18/11/2025
🚫 “N̶o̶t̶ f̶o̶r̶ b̶e̶g̶i̶n̶n̶e̶r̶s̶!̶” 🚫
Welcome to my soapbox, where I will explain why I, personally, dislike and disagree with statements like this! I'm a little nervous about posting this, because I'm sure there will be people who disagree with my view, but I hope it will be taken in the spirit in which it's meant.
It’s something I’ve come across quite a lot over the years, both from the general dog fancy and, more recently, from a few breed-specific rescues, the phrases, “not suitable for a first-time dog owner!” Or variations of, “this breed is not for beginners!” Mostly, I understand, this comes from a well-meaning place: nobody who is deeply involved with a breed wants to see dogs end up in rescue centres; to be the latest statistic on the news; or the next to be vilified by social media. However, being met by phrases like this when you’re looking for information from people who are knowledgeable about a certain breed, often puts newcomers off the purebred community as a whole, and ‘well-meaning’ very easily becomes ‘gate-keeping’, whereby nobody is ever going to have enough experience or be good enough to own your breed.
Let’s face it, many pedigree dog breeds are looking at declining numbers – with some seeing a far more rapid drop in popularity than others. I keep seeing comments that entries to shows are dropping, puppy registrations are lower and that there are less newcomers each year. Now is not the time for breeders, breed clubs and even rescues to be gate-keeping breeds and toting blanket statements like -insert breed here- is not a dog for a beginner. Ultimately, all this does is drive people who might not be well-versed on ethical breeding practices, to instead go out and impulse buy a puppy from someone who doesn’t care whether that home is suitable or prepared, provides no help or support once the ‘sale’ is done, and contributes to the decline of well-bred purebred dogs.
We’ve all fallen in love with a pretty, fluffy face, decided that we absolutely need one (yes, I’m absolutely guilty of this too) and only then maybe done a little bit of digging around to find some surface facts about the breed. Most people who are contacting me about Hokkaido are incredibly unlikely to have met one in person, unless they’ve managed to meet us at an event. They are going on what they’ve found on the internet, the cute photos where looks can be deceiving. Maybe they’ve met a Shiba Inu or an Akita Inu, maybe they’ve even owned one (one of my puppy owners has) and sure, the Hokkaido Ken looks similar, but they are not the same. So, if every person who approaches me has zero experience with the breed, should I write them all off?
As both a breeder and breed advocate of a breed facing the threat of extinction within my lifetime (within the next 20 years if it continues as it is now), instead of telling people that the Hokkaido Ken is not suitable for first time dog owners I choose to do my best educate. I try to tell people all of the good, the bad and the ugly parts that can come from owning this breed. I give people a list of the websites, the pages and the social media groups they can look at to find more information, a variety of sources so they’re not just hearing everything from my point of view and experiences with my own dogs. I tell them that if they’re serious about wanting a Hokkaido after that research, they should come and meet the dogs, spend some time with them, come on a walk with us, get to know their personalities and quirks, see if you really think that you can live with them. I ask about their life, why they want a dog, why they thing this breed specifically fits their needs? It’s not because I want to be nosy, it’s so I can tell them honestly whether I think this breed is right for them.
Most of my puppy owners up to this point have been first-time dog owners (where the Hokkaido is the first breed that they’ve chosen as adults, not counting dogs that might have been family pets), all of them have chosen and stuck with this breed after doing in-depth research and deciding that the breed is a good fit for them.
I love first-time dog owners! They come into puppy ownership with no prior experiences and no preconceived notions on what they expect a puppy to be and do. They listen when they are given advice and aren’t afraid to reach out when they are having issues. They go to classes, they take their puppy out to socialise and don't slack off, they stick with the training. If they have problems, I like to think that I am their first port of call. There’s no need for embarrassment or feeling like they’ve ‘failed’ because something hasn’t quite gone right, they don’t have the, “I’ve done this before so I know how to do it!” unconscious bias of someone who maybe has experience with other breeds. I’m more than convinced that a first-time dog owner is just as capable of raising a Hokkaido to be a good family dog, as a person with 20 years experience owning something completely different.
What I love most of all, is that the people who do choose to become involved in this breed as newbies to dog ownership, often become passionate about them. Even with my comparatively small number of litters, I’ve been told more than once that owning Hokkaido has ruined other breeds for them...because there’s just nothing quite like them.
We need these people so badly – the new puppy owners, who may perhaps become the future preservationists or advocates for the breed. So many breeds need these people so badly, but will pass up on ‘beginners’ or look down on them because they don’t have the arbitrary ‘experience’ they believe is required. Maybe it feels like a risk? For me, I feel like I’ve given potential future owners as much information as I can so that between us we can make an accurate decision on whether the Hokkaido is a breed that fits their lifestyle. It doesn’t feel like a risk...it feels like a beginning, and I know that if problems arise, my puppies can always come back to me. As first-time dog owners, what they really need isn’t experience, it’s mentorship and for the community to help them along the way.
Everyone starts somewhere. For me, my first dog was an English Setter my parents bought for me when I was 11. She came from a show breeder and my first experience of visiting Crufts was when that breeder took me along as a helper with some of her show dogs a couple of years later. Cally was an excellent dog, completely soppy, would let anyone do anything with her and just an all-round good girl. Did I learn things from her – absolutely! Was most of it transferrable knowledge when switching to a different breed – not particularly or only in broad strokes. Owning and raising a western gundog breed is a completely different experience to owning and raising a breed that primarily consists of Northern breeds and German Shepherd, which is completely different again to raising a primitive Japanese hunting breed.
Experience does not always translate across breeds, and may in fact enter biases into that person’s perception of what a dog ‘should be’.
I cannot expect a Hokkaido Ken to act like an English Setter or a Northern Inuit – each of these breeds were bred (in some cases for hundreds of years) to perform a specific, and very different task. Temperament, training and day-to-day life with these breeds is just never going to be the same.
This is not to say that I think every dog can be suitable for every person. I know for sure that there are many breeds that I do not have the lifestyle to keep happy and fulfilled. Are there some breeds that absolutely shouldn’t be taken on by a first-time dog owner? Maybe, but luckily for me I don’t have to make that decision.
So, what’s my advice for a first-time dog owner, looking at a breed and being immediately bombarded and discouraged by the not-for-beginners-brigade?
Research! Do as much research and reading as you can. Join the breed-specific groups, find those old and clunky forums from 15 years ago, look at the breed club websites, speak to owners and breeders, ask all of those random questions that pop into your head. Don’t just look for the good parts, look for the bad, find out what common issues owners encounter when owning and raising that breed – see if/how they worked through those issues or whether they have had to make lifestyle changes, and consider whether you would be able and willing to do the same.
Once you’ve read as much as possible, if that hasn't managed to put you off, meet the breed! As many individuals as possible! Spend time with the dogs; go to an event or a show; ask a breeder if you can visit and meet their dogs. The more hands-on experience you can get, the easier it will be to imagine one in your life. Make up your mind for yourself, whether your home and lifestyle can accommodate the breed you are interested in.
If you’re interested in a rare breed specifically, consider the difficulties you might encounter, which may be more pertinent for you as a first-time dog owner: know that most trainers will also not have experience with the breed and their training style may not be a good fit; you may have to ‘shop around’ for a vet practice that will suit the needs of a lesser-known breed, particularly if it’s a primitive or wary breed; you will have to get used to advocating for your dog in different situations and be prepared for other well-meaning dog owners to try and educate you on how things ‘should’ be done.
Don’t let, “not for beginners,” and, “unsuitable for first-time dog owners,” put you off! In every breed community you will find people who are willing to talk, to educate and to mentor.
Lastly, to my fellow dog breeders, preservationists, enthusiasts and rescuers: please don’t immediately discount a first-time dog owner who comes to you asking for more information about your breed. Take the time to have a conversation, to ask why they think your breed is a good fit for them...these beginners might just turn out to be the future of your breed.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this incredibly long post.
