Hokkaido puppies

About the Hokkaido

The Hokkaido is one of Japan's ancient native spitz breeds, kept by the Ainu people on the northern island for hunting bear and deer in deep snow. This is a medium sized, squarely built dog of 20 to 29.9 kg with small prick ears, a curled tail and a harsh double coat over a dense undercoat that handles brutal weather. Character is primitive in the useful sense: brave, intensely loyal to their own household, watchful with strangers and quite capable of making decisions without consulting anyone.

They need a genuinely active home, ideally one that hikes, runs or trains for sport, plus a job to keep the mind busy. The garden fence should be six foot, because Hokkaido jump well, and a properly fitted martingale or harness is sensible for walks. Grooming is easy apart from twice yearly undercoat blows, which need daily work. Prey drive is high and socialisation matters from the start. Keep chewable objects out of reach, as Hokkaido swallow things they should not.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Hokkaido puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Collie eye anomaly, detectable by DNA test on both parents
• Hip dysplasia, screened by hip evaluation of breeding stock
• Patellar luxation, a slipping kneecap, found on a patella evaluation
• Heart murmurs, picked up when a vet listens to the chest and confirmed by ultrasound
• Idiopathic seizures, diagnosed by ruling out other causes
• Pica, the swallowing of non food items, which shows up as vomiting or blockage and often needs surgery

Your Hokkaido puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Hokkaido.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 20 to 29.9 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 29.9 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Hokkaido

Previous: Havapoo · Next: Hovawart

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Hokkaido breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/hokkaido/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Magdalena Niemiec, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.