- Sesame (well mixture of black, red and white hairs in whole), brindle, red, black, black and tan, white
About the Hokkaido
Origin: Japan
- Typical life span
- 11-15 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 20-30 kg
- Female
- 20-26 kg
- Height
- Male
- 46-54 cm
- Female
- 46-51 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Spitz and primitive types
- Origin
- Japan
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Hokkaido?
Medium-sized, athletic spitz-type hunting dog with thick double coat, prick ears, curled tail, and alert expression. Originally bred by the Ainu people for hunting large game in harsh climates of Hokkaido, Japan.
Hokkaido history and origins
Ancient Japanese breed developed by the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido for hunting large game such as bears and deer. Designated as living natural monument in Japan in 1937.
Hokkaido appearance and size
Males typically weigh 20-30 kg and stand 46-54 cm at the shoulder; females 20-26 kg and 46-51 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Hunting dog, companion
- Behaviour and temperament
“Dog of noteworthy endurance, showing dignity and naive feeling. The temperament is faithful, docile, very alert and bold. It also shows accurate judgement and great stamina”
Quoted from FCI standard n°261. 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
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Hokkaido
What you get with the Hokkaido
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Hunting dog, companion”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Dog of noteworthy endurance, showing dignity and naive feeling”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The hair on the tail fairly long and off-standing”
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 · Hokkaido
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Outer coat harsh and straight
undercoat soft and dense.
The hair on the tail fairly long and off-standing
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°261 — 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 standard penalises
What a judge marks the Hokkaido 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 Hokkaido in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Hokkaido
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Hokkaido on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Hokkaido 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 Hokkaido 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.