Thai Bangkaew Dog Breed Info And Characteristics

The Thai Bangkaew Dog (TBD) or simply Bangkaew is a Spitz type working dog that originated in the Bangkaew, a small village located in the Bang Rakam District, Phitsanulok Province in the Tha Nang Ngam area in central Thailand. Local folk tale says the breed actually traces its ancestry more than 100 years ago in a monastery called Wat Bangkaew near the Yom River. Third abbot of this monastery, Luang Poo Mak Metharee, was a true admirer of nature known for giving care to various animals. One day an old Bangkaew villager called Tah Nim granted him a native black and white female dog, which was pregnant at the time. However, since there were no other male dogs in that area, they believed her mating was either a Dhole (Cuon alpinus) or a Golden jackal (Canis aureus) – both of these wild predators inhabit forests surrounding this monastery. Latest chromosome study of the TBD confirmed the breed indeed being a cross between a jackal and a domestic dog. This native Thai bitch of Luang Poo Mak Metharee produced the litter of longhaired, black and dark brown puppies. Those were the first Thai Bangkaew Dogs, which soon afterwards became very popular and prized among locals. Continue Reading →

Kishu Inu Dog Breed Info And Characteristics

The Kishu Inu or Kishu Ken (Kishu Dog) is a Spitz type hunting dog that originated in the ancient Kii province (today Mie and Wakayama Prefectures), Honshu Island, Japan. The breed descended from ancient middle-sized dogs more than 3.000 years ago. According to one Japanese legend, the Kishu is actually the descendant of wolves. Namely, the hunter saved an injured she-wolf, which later promised to give him one of her pups. She kept her promise and gave him a puppy, which supposedly was the progenitor of the Kishu strain. Anyhow, thanks to the mountainous isolation of the Kii province, the breed basically kept its genetic purity to this very day since there was almost no crossbreeding with other dogs. The Kishu have been previously known as the Kumano Ken and Taichi Ken, the names given after the areas they originated from. However, when the breed was officially recognized and standardized in 1934, these dogs have become known under a single name – the Kishu Ken. The same year this dog breed was designated a Living Natural Monument in Japan and since then, it has been protected by law. The FCI accepted Kishu Inu breed on a definitive basis in 1982 and today it is included in the group 5: Asian Spitz and Related Breeds in the class of primitive dogs. Continue Reading →

Shikoku Dog Breed Info And Characteristics

The Shikoku Dog (Shikoku Inu) or Kochi Ken is a Spitz type hunting and working dog originating from the Kochi Prefecture on the Shikoku Island, Japan. This is one of six native Japanese dog breeds – other five being the Akita Inu, Shiba Inu, Kai Ken, Kishu Inu, and the Hokkaido Dog. The breed, previously known as the Tosa Ken, was developed through domestication of the wolf-like dogs that inhabited this Island in antiquity. At the time, these newly domesticated dogs were, by the ancient Japanese people, mainly used and bred for hunting. They proved successful in their duties and were highly valued as hunting dogs, which eventually proved crucial for the preservation of the entire breed. Thanks to the natural isolation of the Shikoku Island, these Japanese Wolfdogs (as some call these dogs, but it’s quite misleading as you can read here) have had limited ability to crossbreed with other dog breeds. This resulted that the genetic pool of this breed remained almost completely pure to this very day. That’s why the Mikawa Inu, as Japanese also call this dog, is considered one of the purest dog breeds in the world. Continue Reading →

Hokkaido Dog Info And Characteristics

The Hokkaido Dog (Hokkaido Inu) or Ainu Dog (Ainu Inu) is a Spitz type working dog originating from the Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Some experts believe that this is probably the oldest (more than 3.000 years) and most primitive of all Japanese breeds – even older than the Kai Ken, but that is up for debate. Ainu Ken is the descendant of ancient Japanese hunting dogs (Matagi-Ken) that were brought from the Tōhoku region (Honshu Island) by the Ainu people (thus the name Ainu Dog) sometime during the Jōmon period. There, in the isolation of the Hokkaido Island, the genetic pool of these dogs left relatively pure and safe from interbreeding with dogs of another breed that were later brought to the Tōhoku region by the Yayoi people. Many Ainu Dogs have blue-black tongues, which suggests that they are of the same origin as the Chow Chow and Shar Pei dogs. In 1937, the breed was designated a Living Natural Monument in its native country. Since then it has been protected by law. The Hokkaido Dog was recognized by the FCI on a definitive basis in 1964 and belongs to the group 5: Asian Spitz and Related Breeds in the class of primitive dogs. Continue Reading →

Kai Ken Dog Breed Info And Characteristics

The Kai Ken or Tora Inu (Tiger Dog) is a Spitz type hunting dog that originated in the isolated district of Kai (Yamanashi Prefecture) on Honshu Island, Japan. Experts believe that this is the purest and most ancient of all dog breeds in Japan. Tora Inu is the descendant of ancient Japanese dogs that were brought to Kai by the Jōmon or Yayoi peoples around 12.000 BC. There the breed left isolated for centuries thanks to the high mountains that surround the Yamanshi. That is, in fact, the main reason Kai Dogs bloodline remained relatively pure to this very day, but is also the main reason they have always been rare even in their native country. So, the preservation of the Kai breed begun in 1931 when Dasuke Adachi discovered for the first time these dogs in Ashiyasu village (now part of the city of Minami-Alps). Thanks to him, in 1934, Kai Ken Dog was designated a Natural Monument in Japan and since then it has been protected by law. Since 1982, it has been included on a definitive basis by the FCI in the group 5: Asian Spitz and Related Breeds in the class of primitive dogs. Continue Reading →