Shikoku is originated from Japan but White Schnauzer is originated from Germany. Shikoku may grow 9 cm / 3 inches shorter than White Schnauzer. Shikoku may weigh 46 kg / 102 pounds more than White Schnauzer. Both Shikoku and White Schnauzer has almost same life span. Both Shikoku and White Schnauzer has almost same litter size. Both Shikoku and White Schnauzer requires Moderate Maintenance.
The Shikoku is from the Shikoku Island in Japan and they are very much like the Japanese Shiba Inu. There are six native Japanese dog breeds and the Shikoku is medium sized and sits in between the smaller Shiba Inu and the very large Akita Inu. All of the Japanese native breeds are members of the Spitz family. The Japanese have sorted their six breeds into 3 categories by size. Being medium size, the Shikoku is a member of the Shika-inus group. Others in this group are the Ainu Ken, the Kai Ken and the Kishu Inu. There are small differences between the three dogs in the Shika-inus group.
The Shikoku was bred to be a hunting dog in Kochi Prefecture to hunt boar and deer. Other names for the breed include Kochi-ken and Kishu dog or boar hound. This dog is considered to be the purest of the Japanese native dogs or Nihoken. They are today very , very rare. There are very few outsides of Japan, but some in North America are attempting to save the breed.
The are od Kochi Prefecture is a mountainous region with rough terrain that anyone outside of the area would have a hard time accessing. That is why the Shikoku is considered to be so pure as they were pretty well isolated in the mountains. The breeders were also isolated by the mountains and there was very little interbreeding. Although breeding the same dog, these different groups developed different lines of the Shikoku.
Documentation tells us that the number of originals lines was just two and these were the Western and Eastern Shikoku. The Western dog was known as the Mount Ishizuchi Shikoku and the Eastern as the Mount Tsurugi Shikoku. Within these two lines of Shikoku there are additional strains.
Within the Eastern line there is the Tokushima (lya) and the Koci-Aki strains. Within the Western line there is the Hata Uwahara, the Ehime-ken Shuso-gun and the Honkawa. Among these lines and strains, there are different coats and different colors; some heavier and some taller, but all figure into the development of the breed.
Finally, in the Showa Era the Japanese established the Dog Protective League and they began collecting the native dogs from around the country. They protected them so that the breed will go on. The Shikoku is today recognized as Foundation Stock by the AKC and it is fully recognized by the Japan Kennel Club, the Canadian Hound Club and the Shikoku has been declared a living Japanese “natural monument”.
Two bloodlines became the way the Shikoku were know after the war – the Honkawa and the Hata lines The Honkawa line were the descendants of the Choshun-go and the Hata line were the descendants of the Matsukaze-go. They bred the lines separately until 1955, when they mixed them to make the breed stronger. They are no longer considered separate in any way.
Because they are such primitive dogs, the Shikoku are good watch dogs and quite reserved with strangers. They need a lot of socialization to be a family pet but once they are, they make great companions. Intelligent, quick to learn and eager to please. Of the two lines of Shikoku dogs from the Western strains, the current Shikoku owes much of its current development to the Honkawa and Hata strains.
The White Schnauzer was established in Germany in 2006 for people looking for this particular breed of dog but in white.
The traditional color is salt and pepper. It seems that breed societies don’t allow the white breed, saying they don’t conform to the ideal breed standard.
The White Schnauzer is officially recognized in Germany, If you have a White Schnauzer you may not be able to show him with some of the major kennel clubs.
White is one of the four color varieties of the Miniature Schnauzer and it is also recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
Today’s Shikoku is a medium sized breed with a Spitz like body – square with a head that is wedge shaped. The ears are pointed, and the tail is curved and feathered. They have arched toes and hard pads with dark, hard nails.
The two lines of the Shikoku are slightly different in built and look. The Honkawa strain is slender and athletic; agile and single coated. They have dark eyes and most of them are black and tan.
On the other hand, the Hata strain is much heavier boned, with the front more muscular than the rear. They have small ears, a wide skull and a strong undercoat. His eyes are shaped differently than the Honkawa. Their coats are also mostly red and tan.
There are a number of different types of White Schnauzer. The white Schnauzer is actually one of 4 color varieties and these dogs are always miniature Schnauzers.
You won’t easily find a Standard- or Giant dog in white. They aren’t albinos, as the skin does have some pigment.
These dogs also have that square-shaped build and they stand between 28 to 36 cm in height and weigh between 4 and 7kg.
The coat is wiry with a soft undercoat. The ears are often cropped to stand erect, but if left they are half-erect, half-floppy and fold forward.
The White Schnauzer is an intelligent dog who will be able to be socialized and trained easily.
He is an energetic little dog and very playful and will get along well with children, loving the games they provide and loving to spend time with all members of his family.
He is loving and affectionate and is willing to share his home and people with other dogs too. He will make you a good watchdog, perhaps encouraged because of his reserve with strangers.
If you provide him with the right amount of mental and physical stimulation, he can become a balanced dog with an amicable personality.
The White Schnauzer is such an adaptable little dog and he will happily adapt to life in the city or in the countryside, just so long as he is close to his human companions and gets sufficient exercise.
He is a sociable dog that just loves to be around his human family and won’t like to be separated from them for too long.
He makes a great family dog when you provide him with the right food, a warm dry place to sleep, exercise and lots of love and attention.
Being isolated as they were, the Shikoku was a fairly healthy breed, no genetic testing has been done. Despite this they suffer a few of the same potential issues as other breeds their size.
Otherwise this is an agile and hardy breed with no known congenital health issues.
While he is a spunky, robust type of dog, there are always going to be some health concerns to look out for.
Kidney stones may well not cause your pet the same pain that humans endure, but they are still a cause for concern. A kidney stone that gets too large and lodges in the ureter becomes a ureterolith. This can be very painful, resulting in pain and even vomiting.
The kidney can even swell and become damaged. Your dog could become critically ill, particularly because of the disrupted flow of urine.
Your pet will possibly have blood in the urine, fever, lethargy, poor appetite and weight loss. Veterinary-intervention will be imperative.
Feeding the puppy Be careful with feeding the puppy and adult as the breed is known to have a tendency toward obesity. Fresh food is better as it is what the breed has been used to, but a high quality puppy kibble is acceptable. Feed three times per day.
2.Feeding the adult He is a high energy dog so feed a high energy food designed for a medium sized dog. Feed in two meals each day.
4. Games and Exercises You will need a fenced yard for this breed and time to play with them. If not, you would need time to walk her more than once a day. They love to play indoors as well, chasing balls, learning new things. The breed make great companions for hiking, swimming, play frisbee or catch outside. They do well at agility, rally, obedience and flyball.
He is a low shedding breed so he will require a brushing just once a week. These dogs also have a certain professional grooming cut. Some schnauzer dog owners do stripping but this is mostly for show dogs.
Most people just have them sheared to make it easy to groom them. Whether stripped or clipped, they nearly always have a beard and bushy eyebrows.
Trim your pet's nails and give him a general once-over during the grooming sessions to ensure all is well.
You White Schnauzer relies on you to make wise food choices for him. He will eat most things you offer him. That doesn’t mean you should as you can cause him to have a whole lot of digestive problems.
If you choose to give him commercially manufactured dog food, make sure its a high-quality one – devoid of toxic ingredients such as colorants, fillers and preservatives.
If you don’t know how to choose, your vet can show you the foods they have in stock and which would suit your pet best.
A little bit of home-made food now and then can also be good, but the food needs to be plain and simple to avoid abdominal pain. Boiled chicken brown rice and vegetables chopped up and added to the dry kibble occasionally can be a very good choice.