Ryukyu dog
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| Ryukyu Ken | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Other names | Ryukyu Dog, Ryukyu Inu, Okinawa dog | ||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | Okinawa, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Breed status | Not recognized as a breed by any major kennel club. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||||||||
The Ryukyu Ken (琉球犬 lit. Ryuukyuu Dog) is a medium-sized breed of dog that originates from Okinawa, Japan. It is Okinawa's only pedigree dog breed. It is a rare dog and is slowly declining in numbers. There were as few as 400 Ryukyu Inu as of 2015.[1] Unlike dogs such as the Kai Ken, the Ryukyu is not protected by the Nihon Ken Hozonkai, but instead is protected by the Ryukyu Ken Hozonkai.
Description
Appearance
The Ryukyu Ken is a medium-sized Japanese dog breed. They are very similar to Kai Ken in appearance but are genetically closer to the Hokkaido.
Breed standard
The Ryukyu Ken is not currently recognised by any Kennel Club. Despite this, they have been verified as a genetically distinct dog breed and as such have their own breed standard, breed club and Pedigree's.
Temperament Neither fearful nor aggressive, intelligent, alert, and quiet.
Head and skull Broad head; the muzzle is straight and drawn somewhat longer. Nose colour should always be black, with the exception of red colouration, which always has a brown nose.
Eyes Clear, dark brown, the corner of the eye is not lifted. In red (golden eye) the eye is golden/yellow.
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. Tongue can be Pink or have Blue Patches or Spots.
Neck Moderately wide. Neither lean nor chunky.
Forequarters Forelegs straight.
Body Longer than high. The chest is well developed, wide and deep. Straight back.
Hindlimbs Hindquarters straight and strong. Dewclaws at the back preferred.
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 four recognised colours for conformation, Black brindle, Red brindle, Silver brindle, Red masked and Red. The brindle pattern has to be beautiful and clear. A small amount of white is permitted, but an excessive amount of white is a fault.
Height
Dogs: 46.3 - 49.6cm
Bitches: 43.4 - 46.9cm
Colour and coat
The Ryukyu Ken comes in nine colours: five original colours and four newer recognised colours. The original colours are:
- Red masked
- Red
- Silver brindle
- Black brindle
- Red brindle
The newer official colours are:
- Black
- White
- Ivory
- Sesame
Ryukyu Ken are short to medium coated dogs. However, like Akita Inu, they do carry the long coat recessively.
Temperament
The Ryukyu Ken is described as a quiet dog that is capable of hunting in a group or on its own. They are agile, brave and not sensitive. They are natural hunters and have a high prey drive. Despite being a hunting dog, they are obedient, playful and good with children. They cannot be trusted around small animals, but are usually okay with cats if introduced to them early on. They can be escape artists and have amazing climbing abilities, especially those with working rear dewclaws, who can climb vertical trees. They are very smart so require a lot of mental stimulation as well as physical stimulation. Despite being bred, raised and used as a hunting dog they are also good Watchdogs and can be territorial at times.
History
The Ryukyu Ken originated in Okinawa, Japan. Its history is not well documented and there are varying stories. The certain history is that the Ryukyu Ken was thought to be extinct after World War II due to food shortages. In the early 1980s a small pack was found to be thriving in the northern rainforests of the Yanbaru region of Okinawa. The pack was caught and scientists tested them to see if they were a distinct breed, which they were. Hence the Ryukyu breed was officially reborn.[2]
It is believed that the years of living in the rainforest is why the Ryukyu Ken has a dewclaw on the back of the foot. Because of this claw, they can climb trees. It has been speculated that this would have been evolutionarily favourable to them because of the high incidence of tsunami in Japan; they could climb trees quickly to evade the floods. However, this is unlikely to be true due to only a small percentage of Ryukyu Ken actually having working rear dewclaws.
Lines
There are two distinct lines of Ryukyu Ken, the Yanbaru and the Yaeyama. Whilst they are the same breed of dog, there are subtle difference between the two lines. 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 and deeper chests than Yanbaru.
Ryukyu Ken Preservation Society
The Ryukyu Ken Preservation Society is a breed club for the Ryukyu Ken. It was founded in the 1990s by Yoshio Aragaki, and is the only Ryukyu Ken breed club and the only establishment that recognises the Ryukyu Ken thus far. The society has become inactive online in recent years, however the club is still active.
Health
The Ryukyu Ken, like all Japanese dog breeds, are considered to be relatively healthy dogs overall with not many health issues. The health conditions for Ryukyu Ken aren't well documented. Breeders of Ryukyu Ken are urged to test for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, Patella, glaucoma, Collie eye anomaly (CEA) and hypothyroidism.
Inbreeding
One of the biggest health issues in Ryukyu Ken is inbreeding. These dogs have already survived one near-extinction, and all current Ryukyu Ken are descendants of the small pack found in the 1980s in the Rainforests of Okinawa. At their peak, Ryukyu Ken had around 1,500+ individuals in 2005, but this dropped to only 400 in 2015. Because of this second drop in population, finding two nearly completely unrelated individuals is very difficult, and as such their inbreeding is likely very high.
Notable Ryukyu
Kai (海) is a very well known Ryukyu Ken in Okinawa who lives in Okinawa World. [3]
Okinawa Zoo and Museum have some Ryukyu Ken that live in the zoo. They walk the Ryukyu around for people to meet and give treats to.