The Chongqing breed of dogs is considered as a multipurpose breed, it is believed that it originates from the homonymous region of China. Its ancestry is not entirely clear, however, it is considered one of the oldest Chinese dogs, since its history relates more than 2,000 years of history.
Origin
This breed of dog is native to the Chongqing and Sichuan region, which are found within China. There, this breed is known by a wide variety of names, some of these are: He Chuan, Chuan Dong and Lin Shui.
The origin of these dogs remains unknown even today, what is clear is that this is one of the oldest breeds in China. There are records that show that these dogs lived during the Han Dynasty, which dates back to about 2,000 years.
In the middle of the 20th century, these dogs began to be persecuted by the authorities of Communist China, which caused the breed to become almost extinct. However, thanks to his protectors, he managed to save himself.
Even when the breed was recovered, it is still one of the rarest in the country, therefore, not many specimens are known. Even the Chongqing is an almost unknown dog outside its country of origin.
Chongqing Characteristics
This breed of dogs has one of the most unique physical characteristics, in addition to that, its appearance is completely unmistakable for those who know the breed.
These dogs are classified into three types, depending on their size:
- Small: specimens that measure between 30 and 35 centimeters in height and weighing approximately 7 kilograms.
- Medium: when they have a height between 30 and 45 centimeters and a weight between 15 and 20 kilograms.
- Large: those who are more than 40 centimeters tall and weigh more than 25 kilograms.
This breed has an undoubtedly strong and compact body, its muscles are perfectly developed and it has an extremely good olfactory sense.
One of the most striking characteristics of this breed of dog is that it has a rather unique tail, which is called ” bamboo tail “, it is always straight and tends to be quite thick from the base to the tip. it also lacks hair.
They have a square head with a large proportion with respect to the rest of their body. Its muzzle can be described as short, although it stands out in width and depth. Their tongue is dark blue, almost black, very similar to that of the Chow Chow.
Other of its outstanding characteristics are the wrinkles and folds that it has on its face, this characteristic is shared with its cousin the Shar Pei.
The ears of this breed are very characteristic and noticeable, they have a perfect triangular shape and are quite small in size, compared to the size of their body. In addition, they always stand upright.
Something particular about this breed is that many of the specimens will show ears, tail, chest and snouts that lack fur. Their hair can be brown, reddish or dark, and their skin, always visible, is black.
Chongqing care
Being dogs with quite remarkable physical strength and having a territorial and potentially aggressive temperament, this is a breed that is not recommended to adopt if you are a newcomer. In fact, it should ideally be bred by people with some degree of experience with strong-willed dogs.
If educated properly, you will have an intelligent and friendly canine with your family. However, these dogs have great stubbornness, so they are not prone to please anyone, so you must have a lot of patience and dedication when educating them.
The first thing is to make it clear that you are the leader and who is in charge, although you will constantly notice that the dog is going to question said hierarchy, since it will always be challenging you for leadership.
As for exercise, these dogs require a moderate routine, so it will be enough for them to take short but vigorous walks, of at least 30 minutes a day. Sometimes they will want to have more exercise, however they can easily adapt to simple walks and hikes.
It is important that exercise is provided on a daily basis, because if these dogs are not done, they can begin to have undesirable attitudes and behavior. They love to be in large gardens, however they must be very safe as their tendency to hunt and their dislike for strangers can cause problems for them.
They have a unique coat, which is only similar to that of Shar Pei. Because it is short, it does not require much maintenance or care. Its brushing should be weekly, in this way the dead hair is eliminated and its natural oils are extended.
It is not advisable to bathe them excessively, doing so could affect the animal’s skin, so you should only bathe when strictly necessary. It is recommended that the dog get used to bathing, brushing and nail cutting from a young age.
Chongqing dog character
Depending on its work, the Chongqing dog may show different behaviors.
In the case of working dogs, they will be more independent and distant with people. While, those who are companions, will be more affectionate with their owners, will create strong ties and will be faithful protectors.
These dogs have a strong, dominant and difficult character, so an early education will be very important and indispensable. In this way, the dog will learn to obey its leader and to have appropriate behaviors.
It will be necessary for their aggressive, overprotective and unwanted attitudes to be corrected from a very young age.
Sociability
Because these dogs were used as guardians for years, they tend to be very suspicious of strangers or other dogs.
It will be essential that these dogs begin to socialize from an early age, so they can have a safe interaction with people, children and other animals.
It is not recommended that they be in homes with small children, as they are strong and dominant dogs. In addition, it is not recommended that he live with animals smaller than him, this activates his hunting instinct.
It is not ideal for two male Chongqing dogs to coexist in the same house, as they tend to be aggressive towards each other and have fierce fights.
Diseases and health of the Chongqing breed
Thanks to the fact that these dogs have developed and survived for hundreds of years without the need for human intervention, and in addition, they have had to face quite harsh and aggressive climates, they have developed quite good health.
In addition, due to the fact that this breed is quite rare and little known, there have been no studies that show us which are the pathologies that could affect them more frequently. However, it is known that they tend to have problems on their skin, due to the lack of hair in some areas of the body.
The Chongqing breed is considered one of the longest-lived, specimens have been known to live for 16 years, and it is even suspected that some have lived longer.
10 curiosities of Chongqing
- They are one of the least known breeds in the world, and there are very few specimens of it.
- They tend to be aggressive dogs, especially with strange people and animals invading their territory.
- They need to socialize from a young age so that they learn to live with other humans and animals.
- They lack hair in some areas of their body.
- They have a certain relationship with the Shar Pei breed of dogs.
- Both its muzzle and its ears are not proportional to the size of its body.
- If trained correctly, these dogs can be very sweet to their owners, but they will never stop being extremely protective.
- They do not require a lot of exercise, however they do like to hike and hike.
- They may have problems with the skin, due to its folds, wrinkles and the lack of hair in some areas.
- These dogs have black fur and like the Chow Chow and Shar Pei, their tongue tends to be dark.