I do really like McGraw. I have to admit that as a breed on a whole the AA doesn't excite me, but I do love stunning black and whites like him. At one time, Black and White was an acceptable JA color but has long since vanished.
I guess I have a hard time seeing anything Japanese at all about the AA, but I do get that Sondaisa on a whole does seem to have produced pretty refined dogs. I think Majick Sun is another breeder of a very simular type.
Aside from that I no longer discuss specific breeders as results may very and the only person I can tell you 100% on is me.
I also get the full shudder down my back when I hear (or read) that JA's are simular in type to Shiba's. Grrrrr
Everything is different other than the fact that they both come in sesame and red and white. A pretty Shiba is very pretty, allthough I see so few preetty ones. I really do prefer the NIPPO type. But the temperment of the average Shiba just doesn't float my boat, but that again is just me.
I don't know how to post pics but if you want to see some pics of the most beautiful JA in the world go to
www.kajitsuno.it and check out the wonder Kakusui. A once in a lifetime dog IMHO.
I love McGraw - he is a wonderful dog in every way - he's got it all.
I agree that Majik Sun is similar in type - probably because they work closely in concert with each other, and co-own many of their dogs.
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Both a quality AA and a quality JA excite me - but that is just the way that I am. (If it's a beautiful dog in any breed, it tends to get my heart pumping and send chills down my spine). I gravitate naturally toward "nordic-style" breeds, and for this reason, I find both JA and AAs attractive - not because I think they are particularly similar, but because, of their own merits, I find them both to be gorgeous breeds.
People in Shibas tend to talk about the way that Shibas are more similar to JA for a certain reason - we're most of us quite aware that there truly ARE huge differences, and we're by no means blind or naive to the fact. The tendency really stems from the way that the Shiba was introduced to this nation, as it's really a pretty recent breed here. Not a lot of people knew what to think of it, and as many of the first Shiba fanciers were initially Akita breeders, they would speak of the Shiba as "the little Akita" - it too was Japanese, and there were some basic conformational and temperamental traits they shared (*basic* of course - as anyone that is involved with both will tell you there really ARE huge differences). This rubbed Japanese Akita and Shiba breeders the wrong way, because they saw how different the AA was from their JA and from the Shiba, and people were cautioned to, if they *were* going to make a basic comparison, at least look at the JA and remember that there was greater similarity there - no one wanted the Shiba to end up pinto with a black mask and heavy bone, after all. Basically, it was something of a remedial attempt at reeducation - there was fear that people who were breeding AA AND Shibas, would look to their AAs as sort of a drawing board to compare their Shibas to. This was a hint to move in a different direction. I
f you're going to pick one, I guess, the thinking is that it's the JA is more similar. They both have a more evident Japanese expression than the AA too.
Anyway, tt was also a "quick" way to try to describe to someone what a Shiba was to someone with absolutely no conception of the breed at all (when, obviously, a Shiba was not present to who the individual). People would ask about the breed, and the moment someone said the breed's name, it seemed (and still does - sigh) that the first thing they would say was, "Oh so it's one of those little lap dogs." My guess is that they associate it with the word "Shih Tzu," and assume it's either the same breed, or that it must be similar, because the name, in their opinion, sounds similar (foreign language, two words, the "Shi" sound). Obviously, the Shiba is far more similar to an Akita than it is to a Shih Tzu, so people would say - "well, it's kind of like a smaller Akita," fully aware that there really wasn't a great degree of similarity there, but also aware that when speaking to someone that has that initial impression of the breed, there's really no point in going into a detailed description of the differences of the JA and the AA, and then the Shiba.
I can understand why such a comment would aggravate a serious fancier though; you know each point of conformation and each subtle nuance, so even the most basic of similarities has been obliterated for you. It must be kind of like when people say that Shibas look like foxes to me - uh huh...riiiight.
I'll have to agree that "pretty" is not what we are looking for in Shibas, nor is "cute." If that is what you see, you have not seen a Shiba that is correct in type - perhaps it is pleasing in some way to the eye, but it is, nevertheless, incorrect. We are all working hard to change that here, but as my sister pointed out, one reason that, as you said, you like "NIPPO" Shibas better is that that IS where the good stock comes from - the country of origin. NIPPO breeders and the breeders in this country that know their stuff are very cautious to remind everyone that there is no such thing as a "NIPPO" Shiba or an "American" Shiba - they are all just Shibas, and they are either good examples of the breed, or not. We would be horrified to think that there could eventually be a split, "NIPPO" vs "American," for example - the goal is simply to produce the most typey Shiba possible.
Again, this is why so many very successful breeders in this breed import from Japan - because we are attempting to promote type in the breed. We hold shows with NIPPO judges - the "Classic" - for this reason. We want confirmation from Japanese judges that we are heading in the right direction, and instruction for how we can improve. I think all of us recognize that in many ways, this breed has a bit of a journey to travel in terms of type and quality here - but in the same breath, I can say that we are improving by *leaps* and *bounds.* People are very fervently interested in education and in really knowing and applying the standard. Many make pilgrimages to Japan, and seminars are taken seriously and are popular. This is truly a new breed for American breeders, and as such, it stands to reason that we are working to attain the same level of type and proficiency that the country of origin has.
I am *very* picky about Shibas, what I like, and what I don't like. It's not necessarily easy to please me - but I'm truly proud of how hard the American breeders are working to learn.
Here then, is Taro (I figured I'd take the liberty and post him myself):
Ch. Tenkuu Go Etchuu Wakasugisou
Now *there* is a dog that demonstrates kan-i, soboku, and ryosei.
Not "cute." Not "pretty."
A dog that demonstrates natural beauty and sobriety, temperance, unaffected forthrightness, spirited boldness, and good nature. He is one dog that I can see ALL of that in.
