meet the...Mi-Ki
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 12: Companion and Toy Breeds
Sub-group 12-A: Americas and Caribbean Breeds
Origin Country United States
Weight Males: 4-10 pounds. Females: 4-10 pounds.
Height Males: 7-11 inches. Females: 7-11 inches.
Breed Type Pure
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Origins
The Mi-Ki is a relatively new companion breed developed back in the 1980s. It is believed that the Japanese Chin, Maltese, Papillon, Shih Tzu, and Yorkshire Terrier breeds were included in an effort to produce a hardy small breed with an even temperament.Breed Characteristics
Head: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, forming a blunt wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is fairly broad between the ears, giving the head substance and breadth. It is fairly well-arched when viewed from any direction without appearing domed or apple-headed. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles. The head should never appear narrow or extremely brachycephalic.
Eyes: Moderate to fairly large in size, open almond to round in shape, and may range from blue, amber, hazel, or medium to dark brown in color. Uniformity in color is most desirable. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Medium to somewhat large in size, set just below the plane of the skull, and triangular in shape. They may be drop, button, erect, or semi-erect. Erect ears will have a slightly forward inclination set at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions preferred (known as “winged”). The ears are very mobile. Consistency in ear carriage and type preferred. They are never long or overly large.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, broad, and squared, never appearing narrow or pointy. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat, but never lacking pigment resulting in a “pink” nose. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderate length to allow for good head carriage and strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Body: Compact, solid, and of good substance. The body is never racy or cobby. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set high on the croup. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually curved gently over the back but never tucked. The tail is of a moderate length (never docked short), with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down.
Movement: Light, energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The Mi-Ki is the ultimate companion dog, being even-tempered, outgoing, affectionate, and friendly. They are intelligent and excel at many events, taking to training readily. Unlike many other small breeds, they are less reactive, being quieter yet just as loyal and devoted. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 12: Companion and Toy Breeds
Proportions: Fairly rectangular to just slightly off-square, yet never dwarfed or low-slung or leggy and square, with the length of the body measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump being slightly greater than the height at the withers. The length-to-height ratio is between 10:9 and 10:7. The body is well put together, with compact, sturdy substance and fine to moderate bone. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, forming a blunt wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is fairly broad between the ears, giving the head substance and breadth. It is fairly well-arched when viewed from any direction without appearing domed or apple-headed. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles. The head should never appear narrow or extremely brachycephalic.
Expression: Warm, glowing, amiable, alert, and intelligent.
Stop: The stop is definite, preferably forming a 90-degree angle between the topskull and muzzle.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is between 3:2 and 4:1, with the topskull being just longer than the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is convergent.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, broad, and squared, never appearing narrow or pointy. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat, but never lacking pigment resulting in a “pink” nose. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are smoothly muscled. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, reverse-scissor, or slightly undershot, with less than 1/8 of an inch of space between upper and lower incisors permissible. Contact preferred between the top and bottom incisors. Teeth and tongue must never be visible when the mouth is closed.
Eyes: Moderate to fairly large in size, open almond to round in shape, and may range from blue, amber, hazel, or medium to dark brown in color. Uniformity in color is most desirable. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Medium to somewhat large in size, set just below the plane of the skull, and triangular in shape. They may be drop, button, erect, or semi-erect. Erect ears will have a slightly forward inclination set at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions preferred (known as “winged”). The ears are very mobile. Consistency in ear carriage and type preferred. They are never long or overly large.
Body and Tail
General Description: Compact, solid, and of good substance. The body is never racy or cobby. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate length to allow for good head carriage and strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Topline: Level from withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, level, or slightly arched yet supportive. The back is never short, swayed, or roached.
Croup: May be flat and level with the back or gently sloped. The croup should never be elevated above the level of the topline or withers.
Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set high on the croup. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually curved gently over the back but never tucked. The tail is of a moderate length (never docked short), with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of fine to moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of fine to moderate bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The Mi-Ki comes in two coat varieties: the smooth (medium) and the long.
Smooth (medium) coat variety: The coat is a soft, silky single medium-length coat. It lies close to the body. It is short on the face, head, and front of the legs. It is longer on the body. The ears, back of the front legs, thighs, tail, neck, and chest all have abundant furnishings and fringe. The texture is soft, glossy, and without undercoat.
Long-coat variety: The coat is a soft, silky single, abundantly long-length coat throughout. It may be straight or slightly wavy. The long coat may be left to grow to its natural length throughout, or it may be groomed in a traditional Mi-Ki show clip that includes: topskull, chin, cheeks, neck, throat, and face clipped short (#10 blade), but leaving a full beard, mustache, and ear fringe. The feet (top and bottom up to the pasterns) must also be clipped short, leaving the rest of the coat intact.
Coat Color or Pattern: All coat colors and patterns are equally permissible. Large patches or amounts of white indicating homogenous merle genotype/phenotype are undesirable.
Movement
Light, energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Mi-Ki is the ultimate companion dog, being even-tempered, outgoing, affectionate, and friendly. They are intelligent and excel at many events, taking to training readily. Unlike many other small breeds, they are less reactive, being quieter yet just as loyal and devoted. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition and free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
