Chin or Japanese Spaniel

These small dogs come from China, as the other breeds of the same long-haired type. But the Japanese gave them their current aspect. Its history goes back to the 8th century approximately. In this time, the chin lived in the temples and with noble families. The dogs must be as small as possible. Besides raising them with traditional methods, they were given sake (rice liquor) to the puppies to restrain their growth. The dogs were carried in bamboo cages or in kimono sleeves. But these miniature dogs were very fragile and that is why they became larger dogs later.

The chin was introduced in Europe in three stages. The first specimens were brought by missioners that came to East and gave them to the Portuguese Princess Katherine of Braganza, who took them to England when she married Charles II in 1662. The Admiral Perry offered them in 1860 to the Queen Victoria and some years later, the Empress of Japan sent a couple of these dogs to the Empress Augusta, wife of William II. The dogs got so much success that the imports quickly increased.

One of the chin's ancestors is undoubtedly the Tibetan Spaniel, a very old breed that is found since remote times in the Tibetan monasteries where these small dogs moved prayer mills. They arrived to Europe in the 15th century.

Chin. Size: 18-28 cm. Weight: 2-6 kg. Color: white with clearly delimited black (1) or reddish yellow (2) patches. The hair is soft, silky, straight and long, except on the head and in the front part of the legs, where it is short. The tail has a particularly thick hair that is rolled over the back "like a chrysanthemum flower". The nose is black in dogs with black patches; it can be dark meat in dogs with reddish yellow patches but the dark color is preferred.

Tibetan Spaniel (3). Size: 24-28 cm. Weight: 4-7.5 kg. A wide series of colors is authorized: golden yellow, cream, white, black and tan, one-color or white with patches in the aforementioned colors and tri-color.