The Japanese Terrier is also known as Nippon Terrier, Nihon Terrier, Nihon Teria. It is a small and rare terrier breed even in its country of origin, Japan. The dog is believed to have evolved from Fox Terriers which were imported to Japan from the Netherlands in 17th century. These dogs were bred with Pointers and indigenous dogs of Japan to give rise to the Japanese Terrier. Unlike other Fox Terrier descendants, the JT was developed as lap dog and its planned breeding was started in 1920s.
The Japanese Terrier is a small and well balanced dog with a compact outline that stands between 12-14 inches and weighs around 6-8 pounds. It comes with a flat and moderately narrow skull, same length muzzle and straight nasal bridge that has a black nose. Oval shaped and medium size eyes are dark in colour. V-shaped small ears are forward folded. Neck is moderately long and strong. Square body has deep chest with well sprung ribs. The back is short and firm with strong loin and well tucked up belly. It has a thin piece of tail and in certain areas, docking the tail is usually done when considered legal. This breed comes with short, smooth, dense and glossy coat usually in tri colour.
This breed is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by FCI and UKC.