Ryukyu dog

Ryukyu Inu
Other names	Ryukyu Dog, Ryukyu Ken, Okinawa dog.
Origin	Okinawa, Japan.
Breed status	Not recognized as a breed by any major kennel club.
Traits Height Males 46.3 - 49.6cm Females 43.4 - 46.9cm Coat Short Color Aka-Tora (Red Brindle), Shiro-Tora (White Brindle), Kuro- Tora (Black Brindle), Kuro (Black), Shiro (White), Sesame, Akain (Red w/ Black Mask) and Aka-in Golden Eye (Red without Black Mask)
Dog (domestic dog)

The Ryukyu Inu (琉球犬) is a medium sized breed of dog that originates from Okinawa, Japan. It is an Okinawan Natural Monument and is Okinawa's only pedigree dog breed. It is a rare dog and is slowly declining in Numbers. There are as few as 400 Ryukyu Inu as of 2015. Unlike dog such as the Kai Ken, the Ryukyu isn't protected by the Nihon Ken Hozonkai.

Description

Appearance

The Ryukyu Inu is a medium-sized Japanese dog breed. They are very similar to Kai Ken in appearance but are genetically not similar and are closer related to the Hokkaido Inu.

Colour and coat

The Ryukyu Inu comes in 9 colours. There are 5 Original colours and 4 newer recognised colours. The 5 original colours are

1. Aka-in (Black Mask)
2. Aka-in (Golden Eye)
3. Shiro-Tora (White Brindle)
4. Kuro-Tora (Black Brindle)
5. Aka-Tora (Red Brindle.

The newer, non-official colours are

1. Kuro (Pure Black)
2. Shiro (Pure White)
3. Aibori (Ivory)
4. Sesame

A survey was done in 2006 headed by the Ryukyu Inu Preservation Society on colour and which was more common, Aka-Tora is the most common colour of Ryukyu at 68% of the population closely followed by Kuro-Tora at 23%, Akain at 8% and Shiro-Tora at 6%.

Coat

In a study done by the Ryukyu Inu Preservation Society on coat length only 75% of the population has short fur, 19% had what was described as "Middle fur" and 6% had Long Fur, this means the Ryukyu like the Shiba Inu and Akita Inu carries the Long Coat gene recessively.

Temperament

The Ryukyu Ken is described as a quiet dog that is capable of hunting in a group. They are agile, brave and not sensitive. They are natural hunters and have high prey drive. Despite being a hunting dog, owners say they are Obedient, Playful and good with children.

Breed Standard

The Ryukyu Inu isn't recognised by any kennel club currently despite this however they are seperate breed and as such have their own breed standard.

Temperament Neither fearful nor aggressive, Intelligent, Alert, Quiet.

Head and Skull Broad head, the muzzle is straight and drawn somewhat longer, nose colour should always be black with exception to Akain(Golden Eye) which is always red.

Eyes Clear, dark brown, the corner of the eye isn't lifted. In Akain(Golden Eye) the eye is Golden.

Ears Pricked ears in a Blunt Triangle shape, dogs with ears that are dropped are undesirable.

Mouth Scissor bite. Undershot, Overshot, or missing teeth are major faults.

Neck Moderately wide. Neither lean nor chunky.

Forequaters Forelimbs straight.

Body Longer than high. The chest is well developed, wide and deep. Straight Back, powerful.

Hidequaters Hidequaters straight and strong.

Tail The tail should ideally be in the shape of a blade, however it can also be curled. Fault for a dropped tail.

Coat Short to Medium length allowed, long coat is a fault.

Colour There are 4 recognised colours for conformation, Kuro-Tora, Aka-Tora, Shiro-Tora, and Akain (both Akain). The brindle pattern has to be beautiful and clear. A small amount of white is permitted, however an excessive amount of white is a fault.

Height Dogs: 46.3 - 49.6cm Bitches: 43.4 - 46.9cm

History

The Ryukyu Inu originated in Okinawa, Japan. It's history isn't well documented and there is varying stories, the more interesting version of the History is that the Ryukyu Inu was thought to be extinct after World War 2 due to Food Shortages. In the early 1980s however a small pack was found to be thriving in the northern Rainforests of the Yonbaru region of Okinawa. The pack was caught and scientists tested them to see if they were a distinct breed and the test came back that they were, hence the Ryukyu Breed was born and in the 1990s the Ryukyu Inu Preservation Society was founded.

It is believed that the years of living in the rainforests is why the Ryukyu Inu has a Dewclaw on the back of the foot, because of the back dewclaw they can climb trees, which would have been evolutionarily favourable to them because of the high incidences of Tsunami in Japan they could climb trees quickly to evade the floods.

Lines

There are 2 distinct lines of Ryukyu Inu, the Yanbaru and the Yaeyama. Whilst they are the same dog, some subtle differences are there. Ryukyu from the Yaeyama lines are often a lot bigger, for example, males from Yaeyama lines are often on average 49.6cm at the withers, whereas males from Yanbaru lines are on average 46.3cm. The Yaeyama line dogs also tend to have longer bodies than Yanbaru and also deeper chests.

Ryukyu Inu Preservation Society

The Ryukyu Inu Preservation Society is a breed club dedicated to the preservation of Ryukyu Inu, it was founded in the 1990s and is the only Ryukyu Inu breed club and the only establishment that recognises the Ryukyu Inu thusfar. The Ryukyu Inu Preservation Society has become inactive in recent years due to difficulties in breeding Ryukyu Inu, it is not certain whether this is due to infertility issues because of high inbreeding and small population or whether it's because of the decline in breeders or reluctance to stud the breedable dogs out.

Health

The health of the Ryukyu Inu isn't well documented. Unlike in western countries, Japanese breeders don't tend to test for things such as Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, Glaucoma, etc. However, because of the high level of inbreeding and what common issues the sibling breeds have it's likely they suffer from Allergies, Collie Eye Anomaly, Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia and Hypothyroidism.

Grooming

Because of the Ryukyu's short coat, they don't need to be groomed much, brush once a week with a rubber brush or bristle brush and bath every month or two shall suffice.