by Carla Jo Ryan, Judges Education, Japanese Chin Club of America BREED STANDARD EXPLORING THE JAPANESE CHIN
E ducation about our breed is im- portant not only to judges (new and old) but also to our fancy. There are certain things in a breed standard that you must think about and read between the lines to under- stand why they are important. Struc- ture of the body and mind of anything bred by man should be of the utmost importance. We should breed respon- sibly to give our “creations” long and healthy lives, and clear and fit minds. We should then think of the “job” our dogs do. Just what job does a Japa- nese Chin do anyway? All purebred dogs were made or pro- duced to perform some kind of job, be it working on the farm, guard- ing, or hunting. But Toy breeds came about for travel and convenience and were bred down from larger breeds. The ancestors behind our modern- day Toys had working, hunting, and guarding backgrounds. All, that is, except the Japanese Chin. They came about only for the pleasure of royalty. They were guarded secrets behind the palace walls of the emperor’s large estate. They were “given” as highly prized gifts. There were laws and proclamations stipulating that only royalty was to even touch this ancient breed. Servants were assigned to each of these dogs in the ancient courts, and if a commoner was found to have
even touched one of these treasures, their hand would be amputated! Through the centuries, and even now, the air of these little canines proves this as you’ll see most sit and wait for you to serve them. This is where “cat-like” comes into our standard. Not only do Chin clean themselves and others around them, they are also like cats in that they are either all over you or, when a stranger comes into a room, they may quietly slip out. They like to perch or lie on the backs of so-
fas or chairs so that they can survey the lay of their land, so to speak. In a nutshell, the Japanese Chin was, and still is, an adornment or decoration. I wrote the following articles for the AKC Gazette when I was the Breed Columnist for the Japanese Chin Club of America for three years. I hope you enjoy some of my insights. The second sentence under the Gen- eral Appearance section of the Japa- nese Chin standard reads: “It is light and stylish in action.” The Japanese
48 • T op N otch T oys , S eptember /O ctober 2022
Powered by FlippingBook