{"data":{"slug":"new-guinea-singing-dog","name":"New Guinea Singing Dog","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/new-guinea-singing-dog","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/dog-atlas-api/v1/breeds/new-guinea-singing-dog","also_known_as":["New Guinea Highland Dog","Singer","Hallstrom's Dog","NGSD"],"kind":"landrace","extinct":false,"group":{"key":"spitz","label":"Spitz \u0026 Primitive","fci_group":5,"fci_group_name":"Spitz and Primitive Types"},"size":"Small","origin":"Papua New Guinea","countries":[],"height_cm":{"min":32.0,"max":46.0},"weight_kg":{"min":9.0,"max":14.0},"life_expectancy_years":{"min":15,"max":20},"temperament":["Agile","Independent","Intelligent","Vocal","Shy"],"exercise_level":"High","wikipedia_views_60d":21981,"summary":"The New Guinea singing dog is an ancient primitive dog of the New Guinea Highlands, closely related to the dingo. It is famous for a melodic, yodel-like howl and for extraordinary agility.","photo":{"url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/photos/new-guinea-singing-dog-4b66354b14-1280.webp","small_url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/photos/new-guinea-singing-dog-4b66354b14-640.webp","width":751,"height":617,"author":"Patti McNeal","license":"CC BY 2.0","license_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0","source_url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Guinea_Singing_Dog_on_trail-Cropped.jpg"},"updated_at":"2026-10-15T14:58:39Z","ratings":{"energy":4,"exercise":4,"grooming":1,"shedding":3,"trainability":2,"barking":4,"kids":2,"other_dogs":3},"coat":"Short, dense double coat","colors":["Tan","Red","Black and tan","White markings"],"fun_fact":"A Spanish captain recorded small dogs in New Guinea in 1606 that neither barked nor howled when beaten with sticks, probably early singing dogs.","sections":{"overview":"The New Guinea singing dog is a small, fox-like primitive dog of the island's highlands. It is closely related to the Australian dingo and sits near the base of the dog family tree.\n\nIt is best known for its eerie, harmonious howl, and it is one of the rarest dogs in the world, kept mostly by dedicated enthusiasts and conservation programmes.","history":"Genetic studies show that these dogs, like the dingo, arose in southern East Asia and spread through Island Southeast Asia thousands of years ago. They lived alongside highland peoples and in the wild highlands.\n\nThey were first described as a separate species, Canis hallstromi, in 1957 from two animals sent to Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Today they are considered a lineage of domestic dog, and their exact status is still debated.","appearance":"A compact, fox-like dog with a wedge-shaped head, erect, rounded ears and a bushy tail. The body is lean and very flexible, with unusually mobile joints that let it climb and squeeze through tight spaces.\n\nThe coat is short and dense, usually in shades of tan or red, with white markings on the chest, feet and tail tip.","personality":"Independent, watchful and often shy, these dogs form strong bonds with a few people. They are intelligent and curious but not naturally eager to please, and have a strong prey drive and escape instinct.\n\nThey are very vocal, using a signature yodelling howl rather than ordinary barking.","care":"They need secure, high fencing and a lot of activity and enrichment. They are not suited to casual owners, since training takes patience and they may roam or hunt small animals.\n\nGrooming is simple, as the coat is short, with a seasonal moult.","health":"Generally hardy and long-lived. Because the captive population came from a very small number of founders, inbreeding is a concern and careful management of pedigrees is needed."},"recognition":{"fci_number":null,"fci_standard_url":null,"akc_url":null},"sources":{"wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_singing_dog","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38884","wikipedia_revision":1378821280},"profile":{"written_by":"AI model (Claude Sonnet) from the sources above","written_at":"2026-10-15T13:37:30Z"}}}