60–78 cm
Height range
Sex-differentiated ranges commonly reported from CKU-derived descriptions.
An independent field guide
Xigou
细狗 · 细犬
China’s slender hounds—read through landscape, working history, material culture and genetics.
01
The short answer
What is a Xigou?
Xigou (细狗 or 细犬, xì gǒu) literally means “slender dog.” It names a family of Chinese sighthound traditions, not one perfectly uniform modern breed. The best-known regional populations are associated with Shaanxi, Shandong, Hebei and Mongolia.
A note on certainty
Last reviewed 1 August 2026
Read the evidence, not the legend.
The Xigou has a remarkable visual and working history. It also has an internet history full of copied claims: “2,500 years old,” “ancestor of every sighthound,” “almost extinct.” Some may contain truth; none should be repeated without qualification.
This site separates what is documented, what is plausible and what remains open. A hound in a 706 CE tomb mural is evidence of a sighthound tradition in Tang China. It is not, by itself, a pedigree certificate for a living landrace. That distinction is the basis of our editorial policy.
How this reference is publishedField notes
A working profile
Shaanxi type unless noted
20–30 kg
Typical weight
Lean, long-legged and built for speed across open ground.
0.26 FROH
Genomic warning
Highest value among 14 populations in one 2023 study; Shaanxi sample n = 12.
706 CE
Firm art-historical anchor
The dated reburial and mural programme of Prince Zhanghuai’s tomb.
One name, regional traditions
The map matters more than the label.
“Xigou” crosses geography and type. The feathered Shaanxi hound is the principal focus of this guide, but it should never stand in for the entire family.
- 01ShaanxiGuanzhong plain · feathered tradition
- 02Shandongsmooth and feathered lines
- 03Hebeioften described as more greyhound-like
- 04Mongolianstockier, adapted to colder country
Evidence ledger
What we can say today
Documented
Distinct Chinese sighthound populations exist.
Modern genomic research includes separate Shaanxi and Shandong Thin dog populations.
Read the study notesDocumented
Hounds appear in a dated 706 CE Tang hunting scene.
The tomb programme is securely dated; identification with a modern breed is interpretive.
See the timelinePlausible
The Shaanxi type reflects long Silk Road contact.
Geography and morphology support the question. They do not settle the direction of ancestry.
See the open questionsUnproven
The Xigou is the ancestor of all sighthounds.
No source we have reviewed justifies this sweeping claim.
Audit the sources0.26
Genetics, without theatre
A small sample. A serious signal.
In a 2023 study of Chinese indigenous dogs, the Shaanxi Thin dog sample had the highest run-of-homozygosity inbreeding coefficient among fourteen populations. The sample was twelve dogs. Both facts belong in the same sentence.
Read the finding and its limitsReading room
Continue the field guide
Plain answers
Frequently asked
Is the Xigou one standardised breed?
Not cleanly. Xigou is best understood as a family name for regional Chinese sighthound populations. Shaanxi, Shandong, Hebei and Mongolian types have distinct histories and physical tendencies, while modern standards are still emerging.
Is the Xigou the same as a Saluki?
No. The resemblance is real, especially in the feathered Shaanxi type, but resemblance does not establish ancestry. Published genomic work places Chinese sighthounds in an East Asian context, and the historical relationship remains an open research question.
What does the name Xigou mean?
Xigou (细狗, xì gǒu) literally means ‘slender dog.’ The term can refer broadly to Chinese sighthound traditions rather than to a single, uniformly standardised population.