Japanese Terrier puppies

About the Japanese Terrier

The Japanese Terrier traces back to smooth coated terriers landed by European traders at Nagasaki and crossed with small local dogs, then refined in Japan into a light, fine boned companion. It weighs 4.5 to 5.4 kg and stands 25 to 33 cm, with a very short coat, a black head and a mostly white body. It is rare even in Japan. The character is lively and affectionate at home, sensitive to the tone of a voice, and unusually quiet for a terrier.

A couple of good walks a day, or sessions in a secure garden, cover the exercise. Grooming is a weekly going over with a soft brush or hound glove and little else, but the thin coat means this dog feels the cold and will want a jumper in winter. Training works best in short, upbeat sessions, since harsh handling shuts it down; the breed does well at obedience, rally and agility. It rates middling with children, so supervise and socialise. Owners most often mistake the quietness for a lack of energy.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Japanese Terrier 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 toy breed puppy at eight weeks is small enough to be genuinely fragile. It can be hurt by a jump off a sofa and by being stepped on, and toy breeds are prone to low blood sugar, so it needs frequent small meals rather than two big ones. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.

Health worth knowing about

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

• Patellar luxation, detected on orthopaedic examination
• Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, diagnosed by x-ray of the hip in a young dog
• Dental and periodontal disease, found at veterinary dental checks and kept down by regular tooth brushing

From Japanese Terrier breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/japanese-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Your Japanese Terrier puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Toy for a Japanese Terrier.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 4.5 to 5.4 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Other toy breeds

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