Why in Shinjukawa every breeding dog is a champion first
In many kennels, only one or two dogs are champions — the “showcase dogs” — while the rest of the breeding dogs have never set foot in a show ring. At Shinjukawa every single breeding dog, male or female, has achieved at least one championship title before being admitted to reproduction. It is not a marketing choice, it is our selection philosophy.
What being a champion means
An ENCI or FCI championship title is not a beauty award. It is the certification, issued by independent judges, that a dog conforms to the morphological and behavioural standard of the breed in an excellent way. The dog is assessed in movement, structure, expression, temperament. To earn a championship you need multiple positive evaluations at different shows, from different judges — it is not the assessment of a single individual, it is a consensus.
Why “the champion stud” is not enough
Many kennels have one champion stud — the top dog, the one in the photos — and then mate him with females that not only have not earned a title, but have often never even been evaluated. The logic is: “the stud is a champion, so the puppies will be good.” But genetics does not work that way: the puppy inherits 50% from each parent. If the dam has never been evaluated, half of the equation remains an unknown. This is precisely why at Shinjukawa we title all our breeding dogs, especially and above all the females, who, for all their being underestimated, contribute to our line as much as, and more than, the males.
A path that takes years, not months
Bringing a dog to a championship title requires time, investment and patience. The dog must grow, mature, be prepared for the ring, travel to shows, be judged by several experts. This means that one of our breeding dogs does not enter the programme at one year of age — it takes longer, sometimes much longer. If we consider that an Italian championship requires 6 certificates, of which 2 must necessarily be earned at group shows or breed specialities, it is easy to see why closing a championship takes on average 2 years.
Considering also that it is not possible to start before 15 months of age, the maths is quickly done. It means not being able to put a dog into “production” before 2.5/3 years.
It is a conscious choice that also involves significant outlays.
A show, considering entry fees, travel, overnight stays, etc., costs on average €300-400, and you do not always win, and the 6 mandatory shows could also become 8, 10 or more, with a consequent multiplication of expenses.
But this choice also brings with it undoubted and underestimated advantages.
First of all, there has been time to test the dog by subjecting it to judgement several times and to evaluate it fully from the temperamental point of view as well and, above all for the females, we are sure of mating “mentally” mature dogs, females ready to take care of the offspring in the best possible way. This makes a considerable difference in terms of attention and care on the part of the mother — care that we will find again in the emotional development of the puppies, which will turn out more sociable and balanced.
The numbers speak
Since 2010 our breeding dogs have won over 134 titles and championships in total in Italian and foreign shows. They are not titles accumulated by a single dog — they are distributed among the dogs that are or have been part of our breeding programme. Excellence is not a goal but a process that is achieved with method and sacrifice.
