Kishu Ken
A Japanese boar hunter, almost always white, and it stalks silently rather than baying. Reserved, clean in its habits, and bonded to one household.
Photo by CJ Hammond, CC BY-SA 4.0
Overview
The Kishu Ken is one of the six native Japanese spitz breeds and it is designated a Japanese national monument. It was bred in the mountainous Kishu region to hunt boar and deer, working silently and alone rather than in a noisy pack.
Most Kishu are white, which was selected for in the twentieth century, though red and sesame occur. The silence is the working trait: it stalks and holds rather than baying.
Temperament
Reserved, independent and intensely loyal. Kishu are devoted to one household and genuinely aloof with strangers, and they are quiet dogs that rarely bark.
They are primitive in temperament: strong prey drive, strong sense of territory, and a real inclination to make their own decisions. Same sex dog aggression is common. They are clean, catlike and undemanding indoors, and they need an experienced owner.
Care and grooming
A short dense double coat that needs weekly brushing and daily attention during the two heavy moults.
The breed is generally healthy with a natural gene pool. Hypothyroidism and entropion occur at low rates. Eleven to thirteen years.
Living and exercise
An hour and a half a day plus mental work, and a very secure fence, because the prey drive and the roaming instinct are intact.
They are rare outside Japan and export is limited. They are not off lead dogs and they are a poor fit for multi pet households with small animals.
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