Standard & governance
The formal record.
CKU — Xian Hound / 陕西细犬 standard
Official valid standard dated November 2017. Primary source for height, morphology, coat and colour. Its English origin line incorrectly says Shanxi while the Chinese gives Shaanxi.
CKU native-breed programme review
Institutional chronology recording work beginning in October 2016 and subsequent registration activity.
CKU 2017 activity record
Institutional account of appraisal, registration and the dedicated Shaanxi Xigou event.
Genomics
Three studies, three designs.
Yang et al. — Genomic diversity and selection signatures
Frontiers in Genetics (2019). SNP-based diversity and LD analysis including twelve dogs labelled C_SXX / ‘Shanxi Xi dog.’
Li et al. — Genomic selection analysis
Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2023). Primary source for Shaanxi and Shandong FROH, ROH counts, sample sizes and effective-population estimates.
Multiple Origins and Genomic Basis of Complex Traits in Sighthounds
Molecular Biology and Evolution (2023). Whole-genome context for seven Shaanxi sighthounds, multiple origins and admixture.
History & culture
Objects before origin stories.
Falconer Playing with Dog — Prince Yide tomb
Tang tomb mural catalogue record for the securely dated 706 CE dog-and-falconer scene.
Prince Zhanghuai tomb — hunting scene
University of Michigan record identifying the separate 706 CE Qianling hunting-procession mural.
Hunting Expedition Fresco
Shaanxi History Museum collection record for the Zhanghuai hunting procession.
细狗撵兔 — Pucheng cultural practice
Chinese-language reporting on the seasonal regional practice. Used as cultural documentation; a primary heritage listing is still sought.
Image credits
Image archive.
Zhuyin Xini Gou Tu (竹蔭西猊狗圖)
Giuseppe Castiglione (1688–1766), Qing dynasty, Shenyang Palace Museum. Public-domain artwork and faithful reproduction via Wikimedia Commons. The descriptive English title “Dog by bamboo” is not a breed identification.
Jinchixian (金翅猃)
Named tribute hound from the Qing dynasty Ten Prized Dogs album. Public-domain artwork and reproduction via Wikimedia Commons.
Cangshuiqiu (苍水虬)
Named tribute hound from the Qing dynasty Ten Prized Dogs album. Public-domain artwork and reproduction via Wikimedia Commons.
“Mongolian dog / Xigou,” 1927
Documentary photograph from Asia Taikan, volume 4. Public domain in Japan and the United States; via Wikimedia Commons.
Black Shaanxi Xigou in profile
Own work by Wtf35861887, March 2026. Explicitly identified as Shaanxi Xigou and dedicated to the public domain under CC0.
Black Shaanxi Xigou in landscape
Own work by Wtf35861887, March 2026. Explicitly identified as Shaanxi Xigou and dedicated to the public domain under CC0.
Research status
What was accepted, corrected or withheld.
Multiple long-form research reports were reviewed for this revision. They served as discovery maps, not authorities. Material facts were checked against the sources above; unsupported speed, stride, cloning, population-count and direct-lineage claims were withheld.
Still sought: a public breed-level population census; the primary Pucheng heritage listing; geographically documented field series; and longitudinal health data. Sources last reviewed 1 August 2026.