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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 several 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 leash law
enforcement in Korea, Jindo dogs maintain a
natural territory around its residence and
surrounding. 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 its
territory. I guess you could say that is
not acceptable behavior in an urban environment.
In fact, one could argue that is the behavior of
wild animals. I believe the challenge that lies
ahead for Jindo breeders is to come up with dogs
that will be more compatible with our evolving
urban environment.
As I said at the beginning,
the Jindo dog is not for everyone. Anyone with
some expertise and time to spend with this dog
will thrive with Jindo breed.
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Six
week-old Jindo puppies born in Los
Angeles, California. |
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