Disclaimer: I am not a professional dog trainer and these are my personal experiences and opinions from raising my Shikoku dog over the last 6 years. Each dog varies in personality, so your experience may differ.
Shikokus are one of the most beautiful and captivating primitive dog breeds. Their wolf-like appearance turns heads, and their fierce, independent nature makes them both challenging and rewarding companions. Owning a Shikoku isn't like owning a Labrador or a Golden Retriever; they require a deep understanding of their unique temperament. If you're considering one, or if you already have one and feel overwhelmed, you're not alone. I've connected and met with Shikoku owners all over the world and we all share the same stories, successess, and struggles. It's a very close knit community on instagram and facebook, so i'm really thankful to have had the platform to find other Shikoku dog owners to learn from each other.
If you already have a Shikoku, we have a link here to our fovorite items on amazon!
12 Things I Learned from Raising my Shikoku Dog
1. Socialization Must Start Early and Be Consistent, They are also not for Everyone
I thought my experience being raised with German Shepherds would prepare me, but raising a Shikoku as my first non-family dog was a completely different challenge. I enrolled Sora in puppy socialization classes, dog parks, took her to dog-friendly breweries, and exposed her to as many environments as possible. Even with all this effort, she remained cautious and independent.
With a Shikoku, early and ongoing socialization isn't just beneficial—it’s essential. I was very consistent with people socialization early on (most of my friends dont own pets). The dogs she was socizlied with as a puppy, she generally stayed good with, like my parents dog. She adores him and is pretty obsessed even if they go a year without seeing each other till we visit home. I often drop her off when I need to travel for work a few months at a time.
The things I would change if I could go back would be to socialize her with cats as a puppy. I've talked to several people on instagram who have cats and Shikoku and they all started them as puppies with cats around. I didn't have any friends with cats at the time and now Sora salvates and screams every time she sees a cat. She goes bonkers whenever a cat comes into view on our walks and it's more like a prey-drive activation instead of aggression like she has with other dogs.
I'm very lucky that Sora is amazing with humans and children. You can poke her, pick her up, squeeze her tight, pull her tail, do anything and as long as you're a human she will smile and be silly; i have never had a fear of her biting a human, she's just incredibly loving with people. This is NOT the case for all Shikoku. I have met more people aggressive Shikoku than dog aggressive. It is common and i'm not sure the best way to avoid it other than to socialize a lot with strangers when they're puppies. I basically let everyone say hello to her and i touched her paws, tail, ears, etc a lot to get her comfortable with all kinds of interactions. She is incredibly loyal and will wag her tail pretty much anytime a human she recognizes comes over or even if she's meeting a new person who is excited to meet her. She will match their energy. The only case of people suspicion she's had has been with homeless people in and around Denver and Seattle (where we've lived). If a person looks out of place and/or is acting strange or too forward with her she will start barking at them and start backing up. This could also be because she senses me being uneasy, but i'm okay with it.
2. Be Intentional with the Puppy Years
You need to be intentional with your Shikoku when they are a puppy (the first 2 years). Whatever you want them to be for their life, you gotta decide that when they're young. Are they going to be like Sora? Do you want them to be balanced? Do you want a traveling dog? Do you want a homebody chill dog? Do you want a dog park dog? Do you want a guard dog? Whatever it is, just think about it before you get your dog. I grew up in Virginia and lived there (and Maryland area) until i was 25 years old. I dreamed of starting over somewhere new. I thought about moving abroad and starting a whole new exciting life. I was pretty much stuck inside my bubble and itching to get out, but i also knew I needed a dog that can easily adapt to new environments. Once covid hit, i had that "what if i just died tomorrow?" moments, and quickly looked at different cities i could move to. I was between NYC, San Diego, and Denver. I settled on Denver because i saw so many girls on instagram living this really interesting life and having so much fun with their dogs; i thought, why not me too? I packed up my MINI and Sora and we headed west. Sora and I thrived in a new change of scenery and we started learning everthing about hiking, camping, and the outdoors (i had never camped or hiked much my whole life up until that point). We learned together and she quickly became very comfortable in the outdoors, a second home.
It is not recommended to hike anything strenuous when you have a puppy. However, you can take them on shorter nature walks to get them comfortable with nature and how to behave. I took her on the nature trail in my backyard in Virginia; stick season in its finest form, and it was a great way to introduce her to trails before we moved out west.
I also exposed her slowly to water. Shikoku are not water dogs and they dont generally enjoy swimming, but since i socialized her in the water as a puppy, it felt more natural for her to get her paws wet and drink from the water. (do the lepto vaccine for lake/river waters in Washington state!) I also enrolled her in a few swimming lessons during covid times where the instructor helped her get comfortable with the water and motivated her with tennis balls.
3. A Wolf in Shiba's Clothing
"Is that a domesticated fox?" "What a cute Shiba!" "Is she part wolf?" "what's her mix?" These are daily encounters when I'm out with Sora. Initially, it was frustrating, but now I see it as an opportunity to educate people, if they ask. I have my 15-second elevator pitch ready: "She's a Shikoku, one of the six native Japanese hunting breeds that’s medium-sized and larger than a Shiba, smaller than an Akita." I never really thought too much about what life would actually be like once I got my dog. I grew up my whole life around German Shepherds, which are a beautiful and popular breed in America. Shikoku are also a beautiful wolf-like dog, but they are pretty much unheard of outside of Japan; many owners of other Japanese dog breeds in America that i met still hadn't heard of the Shikoku. In all my travels, I think i've been asked if Sora was a Shikoku around 4 times total! Sora is black sesame, which shibas do not come in ; you can find a shiba in the sesame color (less common though).
4. There's Limited Information Available on the Breed, Health issues Can be Difficult to Diagnose and Understand
Unlike more popular breeds, Shikokus don't have endless resources available. When Sora was a puppy, I found myself scouring obscure Japanese forums, reaching out to other owners on instagram/email/facebook posts, and relying on trial and error. The lack of widespread knowledge can make training and problem-solving more difficult. At the time, you couldn't just search "how to train a shikoku" on youtube or google the way you'd search "how to train a husky". When searching for dog trainers i found myself looking for trainers that worked with shiba inus or akitas, but even then, their experience with those breeds didn't fully translate to Sora's issues.
Since Shikoku have less documentation and research, we were able to get a free genetic test via betterbred.com. You can read about their internal and genetic relatedness here if you're curious, and search Sora's given name "Daihana Go Hachidorisou". More information comes out every year, especially as the breed returns in numbers and grows in popularity. Information is still limited, but if you're determined and you've raised a dog before, then you can do it!
Another difficult thing was health issues aren't widely documented either; this nihon ken blog had some information, but i also went to facebook to share her symptoms. Sora had a lot of health issues as a puppy and surprisingly they have pretty much resolved and gone away around when she turned 4. One condition she had since she was a puppy was she would randomly limp in her legs, like severely (she would hold her leg up and be unable to walk and it would switch legs randomly). This started as a puppy and then continued into adulthood always starting randomly without warning (and not after long walks or hikes). I went to vets in DC/Denver/Seattle/Chicago and they all couldn't make sense of it. Her bloodwork was always fine and the x-rays showed nothing, not even pantosteitis that the breeder and vets suspected it was. As time went on, i started noticing the leg limping would occur when i would leave for a trip/vacation and she got stressed out, which made me lean towards "Shinkeitsuu" more of a nerve pain that could be stress induced. However, this seems to have gone away (fingers crossed) since she turned around 4.5/5 years old. It was extremely stressful to deal with because you'd never know when it'd start and i'd have to carry carprofen (dog ibuprofen) on my trips with her.
5. Puppyhood Was Extremely Challenging
The first six months with Sora were some of the hardest in my life. I had just gone through a breakup and suddenly had this demanding, high-energy puppy to care for. Then, the pandemic hit. Isolation made things even harder, and my anxiety affected Sora, proving that dogs are truly mirrors of their owners. Looking back, I wish I had prepared myself more for the emotional and physical toll of raising such an intense breed, especially on my own.
She was a really sensitive baby and Shikoku are notorious for not showing pain. Despite me being a helicopter dog mom and her being on preventatives, she got sick around 4 months old. She refused to eat, was getting skinner, bloody stool, throwing up, everything. The vets were virtually useless, running bloodtests and stool samples saying everything looked fine. As she got worse I took her to the emergency room and they later ran lots of scans (finally an ultrasound) that showed an intussusception which they claimed was caused by roundworms (even though she had been on meds to protect against this). They said these things happen unfortunately in swampier environments like Texas, Florida and Virginia (where we lived at the time). They treated her and after a month on bed rest her stitches healed from the surgery and she has had a beautiful life since then. Shikoku are resilient creatures and i dont see them easily giving into pain. Get pet insurance! (her surgery costs at 4 months old was over $7,000 and insurance covered 75% of it).
She was receptive to potty training though, she learned very quickly. I did the technique where you catch them in the act everytime (even if that means waking up in the middle of the night which i did, a lot!) and then she pretty much was trained within the first month or less. Shikoku are pretty clean in general, so i noticed even when we're camping Sora wont go to the bathroom near our site.
6. Dog Reactivity & Reluctance to Training
Shikokus are independent thinkers, which makes training feel like a constant battle of wits. They’ll test limits and push boundaries. Many people assume an intelligent dog is easy to train, but intelligence doesn’t equal obedience. They learn fast—but only what benefits them. If something doesn’t seem worth their effort, they won’t do it. Training a Shikoku requires patience, creativity, and a lot of self-awareness. You need to make sure you have boundaries in place too, so the dog doesn't walk over yours, because they will if they sense they can.
I will probably get a lot of heat for this, but I dont believe in solely positive-reinforcement training; it must be balanced. It does not work in my experience when used as the only training method. Shikoku are not golden retrievers! They are way too smart and if they believe they are above you then they will act like it. I've seen this firsthand with Sora. I spoiled the crap out of her and while I think it partially contributed to her gentle temperment at home, it also created a dog who believed she was head of the house.
I've tried e-collars with her which worked for awhlie (but only do this with a professional trainer's guidance), she is also muzzle-trained for when appropriate, and i regularly work on her threshold training. I think if you use the e-collar and prong for early training then you may have more success with off-leash control.
I have a whole blog post on the realities of having a reactive dog here. I am well-educated at this point on the topic and can share tips if you reach out via here or instagram.
7. Intense Prey Drive, FastCat Competitions, Off-leash
Sora’s prey drive is unlike anything I’ve seen before. My boyfriend, who enjoys dog training, was shocked at how difficult it was to get her attention outside. Small animals, movement in the distance—her instincts override commands. A Shikoku off-leash in an unfenced area? A disaster waiting to happen; i know several people who had their Shikoku run away after being off-leash at a park or on a forest trail. I also never recommend leaving them unattended in a backyard because they will eventually try to escape. Sora starts digging under the fence if my parents leave her out for too long; it's inevitable that they'll try to escape.
Recall training must be started young, and even then, management is crucial, my breeder told me not to even bother. I still would be skeptical to trust a Shikoku off leash due to their lack of willingness to listen if prey are around. However, i do know some people who have off-leash trained Shikoku; at this point i've only seen male Shikoku dogs trained for this; i think the female Shikokus are way too smart and care less about listening to you. You can start recall training with the long-lines, i use this biothane long line leash.
Once your Shikoku is around 2.5/3 years old, then you should start enrolling them in FastCat or lure coursing competitions. Sora is reactive with dogs but could care less about other dogs when she is "hunting"! I've also done barnhunt with her for rats, which she was naturally pretty good at, but FastCat has been her favorite. I try to go 1-2x a year. You must register your Shikoku dog with AKC, which isn't that hard or expensive, then you can keep an eye on the event calendar and email the organizer of the event you want to go to when you're ready! You need the AKC number for registration for the event. I just go for fun and dont really care about the results, but Sora did qualify one time for some kind of national race which was cool!
When we're outside food isn't helpful for motivating Sora, but she will definitely be interested if I have a squeaky tennis ball. With your dog you have to find what works and what motivates them and lean into it; try new things, foods, etc until you figure out what makes them listen. I bring a tennis ball on hikes too because i know if she gets loose i can get her back with it.
Prey drive is also helpful for motivating her with different sports. I always wanted a swimming dog because i love being in the water. Shikoku don't really like to swim, but I won a paddleboard
8. Stubborn Food Motivation, Grazing vs Timed Eating
Sora isn't food motivated in the traditional sense. I used to buy the fanciest dog foods and top-tier treats, only to wonder why she wasn’t eager to train with them. My boyfriend suggested switching her to regular dog food, and then once she realized she was on the regluar dog food, she started going crazy for her dog treats again; being super responsive. However, she’s also smart enough to hold out if she thinks I’ll add extras like cheese or chicken (my mom was feeding her costco rotisserie chicken everyday when they watched for a few months and while Sora loved it, it created a stubborn princess that i had to deal with after!). She’ll even skip meals to the point of throwing up bile just to test if I’ll cave. It's very important you don't give in often (for their own sake).
They are SO smart and they will test you (think like a husky but not as devious). I used to spoil my dog with the fanciest dog food brands, best dog treats, and then i wondered why she was so unmotivated by food? After several years of frustration my boyfriend suggested I switch her off the fancy food and onto regular dog food. After doing that she started immediately responding to treats as high value. Unfortunately she is too smart for her own good and she will wait it out sometimes if i spoil her randomly with cheese topped on her food.. She may go a day or two without eating in the hopes that i'll add something extra to it (to the point where she'll throw up bile).
My best tips (if you can do it) are to give them generic dog food to ensure they will respond to treats (you need to do this if you want them to listen to lol). I feed Sora the Kirkland dog food (chicken flavor) from Costco and sometimes switch it up. I also use fish oil as a topper (my vet said this is the only proven thing to help their joints as they age). I also use this gut health topper because she's had stomach issues in the past, she loves this flavor so much! If you want to spoil your dog, then simply get them the food I used dog food but as dog treats; every dog goes insane for these, so keep them when you need them! For dog treats, you can get these at costco on sale or on amazon, but they are the best!
If you dont live with other dogs, you can do what i do which is I put her dog food out in the morning and leave it out all day so she can graze. My breeder recommended this method when she was a puppy. It works only when we aren't staying with other dogs (since the other dogs will always eat her food if she doesn't finish it). I do timed eats when im at my partner's house or my parents house.
Ever notice your dog puking up yellow foam first thing in the morning or after going too long without food? That’s usually bile, a digestive fluid their body produces to break down food. When a dog's stomach is empty for too long, that bile can build up and irritate the stomach lining, leading to nausea and vomiting. It’s called bilious vomiting syndrome, and it’s pretty common in dogs with fast metabolisms or those on irregular feeding schedules. To help prevent it, try feeding smaller, more frequent meals or giving them a little snack before bed. Since Sora is a grazer, I notice she finishes her meals on her own around 930/10pm, so she naturally takes care of this as long as i leave access to her food in the evening. If you're doing timed eats, just feed them more frequent smaller meals since they have a fast metabolism.
Shikoku (at least Sora in my experience) has a SWEET TOOTH. Sometimes she'll turn away meat, but she will never turn away anything sweet (she loves whipped cream, ice cream and even bananas). Cheese also works better than meat in motivating her, but i dont really have meat around since i'm pescatarian. She also loves egg yolks, i often make hard boiled eggs and ill take the whites and give her the yolk (it's great for keeping their coat shiny!).
9. They are incredibly sensitive creatures and they will become your best friend
Have you ever heard of the Highly sensitive person? I like to think of Sora as a highly sensitive dog. Dogs are like their owners right? She is easily overwhelmed when i take her to busy/crowded markets with lots of people. While she enjoys it, she sometimes will get home and throw up from all the over-stimulation, so i try to limit overwhemling her now that i understand her more. This goes the same for a lot of new things at once (new people or changing an environment). She's generally really good with adapting for travel, we have stayed at over 100s of hotels/airbnbs together across the US and Canada, so traveling is a breeze. I got her comfortable with changing up her living environment when she was young. I brought her to my parents house with their dog often for extended weekends, she stayed at friends' places for sleepovers, and we moved a few times in her first 2 years of life.
Shikokus are incredibly loyal but not in a velcro shadowy way. They form a strong connection with their person but remain independent. Sora loves me deeply, but she doesn’t need constant affection or attention. I feel extremely connected with her and that she understands me. We can look at each other and know exactly what we're thinking, whether that's time to play together or time to rest. She is a pack animal at heart, she doesn't wake me up in the morning and she'll sleep in until i wake up. When i start eating, she'll start eating. We exist together and we're figuring things out together, always.
She does need her physical space and boundaries though, she chooses not to sleep in the bed with me and prefers her dog crate. She’s not the type to beg for cuddles, but she always keeps me within her line of sight.
Sora does not like any dogs at first meet. However, once she trusts and bonds to another dog (takes time) she will become very loyal to them. I worked with a dog trainer in Denver (pavlov dog training) and she said EVERY dog can tolerate another dog. They may not love them, but they WILL tolerate them eventually. This has held true for every dog since i changed my mindset that she can't be friends with other dogs. I start SLOW, really slow. We do walks next to each other at whatever threshold she needs, and then we slowly transition to indoors keeping them on separate sides of the airbnb or hotel room etc. More exposure safely lowers her threshold and eventually makes her trust them.
Here are some dogs Sora would react/growl/try to attack when she first met that she now gets along with to the point where i can left her unattended with them without fear. She really becomes deeply bonded to another dog once she gets to know them/trusts them and it's the sweetest thing.
Contrary to what you may think about Shikoku being reactive to other dogs, they are PACK animals. Their pack mentality is strong and a core part of who they are; Sora's anxiety virtually disappeared when i lived with partners who had other dogs or stayed with my family and their dog. Even though she hates all dogs at first, she eventually becomes closely bonded to them; i think more than humans in my experience. Having another dog that is their pack would be great. I can't handle 2 dogs by myself, but luckily i've always dated partners that have had a dog, so we just work together to socialize them.
10. They are silly goofballs and will make you laugh
For such an elegant, beautiul creature, they are ridiculous sometimes. Sora is almost 6 years old and she still does her zoomies at least once a day. She gets really excited, sprints around the house like a cat and then tries to knibble on my ear. She is always making me laugh with how silly she is! Her personality is legitimately so human-like sometimes it suprises me and brings me so much joy on the daily. Our life is fun, laid back and even though i am more strict with her on training and boundaries, we still allow ourselves time to be silly and let loose.
11. Exercise Needs Are High but Not Endless
While Shikokus are high-energy, they don’t require hours of running every day like a Border Collie. Sora thrives on a mix of physical exercise and mental stimulation. Hiking, exploring new places, and scent-based activities work well. However, under-stimulation can lead to boredem; she starts nipping at me and jumping to get my attention if i haven't done her daily training.
The hands-down best toy for training is the flirt pole. Every Shikoku owner MUST get this! We all swear by it and use it as a high-value interactive game. I use it for rainy days as well as daily training. This is high-value for her so i keep it stored away until we're ready to play together. When i say the phrase "do you wanna play?" she immediately sprints to her dog bed and gets ready. This is also a great way to stimulate hunger in your Shikoku. Sora is guaratneed to eat her food after we have a good working session with the flirt pole.
When she turned 5 i started training for my first marathon after some half marathons. I decided she was finally ready to start running with me, so that's been our new city hobby since i've been hiking less! I do my slow short runs with her. So far she doesn't super love running, but i'm giving it some more time to see if she'll grow into it. She does enjoy sprinting and doing strides.
We started hiking small hikes when she turned 1-1.5 years. And doing 4-7 mile hikes around age 3. By the time she was 4 she did her longest hike at 14 miles. She doesn't really get tired, she just loves to be in nature and climbing on rocks and sniffing things. They really are little Japanese mountain dogs. Her curiosity for nature and quick mobility makes her really capable in the outdoors. I dont worry much about her at all in terms of falling or anything.
12. They Are Not for First-Time Dog Owners
Would I recommend a Shikoku to someone who has never owned a dog before? Probably not. They are strong-willed, require an experienced handler, and can be frustrating for someone used to more eager-to-please breeds. However, if you’re patient, committed, and willing to learn, they are an incredibly rewarding breed to own.
I truly believe that dogs reflect their owners, so whatever issues you may have the dog will likely pick up on them and start to share those same things. They are mirrors to ourselves oftentimes and that can work to your advantage if you do some self-reflection and also emotional regulation. Get yourself in therapy and have strong boundaries and you'll hopefully have a well balanced dog!
Owning a Shikoku is an adventure. They challenge you, push your limits, and force you to grow. If you’re willing to put in the work, you’ll gain a fiercely loyal companion unlike any other. She'll be confident, loving, goofy, and smart, what more can ya want?
Resources for you to get more information!
Really good relevant info on all the primitive japanese dog breeds: https://www.nihonken.co/p/shikoku.html
Sora's breeder in VA https://www.hachidorisou.com/
Drop a comment or send me a message if you have any other questions!!
