The Rarest Dog Breed- The Chinese Chongqing Dog

By Brian Spilner

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There are rare breeds and then there's the Chinese Chongqing Dog.

On any list of rare breeds, you'll usually see dogs like the Central Asian Ovcharka (Shepherd), Norwegian Lundehund, Asawakh, Carolina Dog, Otterhounds, Mudi and Chinook, but you will rarely see the one that is perhaps the rarest of them all, the Chinese Chongqing Dog, named for its assumed home province in China. The true origins of the dog are, however, not truly known.

Statues of the dogs were found in tombs from the Han Dynasty, around 200 A.D. (or C.E. -- Common Era -- if we're going with the new nomenclature). At one time they were the companion of the upper classes, nobles and royals. After China became the People's Republic of China and the old nobles, royals and upper classes were cast down and replaced by the new regime, the dogs suffered right along with their old masters. The new ideology was not much more accommodating to pets than it was to aristocrats, and many were killed or left to try to find their way in a harsh world. Thousands upon thousands died. The ones who escaped became the peasants' companions and helpers, disappearing into the vast expanse of China's rural lands. In 2003, the SARS outbreak in China took a heavy toll on the Chongqing Dog and sent it to the brink of extinction.

Interestingly, this ancient Chinese dog bears a striking resemblance to our American Pit Bull Terrier in many ways. Looks are obvious. The size and body structure of the dogs are eerily similar; standards for the APBT call for approximately 18” - 22” in height -- slightly less for females, 35 - 60 pounds for males and 30 - 50 pounds for females. The Chongqing standard is roughly 16 - 19.5” for males (slightly less for females), 44 -54 pounds or 33 - 44 pounds, respectively. Both breeds are muscular and athletic, square with strong but relatively slender legs. Even the feet are small like our Terriers'. The coat is short and hard. The Chongqing muzzle is a bit shorter and squarer than the APBT, but appears, in photos, to be a close match, although a slightly undershot jaw is not a fault. The Chongqing Dog, like the APBT, should have slight wrinkling, or furrows, above and between the eyes, giving the dog an intense and focused appearance.

Like its compatriots, the Chow Chow and Shar Pei, the Chongqing Dog has an interesting tongue. It can be all blueish black, but spotted or mottled with dark blue is also acceptable. The ears stand straight, pointed naturally at the tips. The tail is unique -- straight and arrow-like, held upward at an angle from the body, never curled. It is described as a “bamboo tail” for it's straightness.

The Chongqing Dog is something of an all purpose dog. An excellent natural hunter, intelligent and ready to work, much like our APBT, it has been used to hunt anything from rabbits to wild boars. It also shares the characteristic of having the potential for dog aggression and strong prey drive toward small animals.

One of the differences between the two breeds is their protectiveness. The APBT has been selectively bred for many generations to be extremely friendly to humans, whether or not they know a person or have never seen him before, the typical, correct APBT has never met a stranger who wasn't a friend. The Chongqing Dog, on the other hand, has not been selectively bred for that quality; it is a natural breed, still, and has been allowed to retain its protective instincts and can be territorial as well as aloof and somewhat suspicious of anyone not in the family. With family, though, it is a loyal and devoted companion and protector, and is, like our little Nanny Dogs, a dog who loves his children immensely.