Phenotypic characterization of Rajapalayam dog of Southern India

The present study was undertaken for phenotypic characterization of Rajapalayam, an important dog breed of southern India. Rajapalayam dog population originated from Rajapalayam taluk of Virudhunagar district of southern Tamil Nadu. Surveys on Rajapalayam dog were undertaken in Rajapalayam town, villages of Rajapalayam taluk and Dog Breeding Unit at Chennai (Govt. of Tamil Nadu). Sets of questionnaire and breed descriptor formats were developed to collect information on different aspects of phenotypic characterization. During the survey, 26 each of physical and morphometric traits were recorded on 88 adult and 21 puppies. Information on different aspects of management of animals was collected through interview of 20 Rajapalayam dog owners. Rajapalayam dogs were medium in size with compact body, tucked-up abdomen, white coat colour, pink skin, nostrils and eyelids, dropping ears, semi-curved tail and straight top line. The eyes were golden in colour and the nasal bridge was straight. The mean body weight was obtained as 24.69 +/- 0.43 and 21.42 +/- 0.47 kg for adult male and females, respectively. In bitches, age at first estrus ranged from 12-15 months with duration of estrus as 13 to 21 days after estrus bleeding. The main breeding season was from November to January and gestation length was 2 months. The age at first whelping ranged between 21-27 months with a whelping interval of 8-12 months and number of whelping in lifetime was 10 to 12. The litter size ranged from 4 to 10 and age at weaning was 30-45 days. The dogs were maintained mostly on non-vegetarian food and feeding was done twice in a day, in majority of cases with milk, rice and egg. Breeders used to vaccinate the dogs regularly and deworming was also practiced. Rajapalayam dogs were mainly used for guarding of farm and farm houses. This unique canine germplasm needs to be documented and registered at National level for the benefit of the dog owners, dog breeders and Kennel clubs. The breed can be popularized through dog shows and other forms of documentation.