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Japanese Chin

Chin, Japanese Spaniel

Family: CanidaeCanis lupus familiarisPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Justin Brough

A toy spaniel breed, the adorable Japanese Chin is a small indoor dog!

The Japanese Chin, also known as the Japanese Spaniel, is one of those lovely little toy dogs that don't need much activity. That makes the Chin dog a great companion animal for people who live in apartments, as well as those with a more sedentary lifestyles. It is beloved for its mild-mannered and affectionate temperament.

The Chin is very loyal to its owner, but it also tends to get along with everyone in the household. This includes not only other people, but dogs and other pets as well. There are some Japanese Chin health concerns to be aware of. These small dog breeds are prone to genetic knee and heart problems. When choosing a Chin, it is wise to check its bloodlines and medical records to help identify possible problems.

Common Name(s) Japanese Chin, Chin, Japanese Spaniel

Breed Type The Japanese Chin is a toy spaniel breed. This breed makes a great companion, and is best suited to areas with moderate climates. The Chin is sensitive to extremes in temperature.

Background The Chin is thought to have originated in China or Korea. It was, however, developed in Japan and became a favorite of the country's royalty. The breed became very popular in 1853, when Queen Victoria received a pair of them as a gift from Commodore Perry. The Chin is divided into two classes by weight: Under 7 pounds and over 7 pounds.

Description The Japanese Chin is 7-11 inches tall and weighs 4-15 pounds. Its long hair is white with patches of black, red, lemon, orange, sable, or brindle. The nose is short and wide, and its color matches the dog's markings. The Chin's eyes are large, protruding and dark, and its ears upside-down and V-shaped.

Care and Feeding A Chin's diet should ideally consist of foods that contain fish, poultry, white rice, corn, and soy. They need an adequate amount of fiber in their diets. Teeth cleaning chews are also good for their dental health. This breed needs daily brushing to keep its coat in good condition. Dry shampoo is usually sufficient, and the dog should be bathed only when necessary. Its eyes and ears should be checked regularly for infection.
The regular vaccination schedule is as follows; however, since some lines of Chins are prone to distemper, your veterinarian may choose to adjust the schedule:

• 6-8 weeks: Distemper, Leptospirosis, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvo, and Corona virus (DHLPPC)
• 10-12 weeks: Second DHLPPC
• 14-16 weeks: Third DHLPPC and rabies
• Annually: DHLPPC and rabies booster
  

The Japanese Chin sheds year round, and blows its coat twice a year. Therefore, regular vacuuming is necessary.

Housing Your Dog Chins are indoor dogs, and they do not require a lot of space. They are content in a house or an apartment, and with or without a yard. They require moderate temperatures.

Social Behaviors Japanese Chins do well with other dogs and all sorts of other pets. They are also gentle with children, but are not recommended for smaller children who may not be as gentle with them.

Handling and Training Housetraining may go slowly with the Chin at first, up to about 4 months of age. After that they usually do well. They are also good at learning obedience and tricks.

Activities Chins do not need much exercise. Just a daily walk and normal play should suffice.

Breeding/Reproduction When considering a mate for your Chin, it is important to check the potential mate's bloodlines for heart and knee problems. As with any small dog, females may need Cesarean sections when giving birth if the puppies are large.

Common Health Problems Because of its large and protruding eyes, the Japanese Chin often suffers from eye problems. Corneal scratches and ulcerations are not uncommon, and depending on their severity may require emergency care. This breed often suffers from breathing problems due to the shape of its nose.

Availability Japanese Chins are fairly easy to find from breeders. Prices average around $500.

References "Japanese Spaniel", Dog Breed Info Center, Copyright 1998-2008
"Japanese Chin", Wikipedia, Copyright 2008
Cusick, William D., "What to Feed a Japanese Chin", Referenced online, 2008
"Japanese Chin Puppies for Sale", Copyright PuppyFind.com, LLC, Referenced online, 2008

Lastest Comments on Japanese Chin View all 11 comments on Japanese Chin Add Your Comment

Janet - 2011-01-17 I have a 5 year old Japanese chin she has gone blind overnight and I need some help I took her to the vet and she was put on steroids she is completely blind in one eye and almost all in the other, I cry all day don't know what to do for her can someone tell me what to do? brandy - 2011-06-27 Love your puppy a lot. If it was the other way around he'd still love you and take care of you if you were the blind one. brandy - 2011-06-27 Love your puppy a lot. If it was the other way around he'd still love you and take care of you if you were the blind one. Charlie Roche - 2011-06-28 I know you feel terrible and I know this is hard but it is much harder for you than the pup. I have seen blind dogs (dogs that could not see anything at all) and I had a totally blind cat. They had no problem at all. They do not know they have a problem. They adjust. You obviously can't let your dog out to go running around the neighborhood but you didn't before. Your pup will be on his leash and just walk right beside you like hehas always done making even better use of his sence of smell and hearing. He will find you in the home and find his way around the home. Maybe sometimes you will hear him bark because he is in a room and forgot where he was but just call his name and he will come to you. You know there is a problem and for us humans it is a very difficult problem. However, for your pup, with your love, he will be the same wonderful little creature he has always been. Don't cry - give him a hug. donna - 2011-10-16 Hi, Please dont panic. There is a site called www.blinddogs.com. You might have to register on yahoo. They have so much info. I have raised a blind from birth pug pup who lived for 7 years and it was the best 7 years of my life. Your girl will adjust. Eyesight is as important to a dogs as the sense of hearing and smell. The website will give you tons on info. good luck donna Reply

carolyn - 2012-02-05 Hi I bought my dog Roscoe 2 years ago..breader said it was a pekingese ..but I starting to think he is a Jap. chin ..I can't tell the differnce ..I have a picture if anyone could help Clarice Brough - 2012-02-16 I would suggest you check with your breeder. Possibly it didn't demonstrate enough of the show qualities of a perfect Pekingese, so was sold as a pet. That could account for some of the variability in its traits. Reply

Joan Adleman - 2011-05-24 I have a one year old Japanese Chin that gives me lots of love and laughter. She loves her toys and plays a lot. Only problem with her is I can't find food that she likes and eats. BY HERSELF. I gave her and still do wet food and if I sit and hand feed her she will eat most of it. If I am with her and put hard food on the floor (not in a dish) she will play around eating it. I really need help as I am afraid she will get sick. What kind of food should I give her or as some tell me let her go a day or two and she will eat but that is so hard to do. She likes her doggy treats and bones but only gets 2 little bones a day and 2 treats a day. Any ideas I'd appreciate. Charlie Roche - 2011-05-24 OK been there and done that. I had two Great Pyrenes (two sisters) one named Sugar and one named Shack. I got them when they were about 3 months old. Well Sugar ate just fine but Shack just wouldn't eat unless I sat in the floor and fed her. Sugar weighed more and would gobble everything down and Shack and I would still be sitting on the floor while I fed Shack. Great Pyrenes are not small. After many weeks, I am now sitting on the floor after mixing in hot dogs, soup, ground meat etc into Shacks food to get her to eat because she was 15 pounds lighter than Sugar but weighed 60 pounds, I am still feeding Shack by hand sitting on the floor. My daughter finally says "Mom, are you nuts?" I taught the dog to not eat unless I hand fed her or improved whatever her diet was via soup, hotdogs, broth, hamberger etc. Now why she did not weigh as much as Sugar, I don't know. Possibly she got bored cuz it took me so long to feed her. I do know I did stop and it took a couple of days of Shack begging and me being firm before Shack finally ate on her own without problems. She caught up to Sugar in weight. Thank goodness because they weighed about 100 pounds apiece. Now a Japanese Chin is a little fella and I am sure you are worried but possibly he has you trained like mine trained me. Enjoy and they can always make you laugh. Good luck. Pam - 2011-11-24 My Jap Chin loves Iams small bites. I think its in a blue bag. He even eats the cats food. Paul Yip - 2011-12-30 First of all, an hungry dog is an healthy dog. So, I'm suggesting to cut off all treats, these 6 lb dogs can not eat too much a day, and do not hand feed, every meal give a little more than quarter cup with high quality food, 2 meals a day. At first few days, to give the food only 10-15 minutes, and then take the food away to make her hungry. Later she will eat herself. I have a Japanese Chin from a championship breeder, (please check it out from my facebook) I feed him a little than 1/4 cup dry food at mornings and a medium scoop of fresh raw ground beef mixed up veggie and rice (actually, the raw beef is the best food for dog). If you would like to know how to make raw beef dog food, please let me know. sol barket - 2012-01-18 I have two Japanese Chins. Brother and sister, two years old. I have tried the better foods and my dogs seems to like Fromm. I think they make a good food. I would stay away from beef based foods. I just got a new blend. Fromms, Game Bird Receipe for Dogs, grain free. I bought a bag of the Pure Vita, they did not like it. I started them out on Wysong as pups and they did well on that food. The Fromm is easily available, where the Wysong I had to mail order from the company. Chins can be picky about their food. I hope this helps. Reply

Debbie - 2011-11-17 I have a precious chin he is almost a year old. I buy him dog food that has no corn or corn gluten he was having digestive problems since the dog food change he does great. Had a little trouble potty training until he was about 6 months now we have no problems at all. He loves to play with his chew toys run through the house like he is chasing a rabbit so cute to watch. Wonderful companion. Charlie Roche - 2011-11-18 They are adorable - and I am glad you enjoy. Paul Yip - 2011-12-30 I have a championship bloodline Japanese Chin, you could check it out on my faccebook. Majority dry dog food are not good, that is why dog owners are always told not to change dry food easily, most of them is easy to cause various digestion problems. The final solution is raw beef recipe. Let me know if you are interested in the recipe. Reply

Gucci Oma - 2011-10-27 Hello. We have a 6 month old Japanese chon girl and we are looking for boyfriend for breeding. Pls help us Charlie Roche - 2011-10-27 Ought to tell folks where you live. Just a thought. rita - 2011-11-21 I am in Flordia. I have two great males for breeding. Miso is akc reg. He is black and white then we have Edward and he is not reg but he is a pure breed chin. He is black and white also. They both are super chins in all ways. If your interested e mail us and we will send pictures and answer any thing you want to know thank you Pam - 2011-11-24 I have a boy looking for a girl friend, where do you live? Reply

Nancy - 2011-03-20 We have a 4-1/2 month old Japanese Chin. She does well with most commands such as sit, stay, watch me, drop it, etc. but still does not always come when called. She also seems to get overly excited when meeting new people and dogs. We are retired and spend a lot of time with the training and taking her on long walks. She tends to sleep all evening and then wakes up around 5 a.m. We try to keep her up in the evening but when she is tired, there is no getting her to walk or play. These are concerns that we are wanting to correct - she is great and such a joy in our home. Thanks to anyone that has any suggestions. Charlie Roche - 2011-03-30 She is still a puppy - very much so and although she might want to sleep at night, I'd take her out last thing. My guess is she is waking up at 5 am because her bladder is still a little young and it is a small pup. Coming when being called. This is just an opinion but something I learned from a professional trainor and it worked for me. Reward the positive behavior with a little piece of turkey hotdog. I know I taught the dog to come on each and every call, however, I believe I also taught the dog to be a professional pick pocket. Be careful where you hold the little pieces of hot dog. Let us know how it works. Nancy - 2011-04-27 Thank you for your reply. Had thought about her not being able to hold her toilet duties and think your most likely right. Would like to know more about the Chins if you have time - we are wondering if they really do lose most of their hair around 7 to 12 months and if their teeth have difficulty coming out. She is getting up around 5 and once outside seems to go right back to sleep for an hour or so. As far as the come, she just learned another trick but still doesn't want to come even when given the treats. Will continue working on that command. Thanks again. Jodi - 2011-06-08 OK chins are not an active breed they are apartment sized dogs not needing much activity. The walk maybe to long and she needs to rest. I own 3 chins they play early in the morning and rest most of the day away. They go for walks ever night but half way through I'm carrying the youngest one home. Being as yours is only a puppy she needs the rest. But if your extremely worried I'd talk with the vet . Reply

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