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Breed guide · Dogs
She spins in circles every time I walk in. I've started coming home for lunch.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Happy circles at the door, usually the moment you walk in.
What's going onIt is one of the breed's best-known habits, and pure delight. Watch their back legs while they twirl: a skip or a hop is something to tell your vet.
At home
Paws over the face after every meal.
What's going onIt is normal for a Chin. Rubbing at one eye, again and again, is different, and means contacting your vet the same day.
At home
They like to be up high, watching the whole room.
What's going onThe climb is fine. The jump down is what their knees feel, so give them a way down.
At home
Gentle, watchful, and aware of every mood in the house.
What's going onA raised voice or rough handling stays with a Chin for a long time. A soft voice and small rewards get the best from them.
At home
A snort when excited, a soft snore at night.
What's going onThe breed's health record lists breathing problems from puppyhood. If the noise is getting louder, or they are noisy at rest, film it and show your vet.
At home
Flagging on a walk they used to manage easily.
What's going onIn a Chin, tiring early can be their breathing or their heart, and at home you cannot tell which. If they get their breath back slowly, tell your vet.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: A small, quiet companion for indoor life.
In Dubai: Company in a flat, in a city with few other Chins.
Their face
Built for: A short face and large, wide-set eyes.
In Dubai: A short airway and exposed eyes, in a summer that runs from May to September.
Their frame
Built for: A small, light body.
In Dubai: Kneecaps that can slip, and a love of high perches.
By Paws & Co's estimate there are fewer than 50 in Dubai, so knowing their own risks matters more.
There may be no one on your street to compare notes with. The ten things below are the ones that matter for a Chin.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Japanese Chin's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Patellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) is the first risk on the breed's health record. They love a high perch, and the jump down is what their knees feel.
Every age, starting as a puppy
Why
Patellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) is the first risk on the breed's health record. They love a high perch, and the jump down is what their knees feel.
What to do
Put a step or ramp by the sofa and bed, and lift them down when you can. Put rugs on slippery floors. If they skip on a back leg, hold it up, or stop jumping, tell your vet. Patellar Luxation screening (a check for a slipping kneecap) is in your plan at their puppy visits, and an orthopaedic evaluation from six months to four years.
A short airway handles heat worst of all.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
A short airway handles heat worst of all.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark only. When they stop, let them, or carry them. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Never leave them in the car.
Their eyes are large and exposed, and the breed's health record lists corneal ulcers (sores on the surface of the eye) from puppyhood.
Every age
Why
Their eyes are large and exposed, and the breed's health record lists corneal ulcers (sores on the surface of the eye) from puppyhood.
What to do
Look at their eyes every day. Squinting, rubbing at one eye, or an eye that looks wet, red or cloudy means contacting your vet the same day. Brush their teeth every day. Comb their silky coat through several times a week, behind the ears and under the legs where it tangles. An ophthalmic evaluation (eye exam) is in your plan from age two to four.
Noisy breathing at night is easy to miss, and it matters in a short-faced dog.
Every age, most of all up to 4 years
Why
Noisy breathing at night is easy to miss, and it matters in a short-faced dog.
What to do
One night, film two minutes of them asleep with the sound on. Watch for snoring, pauses in their breathing, or fast breathing at rest, and show your vet.
Extra weight makes breathing harder and loads knees that are already their first risk.
Every age, most of all from 6 months to 7 years
Why
Extra weight makes breathing harder and loads knees that are already their first risk.
What to do
Weigh them every month on the kitchen scales. Measure their meals and count treats as food. They are tiny, so a few extra grams a week adds up.
Lying on cool tiles is how they get heat out.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Lying on cool tiles is how they get heat out.
What to do
Keep their room air-conditioned from May to September, with a cool spot, a cooling mat if they like it, and water in two places.
A collar pulls on a small throat and a short airway.
Every age, refitted as they grow
Why
A collar pulls on a small throat and a short airway.
What to do
Use a light harness across their chest. Keep a collar for their tag, and never clip the lead to it.
They play in happy bursts and will keep going past the point they should stop.
Every age, most of all puppies and young dogs
Why
They play in happy bursts and will keep going past the point they should stop.
What to do
Short games indoors, on a rug rather than a slippery floor. Stop before their breathing gets loud.
They are sensitive, and they learn better from quiet praise than from a raised voice.
Every age, starting in the first weeks
Why
They are sensitive, and they learn better from quiet praise than from a raised voice.
What to do
A minute or two at a time, soft voice, tiny rewards. Teach them early to have their eyes looked at and their legs handled. They will need both for life.
Their small, light body and short face are not built for swimming.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their small, light body and short face are not built for swimming.
What to do
Keep them out of the pool area. Near water, put them in a dog life jacket with a handle, and keep your hand on it.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
One type
There is one Japanese Chin: small, light and short-faced, with large, wide-set eyes and a silky single coat. It is the same dog that older books call the Japanese Spaniel.
Colours
Some black and white Chins have small tan dots over the eyes, and the red can be anything from pale lemon to a deep sable.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with a baseline screening of their knees. Put a step by the sofa now, before the jumping habit starts.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A step or ramp by the sofa and bed, rugs on slippery floors, a cool spot in an air-conditioned room, and a light harness for walks.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
There are few Chin breeders near Dubai, so ask to see the parents' vet records before you commit. A slipping kneecap is the first risk on a young Chin's record, followed by teeth, heart murmurs, eyes and breathing.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep spinning at the door. If a back leg skips mid-spin, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
The beginning
Their family most likely came to Japan from mainland Asia, though nobody knows when. In Japan's upper-class homes they were bred small, light and quiet, to live indoors.
What they still carryThe quiet, cat-like companion who likes a high perch.
1854
When Commodore Perry's ships opened Japan to trade in 1854, small dogs were among the gifts to the expedition.
What they still carryA royal lap dog in the West, as they had been in Japan.
1888 to 1977
The American Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1888 as the Japanese Spaniel, and changed the name to Japanese Chin in 1977.
What they still carryThe short face and large eyes the show ring kept choosing.
Today
Fewer than 50 Japanese Chins live in Dubai, by Paws & Co's estimate. A rare dog, in a city of flats and air conditioning.
What they still carryKnees, eyes and a short airway, in a small, light dog.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Chin suits you, so might these.
PugThe same kind of dog: a small, flat-faced companion, more outgoing with strangers, in a short coat that sheds a lot.
PekingeseAnother flat-faced lap dog from the East, a little heavier, with a long double coat and a dignified air.
MalteseThe same gentle, affectionate temperament and easy energy, in a white toy dog with a coat that barely sheds.
PomeranianA similar tiny size and the same need to stay cool, in a fluffy spitz with a bold bark.
