10 Japanese Dog Breeds — Everything You Need To Know

Japanese dog breeds are among some of the most popular and loved dogs in the world. Japan has six breeds that are classed as Nihon-Ken breeds — making them native to Japan — but there are also a few others that come from this Asian country.

Those six Nihon-Ken breeds are the Akita, Shiba Inu, Hokkaido, Kishu, Kai Ken and Shikoku, so of course, we’ve included all of them in our round-up of Japanese dog breeds. There are others, too — from Japanese dog breeds small and large. So, which dogs have made our list of top ten Japanese dog breeds? Let’s find out.

The Shiba Inu has a distinctive appearance — it’s almost fox-like in looks, with a similar red-brown coat color and sharp, pointed ears. It’s also the oldest Japanese dog breed — believed to date back all the way to 300 B.C – and the smallest, too. So, if you’re looking for Japanese dogs breeds on the small side, the Shiba Inu may well pique your interest.

Bred originally to be a hunting dog, used in the mountains of Japan, the Shiba Inu might be small, but it’s tough, full of spirit and generally very healthy too. They tend to bark rarely and have a playful temperament, mixing well with children. The Shiba Inu is an intelligent breed, but as a pet parent to one, make sure you demonstrate strong leadership over yours, or they may become a bit bossy.

Read more about the Shiba Inu in our in-depth breed profile.

A Japanese dog breed that’s large-sized is definitely the Akita – it can weigh as much as 100lbs, quite easily. These are big, cuddly-looking dogs with thick coats — it was bred as a mountain dog, used to hunt deer and boar — and typically have huge, chunky paws and a powerful, muscular build.

While not naturally aggressive, it does have a high prey drive, due to its ancestry, and therefore isn’t recommended for first-time or experienced pet parents. Be careful when it’s around other animals and small children.

It can be stubborn if not trained and socialized properly, but an Akita is also fiercely loyal. This is a dog that also needs plenty of exercise; long walks and hikes, even joining you on a job. Mental stimulation is important, too.

Read our breed profile on the Akita.

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The Spitz isn’t one of the six Nihon-Ken breeds — it’s actually one of the newest of the Japanese dog breeds, believed to have originated around the 1920s before being officially recognised in 1948.

The Spitz is a small breed, standing to around 15 inches in height at maximum and weighing up to 25 lbs only. It’s a type of Japanese dog that’s very much a companion breed — a cheerful, easy-going canine that will happily hang out with you for most of its day. For this reason, it doesn’t like being left alone for too long, as it can experience separation anxiety.

Even though they're little, they’re active dogs, so the Spitz will need frequent exercise and loves games, toys and agility sports.

Read up on the Japanese Spitz, including its history, temperament and appearance, here.

Falling into the Japanese dog breed medium sized category is the Shikoku. They are a muscular, compact dog with a dense coat and a curled tail; classic Spitz style. 

Our Shikoku breed guide has lots more information.

Like some of the other Japanese dog breeds in our list, the Shikoku isn’t the best choice for first-time owners — they need a strong and firm pet parent as they can be testing to handle at times. They have a high prey drive, so aren’t generally recommended for families with young children.

They tend to view strangers with caution, and are loyal and protective to their owners. Training and socialization is important, as is regular exercise.

When we say this Japanese dog breed is large, we’re not really doing the Tosa justice. It’s a giant breed, capable of weighing up to 200lbs! That’s a very big dog; you won’t be surprised to learn that it’s the largest Japanese breed.

The Tosa is a mastiff, which inevitably might draw concerns over its temperament. And, you’d be right to be cautious. This breed’s history is a controversial one as it was originally bred to be a fighting dog. It’s since been domesticated, but this is a large, powerful dog with a strong bite force; while it can be placid and affectionate, you should never lose sight of the fact it can react aggressively in certain situations.

There are other far more suitable breeds if you’re looking for a family dog and have small children.

The Hokkaido is another spitz-type breed — small ears, thick coat, curled tail, compact and muscled physique. This is a Japanese dog breed of medium size, and like others on this list was bred for a specific purpose — used to search for missing people and accident survivors in the snowy mountains of Japan. This explains the thick coat, and although the Hokkaido doesn’t need to live in a snowy landscape, a colder rather than hot climate suits it better. They were also used as hunting dogs.

Its breed traits mean that while a Hokkaido can be loyal and protective, and affectionate with family members it has grown up with, it can be wary of strangers, unpredictable around young children and strong-willed.

Learn more about the characteristics of the Hokkaido in our breed profile.

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The Kai Ken is another Japanese dog breed in the medium category, and another with a hunting background; it was raised to hunt game in the mountains of Japan. The Kai Ken is a rare breed. It wasn’t even recognized as an official breed in Japan until 1934 and isn’t an American Kennel Club-recognized breed. In Japan, the Kai Ken is considered a national treasure.

This is a highly intelligent breed, quick to learn and eager to please. The Kai Ken is an athletic dog; a superior swimmer and climber, it’s agile enough to climb trees if it’s in pursuit of game. This high energy level therefore means the Kai Ken gets lots of physical exercise to keep it satisfied. Their instinct is to bond closely with one person; the Kai Ken makes for an excellent watchdog or guard dog.

Although it may also be brindle or red in color, the Kishu Ken is known for its striking white coat, which is its main and most popular coloring. This Japanese dog is on the large to medium size, with a sturdy, muscular build. It’s very rare outside of its native Japan, and scarcely exported.

The Kishu Ken was bred to be a hunting dog, and it was prized for its tenacity and bravery — it hunted wild boar, deer and even bears. It was noted for its bravery. Now, the Kishu Ken is more of a family dog in Japan but those characteristics might remain, so this breed can display dominant behavior – training and socialization is key.

Because it’s a strong-willed dog, the Kishu Ken isn’t recommended for inexperienced pet parents. A high prey drive makes this dog unsuitable to live in homes with other small animals as pets.

The Wag! guide to the Kishu Ken looks at this fascinating breed in more detail.

The Japanese Chin is a very different type of dog to many other Japanese dog breeds in our selection. This is definitely not a hunting type! This Japanese dog breed is small, standing only around 8-11 inches tall and weighing between 7-11lbs. 

A toy breed and lapdog, the Japanese Chin has a distinctive feline-like look to its appearance. Previously known as the Japanese Spaniel, it was officially recognised by the American Kennel Club as far back as 1888, but then under its revised name (Japanese Chin) in 1977.

It has a broad head and wide-set eyes, with a white coat that’s decorated with different patches of color. The Japanese Chin needs only moderate exercise, though it can be tricky to train and not that tolerable with young children.

Find out more in our Japanese Chin breed profile.

The Japanese Terrier was once hugely popular in Japan, but numbers dwindled so rapidly after World War II that by the 1980s, the breed flirted with extinction. The breed survived — but it remains a rare dog.

This is a classic terrier type, around 11 to 14 inches in height, with a slender, toned build. Japanese terriers are alert and bright, and sociable with most other dogs, if perhaps a bit reserved with strangers. They can be a challenge to train as they’re typically stubborn and self willed. The Japanese Terrier is very intelligent though, so it does have the capacity to learn quickly.

They need little grooming and a moderate level of exercise.

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