Japanese Terrier

		Japanese Terrier
		FCI standard Nº 259

Origin		Japan
Translation		Revised by Renée Sporre-Willes
Group		Group 3 Terriers
Section		Section 2 Small sized Terriers
Working		Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Wednesday 01 April 1964
Publication of the official valid standard		Monday 04 April 2016
Last update		Friday 03 June 2016
En français, cette race se dit		Terrier japonais
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Japanischer Terrier
En español, esta raza se dice		Terrier japonés
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Japanse Terrier
In his country of origin, his name is		Nihon Teria

Usage

Toy Dog.

Brief historical summary

This breed was created by mating smooth-haired Fox Terriers, exported to Nagasaki from the Netherlands in the 17th century, to small-sized pointers or small-sized native dogs. Japanese Terriers were kept mainly as lapdogs in ports such as Kobe and Yokohama. The Japanese Terrier has a lively and cheerful character. Its planned breeding started around 1920, and it was not until about 1930 that its type became fixed.

General appearance

Small-sized dog of smart appearance with a clear-cut and compact outline. The coat is very short, being about 2 mm in length.

Important proportions

The ratio of height at withers to length of body is 1 : 1.
The nasal bridge and the skull are equal in length.

Behaviour / temperament

The Japanese Terrier is swift and lively in temperament.

Head
Cranial region
Skull		Flat and moderately narrow.
Stop		Not too defined.

Facial region
Nose		Black with a straight nasal bridge.
Lips		Thin and tight.
Jaws and teeth		Strong and white, with a scissor bite.
Cheeks		Lean and free from fullness.
Eyes		Moderately sized, oval in shape and dark in colour.
Ears		Set on high, moderately small, thin, V-shaped and dropping forward. But carried folded and standing out from sides of the skull permitted.

Neck

Moderately long, strong, gradually thicker towards the shoulders and free from throatiness.

Body
Withers		High.
Back		Short and firm.
Loin		Slightly arched.
Croup		Powerful.
Chest		Deep, but forechest no too broad. Ribs well sprung.
Underline and belly		Belly well tucked up.

Tail

Moderately thin; traditionally docked in country of origin. In countries where tail docking is prohibited the natural tail is slightly curved and tapering towards the tip. In action it is carried moderately high.

Limbs

Forequarters
Shoulders		Sloping gently.
Forearm		Straight, bone not heavy.

Hindquarters
Upper thigh		Long.
Stifle		Moderately angulated.
Metatarsus		Vertical.
Hock		Moderately angulated.

Feet

Tightly closed, pads elastic; nails hard and preferably dark in colour.

Gait and movement

Light and agile.

Coat
Hair		Short, smooth, dense and glossy.
Colour		Tricolour with black, tan and white head; white with black spots, black markings or tan markings on body.

Size and weight
Height at withers		For both males and females approximately 30 – 33 cm.

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 its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or overly shy dogs.

Long Hair.

Extremely overshot or undershot bite.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

Details: Written by: Francis Vandersteen; Also available:; Last Updated: 27 January 2024; Hits: 644

Japanese Terrier