Chinese Chongqing Dog - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) History
The Chongqing dog is one of the oldest breeds in the world with thousands years old history. The origin and ancestry is not very well documented, as there are only limited historical records about the breed, but the Chongqing dog is depicted on many ancient Chinese artwork. There are artworks from Han dynasty, which ruled approximately 2000 years ago, depicting Chongqing like dogs. The breed was most likely evolved in the regions of Chongqing and Sichuan, where it evolved mostly by natural selection and natural breeding, which makes the dog very hardy, self reliable and quite healthy.
2) Utilization
Until recently, the Chongqing dog was kept almost exclusively as a working dog. Their primary purpose is protection and guarding, and their courageous, brave, alert and loyal personality is just exceptional for this purpose. It is also believed, that very long time ago, this breed was also used for hunting all kinds of prey in the mountains of East Sichuan. Recently, the Chongqing dog also found a place as companion dog.
3) Companions
And the Chongqing dog actually makes a very good intelligent, dignified, affectionate and devoted companion. On the other hand, these dogs are typically alert and reserved with strangers and it can take a while before a Chongqing dog accept the stranger as a friend. These dogs are typically well mannered and good lively partners for kids, but of course, the kid should be old enough to know how to treat dogs properly. It is important to know that this is not a dog for everyone, and just like all the ancient primitive dogs, even the Chongqing is very insctinctive creature, that is very often independent and strong willed, which means they are much better suited for experienced dog owners.
4) Bamboo tail
I mentioned in the intro of this video, that this breed has a very unique appearance and one of the unique features of this dog is its tail. It is also known as bamboo tail and it is very thick at the base and sharp at the end and it stands completely straight. Also, the tail might be, or should be, completely hairless.
5) Coat
On the first sight, the Chongqing dog might appear as a hairless breed, but these dogs do have a short single coat which is rough. Some dogs, especially from the northern parts, have denser coat, while the coat of dogs from southern parts of Sichuan and Chongqing city is less dense and you can often times see a black skin under the coat. The weather in the area of Chongqing city is extremely seasonal, which is why it is typical for these dogs to have much denser coat in winters and very sparse coat in the summer. These dogs should be single colored, ideally in red, reddish or black.
6) Size
The Chongqing dog is a muscular and strong, medium sized dog breed. According to the breed standard, the ideal height is between 35-45 cm, which is 14-18 inch and weight is usually between 26-55 lbs, which is 12-25 kg. Females are naturally slightly smaller than males.
7) Tongue
Inside the broad, short and deep muzzle, you can find a tongue in very unique color, which is typically blue-black. The blue-black tongue is one of the breed’s most well known physical characteristics and they share this unique trait with another famous Chinese dog breeds, the Shar pei and Chow Chow. There is a Chinese legend saying, that the tongue got its blue hue at the time of creation, when a Chongqing licked up drops of the color as the sky was being painted.
8) Rarity
Recently, the numbers of Chongqing dogs are slowly raising, but it is still extremely rare breed, which can be mainly found in China. It would not be exaggeration to say that this is one of the world's rarest breeds. Hopefully, the Today, there are kennels outside China as well, for example Bamboo Tail kennel, which helped me a lot with this video and hopefully these kennels will help to raise the numbers of quality pure Chongqing dogs and that the breed will gain more popularity and recognition.
9) Maintenance
The short coat of Chongqing is very easy to groom and maintain in good condition. Even without any grooming at all, the coat will still look good, but of course, regular brushing is always beneficial for any coat, as it will remove loose hair and dirt. Just like with any other breed, you should regularly check the dogs ears, eyes, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed. Also, these dogs evolved in Southwest China in warm subtropical climate, so you should not leave your dog outdoors for long time if its very cold outside.
10) Health
This is a dog that evolved naturally by natural selection and not by deliberate breeding process. Most breeds that evolved naturally are pretty hardy and healthy, and the Chongqing dog is no exception and it is no exception for these dogs to live a healthy live well into their late teens. Of course, just like any other breed, they may suffer from some health issues, for example from Cherry eye, skin fold dermatitis, ear infections and inflammation or Hydrocephalus