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Outer coat rather harsh and straight, undercoat soft and dense”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Shikoku
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Outer coat rather harsh and straight, undercoat soft and dense.
The hair on the tail is rather long
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°319 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at withers: Males 52 cm. Females 49 cm. There is a tolerance of + 3 cm”
- FCI states a tolerance around the figure.
Quoted from FCI standard n°319. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Shikoku down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Extremely overshot or undershot mouth.
- Ears not pricked.
- Hanging tail, short tail
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Shikoku in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Shikoku
Nothing hereditary is documented for the Shikoku breed, but there is still specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
No breed-specific hereditary condition with a validated DNA test or peer-reviewed genetic characterisation was found for the Shikoku. This is consistent with the breed's small, largely Japan-based population and limited history of genetic screening — it does not mean the breed is free of heritable disease, only that none has yet been documented to a standard worth citing to a buyer.
What to ask for anyway
- Hip score from a recognised scheme (OFA, BVA/KC or FCI) on both parents
- Patella evaluation on both parents
- Eye examination under a recognised scheme (e.g. ACVO or BVA/KC)
- Documented line history and cause of death across at least three generations, since no DNA panel exists for this breed
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Shikoku owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Shikoku breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.