Chinese Tazis Continued

When I wrote about old tazis in Asia recently one commenter sneered and asked if I thought Chinese “sheepheads” were ancient too, meaning the roman- nosed tazis of northwestern China (colloquially, “thin dogs”). I replied with this image from Prince Xanghui’s 8th Century tomb.

Here is a recent photo of a similar hound, a male “xigou”.

The nose is unusual, and not universal even there- perhaps what geneticists call a “founder effect” where its original presence in a small population dominates. More Chinese dogs here.

And see this 2007 post for more wonderful images going back to 450 AD. Tazis are Asian.

4 comments

  1. I know you don't buy the 'Salukis are six thousand years old' mythology, so what do you consider ancient? Are you including images that are quite definitely Tazis or Tazi-like, unlike, say, certain images on Egyptian tombs that are often called Salukis?

  2. I don't quite know, Jess– I am being a controversialist over probable AD 450 Chinese images, undoubtable medieval Chinese ones, alleged 6000 year old ASIAN petroglyphs, probably real 2000 year old ones (also Asian), and serious genetic studies that put the saluki types closer to huskies, laikas, and pariahs, all more or less of Asian origin, than greyhounds. My mind is open…

    But added to Saivolainen's STILL unrefuted studies that argue an Asian origin for dogs it is at least arguable that tazi types are the first non- "wolfish" dogs and likely of Asian ("Kazakhstan"?) origin–!

  3. If you look at the website you will see many pictures of dogs of a wide range of phenotypes, not just 'sheep nosed' tazis.

    There are dogs that look north african saluquis and some mongolian dogs that look like a sighthound version (i.e. lighter and sound) of what the great dane used to be when it was still used for hunting — probably a mixture of running dog and guard dog.

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