Taiwan Dog

FCI standard Nº 348

Origin
Taïwan
Translation
Revised by Renée Sporre-Willes
Group
Group 5 Spitz and primitive types
Section
Section 7 Primitive Type – Hunting Dogs
Working
Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI
Tuesday 09 June 2015
Acceptance on a provisional basis by the FCI
Tuesday 09 November 2004
Publication of the official valid standard
Tuesday 09 June 2015
Last update
Tuesday 18 August 2015
En français, cette race se dit
Chien de Taiwan
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
Taiwan Hund
En español, esta raza se dice
Perro de Taiwan
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
Taiwan Dog

Usage

Hunting dog, watch dog, companion dog.

Brief historical summary

Taiwan Dogs are originally native Taiwanese dogs, descendants of the South Asian hunting dogs 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 wild forest. Scholars from the National Taiwan University, Japan Gifu University and Nagoya University carried out a cooperative study in 1980 on the subject of the native Taiwan Dog. They visited twenty-nine tribes of local inhabitants and 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 shaped eyes, thin pricked ears and a sickle tail. Dry, sinewy and well balanced.

Important proportions

Length of muzzle / length of skull = 4. 5 / 5. 5.
Depth of chest / height at the withers = 4. 5 – 4. 7 / 10.
Height at withers / length of body = 10 / 10. 5.
Females are allowed to be slightly longer.

Behaviour / temperament

Extremely faithful to his master, keen in sense, alert in movement, bold and fearless.

Head

Cranial region

Head
Forehead is broad and roundish, without wrinkles.
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 other colours than black.
Muzzle
Nasal bridge straight. The muzzle tapers a little from base to nose, but is not pointed at the tip.
Lips
Lips tight, without flews.
Jaws and 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. Inner outline is straight, while outer is slightly rounded.

Neck

Muscular, strong and of good length, slightly arched. Without dewlap.

Body

Body
Sinewy and muscular, nearly square in shape.
Withers
Well developed.
Back
Straight and short.
Loin
Firmly muscled.
Croup
Broad. Flat or very slightly sloping and short.
Chest
Fairly deep yet not reaching to the elbow. Forechest slightly protruding. Ribs are well sprung.
Underline and 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°.
Elbows
Close to the body.
Forearm
Straight and parallel to each other.
Pastern
Firm.

Hindquarters

Generality
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 thigh
Broad, sloping.
Lower thigh
Should be in balance with thigh.
Stifle
Well bent stifle.
Metatarsus
Perpendicular to the ground.

Feet

Turning neither in nor out. Pads are firm and thick. Nails are black, but lighter colours are acceptable in other coat colours than black.

Gait and 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 at withers
Males: 48 cm – 53 cm. Females: 43 cm – 48 cm.
Weight
Males: 14 kg –18 kg. Females: 12 kg – 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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults

 Shyness.
 Level bite.
 Lack of teeth is to be penalized, but lack of PM1 and M3 is acceptable.
 Level bite.
 Protruding eyes.
 Too straight in front and rear angulations.
 Oversize, undersize.
 Curled tail carried over the back.
 Yellow coloured eyes.

Disqualifying faults

 Aggressive or overly shy dogs.
 Undershot or overshot bite.
 Missing canine tooth.
 Ears not pricked.
 Long hair (exceeding 4,5 cm).

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

 

Additional information from visitors

Indigenous to Taiwan and descended from the greater South-Asian Hunting Dog population, as well as the pariah dogs of southern Japan, the rare Formosan Mountain Dog is a primitive breed which until relatively recently has been all but forgotten. Native dogs lost favour once the Dutch colonists introduced European breeds to Taiwan and the original incarnation of the Formosan Dog was believed to had been lost for decades, with most surviving specimens being of either poor quality or unpure, but in the 1980's a revival programme was started, reportedly utilizing only the most typical and pure examples for the salvation efforts. The project was a success and the breed has since been officially recognized by the Taiwan Kennel Club. It should be noted that the official name for the breed is simply Taiwan Dog, but there are two distinct types and quite a few regional varieties within this population. The breed is classified into the "Plain" and "Mountain" variants, with additional sub-categories for both groups, such as the basic Taiwanese "plain" Dog and the Chinese Huanan variety for the Plain type and the Mount Ali, Jade Mountain, Snow Mountain, East Coast Mountain and Central Mountain varieties for the Mountain type of the breed, which also counts two additional types that are seen as preferable to others, these being the Bunon and Taiya variants.
Although all types are classified as being the same breed, some differences in appearance can be observed between the Bunon, Taiya and Plain Taiwan Dog varieties, with the head type, coat texture and height being main points of distinction. Regardless of type, all Taiwan Dogs have strong bodies, deep chests and possess great agility, as well as great intelligence and trainability, although some can be quite stubborn and undemonstrative. They are excellent hunters and make good property watchdogs, while also being amenable family companions. The ears can be either fully or semi-erect, although an occasional drop-eared specimen can be encountered. As mentioned earlier, the coats vary in length and texture between breed types, with the colouring ranging from uniform black, brown and fawn to various shades of brindle, with or without small white markings on the feet and chest. Average height is around 18 inches.

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