F.C.I
standard Nr. 257/ 16-06-1999
Origin: Japan
Date of publication of the original valid standard: 15-6-1992
Utilization: Hunting dog for birds and small
animals, companion dog.
Classification F.C.I: Group 5 – Spitz and primitive
type.
Section 5 – Asian Spitz and related breeds.
Without working trial.
Brief Historical Summary: The Shiba has been a native breed to Japan since
the primitive ages. The word “Shiba” originally refers to something “ small
“, a “small dog”. The Shiba’s habitat was in the mountainous area facing the
Sea of Japan and was used as a hunting dog for small animals and birds.
There were slight differences in the breeds according to the areas where
they were raised. As dogs like English Setters and English Pointers were
imported from England during the period of 1868-1912, hunting became a sport
in Japan and crossbreeding of the Shiba with those English dogs became
prevalent and a pure Shiba became rare so that by 1912-1926 pure Shiba’s
confined to these areas became exceedingly scarce. Hunters and other
educated persons became concerned with the preservation of the pure Shiba’s
from around 1928 and the preservation of the limited number of pure strains
began seriously and the breed standard was finally unified in 1934. In 1937
the Shiba was designated as a “natural monument”after which the breed was
bred and improved to become the superior breed known today.
General appearance: Small-sized dog, well
balanced, well boned with well developed muscles. Constitution strong.
Action quick, free and beautiful.
Important proportion: The ratio of height at
withers to length of body is 10:11.
Behaviour / Temperament: The temperament is
faithful, with keenness in sense and high alertness.
Head
Cranial region:
Skull: Forehead broad.
Stop: Well defined with slight furrow.
Facial region:
Nose: Black colour desirable. Nasal bridge straight.
Muzzle: Moderately thick and tapering.
Lips: Tight.
Jaws / Teeth: Teeth strong with scissor bite.
Cheeks: Well developed.
Eyes: Relative small, triangular and dark brown
in colour, the outer corners of
The eyes are upturned.
Ears: Relatively
small, triangular, slightly inclining forward and firmly pricked.
Neck: Thick, strong and well balanced with the
head and the body.
Body:
Back: Straight and strong.
Loins: Broad and muscular.
Chest: Deep, ribs moderately sprung.
Belly: Well tucked up.
Tail:
Set on high, thick, carried vigorously curled
or curved as a sickle, the tip nearly
Reaching hocks when let down.
Limbs:
Forequarters: Seen from the front, forelegs straight.
Shoulders: Shoulder blade moderately sloping.
Elbows: Tight.
Hindquarters:
Upper thighs: Long.
Lower thighs: Short, but well developed.
Hocks: Thick and tough.
Feet:
Digits tightly closed and well arched. Pads
hard and elastic. Nails hard and dark in colour desirable.
Gait / Movement: Light and brisk.
Coat
Hair: Outer coat harsh and straight, undercoat
soft and dense, hair on tail slightly long and standing off.
Colour: Red, black and tan, sesame, black
sesame, red sesame.
Definition of the colour sesame:
• Sesame: Equal mixture of white and black hairs.
• Black sesame: More black than white hairs.
• Red sesame: Ground colour of hair red, mixture with black hairs.
All the above mentioned colours must have “URAJIRO”
“URAJIRO”: Whitish coat on the sides of the muzzle and on the cheeks, on the
underside of the jaw and neck, on the chest and stomach and the underside of
the tail and on the inside of the legs.
Size and weight:
Height at withers: Dogs 40 cm.
Bitches 37 cm.
There is a tolerance of 1.5 cm smaller or taller.
Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points
should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should
be regarded should be in exact proportion to it’s degree.
• Bitchy dogs, doggy bitches.
• Malocclusion ( overshot or undershot mouth )
• Numerous teeth missing.
• Shyness.
Eliminating faults:
• Ears not pricked.
• Hanging or short tail.
N.B.: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully
descended into the scrotum.
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