Common Questions
The following are common questions that have been asked at public education events and Meet The Breeds.
Q: Do they shed?
A: Yes. Jindos are a double-coated breed and they shed their coats twice a year on average.
Q: How are they with cats?
A: A Jindo may come to accept the family cat in the household, especially when raised as a pup, but a new cat or the neighbor's cat is another story.
Q: How are they with other dogs?
A: Although there are exceptions due to the personality of the individual dogs, opposite sex pairings are safest within the home.
A: On neutral territory, a properly socialized, stable Jindo is content to ignore other dogs that do not invade their personal space or challenge them. A fearful or insecure Jindo may resort to "a best defense is an offense", though.
Q: Are they good with kids?
A: It depends on whether the kids are good with dogs, and if they have been taught to respect a dog's space when it walks away. Visiting kids are also another matter.
A: They are not Golden Retrievers.
Q: How are they off-leash?
A: Due to the breed's history of being an independent hunter, their recalls tend to not be good. It is not rebellion so as much as them thinking, "You don't know that you want this squirrel yet. I'll get it for you."
A: Also, this question tends to be paired with dog parks. Jindos are not good dog park dogs as they tend to get offended by rude behavior from other dogs. They escalate quickly and with intent. If looking for a breed that you can socialize with at dog parks, this is not a suitable breed.
Q: How are they in apartments?
A: An adult Jindo usually has very good house manners, and as long as they receive mental stimulation and physical exercise outside of the apartment, most will adapt. However, due to the guarding nature of the Jindo, they may alert to passerbys if the apartment is not sound-proof.
Q: How long do they live?
A: 14 years is considered the breed average.
Q: Are these the dogs that don't bark?
A: No, Jindos do bark. They are not recreational barkers though, and so when they do bark, a person should get up and investigate the cause.
A: No. The other breed that you are thinking of are the African Basenjis, and that breed is not soundless. Instead of barks, Basenjis make chortles and other sounds.
Q: Are these related to the Japanese Shibas?
A: Research in the 1990's led to the conclusion that one of the people migration groups that moved into Japan passed through the Korean peninsula and brought along with them Korean dogs. Later on, a second people migration group that traveled from the south brought a different wave of dogs into Japan. The two sources of dogs developed into the present day native Japanese breeds.
Q: Is this the breed that they eat in Korea?
A: Historically, the Jindo was not the breed raised for consumption in Korea. The Jindo was valued for being an extremely intelligent hunting dog. It was a different spitz dog referred to as Nureongi (누렁이) that was reared and consumed by a small portion of the population.
However, the situation in Korea is changing. Before, Koreans would say, "Why would I want to own a dog?", but now the attitude has changed to "Maybe I'll try owning a dog." The result is not only the increase of pet ownership of all types of breeds but also an increase in owner-surrenders. The disposable pet attitude that afflicts first-world countries like the U.S. is also present in Korea. Unlike the U.S. though, where there are municipal shelters in every city and private rescue groups, there are less options for unwanted dogs in Korea. This is why one will see mastiffs, golden retrievers, toy breeds, huskies, as well as native spitz-types in the meat markets.
Q; Is it illegal to export a Jindo puppy out of Korea?
A: No, it is not illegal to export a Jindo puppy out of Korea. The Jindos located on the mainland of Korea are not under any protection regulations and may be exported. ie. International airline travel paperwork freely denote "Jindo" for a dog's breed.
A: Jindos within Jindo island require a transport/export document from the county to be moved off the island and out of the jurisdiction of the protection regulations.
A: The U.S. Center for Disease control recently updated their list of high-risk rabies countries on Dec. 18, 2018. South Korea is no longer listed as a high-risk rabies country by the U.S. Center for Disease Control, and so the youngest a personally-owned pup can be shipped is determined by airline rules rather than the U.S. CDC.
A: Rescue puppies who will be put up for adoption in the U.S. are still covered under APHIS and must be 6 months of age before import into the U.S. That means they must be vaccinated for rabies and stay in Korea for an additional 30 days before being shipped to the U.S.
