TAIWAN DOG

TAIWAN DOG

FCI-Standard N° 348 / 22. 11. 2004 / GB

ORIGIN : Taiwan.

PATRONAGE : Japan.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 09 11.2004.

UTILIZATION : Hunting dog, watch dog, companion dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 5 Spitz and primitive types.
Section 7 Primitive Type – Hunting Dogs.
Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : Taiwan Dogs are originally native Taiwanese dogs, descendants of the South Asian hunting dogs called “Pariah dog” which ancient local inhabitants used to live with in the central mountainous districts. This breed was the loyal companion of the ancient hunter in the wildforest. In 1980, a cooperative study was carried out by the National Taiwan University, Japan Gifu University and Nagoya University Scholars on the subject of native Taiwan dogs, by visiting twenty-nine tribes of local inhabitants. As a result, it was confirmed that the present Taiwan Dog is a descendant of the South Asian hunting dogs. This breed is now popular all across the island as a watch and companion dog.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Medium-sized dog with triangular head, almond eyes, thin prick ears and sickle tail. Dry, sinewy, well-balanced.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
Depth of chest : Height at the withers = 4.5 – 4.7 : 10.
Height at withers : Length of body = 10 : 10.5. Bitches are allowed to be slightly longer.
Length of muzzle : Length of skull = 4.5 : 5.5.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Extremely faithful to his master, keen in sense, alert in movement, bold and fearless.

HEAD CRANIAL REGION :
Forehead : Broad and roundish, without wrinkle.
Skull : The skull is slightly longer than the muzzle.
Stop : Well defined with a slight furrow.

FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Moderate size. Nostrils wide. Black in colour, but can be slightly lighter in all colours except for the blacks.
Muzzle : Nasal bridge flat. Lips tight, without flews. The muzzle tapers a little from base to nose, but is not pointed at the tip.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws are strong. Scissors bite, teeth are set square to the jaws.
Cheeks : Well developed and slightly protruding.
Eyes : Almond in shape. Dark brown in colour. Brown is also acceptable, but yellow or light eyes should be avoided.
Ears : Pricked, set on sides of the skull at an angle of 45 degrees. Inside of the outline is straight, while outside of the outline is slightly rounded.

NECK : Muscular, strong, good length, slightly arched. Without dewlap.
BODY :
General : Sinewy and muscular, nearly square in shape.
Back : Straight and short. Withers well developed.
Loin : Firmly muscled.
Croup : Broad. Flat or very slightly sloping and short.
Chest : Fairly deep yet not reaching the elbow. Forechest slightly protruding. Ribs are well sprung.
Belly : Well tucked up.

TAIL : In the shape of a sickle, set on high, carried erect, active, with the tip curving forward.

LIMBS FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : Well muscled. Shoulder blades are laid back. They should meet the upper arms at an angle of 105-110 degrees.
Elbows : Close to the body.
Forearms : Straight and parallel to each other
Metacarpus (Pasterns) : Firm.
HINDQUARTERS : Hindlegs should be slender, with good bone, well muscled and parallel to each other. The rear angulation should be in balance to the front.
Upper thighs : Broad, sloping and well bent at the stifle.
Lower thighs : Should be in balance with upper thighs.
Metatarsus (Rear pastern) : Perpendicular to the ground.

FEET : Turning neither in nor out. Pads are firm and thick. Nails are black in colour, but lighter colours are acceptable in all colours except for the blacks.


GAIT / MOVEMENT : Powerful gait with reaching stride. Agile enough to easily turn 180 degrees quickly.

COAT HAIR : Short and hard, lying tight to the body. Length is between 1.5 to 3 cm.

COLOUR : Black, brindle, fawn, white, white and black, white and fawn, white and brindle.

SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height : Dogs : 48 cm - 52 cm.
Bitches : 43 cm - 47 cm.
Weight : Dogs : 14 kg to 18 kg.
Bitches : 12 kg to 16 kg.


FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
Shyness.
Level bite.
Lack of teeth is to be penalized, but lack of less than 3 PM1 is acceptable.
Protruding eyes.
Too straight front and rear angulations.
Oversize, undersize.
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
Aggressive or overly shy.
Undershot.
Overshot.
Ears not pricked.
Extremely long hair (exceeding 4.5 cm).
Missing canine tooth.
Curled tail.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.