Live Life Team
The Shikoku is also sometimes known as the Kochi-ken and the Minawa Inu. It is named as such because it originates from the Shikoku Islands of Japan. It looks similarly to the Shiba Inu Japanese dog breed, although the Shikoku is bigger. Since it is one of only a handful of dog breeds native to Japan, the Shikoku was recognized as a “natural monument” of Japan by the Japanese Crown in 1937.
This dog breed is sometimes called the Kochi-ken because it was often used to hunt animals in the mountainous areas of the Kochi Prefecture. While it was able to hunt nearly any kind of animal, it was most often used to hunt boar and deer. Since it hunted in mountainous regions, the Shikoku is very good at manoeuvring across mountainous crags and through small spaces.
Shikoku dogs are average sized. They stand between 43 and 53 centimetres tall. Shikoku dogs average a weight between 8 and 25 kilograms. Female Shikoku dogs are significantly smaller than the males and will weigh much less. Their coat can either be a brindle of white, red or black, or have a solid red colour. They have a spitz tail which means that it is medium in length and curls backward and onto their back.
Shikoku dogs are strong and agile. Since they are an active working dog, they need a lot of outdoor activity on a daily basis. It’s a bad idea to keep them in a small apartment or tiny fenced in area.
