Xigou (Chinese:細狗), also known as Xiquan (Chinese:細犬), Xiliegou (Chinese:細獵狗) and Chinese Xiquan (Chinese:中國細犬), is a breed of sighthound native to China. Xigou is a rare dog breed.

Background

Xigou is an ancient native dog breed in China. Xigou is currently known to be 2,500 years old. Xigou has always been popular with nobles and citizens of Chinese dynasties.There are traces of Xigou in many Chinese tombs and cultural relics. While some cynologists speculate just might be the principal ancestor of all sighthounds known today, others indicate some intermixing with modern stock, pointing to

greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

s shipped to China by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

. Once used to chase and capture prey on the open, flat land of the Huangtu Plateau, the breed is now in trouble, its numbers plummeting as a result of the government curbing the rights of its citizens to hunt. The China Kennel Union (CKU) classifies the breed as ‘rare,’ and is trying to resurrect it. To that end, the CKU initiated an effort to collect DNA from the dogs in 2017.

Appearance

Xigou is lanky, tall and weighs between . Xigou has a long and narrow head, a flat forehead, small spacing between ears, drooping ears, a slender neck, a slender waist, a curved back, and a long tail. It is divided into short-haired and feathered species, etc. Coat colors include yellow, black, brown, white, and fawn red.

Variety

The existing Xigou species mainly include Shaanxi Xigou ( zh, 陝西細狗), Hebei Xigou ( zh, 河北細狗), Shandong Xigou ( zh, 山東細狗) and Mongolian Xigou ( zh, 蒙古細狗), etc.

Shaanxi Xigou

The Shaanxi Xigou, also known as Shaanxi Hound or Xian Hound (), is an ancient and rare breed that originated in China. These majestic dogs are skilled hunters, dependable guard dogs, and devoted companions. Some experts believe the Shaanxi Xigou is the original sighthound breed. The Shaanxi Xigou is characterized by a long, narrow sheep-like head, but not all descendants will necessarily inherit this head type.

Hebei Xigou

Hebei Xigou is a rare breed in China. Hebei Xigou is similar in appearance to

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

. Hebei Xigou is mainly used for hunting hares.Hebei Xigou is very loyal to the owner, has a strong memory, a keen sense of smell, a high desire to hunt, and has good endurance. It is suitable for hunting in the plains and can also be used as a guard dog.

Shandong Xigou

The Shandong Xigou is a rare breed with a keen sense of smell and innate hunting instinct. Shandong Xigou once served as the royal hunting dog of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

and has been a reliable hunting dog for centuries. In fact, in addition to working with hunters, this breed excels at protecting livestock on farms.

Mongolian Xigou

The Mongolian Xigou, also known as Khitan Hound ( zh , 契丹獵犬). Mongolian Xigou is an ancient hunting breed known for its tenacity, keen sense of smell, and running ability.Mongolian Xigou was loved by some northern aristocrats in Chinese history who used Mongolian Xigou as a hunting dog and watchdog.Experts believe the Mongolian Xigou originated from one of the oldest dog breeds, the Saluki. Once a top hunting dog in Northeastern Mongolia, this breed is relatively rare today.

Gallery

File:Xuande-salukis-092x0507 01lg.jpg, ''Two Xigou'', painted by the

Xuande Emperor The Xuande Emperor (16 March 1399 31 January 1435), personal name Zhu Zhanji (朱瞻基), was the fifth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1425 to 1435. His era name "Xuande" means "proclamation of virtue". Ruling over a relatively ...

of China (1399–1435) File:Dog by bamboo.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 04.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 06.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 05.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 07.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 08.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 09.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 01.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 02.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione File:Ten Prized Dogs 10.jpg, One of a series in ''Ten Prized Dogs'', painted by the Giuseppe Castiglione

External links

农广天地—山东细犬养殖技术(20120610)
* Xiquan-Norwegian Wikipedia
細犬-中文百科知識中國細犬-華人百科Xianinvinttikoira-Finnish Wikipedia

References

{{Chinese dogs Dog breeds originating in China