Korean Jindo - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin

We dont know that much about the Korean Jindo history, since there are no written records, but it is believed, that this is several thousands old ancient dog breed, which has roots in the Korean Island of Jindo. There are several theories about their origin, one says that they are indigenous to Korea and they preserved on the Island due to the transportation difficulties in those days. Other says that the Jindo dogs crossed with Mongolian dogs when the Mongol soldiers invaded Korea in the 13th century.

2) Loyalty

Korean Jindo is loyal. There are even stories about their loyalty. One says, that in 1993 83 years old woman who lived on the Jindo Island sold her dog. The new owner took his new dog with himself more than 300 kms away (that is about 180 miles). The Korean Jindo, just like the 83 years old woman were heartbroken. The dog escaped from its new owners and traveled for 7 months back to its original owner. After that, they lived together for the rest of their lives. After this heartwarming story broke Korean Jindo popularity skyrocketted in the Korea.

3) 53rd Natural Treasure

In the 1962 the South Korean government designated the Korean Jindo as the 53rd natural treasure. This special status makes them prohibited to export. Majority of Korean Jindos are to this day living in the Korea, but they make their way to the world, especially to the France and to the USA. The Korean American families were the first who owned Jindos in the USA. But it is pretty hard to find purebred Korean Jindo outside Korea.

4) Clean dogs

The Korean Jindos know how to take care of themselves and they require bathing only rarely. Overall this is very clean dog breed. They do shed and during the shedding season it is recommended to brush their coat on daily basis to minimize it.

5) Training

The Korean Jindo is very intelligent dog and they are capable of learning a lot of tricks and commands. On the other hand, they are also pretty independent, dominant and sometimes stubborn, which makes them little bit harder to train. They need firm and patient leader, because even though they have no problems in learning the commands, sometimes, they have problems in obeying them. But they are definitely highly trainable in the right hands.

6) Purpose

This dog was primarily used for hunting and protecting the home. They make extraordinary hunters, especially thanks to their courage and high prey drive. There is even a legend about three Jindos who hunted down a Siberian Tiger, but this is probably not true. On the other hand, because of their high prey drive, its not recommended to have other small pets in the house with Jindo.
7) Size

The Korean Jindo is athletic, well muscled dog with average height between 45-55 cm which is 17 to 22 inches and weight between 17-25 kgs, which is 37 to 55 pounds. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males.
8) Coat

The Korean Jindo is a double coated dog. The coat is very smooth and its length is short to medium. They can be in many colors, most notable in white, fawn, black and tan, brindle and grey.

9) Health

This is a dog breed with great health and good lifespan around 14 years or more. Just like every other breed, they are prone to some health problems, most common would be hypothyroidism and allergies.
10) Exercise

I already said, that this is exceptional hunting dog, so its no wonder, that even when they are living the family life, they need to stimulate their body and mind. You should not just leave your Korean Jindo outside alone to burn its energy, because they are known escape artists and if you dont have well fenced area with fence burried several inches under the ground, they might run away after some prey quickly