Yamamichi Sou Shikoku

03/03/2025

Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet little Figlet. We're not home at the moment while we've taken a much needed vacation, but rest assured she's being spoiled thoroughly by her aunts back home. 😂

01/27/2025

01/23/2025

"Rare"

I think this term gives people the wrong impression, and can attract people to the breed for the wrong reasons. A more accurate term at this point is probably "endangered." But even that can make it sound more exciting and romanticized than our reality.

Their rarity isn't what makes Shikoku valuable or special. If anything, it's their...... "special-ness," that has kept them from becoming a more accomplished breed. Let's be honest, with their looks, if they possessed the list of traits that the average dog owner finds desirable, the population would be booming.

"Rare" sounds exciting to the average pet owner, but rarity in the dog world usually points to lack of interest.

And here's a really important consideration. The prices you see for Shikoku aren't where they are because they're rare and more valuable than other dogs. It's a reflection of the costs to produce those puppies.

We have expensive health testing needed for the breed, cost of importing can be high, most breeders aren't using their breeding dogs beyond 2-4 litters, and we have relatively small litters. Plus some breeders are choosing to keep more puppies beyond the minimum 8 weeks to further train and evaluate them, which is worth it in terms of producing quality dogs but does incur higher costs for the breeder in food, vet care, time, etc.

Anyone seeing these price tags and thinking they've discovered a lucrative breed is going to be in for a rough time when it comes time to place them as well. Why would anyone spend $3-5k on a puppy with no health testing behind them when that's the going rate for a puppy from an established breeder going above and beyond in health and everything else?

Shikoku are valuable and special to me because I have a lifestyle and personality that they fit wonderfully with, not because most people haven't heard of them. This is why I want to breed them, to share them with other people who appreciate their quirks.

01/16/2025

It's not often all three sit still long enough for a photo.

12/25/2024

Juniper is in heat again, as expected this month! It seems like her cycles have gotten a bit more consistent so although we'll skip this heat we anticipate the next around early July.

As her first litter was quite small, we will not be keeping a wait-list or taking deposits until we have puppies on the ground. We'll be doing progesterone to ensure we're not waiting too long to breed, as well as to pinpoint an accurate due date in the event of issues with whelping again.

This will likely be Juniper's last litter, and if you are interested in a puppy from her just keep watching here as I will update as things progress. The earliest I'll start reviewing applications and interviewing families will be after we have confirmation of pregnancy and an estimate of the number of puppies.

11/03/2024

We had a great time at the show put on by the Kennel Club of Riverside in CA last weekend! We got to meet some great people, and our sweet boy Kintaro go Aoiyama Sou, co-owned with his breeder Aoiyama Sou Shikoku, won BOB and FSS group 4 on Saturday Oct 26th! He's starting to catch on to the "game" of showing and he showed a lot of improvement in his confidence in the ring!

And thank you to Brittany and Benji Jacobs-Wall for providing great competition with their boy Raikou and for getting great photos of our boy!

10/16/2024

Happy first birthday to our handsome boy Kinta (Kintaro go Aoiyama Sou) 🎂🥳 And we wish his siblings a happy birthday as well!!

10/16/2024

Fig is looking lovely at little over a year and a half old. 🥰

04/21/2024

An awesome co-own opportunity, especially someone interested in showing Shikoku! We love our boy from Aoiyama Sou, and can't recommend them enough!