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Official Standard of the Chinook General Appearance: The Chinook was developed in the United States as a sled dog whose unique function was both drafting and sled dog racing. Bred to combine the power of freighting breeds with the speed of the lighter racing sled dogs, the Chinook is an athletic, hard bodied dog showing excellent forward reach and rear extension in a seemingly tireless gait. The Chinook is an impressive dog, with an aquiline muzzle, dark almond eyes, black eye markings, a variety of ear carriages, and a distinctive tawny, close fitting coat. The saber tail is held in a graceful sickle curve. Males appear unquestionably masculine; females have a distinctly feminine look and are judged equally with the male. A dignified and affectionate family dog, Chinooks are known for their love of children. The Chinook is to be presented in a natural condition with no trimming. The following is a description of the ideal Chinook. Size, Proportion, Substance: The Chinook is a slow maturing breed, often not reaching maturity before 4 to 5 years of age. Size - Ideal height at the withers: males 24 to 27 inches; females 22 to 25 inches. Proportion - When measuring from point of shoulder to the point of buttocks the Chinook is slightly longer than tall. Females may be somewhat longer in body. Substance - Muscular with moderate bone, a gender difference is easily discernible. The Chinook exemplifies a sound athlete in grace, muscle tone, movement, and carriage. Head: The head is broad, wedge-shaped, and impressive but in balance with the size of the dog. Cheeks are well-developed and slightly rounded. The expression is intelligent, inquisitive and kind. The eyes are medium in size and almond in shape with black rims that accentuate the eye and give character. The eye can be any shade of brown but dark brown is preferred. Black pigment in an apostrophe shape above the inner corner of each eye is preferred. Disqualification - Any eye color other than brown. The ears are set slightly below the top line of the skull and are expressive. They are medium in size, V-shaped, and slightly rounded at the tip. The ear tip should be just long enough to reach the inside corner of the eye. Any ear type is allowed, including drop, prick, or propeller ears that maintain a fold when at attention. Matched ears are preferred and for historical reasons, dropped ears are desirable. Mismatched ears are not to be faulted. The topskull is broad and slightly arched between the ears. When viewed from above, the topskull is almost square, narrowing slightly as it approaches the eyes. The stop is moderate and marked with a central furrow extending up the top skull. The muzzle is aquiline, having a slight dip just before the nose leather, and shorter in length than the top skull, measuring from nose to stop as approximately 2:3 in ratio with stop to occiput. Viewed from the front, the muzzle is tapered to form a blunt wedge. Viewed from the side, the topline of the muzzle and the topline of the skull are almost parallel. The nose is large, prominent and the leather is solid black. The lips are black. Bite - The Chinook has a full complement of strong teeth meeting in a scissors or a level bite. Neck, Topline, Body: The neck is strong, balanced in length, arched, and covered with fur that forms a defined ruff. The skin on the neck is pliable but not pendulous. The neck blends smoothly into the withers. Topline - The back is straight, strong and level, with no sign of weakness. There is a slight arch over the loins. The body is well muscled and hard. The chest is moderately broad, well filled and deep, and neither too broad nor too narrow. The forechest has a prominent prosternum that extends beyond the point of shoulders when viewed from the side. The brisket reaches to or nearly to the elbows. The ribs are well sprung, oval in shape, flattening toward the lower end to allow for elbow clearance and efficient movement. The loins are
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