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Hokkaido Inu

History

The Hokkaido-Inu is one of the Japanese dog breeds. It also has been known as "the Ainu-Ken (Ainu Dog)." Because the Ainu people (the indigenous people of Hokkaido) bred the dog to use for hunting bears and deer.

The strength and physique of this breed enables the dog to withstand severe cold, heavy snowfalls, dense forests, and the rugged terrain in Hokkaido.

The history of the dog is very closely tied with the history of the Ainu people.
This ancient Ainu people first settled in the whole of Japan with their dogs.
They are the indigenious people of Japan.
According to some hypothesis, they are the descendants of Southern Mongoloid migrants who entered the Japanese Islands several tens of thousands of years ago, before the Jomon Period (8000 BC to 300 BC).
However, in the Yayoi Period (300 BC to 250 AD) and Tumulus Period, Northern Mongoloid migrants entered the Honsyu Island with their dogs and so the original Ainu people were mixed with them and also the dogs.
By the way, because they were so far away, the old ones who lived in the Okinawa Islands, the Tohoku district and the Hokkaido Island were not mixed and also their dogs.
Through research on the minute variations in skull structure, there is a hypothesis that the Okinawa people are related to the Honsyu people, but not the Ainu people.

Also genetic sutudies propose the hypothesis that the ancient Ainu people are the descendants of another Northern Mongoloid migrants, who had not adapted themselves to the cold

Since the rulers of Yamato Japan (Yamato Period: 300 AD to 710 AD) had started to expand their territory eastward, the Tohoku Ainu were constantly being displaced to the Hokkaido Island with their dogs. In Hokkaido, the Tohoku Ainu were mixed with the Hokkaido Ainu and also their dogs.
Thus the Hokkaido-Inu came into existence in Hokkaido -- also the Ryukyu-Inu did so in Okinawa. Both the Hokkaido and the Ryukyu probably were southern dogs originally.

As the dogs mixed, the Kai-Inu, the Kisyu-Inu, the Shiba-Inu and the Shikoku-Inu were bred in the other islands of Honsyu, Kyusyu, and Shikoku.

CHARACTERISTIC

The dog appears simple, wild, and powerful as is its nature.
It is impulsive and fast and has a light gait.
The stop (a long, narrow hollow in the middle of forehead) is shallow but defined, therefore the dog has a gentle look.
The dog howls like a wolf when he is happy to see his owner.
He sometimes ignores "come" if he has more important things to do.
It usually obeys the owner with gentle responsiveness and likes a lot of affection, however, it is very brave and shows manly features. It is fearless and a determined hunter and has been known to attack a 650 pound brown bear. They are a very well-behaved breed.

FAULTS

If your dog has the following faults, he would get many points off in competition. (1) He doesn't have a good bite (occlusion).
(2) He doesn't have any teeth to come through.
(3) As his coat color is not white, all of cheek, chin, chest and stomach are completely white

Most of the dogs have spots of black on a tongue..

It is desirable that a completely white dog has its nose leather black not beige.

Some dogs may bite humans. Some veterinarians are afraid of the dogs. But now we have lots of dogs that do not bite.

HUNTING By studying deer hunting in the mountains, Nobuyuki Abe (living in Hokkaido), a member of the Hokkaido-Inu Association, has examined the hunting capacity of the Hokkaido. According to his report, when the dogs get game, they never eat it. If the big game can't run away there, the dogs have no great attachment to that. In short, the Hokkaido hunts game to be helpful to its owner.
Abe's studies confirm that his dogs throw down and kill the deer by destroying the nerve system at the shoulder joint of its front leg.

Sometimes our web site's dogs hunt various animals, such as cicadas, mice, birds, snakes, and cats in their back yard. It looks like the dog toys with them, and also he never eat them!

Temperament The breed is known for faithfulness to its keeper, bravery, and the ability to withstand the cold, among other traits. It has an innate sense of direction and can therefore return to its master no matter how great the distance. Despite its long history as a working breed, the Ainu Dog ideally combines the roles of family pet and hunter. This breed should not be allowed to run free around other animals. They are good with children if they are raised with them from puppyhood. This dog is not recommended for apartment life. It is moderately active indoors and will do best with a large yard.

Appearance The breed is medium in size, and has small, triangular, upright ears. The small eyes have a rising triangular outline. The Hokkaido has a coat of long, stiff fur, and a second, shorter coat of soft fur. Colors include red, white, black, tiger, sesame, and wolf-gray. Males are typically 50 cm tall, and females a few centimeters shorter, with body masses in the 20 kg range. Lifetimes of about 15 years are common. Health **A lifespan of about 15 years is common.

Faults Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness of the fault should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note * Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum .