Breed # Kishu The Kishu is a foundation stock service breed from Japan, standing 17–22 in at the withers, weighing 30–60 lb. Recorded lifespan is 11–13 yrs. ![A photograph of the Kishu](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/kishu.webp) Breed group Foundation Stock Service Origin Japan Height 17–22 in Weight 30–60 lb Lifespan 11–13 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Kishu is taller than 37% of the measured breeds, heavier than 42%, one of 64 in the Foundation Stock Service group, one of 10 from Japan. Compare the Kishu with another breed ## Living with the Kishu 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 Kishu’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 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 2 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 3 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 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 3 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 2 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 3 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.[Kishu on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/kishu-ken/)[Kishu on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/kishu-ken) ## Breeds that look like the Kishu 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 Kishu. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/akbash-dog.webp)Akbash Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/akbash-dog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/kromfohrlander.webp)Kromfohrländer](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/kromfohrlander/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/parson-russell-terrier.webp)Parson Russell Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/parson-russell-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/bull-terrier-miniature.webp)Bull Terrier (Miniature)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/bull-terrier-miniature/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/new-zealand-heading-dog.webp)New Zealand Heading Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/new-zealand-heading-dog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/white-shepherd.webp)White Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/white-shepherd/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Kishu17–22 in 2. Akbash Dog28–32 in 3. Kromfohrländer15–18 in 4. Parson Russell Terrier12–14 in 5. Bull Terrier (Miniature)13 in 6. New Zealand Heading Dog20–24 in 7. White Shepherd25 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Kishu30–60 lb 2. Akbash Dog90–140 lb 3. Kromfohrländer22–31 lb 4. Parson Russell Terrier14–18 lb 5. Bull Terrier (Miniature)28–33 lb 6. New Zealand Heading Dog55–66 lb 7. White Shepherd75–80 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Kishu11–13 yrs 2. Akbash Dog~11 yrs 3. Kromfohrländer13–15 yrs 4. Parson Russell Terrier13–15 yrs 5. Bull Terrier (Miniature)11–14 yrs 6. New Zealand Heading Dog12–14 yrs 7. White Shepherd12–14 yrs 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. See the Kishu on the breed map Read about the Kishu on Wikipedia