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aggression, akita, breeders, canine genetics, canine hypothyroidism, ethology, health tests, hemopet, shiba inu, thyroids, veterinary endocrinology, yukari takeuchi
I hope that breeders and those with any interest in behavioral issues in Nihon Ken are following and taking notice of Dr. Yukari Takeuchi’s work (武内 ゆかり, DVM, PhD). Takeuchi is at the University of Tokyo’s Laboratory of Ethology, and has done extensive research on genetic linkages and manifestations of aggression by breeds, with special attention to native Japanese breeds like the Akita and Shiba Inu.
In a 2006 report surveying a broad range of breeds, “A Comparison of the Behavioral Profiles of Purebred Dogs in Japan to Profiles of those in the United States and the United Kingdom,” Shiba were found to be ranked higher than average in aggressive behavior towards other dogs, watchdog barking, territorial defense, and snapping at children. They were clustered in a group known to have “high aggression, high reactivity, and medium trainability” along with the likes of Pomeranians, American Cocker Spaniels, Yorkshire Terriers, Irish Setters, Maltese, Pugs, Mini Schnauzers, Mini Dachshund, and others. The tag “medium trainability” says to me that Shibas may potentially have these unfavorable behaviors trained out of them, bringing home the point that socialization is key.
In another article from 2009, “Association analysis between canine behavioural traits in the Shiba Inu and genetic polymorphisms,” (Takeuchi Y, Kaneko F, Hashizume C, Masuda K, Ogata N, Maki T, Inoue-Murayama M, Hart BL, Mori Y, Animal Genetics 40: 616-622), what I understood was that there are tentative causal links between certain genes and Shiba aggression. However, because there are many social factors that contribute to aggression, as well as many ways to define aggression, more research needs to be done.
It was also noted that the Shibas surveyed were all from Japan, where many are still kept as watchdogs, particularly in rural areas. In such cases, certain types of “aggression” as noted in the 2006 study are favorably linked to their function.
In the meantime:
The reasons and motivations for having dogs vary from owner to owner; some want a watchdog for security while others desire a companion for family members. If veterinarians working at clinics know the behavioral profiles of purebred dogs and the tendencies in gender differences shown in this [2006] study, they can more appropriately advise prospective owners. This can facilitate a better quality of human-animal bond and perhaps prevent behavioral problems due to a mismatch between dogs and owners. In addition, veterinarians should inform potential owners of the importance of understanding the pedigree line within a breed, the behavior of the dam, sire, and siblings from previous litters, and the early environment during the socialization period, as has been repeatedly emphasized in previous studies (p. 7 of the 2006 study).
Takeuchi seems to consider veterinarian expertise the first line of defense against uninformed dog owners acquiring a potentially volatile breed. This statement stems from his methodology, wherein he asked veterinarians to answer based on their familiarity with the breeds surveyed, instead of breeders and purebred dog owners. In practice, I doubt most owners consult with a veterinarian before bringing home their dog; you usually get the dog first, then bring him to the vet. But his very efforts to find a genetic basis for aggression is intriguing nevertheless. If such a clear, direct genetic factor could be located, this would put a lot more weight on the selective breeding of purebred dogs, as well as throw open a whole set of related cultural issues on why breeders select for the temperaments and the individual dogs that they do.
I also find it interesting that a number of breeds considered to be “highly aggressive” also rank relatively highly on the Michigan State University’s charts for breeds at risk for thyroid disorders. Specifically, I’m looking at Maltese (#9, 16.5% autoimmune thyroiditis), Beagles (#10, 16.5%), Dalmatians (#11, 16.3%), Cocker Spaniels (#13, 15.7%), Irish Setters (#25, 12.6%), all grouped in the same cluster as Shiba Inu. In another cluster of dogs with “high aggression, low reactivity, high trainability,” there are breeds like the Boxer (#6, 18%.0), Great Dane (#36, 10.1%), Akita (#46, 8.6%), and Doberman Pinscher (#50, 8.4%). A lot of the smaller breeds rank pretty far down the list, like Yorkies and Pomeranians, which matches what I understand about hypothyroidism usually affecting medium to large-sized dogs.
But the notable overlaps make me wonder if a statistical correlation between breeds documented to be “aggressive” and thyroid disorders could be made even clearer by someone else with more rigorous analytical methods. While there is a lot of online and anecdotal information about hypothyroidism as an underlying factor contributing to aggression and behavioral changes in dogs (I’m thinking in particular about the work of Dr. Jean Dodds who presented her findings at the 1996 International Symposium on Canine Hypothyroidism), American DVMs seem to downplay the link between hypothyroidism and aggression, and there hasn’t been much published information in peer-reviewed journals echoing Jean Dodd’s findings.
Considering that 1996 wasn’t that long ago, in my mind, and that was the first (and only!) large-scale conference on canine hypothyroidism to have appeared in my searches, I bet more work can still be done. I just hope the specialists are talking to each other, and not content to let endocrinologists do their own thing, while ethologists do their own thing, and dermatologists and neurologists and hematologists and so forth are not limiting themselves to the information immediately at hand.
The House of Two Bows 雙寶之屋 
Hi there, great post, good info. Sorry I didn’t respond to your comment, for some reason I can’t comment on my own posts from the office. I don’t know how old Bowdu is, I hope not really young. Beebe has an immune deficiency that is genetic, from bad breeding etc, and had absolutely horrible skin issues ever since I brought her home at 9 weeks. I treated her with Interferons, benadryl/clemastine and allergy injections weekly. That so far has seemed to be a fix for her skin, along with a limited ingredient diet and raw, and a move to hardwood floors. We honestly never thought to test her as she was not even 1 year old when we began the injections from the Dermatologist.
I asked (on FB) some breeders about testing breeding stock. I show my dogs and test their thyroids and I can say that health testing is taken very seriously, which confirms what I learned from the other breeders I have spoken with. Generally, it has been excluded from many top lines through selective breeding at this point, and my personal belief is that it is more prevalent amongst mill lines now but I could be wrong. That doesn’t mean all show lines and good breeders don’t see dogs with it, and they will test if they suspect a dog to have it, and do test breeding dogs (which I also do).
I believe there is a strong genetic correlation, and most certainly, thyroid disease can alter temperment. I am actually hoping that the meds Beebe just started for it will help soften up her temperment a little. She is generally very sharp and reactive, which makes her highly trainable but difficult to live with, that is in all honestly, more of a correct temperment for the breed and I feel that the breed should retain some of that sharpness so they don’t become too mushy. However, a cuddly mushy Shiba makes a wonderful pet, but it isn’t exactly what I like to work with.
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I’ve been dying to hear from someone who can speak on behalf of Shiba breeding practices, as it hasn’t been easy finding breed-specific information on Shibas and hypothyroidism.
Bowdu is coming up on six years old, and came from Taiwanese puppymill lines. He started showing allergies 3 summers ago, which was one year after we moved to the United States. We just assumed environmental allergies all along, as did our vets.
We adopted a Basenji this year, and it was Basenji peeps who alerted me to the prevalence and signs of hypothyroidism. That’s how I finally came to suspect and to test for hypothyroidism. I’ve been impressed by how proactive Basenji breeders and rescue groups are about monitoring thyroid health, to the benefit of formulating a better understanding of the overall health of the breed. However, I feel like there are some gaps or at least a lack of transparency when it comes to Shibas, and maybe it’s because there’s such a wide gulf between top lines and puppy mill lines. But at the same time, we can’t disregard the majority of puppy mill/BYB Shibas just because they don’t conform to a healthy ideal, you know? They are still representatives of the breed that must be accounted for.
Since I started paying attention, I’ve encountered a lot of hypothyroid Shibas. I understand that hypothyroidism is actually pretty common amongst dogs in general, but frankly, I don’t see Shiba breeders testing for it on a regular basis. There are barely any Shiba thyroid registrations in the OFA database, significantly fewer than hips, patellas, and elbows. So I’m extremely heartened to hear you are testing for thyroids, but the statistics show that the majority are not — or there’s some other reason breeders don’t want to pay the $15 to register results with the OFA. If I am misunderstanding how the results are posted and aggregated online, please let me know!
So it doesn’t seem sufficient to me that dogs are tested/registered for thyroid health only when there are suspected issues, since clinical signs often don’t appear until dogs are older, or they’re masked/misdiagnosed as other issues. And I assume that no tests will matter to puppy mill breeders anyway, so my hope for more thorough health testing extends mainly to “good” breeders, who may already be confident of the health of their breeding stock. If thyroids are truly of minimal concern, let the data demonstrate and confirm this. What we currently have, however, doesn’t tell us enough.
Those are great adjectives for describing temperament — “sharp” v. “mushy.” You’re right, a mushy Shiba would seem out of character, but so too is the explosive violence I’ve seen from my own temperamental, badly bred Shiba. He’s definitely gotten better over time, with socialization, and definitely with stabilized thyroid levels. I feel like I have a lot at stake in his thyroid health, since it’s as you say — it makes Bowdu SO MUCH easier to live with. =)
Anyway, aggression as an unfavorable behavior isn’t always as clearcut as it’s manifest in Bowdu, which is why I think it’s sort of interesting to speculate as to how breeders would react IF such a genetic link could be found. What if the ‘snaps at little kids’ gene could be found, but it is also related to, say, herding instincts (I’m just making this up). One is seen as “aggression” and the other is a defining characteristic of some breeds. Do breeders make the choice, or do puppy buyers in a market that is already, irreversibly commercialized? I don’t know…
You are correct to say there is a lack of transparency with Shibas, and I think a lot of it has to do with the extreme difficulty it can take to import nice dogs, as it takes years and lots of expense to cultivate those relationships. People have to earn the right to know that info by demonstrating their dedication to the breed, and millers or bybs could care less about dedication. Understanding Japanese would help a lot too with being able to obtain the research and studies, much of it in Japanese.
I haven’t submitted anything to OFA yet because I can easily proove the good bloodwork results and patella checks which are kept on file at my Vet, and the hypothyroid female is spayed, and from a byb so there is no parentage to trace. The problem with self reporting data, good or bad, is that it can easily skew the overall picture, as most will not submit bad results. Regardless, I will submit this to OFA when I submit their xrays.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of people looking for Shibas (as with most breeds nowadays) want a nice pet to live with, not to hunt or work with, so I do see a selection for nice pet temperments universally. That is always a huge concern: should the demand set the standard, or should we stick to producing the traditional, willfull, head strong, aloof, hardy, independent temperment that has kept Shibas alive for millenia? Keep in mind, there is a far higher likelyhood that owners will not like this temperment nor find it easy to live with, and as history shows, these are the often the Shibas that get dumped in resuces, shelters or discarded in puppy mills. I recall hearing a great deal about the first imports comming to America, and how aggressive and aloof they could be. Is there a middle ground to temperment? I tend to think so after spending time with so many nice Shibas that can work and be nice pets, and this is a goal for me to achieve, as I love to work my Shibas in all sorts of venues outside the show ring.
Perhaps if Shibas were actually more used for a traditional “job” like hunting, then sharpness would certainly be a good trait to keep in the breeding population, but as you say, we are too commercialized to want or need that.
There are some excellent akita/shiba literature that goes in depth about subclinical thyroid disease, some no longer in print. Here is from a quick browse of the net
From NSCA:
http://www.shibas.org/health.html
http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/akitas.html
“Hypothyroidism
Akitas are subject to hypothyroidism and allergic skin diseases, both of which can often be treated. Incidence of hypothyroidism seems to be increasing, and sometimes skin diseases are a result of thyroid dysfunction. A number of Akitas have been put down because of skin problems thought to be unmanageable. Current research indicates maternal antibodies as a major cause of hypothyroiditis. An untested mother, if affected by the disease and not demonstrating visible symptoms, will have circulating antibodies to the disease. When the fetus begins developing its own thyroid tissue, the antibodies attack brain tissue. In humans, it causes mental retardation but in dogs, it is believed to cause behavior problems. Once the fetus begins nursing, additional antibodies are passed to the newborn in the colostrum, eventually damaging the thyroid gland of the receipent. Studies indicate a euthyroid (normal on medication) mother is no longer circulating antibodies, thereby producing normal offspring. If each female is tested BEFORE breeding, in 5-10 generations, lymphocytic hypothyroiditis could greatly diminish. A complete thyroid panel, including T3, T4. free T3, free T4 and an antibody test are important. A subclinical bitch may not be showing visible symptoms therefore, only a blood test could determine an affected bitch.”
Just yesterday I was walking with the dogs at a park, and a man asked about Bowdu’s breed. “What were they used for?” he asked after I told him. A couple things struck me about his question — one, that he even bothered to think about function, and two, that his question was phrased in the past tense. Like there is no use for them now.
But I do strongly believe that mere companionship, or “pet,” should be considered a legitimate “use” of an animal, though the significance of pets as pets is not universally appreciated. It’s a very different kind of use from a working dog, to be sure… but as humans the world over are moving away from (I won’t say “moving past,” because I don’t think of it on evolutionary terms) agricultural or other lifestyles where dogs MUST serve some kind of working or hunting function in order to remain in human society, so too must our conception of what dogs should be like in order for them to maintain their place amongst us.
Which is all to say that I think even nice, sweet, “mushy” loving Shibas should have their place with genuine companion animal owners, alongside more primitive-natured, sharper Shibas. Can a breeder produce both at the same time, especially if genetics were to reveal that “sharpness” genes are exclusive of “mushy” genes? It’d become a real crisis of identity with no easy resolution! Luckily I’m neither a geneticist nor a breeder, nor do I think such a scenario would ever become so clearly manifest. =) But as an outsider, I do respect breeders that at least have clear objectives and well-considered ideals of what they strive to breed for, as you do. Though I would argue that what we might call the “traditional” temperament of Shibas is itself a construction of contemporary ideals projected onto the past, because in some ways we’ll never really know what Shibas were “really” like.
Thanks also for the further links on hypothyroidism. I was not satisfied with what I saw available on shibas.org, when I was trying to find information before; the one on k9web.com looks pretty detailed, and it satisfies my questions.
As for the OFA and registering thyroid information, I guess Shiba breeders just have a different overall relationship with the foundation. Basenji breeders, for example (where a lot of my knowledge of hypothyroidism comes from), may have more at stake in the transparency of records given seriously life-threatening diseases like Fanconi in which there would be NO ethical reason to hide results; all Fanconi results are public, regardless of outcome. Nothing like a tragic, fatal, inheritable disease to mobilize breeders and prompt serious questions about the gene pool…