Toboetsuki Inuits & Hokkaido Ken

23/03/2025

🐾🐾🐾🐾

Apparently it's National Puppy Day...so of course we can't miss the excuse to post cute puppy photos.

Who doesn't love cute puppy photos anyway???

These are either our own dogs as puppies, or puppies that were born here at Toboetsuki. Sadly I don't have a baby photo of Yuki, since we never owned him from puppyhood.

Enjoy

21/03/2025

🎉🐾~ Happy Birthday Tsume ~🐾🎉

Today we wish a happy 4th birthday to our naughty boy, Tsume (aka Mr Zoom Zoom).

Our second Hokkaido import, coming from Bezdrevská Perla Kennel in Czechia, Tsume loves nothing more than running around at top speed, flattening Chuuya, splashing around in water and digging as many holes as possible before I catch him and chase him off!

He's not a huge fan of cake and custard, so instead he got to share some popcorn chicken with the rest of the crew and will tuck into a nice no-hide chew and some rice pudding later. Plus he got a brand new squeaky toy all to himself, to make up for having to go to the vets earlier 😂

15/03/2025

Remember when I posted about sending Kaika's A-Locus test to the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory in the USA, to see whether she carried black and tan?

Well, we got the results back just yesterday and Kaika is a confirmed carrier of black and tan. She carries one copy of black and tan (ASIP BB3), and one copy of dominant yellow (ASIP DY).

Black and tan is a recessive coat colour, which means that both parents must carry at least one copy of the gene, and pass that down to their offspring, to produce a black and tan puppy.

This means that in the future, if paired with a male who is either black and tan, or carries black and tan, she may have black and tan puppies! Black and tan is one of the colours that's beginning to become less common in Hokkaido lines as the numbers continue to decline, so we are glad to be able to have the opportunity to perhaps have more black and tan puppies born here in the future.

Of course, we have a long way to go before this little miss ever has puppies...starting with doing some more growing up and maturing and then health testing!

Next up is eye testing time, keep your fingers crossed 🤞

10/03/2025

🐾~ Satsuki Visits Crufts ~🐾

On Sunday 9th March, Satsuki visited the biggest dog show in the world - Crufts!

Unfortunately we weren't able to step into the ring because the Hokkaido Ken is not a recognised breed here in the UK, but we were able to go as invited guests and soak up the atmosphere (and the shopping) as well as introducing the breed to anyone who stopped us to talk.

Satsuki is the most social and easygoing of the Hokkaido I own, and has always been a wonderful breed ambassador, but even by her usual standards she was exceptionally well behaved 💕 even when a Giant Schnauzer grabbed her by the tail as she was walking past minding her own business. Crufts is a hugely overwhelming experience for any dog (and for a lot of people too), with large crowds, busy shopping areas, loudspeakers, other dogs and all manner of strange things that a dog wouldn't encounter on a daily basis.

We had so many people stop us and ask to take photos or pet her and Satsuki took it all with good humour. I am super proud of her - she may not be the typiest Hokkaido in the world, but she's a 'go anywhere and do anything' kind of dog, and I love how calm and collected she is.

As far as I am aware, Satsuki is the first - and currently only - Hokkaido Ken who has ever visited Crufts. I really do hope that we can change that in the future and have the breed recognised here in the UK one day.

I'll add a few more photos in the comments, but pride of place has to go to this one

02/03/2025

🐾 Meet Satsuki at Crufts - Sunday 9th March 🐾

Satsuki (the still mostly hairless wonder) and I will be spending the day at the world's biggest dog show - Crufts - on Sunday 9th March!

Satsuki loves making new friends, so if you'd like to come and say hello, please drop us a message and we'll arrange a meetup.

Big thank you to our lovely friends, Tracey and Maria, for arranging this for us

18/02/2025

🎉🎉 ~Happy 6th Birthday~ 🎉🎉

Today we're wishing a very happy 6th birthday to the first ever litter born at Toboetsuki - the Studio Ghibli Litter!

Six years ago today, Kirin and Kuro became the proud parents of the first Hokkaido puppies born in the UK - affectionately nicknamed Ai, Lou, Yuu and Mi. Now Momo, Kaito, Beau and Satsuki are all grown up and those six years seem to have gone by so quickly.

All four are very loved and spoiled by their families and I'm so glad to be - and have been - part of their lives. Hopefully I'll get to see them all at some point this year, but for today, happy birthday from the Toboetsuki Crew!

14/02/2025

Last month we sent Kaika's cheek swab off to the US for DNA analysis and now we have the results back from Embark!

You can view them here: embk.me/KaikaTheHokkaido

Surprise, surprise, Kaika is in fact....a Hokkaido! 😂

There's nothing here that we weren't expecting, but it's nice to have the information all laid out! Kaika is genetically red (also known as sable, or Ay on the A locus) and does not carry white (which would show as e on the E locus). Embark is unable to test for the black and tan gene in Hokkaido, so we have just ordered an A Locus test through the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at UC Davis, so we can find out if she is a carrier for black and tan.

She is not affected by or carrying any of the genetic diseases which Embark are able to test for, and is confirmed clear of CEA (which we already knew because her breeder tested all of the puppies before they left for their new homes).

Next up for Kaika will be her eye test, which we will book in a few months.

All of our Hokkaido are DNA tested with Embark, if you're interested in comparing them, you can check them out!

🧬 Kirin - embk.me/Kirin
🧬 Satsuki - embk.me/Satsuki
🧬 Tsume - embk.me/TsumeTheHokkaido
🧬 Chuuya - embk.me/Chuuya

28/01/2025

Satsuki decided to moult at the coldest time of the year and is now the Hairless Wonder 🫣 she is, consequently, very upset about the fact that it's actually still winter and has been looking rather sad and pathetic about her current situation.

She hates wearing coats or clothes, so, she's now getting the full princess treatment and can mostly be found bundled up in a blanket on the sofa, or on our bed. Of course, when is walk time, she conveniently forgets all about the cold and is ready to be a rugged adventure dog!

These dogs do choose some odd times of year to dump their entire coats 🙄 Kirin and Kaika are now following suit, and my house is the current birthplace of hairmageddon.

Will the tumbleweeds ever cease???

18/01/2025

🎈🎉🎈
Happy 2nd Birthday to our Õkami Litter, aka Satsuki's Peanuts!
🎈🎉🎈

Today we're wishing a big happy birthday to Ren, Eevee and Uzume, 2 years old now and all three looking so pretty and grown up. I'm sure you'll all be spoilt by your families

11/01/2025

We were very sad to receive these statistics from Okiyama-san and the Hokkaido Ken Hozonkai this week. The number of puppies being born each year in Japan has been in steady decline for years now, but just 132 puppies born in 2024 is truly shocking and puts into perspective just how much trouble our beloved breed is in.

The fact is, the Hokkaido Ken is facing the very real threat of extinction within my lifetime. We are almost out of time to do anything about this decline and retain a stable population for the future.

When considering those 132 dogs born in 2024 - just 66 of them female - how many of those dogs will go on to contribute to the future Hokkaido population themselves? The number is a lot lower than you think.

These numbers are just for Japan registrations, but the number of registrations across the rest of the world is far lower.

It leaves many of us feeling helpless...I am just one person, one home, what can I do that's going to help make a difference to these breed? I lack limitless funds (or any kind of disposable income) needed to continually import dogs to work towards a better foundation for the breed here in the UK. I cannot keep more dogs than I can physically handle in my home and the interest and confidence to take on an import is not there for most people who are interested in the breed.

Without that foundation of dogs we cannot apply for Kennel Club recognition here in the UK in an effort to get them into the eyes of the public in a more meaningful manner.

Without that foundation of dogs we cannot keep a viable breeding program here in the UK, especially if the government forces through these new laws banning the import of puppies under 6 months of age.

It feels like we're fighting a losing battle. I know myself and others have wondered why we continue to put ourselves through this.

There's only one answer - because we love sharing our lives with this breed, we love our dogs and we want to continue living with them for years to come...

So, we put these numbers out there, we hope that people will hear our cry for help. We continue to educate, to attend events in the hopes that our breed will catch someone's eye out of the hundreds of other breeds that are out there. We continue to offer support and help for anyone who might consider an import.

We hope...and we try...

Hokkaido Ken Hozonkai Birth and Colour Statistics 2024

Firstly, we would like to thank the Hokkaido Ken Hozonkai and Okiyama-san, for giving us this information, and allowing us to disseminate it to a wider audience.

Sadly the outlook for the future of the Hokkaido Ken is looking bleak.

In 2024, only 132 Hokkaido Ken puppies were registered with the HKH. This is just 66% when compared to the 199 puppies registered in 2023. Even more eye-opening, the number of puppies born in 2024 is only 12% compared to 1995’s 1059 registered puppies (Shigeru-san, 2020).

The Hokkaido Ken can now be considered to be in catastrophic decline, with the number of births unable to support or maintain a stable future population.

When asked why he thought the number of Hokkaido Ken puppies being born was so low, Okiyama-san cited many reasons, including the following:

~ The larger worldwide economic downturn, forcing families into smaller living accommodation and with less disposable income to take care of pets. Alongside a greater degree of uncertainty when it comes to securing a stable job.

~ The aging of many of the breeds protectors - the breeders and people who own kennels or keep multiple dogs. Many of those who have kept the breed for years are unable to find successors to continue breeding.

~ The Hokkaido is a strong dog who needs a strong owner, which means younger people to take up the mantle of the breed and its preservation, however, the younger generations are finding it more difficult to survive in the economic climate and live in smaller spaces not suitable for this kind of dog.

~ Global warming may be a contributing factor to the breed’s lack of popularity in Japan, where summers are extremely hot, the Hokkaido Ken is not so well adapted to the rising temperatures.

~ The laws of other countries changing and making the import/export of dogs much more difficult will inevitably be a contributing factor to the decline of the Hokkaido Ken outside of Japan.

So, the overarching question: what can be done to save the Hokkaido Ken?

If breeders in Japan lose the capability to breed and place puppies in homes, without younger people to take up the mantle of those who are aging, and without an increase in the breeding population, it’s likely that the number of puppies born each year will continue to dwindle.

If breed clubs and kennel clubs are not able to collaborate, or place restrictive breeding regulations upon breeders, making exchanging pedigrees, bloodlines and information that much harder – the breed will suffer worldwide as a result.

If breed enthusiasts and breeders outside of Japan are no longer able to import dogs, providing a market outside of Japan, the number of Hokkaido residing outside of Japan will also steadily decline, until the bloodlines are so interrelated there will no longer be a viable breeding population.

If the laws on the importation of dogs continue to hamper breed preservation efforts, those of us who have been able to import in the past will be unable to continue our breeding programs in the future.

We believe, that, if nothing else, education and sharing information is key! The more people we can get talking about this issues and sharing the plight of this breed that we love, the better. The more people we can show the breed to and allow them to interact with, the more people will see that the Hokkaido Ken is worth saving.

Thank you for reading this rather long post, for your support, your reactions and your shares!

Accessibility information:
Pictured is an infographic explaining the birth statistics of the Hokkaido Ken in 2024, as registered by the Hokkaido Ken Hozonkai.
In total, 132 puppies were registered. 66 females and 66 males.
57 white Hokkaido Ken puppies were born – 27 females and 30 males.
43 red Hokkaido Ken puppies were born - 25 females and 18 males.
6 black and tan Hokkaido Ken puppies were born – 2 females and 4 males.
5 sesame Hokkaido Ken puppies were born - 3 females and 2 males.
21 brindle Hokkaido Ken puppies were born – 9 females and 12 males.

(Nihon Ken Blogspot - Shigeru Kato - Nihon Ken Population Graph: http://www.nihonken.co/2020/03/nihon-ken-population-graph-for-medium.html)

01/01/2025

🎉 A Round-Up of 2024? 🎉

Well, it's been a year hasn't it? Sadly no puppies born here at Toboetsuki in 2024, but it's been a busy one nonetheless!

We've attended four shows as part of The British Association of Hokkaido Ken -BAHK and Association of Nihon Ken [UK], across the south of England, doing meet-and-greets with the Hokkaido Ken and showing people what awesome companions they can make! Including visiting the New Forest, Essex and Norfolk.

I took a course in Canine Core Conditioning with Angela of Born to Run Canine, with Chuuya as my partner, learning how to balance his movement and work on his condition safely. I also somehow managed to pass the Kennel Club Assessment for Points of the Dog, attending a seminar on conformation and movement which was super interesting and helpful when looking at my own dogs' faults.

Satsuki was the first ever Hokkaido Ken to attend Crufts as a spectator, we hope she will not be the last.

Chuuya and I visited Luxembourg (and Germany), on our first ever solo trip, for the 109th and 110th International Dog Shows. We had the absolute pleasure of meeting Sabrina and Heidi of Ayamorisou, the gorgeous Naisho and Bion (Hokkaido), Inari and Fudo (Shiba). It was such a pleasure to be able to meet more Hokkaido. Chuuya earned his first ever Champion title in Luxembourg over that weekend!

The idiot dog (Chuuya), decided it was a great idea to swallow a sock whole, which resulted in an obstruction and major surgery to remove. For a while we were worried he wasn't going to make it as his intestines had been quite damaged, but our boy is a fighter and we are so thankful that he pulled through and came out the other side with a nice zipline and otherwise none the worse for his experience.

Chuuya and I also whisked off to France, twice in one month! First we headed to Moulins - with Kate and Lou in tow - for the World Japanese Dog Show, where Chuuya won the World Japanese Winner title (working towards a French Champion title in the future). Then we headed to Nantes with Kate as our co-pilot, on a top secret mission...
..to pick up our newest addition to the Toboetsuki crew, baby Kaika, who joined us from Kyuden Kitsune - Hokkaido Ken. She has spent the tail end of 2024 settling in, getting to know our routine and working on socialising. Looking back on her those early photos, it's shocking how much she's changed and grown in those short months!

Princess turned 12 years old in October, the matriarch of our crew of six, and enjoyed her Christmas visit to Honiahaka Northern Inuits and Wolfdogs to see her breeders and distant relatives.

Not the most exciting of years, but we've had our highs and lows.

So, we wish all of our followers a Happy New Year! We hope 2024 didn't treat you too badly, and that 2025 brings you many good experiences and memories to be made

30/12/2024

🐾🍂~ Kaika Meets The Extended Family ~🍂🐾

Yesterday, Kaika got to meet some of the extended Toboetsuki family in the form of Beau (from our 2019 litter) and Eevee (from our 2023 litter)!

She was a bit unsure at first and tried to climb back into the van to hide 😂 but once she realised that Chuuya and the girls weren't bothered by them, she soon relaxed and started to play, within 5 minutes she was running around and chasing everyone while trying to get Chuuya's attention.

Beau and Eevee were super excited to see me, it's always adorable to see them realise who I am and have them run over immediately to beg for cuddles

24/12/2024

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to everyone who celebrates at this time of year!

Otherwise, we wish you a wonderful end to 2024

01/12/2024

🐾🍂~ Kaika Pupdate ~🍂🐾

So, we are now four weeks in and Kaika is definitely well settled into our routine. There have been a couple of toilet accidents, which is surprising as generally I've always found Hokkaido to be very easy to toilet train, but it's definitely human error on our part and missing the cues that she needs to go. She manages to go overnight in her crate without needing to go out at all, so we know she can do it!

She's settling well in the house now in-between walks, she still has the odd mad half an hour - where she'll completely empty the toy box all over the floor - but she doesn't feel like she needs to be ~doing things~ all of the time now. Having a good 'off' switch is important, and it's good that she's learning to relax by herself.

Today we took a drive into Salisbury for another socialisation expedition, with Satsuki in tow as Chief Role Model and safety blanket! Kaika stayed in the puppy pushchair for the first half, watching everything going on and getting used to the crowd - accepting some pets from people who wanted to say hello. We visited the pet shop for some treats and then went on to Salisbury Cathedral, where Kaika was ousted from her pushchair and asked to be super brave, walking around on the floor.

She then walked all the way from the Cathedral, back to the car park, through the middle of town, on the floor 🥳 we didn't stop to say hi to anyone, just kept going at a nice pace and though she was worried at the beginning, her confidence grew every minute. The tail went up and by the time we were through the centre she was sniffing and inspecting things rather than worrying about all of the nearby people. Juggling both dogs and the pushchair (which has a mind of its own) through the town centre was the most difficult part, but nobody panicked and she had a good overall first experience of the 'big' city.

Small improvements, but noticeable! Good job Kaika puppy!

(she looks almost as big as Satsuki in these photos :O when did that happen?!)

23/11/2024

🐾🍂~ Kaika Pupdate ~🍂🐾

Today Kaika, Satsuki and I visited Pewsey Pawfest for a little socialisation trip! We took the puppy pushchair along as I've found over the last couple of weeks that Kaika feels more secure meeting new people when she's not on the floor. I'm pretty sure this has a lot to do with the way people tend to 'loom' over a dog when they greet them, something which can be seen as scary or threatening for a dog which isn't used to it. Up to now I've been carrying her, but being in the puppy pushchair let Kaika be off the floor and gave her a bit of security without dangling around in the air. This made a big difference to her confidence as we made our way around the hall.

Having Satsuki along was a big help, since Satsuki is a super social girl and loves getting attention and fuss from people - a great way for Kaika to learn by example! She was more and more happy with the people that approached to say hello, the longer we stayed. She accepted treats from multiple people and even licked some fingers (and was fascinated by one lady's green nail polish)

19/11/2024

How Hokkaido are evaluated at Hokkaido Ken Hozonkai exhibitions in Japan!

Plus a beautiful photo of Wakasoryu, owned by Takekata-san - the first Hokkaido to be given the top evaluation for 20 years