Japanese Spaniel Dog Breed
(Tchin)

Japan

It is strange that this small and elegant luxury dog from the Far East has not become popular since it is so delicate, attractive, vivacious and very affectionate. For more than a thousand years it was the favorite breed in the court of the Japanese Emperors and came to Europe in medieval times with some sailors that came back home. The Japanese Spaniel was very popular in Great Britain but today it is raised at a lesser scale. It is said it is impossible to obtain new blood from its country of origin.

The Japanese Spaniel has a lot in common with the Chinese Pekingese and it is believed that it was formed from common breeds. However, the luxury Japanese Spaniel has longer legs, lighter body and moves more elegantly and with more agility. Its head is very big, round; the nose is flat and there is a slight hollow on the upper lip. The eyes are big and dark and the white of the eye is clearly perceptible in an internal angle. The hair must be dense and long without curls and particularly abundant in the tail, thighs, hands and feet.

The color is invariably white with black patches uniformly distributed or one of the diverse shades of red. The size varies a lot, however the smaller the better; the height at withers may be even 28 cm.