Japanese Terrier

The Japanese Terrier is a small smooth-coated terrier with a black head and a white body — a Japanese breed with Dutch and English ancestry and a very small population.

History

It descends from smooth fox terriers brought to Nagasaki by Dutch traders in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, crossed with local small dogs and later refined in Kobe. It was bred as a companion rather than a working terrier, and numbers remain low even in Japan.

Temperament

The breed is known for being lively, affectionate and sensitive, attached to its household and more reserved than most terriers.

Care and training

Exercise needs are modest and easily met. The very short coat needs nothing but offers no protection from cold. Training should be gentle; this is a soft breed.

Health

Nothing is widely documented as specific to the breed; the small population is the standing caution. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.