Dog Training, Breeds, Care, And Health! - Canine HQ
Home / Dog Breed / Tosa
Fine By Breed Name

Explore By Characteristic or Group

View all Breeds

RESOURCES FOR NEW & PROSPECTIVE DOG OWNERS

Find Your Match

Answer a few simple questions and find the right dog for you

Compare Breeds

Compare up to 5 different breeds side by side

Find a Puppy

Nunc bibendum, purus eget tristique fermentum.

Choose your Breed

View the collection of dog breeds we have information on.

Why Get a Dog?

Nunc bibendum, purus eget tristique fermentum.

Breeders

Aenean feugiat metus ac nisi dictum tincidunt Interdum et.
Exclusive Deals, 50%+ Off Good & Toys, Health Information & More!
Register your Dog Today!

Tosa

vigilant / fearless / patient
Foundation Stock Service >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

Minimum 21.5-23.5 inches

Weight

100-200 pounds

Life Expectancy

10-12 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    20% 20%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    40% 40%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    20% 20%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    60% 60%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    20% 20%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    100% 100%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    60% 60%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    60% 60%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    80% 80%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    20% 20%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    40% 40%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    20% 20%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    60% 60%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    20% 20%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    100% 100%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    60% 60%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    60% 60%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    80% 80%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

The temperament of the Tosa is characterized by its endurance, calmness, boldness, and courage. He is often a calm, submissive, and obedient dog with a relaxed but watchful attitude. They were originally developed for warfare but are now used as watchdogs because of their dignified demeanor and sturdy size.

 

With his own family, the Tosa is softly affectionate, but he can be a little reserved with others. Additionally, this breed is naturally wary of other dogs and could become hostile against canines it perceives as intruders. Openly hostile behavior against people is not typical of the breed. They can have white markings on their chest and feet in addition to a short, dense coat that can be fawn, red, apricot, black, or brindle in color. Additionally, because of their delayed growth, Tosas may not mature to their full potential until they are four years old. The largest Japanese dog breed is this one. They are also known as the Japanese Fighting Dog, Japanese Mastiff, Tosa Ken, Tosa Dog, Tosa Token, and Tosa Inu.

 

What To Expect When Caring For a Tosa

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

Although some dogs may experience health issues throughout their life, the majority of Tosas are healthy animals. Prospective owners can acquire the knowledge they need to understand about particular health issues within the breed by working with a responsible breeder.

Grooming

The Tosa's short, thick coat requires little maintenance; a quick brushing here and there is sufficient. In addition, taking a bath every now and then will maintain them clean and at their finest. Regular trimming with a nail clipper or grinder is advised for their robust, quickly developing nails to prevent overgrowth, splitting, and cracking. Regular ear examinations are necessary to prevent wax and debris buildup, which can lead to infection. You should brush your teeth frequently.

Exercise

Tosas are typically a placid breed, but even low-energy animals require some activity to stay in shape and experience cerebral stimulation. Running in the backyard, preferably fenced in, or going on walks are two options for fitness. Exercise can also take the form of indoor activities like learning new tricks or chasing a ball that has been rolled across the floor. Additionally, certain outdoor pursuits like hiking or ball retrieval might be a great way to burn off energy. Getting your dog ready for canine sports like agility, obedience, and rally can be a terrific way to get him or her moving.  

Training

The Tosa responds best to positive reinforcement training methods because of his inherent desire to please his owner.

Nutrition

The Tosa should thrive on premium dog food, whether it is manufactured commercially or is made at home under the guidance and agreement of your veterinarian. Whatever the dog's age (puppy, adult, or senior), the diet should be suitable. Watch your dog's calorie intake and weight level because certain dogs are prone to obesity. Treats can be a valuable training tool, but offering them in excess might lead to obesity. Discover which foods fit the bill for canine consumption and which don't. If you have any worries about your dog's weight or diet, consult your veterinarian. Fresh water that is clean should always be accessible.  

History

Dog fighting has been practiced in Japan since the 14th century. Before Westerners arrived, the Shikoku Inu was unmatched among Japanese dogfighting rings on the island of Shikoku. Japanese dog fanciers and dogfighters started collecting foreign dogs to breed with their indigenous stock not long after Commodore Perry’s arrival in Japan in 1854. Shikoku-ken and Western breeds were crossed to create the Tosa breed as European and Western traders brought their mastiff-like fighting dogs with them.

 

The Tosa, originally from the Tosa Province (now Kochi Prefecture) on Shikoku, was named for the area where they were bred and are also known as Japanese Mastiffs because of their legendary bravery and fierce physical prowess in Japanese ring combat. Bulldogs (1872), Mastiffs (1874), German Pointers (1876), and Great Danes (1924) were the Western dogs utilized to create the breed, and they were all employed to develop the breed through sequential mating. Saint Bernards and Bull Terriers are also said to have been utilized, however, it is unknown during what years. The inclusion of such breeds may be ascribed to the Tosa’s established characteristics of stamina and a fighting instinct commonly present in Mastiffs.

 

Tosas are handled with tremendous reverence and ceremony in Japan since they are considered to be the canine equal of sumo wrestlers. The Tosa Ken is a companion dog and house protector in the United States.