Showsight Magazine | August 2026

The Japanese Chin is a “head breed,” with about one-third of its Standard devoted to describing the head. In simplifying some of this description, it is easiest to remember that the ideal head is large for the size of the dog. When viewed from profile, its shape resembles a “3” - the foreskull and muzzle meet on the same diagonal line with the nose set inside the middle; ideally, this nose is slightly tipped back. A rule of thumb to use is that if the nose ever looks like something can be hung from it, it is wrong. When viewed from the front, the Chin head is basically square-shaped with a slight rounding of its topskull caused by ears which are set just beneath the crown; the nose sets between large, round, dark, lustrous eyes. When looking straight ahead, a small amount of white may be seen in the inner corner of each eye; the eyes should never appear to be bulging or protruding; the muzzle is short and balances in width with the forehead; the cushions are broad and wide; the cheeks are sometimes referred to as bubble-gum cheeks; the teeth are covered by the cushions; and the bite is slightly undershot. It is vital to remember that the Chin head is not rectangular-shaped as in a Peke, nor rounded as an English Toy, nor snipey as a Pap. Since these are all related breeds, each particular head shape is a key breed characteristic.

It’s time to enter the show ring, but the judge is standing at the table intently reading the Maltese Breed Standard. To me, that’s as impressive as a Maltese breeder who keeps the Standard with them all the time and breeds to it faithfully. The Standard is not a recipe where substitutions can be added to get the same result. We’re not trying to create a new Maltese dog. We are trying to preserve an ancient breed that has been around for over 2,500 years. We expect show judges to know our Standard and follow it to the letter and we, as breeders, should expect the same from ourselves.