Breed # Japanese Chin The Japanese Chin is a toy breed, standing 7–11 in at the withers, weighing 4 lb. Recorded lifespan is 10–12 yrs. ![A photograph of the Japanese Chin](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/japanese-chin.webp) Breed group Toy Height 7–11 in Weight 4 lb Lifespan 10–12 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Japanese Chin is taller than 1% of the measured breeds, heavier than 0%, one of 20 in the Toy group. Compare the Japanese Chin with another breed ## Living with the Japanese Chin Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Japanese Chin’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 4 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 3 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 2 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 2 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 2 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 3 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 1 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Japanese Chin on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/japanese-chin/)[Japanese Chin on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/japanese-chin) ## Breeds that look like the Japanese Chin A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Japanese Chin. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/phalene.webp)Phalène](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/phalene/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/papillon.webp)Papillon](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/papillon/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pomeranian.webp)Pomeranian](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pomeranian/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/griffon-bruxellois.webp)Griffon Bruxellois](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/griffon-bruxellois/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/yorkshire-terrier.webp)Yorkshire Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/yorkshire-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/german-spitz.webp)German Spitz](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/german-spitz/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Japanese Chin7–11 in 2. Phalène8–11 in 3. Papillon8–11 in 4. Pomeranian7–12 in 5. Griffon Bruxellois11–13 in 6. Yorkshire Terrier8–9 in 7. German Spitz12–15 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Japanese Chin4 lb 2. Phalène4–9 lb 3. Papillon8–10 lb 4. Pomeranian3–7 lb 5. Griffon Bruxellois7–13 lb 6. Yorkshire Terrier4–7 lb 7. German Spitz24–26 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Japanese Chin10–12 yrs 2. Phalène12–15 yrs 3. Papillon12–15 yrs 4. Pomeranian~12 yrs 5. Griffon Bruxellois12–15 yrs 6. Yorkshire Terrier~13 yrs 7. German Spitz13–15 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. ## Guides that mention the Japanese Chin Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed. - [Your Dog Doesn't Bark? Here's Why](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/dog-doesnt-bark/) - [How Fast Can Dogs Run?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-fast-can-dogs-run/) - [When Do Puppies Calm Down?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/when-do-puppies-calm-down/) - [Couch-Potatoes: Why Your Dog Does Nothing All Day & What to Do About It](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/why-does-my-dog-do-nothing/) See the Japanese Chin on the breed map Read about the Japanese Chin on Wikipedia