“Building Bridges By Guest Writer Gerilynn Perkins Owner - Breeder - Exhibitor of Import and American Shibas There is an annual event held in the United States that allows Shiba breeders and AKC judges a rare opportunity to learn about the breed from the masters, the breeder/judges of Japan. The event, “The Shiba Classic”, is a dog show and symposium hosted each year by the dedicated members of the Colonial Shiba Club, in Maryland, and is open to all registered red, red sesame and black and tan Shibas. The judge is sent by the Nihon Ken Hozonkai, Nippo, the club founded in Japan in 1928 to preserve their native breeds. The following are insights from first time attendee, Lynn Perkins. Lynn is a novice owner, handler, and future breeder of Shiba Inus. She is a member of the National Shiba Club of America and Nippo. It was exciting to attend my first Nippo show, and an honor to meet Judge, Minoru Uchida from Tottori, Japan. Mr. Uchida graciously conducted a seminar that was filled with valuable information about the finer points of the breed. He commended the breeders on the quality of entries and was pleased to see dogs with dark pigment and strong legs. He shared a great deal of information on correct character, desired tail shape, correct ear pitch, and coat color. He spent time discussing Kani; strong-spirit, Soboku; simple-beautiful-uncomplicated, and Ryosei; humble in nature, and the importance of these characteristics in the breed. The style of judging was very different from our AKC shows. The judge never touched the dogs, other than to count teeth, and the handler stood behind the dog, allowing the dog to show Kani, which is evident in how the Shiba behaves in a natural stance. The dog is always on the ground, never on a table. The Judge took his time evaluating each dog individually, taking notes on each entry. He would kneel in front of the dog making eye contact, walk around them, and ask the Handler to move their dog down and back. After lunch the dogs returned to the ring, in their various age groups, for a final evaluation and placements. This was followed by selection of Saikosho, Best of Breed and Jun Saikosho, Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed. My observations are that Nippo prefers the Shiba to be fit and athletic, keeping to the Shiba’s purpose of hunting small game in mountainous regions. But perhaps most importantly the Shiba should possess strong character, Kani, which Nippo values highly. I also learned that the Shiba should be simple and humble with elegance yet confident (not to be confused with aggression). These will be challenging attributes to breed for and certainly they are difficult to judge, but will be important to include in my future breeding program. The knowledge gained from Mr. Uchida will remain with me as I develop my foundation. It was exciting to witness the commitment of the Shiba breeders, from around the country, and to get caught up in their enthusiasm for preserving the breeds beauty and origin. I would highly encourage shiba breeders/owners or AKC Judges to attend this valuable and unique event. An event that builds a bridge to its country of origin.