Species of local dogs

The local dog is China's garden dog. From the analysis of the dog's appearance characteristics and distribution area, China pastoral dogs can be roughly divided into three major strains, namely, northern strain, Jiangsu and Zhejiang strain and Guangdong and Guangxi strain.

1. northern strain

Northern dog with folded ears

From the northeast to the Yellow River basin, the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (excluding ethnic minority areas), it is diagonally distributed from northeast to southwest. Although the environment in this large area is very different, especially the different climate in the north and south, which leads to different individual sizes and different fur quality, the dog breeds in this area are very similar in appearance. For example, the stupid dog commonly known in Northeast China is almost identical to the local dog in Sichuan in appearance except that the individual in Northeast China is bigger and the thick hair is more cold-resistant. Sichuan local dogs are small in size. In order to adapt to the humid climate in the south, their fur is thick and sparse. Interestingly, the distribution area of this strain coincides with that of the Han language family in northern China.

Its characteristics are: more miscellaneous hair, less single-color and solid-color dogs, mainly ear collapse before (the so-called "front ear collapse" means that when the ear is placed on the top of the head, the ear naturally droops to the front of the head when it is relaxed), often with long hair and large curly tail, which retains the characteristics of more northern dog breeds.

The dog with folded ears is a good watchdog with a dignified face.

2. Jiangsu and Zhejiang strains:

Sugou

Mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui, the dog breeds in this area are characterized by long and upright ears, high ear position, full inner ear hair, slender mouth and limbs, mostly white abdominal hair, few dogs with miscellaneous hair, medium long hair and close-fitting.

Dogs in this area are very similar to Japanese and Korean dogs, which may be closely related to the frequent foreign exchanges in the East China Sea of ancient China. It is not only the spread of China culture to the outside world, but also the spread of various products from China, including livestock and dogs, to these places.

3. Guangdong and Guangxi strains

Guangxi dog

The distribution area is centered on Guangdong, including parts of Guangxi and Fujian. The dog breeds in this area are also the most well-known. Many excellent dog breeds originated in this area, such as Shapi, Chaoshan Datou and Guangdong Songshi, which has a great relationship with the unique dog culture of Guangdong and Guangxi. These excellent dog breeds also have deep roots with local garden dogs, and they all have more or less similar blood sources and appearance characteristics.

In addition to these breeds, we only look at garden dogs, which are characterized by: solid color and monochromatic color, and few dogs with miscellaneous hair; Because of the hot climate, dogs are mainly short-haired, but there are also some dogs with particularly long and thick hair; The ears are small and erect, the tongue is usually black or flowery, and the body is strong and muscular. Due to the above appearance characteristics, and a large number of Guangdong pine lions are distributed in this area, it is suspected that dogs in Guangdong and Guangxi are greatly influenced by the pedigree of pine lions. Guangxi dogs, Guangxi native dogs, pack hounds, vertical ears, flowered tongue or black tongue. It is often used to hunt wild boar.