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Korean Jindo Dog

The breeds · northern

AKC Foundation Stock Service · UKC Northern Breed · FCI standard 334

Korean Jindo Dog.

FCI 334 utilization: hunting dog; a medium-sized dog used for hunting and guarding with a very strong instinct for hunting. UKC: served as hunting and guard dogs in Korea; an enthusiastic hunter. AKC page: valued as independent hunters, discerning guardians and loyal companions. Wikipedia: traditionally used by Jindo Island inhabitants to hunt game animals including water deer and wild boar; now mostly a companion and guard dog. Showsight: on the island the dogs hunted for their own food and sometimes their owner's; lines were taken to the peninsula and used by nobles and hunters on big game..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
30–60LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 39 to 60 lb; breed bitches 30 to 55 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 18.9 to 22 in · bitches 17 to 20 in

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2004

FCI prints the ideal as a range, so center is blank.

Weight

dogs 39 to 60 lb · bitches 30 to 55 lb

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2004

No ideal printed.

Coat

FCI: double coat, soft dense light undercoat, stiff outer coat standing off the body, shorter on head, legs and ears, longer on neck, withers, back, rump, tail and back of thighs; red fawn, white, black, black and tan, wolf grey, brindle. UKC: double coat of medium length, harsh straight outer coat; same six colours; short, soft or excessively long coat are faults. Wikipedia: six colours named in Korean (Hwanggu, Baekgu, Jaegu, Naenunbagi, Hogu, Heukgu); Jindo Island residents value black, black-red and red-white dogs as good hunters.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2004

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Double coat: stiff outer coat standing off the body over a soft dense undercoat (FCI, UKC), medium length.

DerivedFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2004

Derived from the coat description (medium double = 3). No measured data.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

AKC breed page: Energy Level 3 of 5, Mental Stimulation Needs 3. Wikipedia: medium to high energy, needs living space, walks and interaction; a yard fence of at least 6 feet because of strong hind legs.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands and editorial; no minutes-per-day band published.

Energy

AKC breed page: Energy Level 3, Playfulness 3, Trainability 3, Barking Level 3, Affectionate With Family 3, Openness To Strangers 1, Adaptability 1, Good With Other Dogs 1, Watchdog/Protective Nature 3. FCI: extremely faithful to his master, a one-man dog, not fond of other animals, especially males. UKC: aloof and suspicious toward strangers, watchful of other dogs and may react aggressively to intruding dogs on its own territory; highly intelligent but independent. Showsight: should not be dog aggressive on neutral territory when properly socialized.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands, not measured. FCI/UKC and Showsight differ on dog-to-dog behaviour; both stand.

Grooming load

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming

AKC breed page: Coat Grooming Frequency 3 of 5, Shedding Level 3, Drooling Level 1. UKC: fastidious, keeps its coat extremely clean; puppies housebreak with little training.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 334 utilization: hunting dog; a medium-sized dog used for hunting and guarding with a very strong instinct for hunting. UKC: served as hunting and guard dogs in Korea; an enthusiastic hunter. AKC page: valued as independent hunters, discerning guardians and loyal companions. Wikipedia: traditionally used by Jindo Island inhabitants to hunt game animals including water deer and wild boar; now mostly a companion and guard dog. Showsight: on the island the dogs hunted for their own food and sometimes their owner's; lines were taken to the peninsula and used by nobles and hunters on big game.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2004

Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Primary game

UKC: follows cold trails of rabbit, raccoon and badger; in packs can hunt even wild boar and roe deer. Wikipedia: water deer and wild boar. Showsight: on the Korean peninsula, big game including Amur leopard, tiger, wolf, bear and wild boar, the quarry being finished by the hunter's arrow or spear (no big predator lives on Jindo Island itself).

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

UKC, Wikipedia and Showsight disagree on scale of game (small game and cold trails against peninsula big game); both stand. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Search pattern

UKC: follows cold trails; hunts wild boar and roe deer in packs. FCI: bold, brave, alert and careful, 'not tempted easily and impetuous'; a good sense of direction; a one-man dog; not fond of other animals, especially males. Showsight: dogs roamed freely and travelled long distances or several days on the island, with a natural homing ability; the quarry on the peninsula was finished off by the human hunter. Wikipedia: a strong prey drive; a search-dog handler judged the hunting instinct too strong for rescue work.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

No source read describes voice (bay or silent) on the line. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Field trial standard

FCI 334: without working trial. UKC: honorable scars from hunting are not penalized. No hunting test standard was read.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2004

Cold water

3 of 5 · Double coat of medium length; island and peninsula hunting. No source describes water work.

DerivedFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2004

Derived from the coat. No measured data.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 1; Good With Other Dogs 1; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 3; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 3; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 1.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 3 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Jindo, Korean Jindo, Jindo-kae, Jindo-gyeon, Jindotgae

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