Tosa Inu Breed Profile

Head: Somewhat broad mesaticephalic to a moderately brachycephalic skull-type, moderate in size, blocky in appearance, and in proportion with the rest of the body. The head is fairly clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkle. A light wrinkle is often visible from the outer eye corner to the corner of the lip, and some light wrinkling of the forehead may be visible when the ears are brought to alert. The skull is broad, being approximately 10-20% broader (measured across the top in front of the ears) than it is long (from stop to occiput), and well-padded with muscle. It is slightly arched when viewed from any direction, with a moderately well-developed median furrow running from the stop and disappearing toward the occiput. The zygomatic arches are broad but well-padded with powerful muscles. The supraorbital arches are somewhat defined.

Eyes: Somewhat small to medium in size, ranging from somewhat round to opened oval, almond, or lemon-shaped. They may be medium to dark brown in color. Nonstandard dogs may have eyes ranging from amber or hazel to dark brown. The eye rims are well fitted and well pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.

Ears: Fairly small to medium in size and set fairly high on the skull. The eyes are set on level with the plane of the skull and fairly well apart, on the outer edge of the topskull. They are V-shaped with rounded tips and drop in type, always natural and never surgically cropped. The ear tips and inner edges fall close to the head. The ears are never long, overly large, broken, or fully erect. When extended forward, the tips should never reach beyond the inner corners of the eyes.

Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level. It is broad and squared throughout, with very little taper from the base to the nose. Upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, have good bone substance, never appearing snipy or weak.

Nose: The nose is well pigmented and black, or self-colored according to the coat in nonstandard color varieties. The nostrils are well opened. The nose is flush with the vertical line of the end of the muzzle, or may protrude just slightly beyond, never appearing pointed.

Neck: Moderate in length, yet sufficient to allow for good head carriage and movement. Powerfully muscled with a good arch. The neck tapers just slightly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, with a slight amount of loose skin at the throat area, but without excess skin, throatiness, or pendulous dewlap.

Chest: Deep and broad, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed without being excessively pronounced.

Body: Solid, broad, deep, and of good substance. The body is never racy or refined, nor is it clumsy and cloddy. Width at forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.

Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads. Toes may be oriented just slightly outward.

Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup, but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually in a relaxed, neutral position, but never tucked or carried up over the back. Tails are to be left natural, never docked short. The tail is of a fairly long length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, gently curved, or pump-handled.

Movement: Well-coordinated, powerful, and smooth-flowing gait with graceful movements, the movement should denote energy, efficiency, and appear effortless, never appearing lumbering and heavy. The characteristics of healthy structure are evident: when moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in a line with the nose. The width between the forefeet when extended should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament: The Tosa is a self-composed and self-confident dog of great strength and size. They are known for their enduring patience and courage. Tosas are naturally wary to aloof with strangers, at best, and will not tolerate other dogs and pets well, especially dogs of the same sex. Although they are known for their loyalty and patience with their family, the Tosa is not an ideal pick for most companion settings. His history includes a long line of dog fighting, an unfortunate activity that the breed is still heavily bred and utilized for in his home country of Japan to this day. For this, only the largest and most aggressive dogs are kept and selected for.

His natural intolerance of other dogs and animals, coupled with his immense strength and head-strong temperament can make for a dangerous combination for the novice dog owner. For this reason, ownership of the breed has been banned in several countries. However, some lines have been long-removed from the fighting pits and breeders have made efforts to breed out some of the intraspecific aggression in the breed. They have found that the dogs respond wonderfully to reward-based training and early socialization during puppyhood, both of which are absolute requirements for anyone who is considering adding a Tosa to the family. Although they are bred to be aggressive toward other dogs in the fighting ring, dogs that show any aggression towards people are often culled. Therefore, any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.