How to Identify a Japanese Chin

The Japanese Chin is an intelligent dog of the toy group, and is bred as a companion. It is affectionate with its family, but may be reserved with strangers or in unknown situations. Because of its short face, it wheezes and snores. Chins may also suffer from heat prostration, eye problems and respiratory problems. When buying a Japanese Chin (also known as a Japanese Spaniel), make sure to ask the breeder about its lines, as some lines are prone to distemper. Despite its health problems, a healthy Chin can live up to about 10 years. It makes a great apartment dog, but be careful when walking it, as it does not like extreme temperatures.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look at the general appearance of the animal. The Japanese Chin is an aristocratic little dog that is small and well-balanced. Even though it has a lot of silky, straight hair, the Chin is light in action. It should be 8" to 11" at the withers, and weighs about 4 lbs.. When measured from the sternum to the rear, its length is equal to its height at the highest point of the withers. Even though the Japanese Chin is a toy breed, it is solidly built.

2. Make sure the dog has an alert and inquisitive expression that shows intelligence. The facial markings are evenly patterned on a broad head, with large eyes that are set widely apart. The eyes are round and are a dark color. They should have a small bit of white in the inner corners. The v-shaped ears hang down from their set point below the crown of the skull. While the skull is broad, it is not domed. The prominent forehead rounds out toward the nose. The muzzle is short, covered by rounded upper lips. The short nose ends in wide nostrils. If the dog is black-and-white, the nose will be black. It is self-colored in dogs with tan markings, and black in the red-and-white dogs.

3. Check the appearance of the body and neck. The moderately thick neck should be of medium length and set well on the shoulders. This ensures that the dog carries its head proudly. The body is square, starting with the somewhat wide chest and extending through rounded ribs. The tail is high on the rump, and arches over the back. It usually falls to one side of the body or the other. The legs are fine boned and straight, leading to hare-shaped feet. Mature dogs have hair feathers on the ends of the toes. The rear legs are also fine-boned, and the feet are hare-shaped with hair feathers. Both the front and rear feet point forward.

4. Feel the silky coat. The single coat is profuse and straight, while standing out from the body. The hair on the neck and chest area forms a thick ruff. The heavily coated tail forms a plume and leads into profusely coated upper thighs. The coat may be black-and-white, black-and-white with tan markings, or red-and-white. The tan markings are over the eyes, inside the ears, on the vent area and inside the ears.