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Breed

Shikoku

The Shikoku is a foundation stock service breed from Japan, standing 7–21 in at the withers, weighing 35–50 lb. Recorded lifespan is 10–12 yrs.

A photograph of the Shikoku
Breed group
Foundation Stock Service
Origin
Japan
Height
7–21 in
Weight
35–50 lb
Lifespan
10–12 yrs

Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Shikoku is taller than 15% of the measured breeds, heavier than 37%, one of 64 in the Foundation Stock Service group, one of 10 from Japan.

Compare the Shikoku with another breed

Living with the Shikoku

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 Shikoku’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.

Around people and other dogs
Affection with family
4 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
Good with young children
3 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
Good with other dogs
2 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
Openness to strangers
2 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
Watchdog / protective nature
3 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
What they will ask of you
Energy
3 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
Exercise needs
3 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
Playfulness
2 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
Barking
2 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
Around the house
Shedding
4 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
Drooling
1 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
What they tolerate
Tolerates being alone
3 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Tolerates hot weather
4 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Tolerates cold weather
5 of 51 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.Shikoku on AKCShikoku on DogTime

Breeds that look like the Shikoku

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 Shikoku.

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

  1. Shikoku
    7–21 in
  2. Swedish Vallhund
    12–16 in
  3. West Siberian Laika
    22–24 in
  4. Alaskan Malamute
    24–26 in
  5. Norwegian Elkhound
    19–21 in
  6. Jämthund
    22–26 in
  7. Norwegian Lundehund
    12–16 in

Weight 0–220 lb

  1. Shikoku
    35–50 lb
  2. Swedish Vallhund
    25–35 lb
  3. West Siberian Laika
    30–50 lb
  4. Alaskan Malamute
    79–95 lb
  5. Norwegian Elkhound
    50–60 lb
  6. Jämthund
    50–65 lb
  7. Norwegian Lundehund
    13–15 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

  1. Shikoku
    10–12 yrs
  2. Swedish Vallhund
    12–15 yrs
  3. West Siberian Laika
    14–16 yrs
  4. Alaskan Malamute
    10–12 yrs
  5. Norwegian Elkhound
    12–15 yrs
  6. Jämthund
    12–14 yrs
  7. Norwegian Lundehund
    12–15 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 Shikoku on the breed mapRead about the Shikoku on Wikipedia
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