There has been a regrettable history of the Jindo dog in America that mirrors what it went through in Seoul in the early 1980's.

Most people who bought Jindo dogs from Korea in the early 1980's ended up getting dogs that Korean breeders did not want to keep for themselves. This led to an undesirable outcome: The look of most of the American Jindo dogs doesn't coincide with that of Jindo dogs on Jindo Island.

There are several factors that contribute to the continued altering of the breed in Korea. Principally, illegal dog fighting in Korea leads to mixing more aggressive dogs into the Jindo bloodline to produce meaner dogs.

The Jindo dog's aggression is only displayed against other dogs for the purpose of establishing dominance. Once other dogs stop challenging, they no longer have problems.

Without a leash law in Korea, Jindo the dog maintains a natural territory around its residence. It protects everything within the defined boundary. This boundary may not coincide with the location of the fences or walls that people erect.

Being a free thinker, a Jindo dog may ignore existing barriers such as fences or walls. It will simply jump or climb over them to maintain it's territory. I guess you could say that that is not acceptable behavior in an urban environment. In fact, one could argue that is the behavior of a wild animal. I believe the challenge that lies ahead for Jindo breeders is to come up with dogs that will be more compatible with our changing environment.

As I said at the beginning, the Jindo dog is not for everyone.