Dog Breed Guide
Japanese Chin
Profile
- Size
- Extra Small
- Country of origin
- Japan
- Origin
- Around the 8th century (ancestors came from China)
- Bred for
- Companion
- Height
- 20 - 28cm (8 - 11in)
- Weight
- 3 - 5kg (7 - 11lb)
- Life span
- 10 - 12 years
A small Japanese dog with large round eyes, a flat face and a long, silky coat. A little white shows at the inner corners of its eyes, giving it an adorable, surprised look. The coat is white with black or white with red patches.
Gentle, refined and quiet, the Chin seldom barks without reason. It is very affectionate with its family but a little reserved with strangers. It is also known for cat-like habits, such as washing its face with its front paws and climbing to high places.
It needs little exercise and suits indoor life. Its short nose makes it sensitive to heat. The coat is surprisingly easy to care for, and brushing a few times a week is enough. Its large, prominent eyes must be protected from injury.
Good to know
Its ancestors are thought to be small dogs that came from China around the Nara period (8th century) and were refined in Japan over many centuries into today's breed. In the Edo period, feudal lords and the women of the shogun's inner palace adored them. Unlike other dogs, which were normally kept outdoors, the Chin was a special indoor companion. Because it looked so different from Japanese dogs, it is said to have been called "chin," as a creature distinct from an ordinary "inu" (dog).
A well-known story says that Tenshōin (Princess Atsu), wife of the 13th shogun, Tokugawa Iesada, loved Chins, but because Iesada disliked dogs, she kept a cat instead.
In the final years of the shogunate, Chins traveled abroad. Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States, who arrived in Japan in 1853, is said to have taken home Chins given to him by the Japanese. In 1863 Princess Alexandra, who married the future King Edward VII of Britain, received Chins and doted on them, making the breed popular among the upper classes of Europe and America.