The Korean Jindo (진돗개) is a breed of hunting dog that originated on Jindo Island in South Korea. Brought to the United States with South Korean immigrants, it is celebrated in its native land for its strong loyalty and braveness. The Jindo breed became recognized by the United Kennel Club on January 1, 1998, and by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 2005.

Description

Appearance

Jindos are double-coated spitz-type dogs. Distinguishing the Jindo breed from mongrel and other breeds is often done by close examination of cranial and facial features and by analyzing the proportion of the head to the body. In addition, the breed exhibits sexual dimorphism with females having more angular heads than males. The keen and alert appearance of the Jindo gives the impression of intelligence, strength, and agility. Other features include forward-pointing upright ears and a double coat.

Body: Korean Jindo owners have traditionally divided Jindos into two body types:

• Tonggol or Gyeopgae: This type is more muscular and stocky with the Korean National Dog Association (KNDA) recognizing an equal proportion of height at the withers to length (10:10). The depth of the chest is approximately equal to one-half the height at the withers. The loin is also typically shorter.
• Hudu or Hotgae: This type is more slender with somewhat less depth of chest and a slightly longer loin. Moreover, other physical features tend to have an increased length, such as the ears, muzzle, and head. This results in an appearance that is longer than tall with the KNDA recommending a height at the withers to length ratio of 10:11.

The KNDA also recognizes a third body type called Gakgol which is a gradually emerging combination of the two traditional types, retaining the length of the body of the Hudu and the depth of chest of the Tonggol.

In regards to the Jindo’s body appearance, the United Kennel Club currently states, “The squarely built Jindo has a chest that is moderately deep but not too broad. At its deepest point, the chest reaches to, or just above, the elbow. The brisket is well developed and the ribs are well sprung. The back is strong and straight and the loin is well muscled, taut, lean and narrower than the ribcage. There is considerable tuck up.”

Colour: Jindos come in five colours:

• White (baekgu) – This colour is actually an off-white or ivory shade with tan or light brown around the tips of the ears, the back of the hind legs, and the tip of the tail. Some whites may have a subtle tan stripe running from the head, down the top line, to the tail.
• Fawn (hwanggu) – The colour of well-ripened wheat.
• Grey (hoesaeg) – This coat looks grey from a distance but is actually made up of individual white, black, and fawn-coloured hairs.
• Black and tan (heukgu) – Blackhead and upper body with tan on the muzzle, belly, and paws, and an eye-shaped tan spot over each eye.
• Brindle (beulindeul) – Also known as “Tiger” pattern. Thin, dark brown or black stripes like a tiger’s on a fawn base. These stripes appear at an early age.

Some Jindo Island residents value black, black/red, and red/white Jindos as good hunters. The United Kennel Club recognizes six different coat colours: white, red fawn, wolf grey, black, black and tan, and brindle (tiger pattern).

Feet: The feet are of medium size, round in shape, with thick, strong tan pads. Nails are hard and maybe black, cream or grey.

Gait

• The Jindo moves with strides of moderate length.
• It is a quick, light, elastic trot which enables the Jindo to travel quickly over any terrain.
• The forelegs and hind legs are carried straight forward, with neither elbows nor stifles turned in or out.
• At normal walking speed, the Jindo tends to lower its head.

Head

• The top skull of an adult dog should be broad and rounded between the ears and free from wrinkles.
• The underjaw is well-developed and helps give a round or octagonal shape to the head when viewed from the front. Coarse hairs stand away from the cheeks.
• The ears are triangular and upright (leaning forward past vertical). The inside of the ears should be well-furred. Ears on puppies normally lie flat until they are past 5–6 months.
• The eyes are almond/round. They should be a shade of brown (a dark reddish-brown being preferred). Some dogs have light brown eyes but this colour is not desirable. Jindos should not have blue eyes.
• The nose should be black on non-white dogs. While dogs may have mottled portions of tan or pink in the centre of the nose.
• The muzzle is well proportioned without being bulky. The lips should be taut and black. The preferred colour for the tongue is solid pink.
• The Jindo has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth with a scissors bite.
• Typically, males have larger heads and females have more fox-like features.

Height and weight: Desirable height at maturity, measured at the withers, ranges from 19½ to 21 inches (or 48 to 53 cm) for males and 18½ to 20 inches (or 45 to 50 cm) for females.

Weight should be in proportion to the height, giving a well-muscled, lean appearance without being too light or too heavy. The typical weight range for a male Jindo in good condition is 40 to 60 pounds (18 to 27 kg); for a female, 35 to 55 pounds (16 to 25 kg).

Tail: The tail is thick and strong and set on at the end of the top line. The tail should be at least long enough to reach to the hock joint. The tail may be loosely curled over the back or carried over the back in a sickle position. The hair on the underside of the tail is thick, stiff, abundant, and twice as long as the coat on the shoulders, which causes the hair to fan outward when the tail is up.

History

There is no written record of the origin of the Korean Jindo Dog. Authorities agree that the Jindos existed on Jindo Island for a long time. One theory proposes the Jindo as cross-breeds with Mongolian dogs when Mongol forces invaded Korea around the 13th century.

They are now protected under the Cultural Properties Protection Act.

In 1962, the Government of South Korea designated the Jindo as the 53rd ‘Natural Treasure’ (or translated as ‘Natural Monument’) and passed the Jindo Preservation Ordinance. Because of the special status of the Jindo, it is very difficult to export purebred Jindo outside of Korea. Jindos marched in the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. The United Kennel Club recognized the Jindo on January 1, 1998.

The Jindo Dogs Guild of Korea, as of 2008, issues certificates of pure Korean Jindo Dog, which specifies the registered number of the mother, sex, and birth date of the dog, as well as breeder’s address and whether the dog is of purebred.

The breed first appeared in the West in France and has since made its way over to the U.S. There are only two Jindos registered in the U.S., one in the Los Angeles area and one in Seattle. There are 25 registered in the United Kingdom.

Hunting

The Jindo is renowned for their outstanding hunting ability, due to their courage, cunning, and pack sensibility. Besides the usual prey of medium to large game, their hunting prowess is displayed in a legend of three Jindos that killed a Siberian tiger.

They have mainly been used as deer and boar hunters. There have been anecdotal reports of Korean owners being awakened by their Jindo one morning to be led deep into the forest to a deer the dog had taken down alone. There have also been reported cases in America of intruding coyotes being killed by Jindos defending their territory.

In traditional Korean hunting without guns, a pack of well trained Jindos was extremely valuable. A master with a loyal pack could hunt without much trouble at all, for when the pack brings down a deer, boar or other targets, one of them returns to the master to lead him to the prey, while the others stand guard against scavengers.

As police and military dogs

In a 2009 interview with Korea Economic Daily (한국경제), Park Nam-sun (박남순), an expert search dog handler in South Korea, testified that Jindo dogs are not fit as rescue dogs and search dogs. It is because Jindo dogs’ hunting instincts are too strong (they can forget their mission because of their hunting instincts), and they usually give their loyalty only to the first owner, while handlers of search dogs and rescue dogs can frequently change.

In 2010, Son Min-suk (손민석), a member of Korean Security Forum, wrote that most of the Korean military dogs were German Shepherds and that Jindo dogs were not fit for military dogs as they were highly likely to escape their duties to find their first handlers who might be discharged from military services or to come back to their original home.

However, efforts to train Jindo dogs as search and rescue dogs continue. In October 2010, the Los Angeles Police Department announced their intent to evaluate the Jindo dog breed for law enforcement service, specifically for patrol and detection service. Four selected Jindo puppies would be distributed to the LAPD and Glendale California Police Department to be trained as K9 units. After a year of trying, the trainers found that the dogs did not have the right disposition for police work because they were too easily distracted and too eager to please their masters.