Talk:Shikoku (dog)

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Contents 1 Wolfdog?, again 2 Added a link to Canine Information Library 3 Wolfdog? 4 Same as Mikawa? 5 Pluralization

[edit] Wolfdog?, again

I've had to remove from the article the "wolfdog" text. Nowhere else have I seen that as a name for the Shikoku, and without a citation I don't think it should be allowed into the article. The shikoku, I'd wager, is no more wolf-like than any of the Japanese spitzes, or probably any spitz in general; if it is actually called a "wolf dog" by any number of people -- and this I dispute -- they're probably wrong.

[edit] Added a link to Canine Information Library

I had come across that article, so I added it to the Shikoku page. I'm reluctant to add more since I'm not very familiar with the breed, but I thought the new link was a little more generally informative than the current single link that was there.

[edit] Wolfdog?

Does anyone have sources for this assertion? I've read ont he breed a bit but this is the first time I've ever seen it suggested that the Shikoku is more "wolf-like" than any of the other Japanese breeds.

[edit] Same as Mikawa?

The Japanese Wikipedia has separate articles for the Mikawa and the Shikoku breeds and does not say that they're the same. Are they actually the same? Fg2 06:57, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

I've seen German websites call it the Mikawa inu, but we should go with what the Japanese wikipedia has. Also, I think it's pretty clear that if we're going to debate whether it can be called a Mikawa inu, we should be far more reluctant to let anyone add 'Japanese wolfdog' as the dog's primary name, much less an alternative. In fact, if the wolfdog nonsense keeps popping up, I think this article should be locked. It's tantamount to vandalism to repeatedly add unsubstantiated, silly claims.

Bear in mind I don't know much about dogs, much less Japanese dogs, I just want to keep Wikipedia cleaned up. However, none of the reliable sources I've consulted, even the Shikoku clubs, make assertions that Shikokus are a type of wolfdog. There may well be some wolf heritage as this is a native Japanese breed and ancestors may have bred with wolves in the distant, unrecorded past, but that's probably true of any number of canid species that are not considered wolfdog types. I think what's going on here is that some Shikoku breeders want to attribute wolf characteristics to Shikokus, and others don't, obviously if you want to peddle Shikokus to families or in the UK (where wolf hybrids are technically illegal), you'd want to downplay the wolf heritage angle. Others might see being part wolf as a positive sales point. Still, from the WP point of view, reliable sources I can find don't support the wolf heritage contention, and no reliable references have been cited in this article that support such a contention. I think the comment I put in that some people believe that there is a genetic connection to the Japanese wolf is fair enough. Tubezone 06:59, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Pluralization

Guys, since it's a Japanese noun, the plural is "Shikoku." Trust me.