The Taigan is also known as Tajgan, Kyrgyz Sighthound and Kyrgyzskaya Borzaya Taigan. It is a large size sighthound that originated in Kyrgyzstan. This sighthound has existed with the nomadic tribes that migrated through the different parts of Central Asia and Siberia. The Taigan is one of the ancient swift dogs of Central Asia. The cross country capabilities of this breed were honed in the 2000 to 3000 meters altitude of its mountainous homeland. This extremely fast dog has excellent sight and scenting abilities as well.
The Taigan breed has a massive skull, wedge-shaped head and big, wide, always black nose. Large oval shaped eyes are brown or hazel in colour. Ear are thin and set at eye level. This breed is strong without having heavy skeletal structure. Back is broad, Wide chest has short but well developed ribs. The large volume of the lungs, the strong bone structure and the thick coat enable the Taigan to work in rugged terrain, and at elevations up to 4000 m above sea level. A Taigan has a sword shaped thin tail that forms a ring at the tip.
The coat of this breed is soft, long, and thick. In the winter, undercoat is developed. It comes in black, black with white, gray, brown and yellow.
This breed is NOT recognized by AKC or any other major kennel club.