With its straight forelegs, powerful neck, prominent chest, and solid back, this dog is thin, muscular, and fast - an important feature for those who would like to adopt such a breed. Due to its outdoorsy and inquisitive nature, it needs long daily walks and regular exercise to stay in shape. That is why this breed is unsuitable for living inside an apartment. Intelligent, watchful, eager to learn, and very easy to train, the breed is suitable for hunting, but it also makes for a good guardian dog, especially because of these characteristics.
The Ainu dog has small dark brown triangular eyes and small, triangular, erect, sharply pointed ears that make this breed appear to be constantly on alert. It has a triangular fox-like head, straight nose bridge, harsh fur with a coat of long, stiff hairs, and a second, shorter coat of soft fur, colored from white to wolf gray and brown, which needs to be brushed and combed regularly.
No matter how fierce all these features may sound, the Ainu dog is good with children if it is raised near them from an early age. They easily combine characteristics of a bear hunter and a pet, so if you are looking for a gentle watch dog, you have found it.
On average, a female can have 7 pups per litter, which are born blind and without fur. During their first month, the puppies will become strong enough to be up on their feet, and they develop fast.
The life expectancy for such a dog is around 11-13 years, and the male usually reaches 18-22 inches (45-55 cm) in height, while females are a few inches shorter. They have body masses of around 55 pounds (20-25 kg).
Sometimes with black spots on their tongues, sometimes with blue-black tongues, the Ainu dogs are closely related to some other breeds of dogs, like the Chow Chow and the Shar Pei, also with the same origin.
The Ainu dog is fearless, and that is why its training requires very experienced dog trainers. As this dog is not entirely cut out for the society we live in today, a simple day out in the park, without the previous proper socialization, could be very dangerous. This is why very hard work needs to be done in order to make them accept strangers in their perimeter. If their owners do not show true pack leader abilities, they can become aggressive with the other dogs and quite stubborn.
This breed has a strong sense of direction and is well-known to be able to return to their master, no matter how great the distance between them is.
This dog is a Japanese Spitz breed, seldom seen outside the country of Japan, and due to the efforts of the SPJB, it was named a Natural Monument of Japan in the year of 1937. For those who need a friend for a lifetime, a strong jogging companion, or a guardian for their homes, the Ainu dog is the best choice.
