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](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/shikoku.webp) 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 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 3 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 3 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 2 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 1 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 4 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.[Shikoku on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/shikoku/)[Shikoku on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/shikoku) ## 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. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/swedish-vallhund.webp)Swedish Vallhund](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/swedish-vallhund/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/west-siberian-laika.webp)West Siberian Laika](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/west-siberian-laika/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/alaskan-malamute.webp)Alaskan Malamute](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/alaskan-malamute/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/norwegian-elkhound.webp)Norwegian Elkhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/norwegian-elkhound/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/jamthund.webp)Jämthund](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/jamthund/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/norwegian-lundehund.webp)Norwegian Lundehund](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/norwegian-lundehund/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Shikoku7–21 in 2. Swedish Vallhund12–16 in 3. West Siberian Laika22–24 in 4. Alaskan Malamute24–26 in 5. Norwegian Elkhound19–21 in 6. Jämthund22–26 in 7. Norwegian Lundehund12–16 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Shikoku35–50 lb 2. Swedish Vallhund25–35 lb 3. West Siberian Laika30–50 lb 4. Alaskan Malamute79–95 lb 5. Norwegian Elkhound50–60 lb 6. Jämthund50–65 lb 7. Norwegian Lundehund13–15 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Shikoku10–12 yrs 2. Swedish Vallhund12–15 yrs 3. West Siberian Laika14–16 yrs 4. Alaskan Malamute10–12 yrs 5. Norwegian Elkhound12–15 yrs 6. Jämthund12–14 yrs 7. Norwegian Lundehund12–15 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 map Read about the Shikoku on Wikipedia