Breed # Hokkaido The Hokkaido is a foundation stock service breed from Japan, standing males 19–20 in · females 18–19 in at the withers, weighing 44–66 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–15 yrs. ![A photograph of the Hokkaido](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/hokkaido.webp) Breed group Foundation Stock Service Origin Japan Height males 19–20 in · females 18–19 in Weight 44–66 lb Lifespan 12–15 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Hokkaido is taller than 37% of the measured breeds, heavier than 56%, one of 64 in the Foundation Stock Service group, one of 10 from Japan. Compare the Hokkaido with another breed ## Living with the Hokkaido Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Hokkaido’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 3 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 3 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 3 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 3 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 4 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 2 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 5 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Hokkaido on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/hokkaido/)[Hokkaido on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/hokkaido) ## Breeds that look like the Hokkaido A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Hokkaido. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/finnish-spitz.webp)Finnish Spitz](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/finnish-spitz/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/shiba-inu.webp)Shiba Inu](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/shiba-inu/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/icelandic-sheepdog.webp)Icelandic Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/icelandic-sheepdog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/chow-chow.webp)Chow Chow](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/chow-chow/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/eurasier.webp)Eurasier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/eurasier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pastor-garafiano.webp)Pastor Garafiano](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pastor-garafiano/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Hokkaido19–20 in 2. Finnish Spitz17–20 in 3. Shiba Inu14–17 in 4. Icelandic Sheepdog12–16 in 5. Chow Chow17–22 in 6. Eurasier20–24 in 7. Pastor Garafiano24–28 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Hokkaido44–66 lb 2. Finnish Spitz26–29 lb 3. Shiba Inu18–25 lb 4. Icelandic Sheepdog25–30 lb 5. Chow Chow40–90 lb 6. Eurasier51–71 lb 7. Pastor Garafiano77–101 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Hokkaido12–15 yrs 2. Finnish Spitz13–15 yrs 3. Shiba Inu13–15 yrs 4. Icelandic Sheepdog~12 yrs 5. Chow Chow11–13 yrs 6. Eurasier12–14 yrs 7. Pastor Garafianono recorded figure Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. ## Guides that mention the Hokkaido Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed. - [Solving the Mystery: Why Do Dogs Push Their Food with Their Nose?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/why-does-my-dog-push-his-food-with-his-nose/) See the Hokkaido on the breed map Read about the Hokkaido on Wikipedia