Shiba

FCI standard Nº 257

Origin
Japon
Group
Group 5 Spitz and primitive type
Section
Section 5 Asian Spitz and related breeds
Working
Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI
Wednesday 18 March 1964
Publication of the official valid standard
Sunday 30 October 2016
Last update
Thursday 09 February 2017
En français, cette race se dit
Shiba
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
Shiba
En español, esta raza se dice
Shiba
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
Shiba

Usage

Hunting dog for birds and small animals. Companion dog.

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 Shibas confined to these areas became exceedingly scarce.
Hunters and other educated persons became concerned with the preservation of the pure Shibas 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 proportions

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 and teeth
Teeth strong with scissor bite.
Cheeks
Well developed.
Eyes
Triangular, not too small, and dark brown in colour. The outer corners of the eyes are slightly 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.
Loin
Broad and muscular.
Chest
Deep, ribs moderately sprung.
Underline and belly
Slightly 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

Generality
Seen from the front, forelegs straight.
Shoulders
Shoulder blade moderately sloping.
Upper arm
Forming a moderate angle with shoulder blade.
Elbows
Tight.
Pastern
Slightly oblique.

Hindquarters

Upper thigh
Well developed.
Lower thigh
Short, but well developed.
Hock
Thick and tough.

Feet

Digits tightly closed and well arched. Pads hard and elastic. Nails hard and dark in colour desirable.

Gait and 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: Good mixture of black, red and white hairs in whole.
• 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
Males 39.5 cm. Females 36.5 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 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.

General faults

 Lack of sexual dimorphism.
 Slightly overshot or undershot mouth.
 Numerous teeth missing.
 Shyness.
 Pinto colour.

Disqualifying faults

 Aggresive or overly shy.
 Extremely overshot or undershot mouth.
 Ears not pricked.
 Hanging tail, short tail.

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/

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