In the Classroom: Dorothy Hinshaw Patent traces the bond between
Native Americans and horses in The Horse and the Plains Indians: A
Powerful Partnership and describes how many First Nations people relied on
dogs to transport their possessions until the Spaniards brought horses to Mexico in 1519.
The breed started from the
native Shikoku - Inu, an indigenous
dog weighing just about 25 kilograms (45 pounds) These
dogs were crossed with large European
dog breeds, such as mastiff, St. Bernard, Great Dane and bull terriers with the aim to breed a larger, more
powerful dog.