JINDO

Official U.K.C. Breed Standard*

Northern Breeds Group
  © Copyright 1998, United Kennel Club, Inc.

HISTORY

t is believed that the Jindo resulted from crosses between indigenous Korean dogs and dogs brought by the Mongols during their 13th century invasion of Korea. The Korean King surrendered but some of his armies withdrew to Jindo Island, off the southern coast of Korea, where they continued to fight. The soldiers' dogs ended up isolated on Jindo Island, where they developed a very pure strain. Jindos served both as hunting and guard dogs in Korea. In 1938, the Korean government designated the Jindo as a National Treasure. Jindos marched in the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.

The United Kennel Club recognized the Jindo on January 1, 1998.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The Jindo is a medium-sized, sturdily-built, Spitz-type dog, with an octagonal-shaped head, prick ears, and a harsh, straight coat of medium length. The body is either square or slightly longer than tall. The tail is thick and may be loosely curled over the back or carried over the back in a sickle position. Gender differences in this breed are very apparent. Typically, males are larger with heavier heads while females have more fox-like heads. The appearance of the Jindo gives the impression of intelligence, strength, and agility.

The breed is presented in a completely natural condition. Honorable scars or other evidences of injury resulting from hunting are not to be penalized.

CHARACTERISTICS

The Jindo is an enthusiastic hunter, able to follow cold trails of rabbit, raccoon, and badger. In packs, Jindo can hunt even wild boars and roe deer. Jindos are renowned for their loyalty to family members and their attachment to their home. Jindos have often been known to travel long distances to return to their original owner. The Jindo has a fastidious nature and puppies are housebroken with little training. Jindos also keep their coats extremely clean. Jindos are, by nature, watchful of other dogs and may, on their own territory, react aggressively to intruding dogs. Jindos are highly intelligent but because of their independent nature, respond best to positive reinforcement training, and preferably from their owner. While the Jindo is devoted to its owner, they are aloof and suspicious toward strangers.

HEAD

Viewed from the front, the Jindo head appears octagonal. The octagonal shape is formed by a slightly curved line between the ears; a line sloping downward and outward from the inside corner of the ear to the outside corner of the ear; a slightly curved line downward from the outside corner of the ear around the stiff hair that stands out from the cheek; a line sloping downward and inward from the bottom of the cheek hair to the corner of the muzzle; a short, horizontal line across the bottom of the muzzle; and three corresponding lines around the other side of the face. The female head is proportionally finer and more fox-like than the male head. The head is free of wrinkles.

SKULL
The skull is slightly domed and broad between the ears. The stop is moderately defined. The cheeks are well developed and appear broader than they are because of the stiff hair that stands out from the cheek.
Faults: Skull too flat; skull too narrow; short hair on the cheeks.

MUZZLE
Viewed from the side, the muzzle is shorter than the skull. The topline of the muzzle is straight and roughly parallel to the top of the skull. Viewed from the front, the muzzle looks more round than angular and tapers smoothly to a point from the stop to the nose. Lips are black and tight. The tongue is large and deep pink without any spots.
Faults: Muzzle too long or too angular; pinpoint-sized spots of black or blue color on the tongue.
Disqualification: Spots of black or blue color on the tongue any larger than a pinpoint.

TEETH
The Jindo has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth with a scissors bite.
Faults: Over or undershot bite; missing teeth.

NOSE
Nose color is black except that a pink nose is acceptable on a white dog. Nostrils are large and open.
Disqualifications: Butterfly nose; complete lack of pigmentation on nose.

EYES
Shape of the eyes is very important to establish correct Jindo expression. The eyes are small, almond-shaped, and set obliquely. Eye color may range from dark reddish brown to dark brown. Expression is intelligent and keen. Eye rims are tight and solidly colored black.
Disqualifications: Long narrow eyes; outer corner of the eye turned downward.

EARS
Ears are strongly erect, small, triangular in shape, and set at the outer edge of the skull, but not too low. The ears are slightly rounded at the tips. Viewed from the side, the back line of the ear inclines slightly forward from the base to the tip in line with the back of the neck. Fine hair inside the ears is preferred.
Faults: Lack of hair inside the ears; long, narrow ears; big ears.

NECK

The neck is thick, short, and muscular with little or no throatiness. When walking and standing, the neck is normally carried low.

FOREQUARTERS

The shoulders are moderately laid back, with moderate angulation and well-developed muscles. The forelegs are straight and muscular, with heavy bone and strong, moderately short, slightly sloping pasterns. The shoulder blade and the upper arm are roughly equal in length. The upper arm lies close to the ribs but is still very mobile, with the elbow moving close to the body.
Faults: Down in pasterns.

BODY

Traditionally, the Jindo was divided into two body types:

Tonggol or Gyupgae style: This type was very muscular, shorter in body (10:10), with a depth of chest equal to one-half the height at the withers and a shorter loin.

Hudu or Heutgae style: This type was more slender with somewhat less depth of chest and a slightly longer loin, resulting in a height to length ratio of 10:11.

These two types are gradually blending into a third type called Gakgol style which retains the length of body of the Hudu style and the depth of chest of the Tonggol style. The topline inclines very slightly downward from well-developed withers to a strong back with a slight but definite arch over the loin, which blends into a slightly sloping croup. The ribs are moderately sprung out from the spine, then curving down and inward to form a body that would be nearly oval if viewed in cross-section. The loin is muscular but narrower than the rib cage and with a moderate tuck-up. The chest is deep and moderately broad. When viewed from the side, the lowest point of the chest is immediately behind the elbow. The forechest should extend in a shallow oval shape in front of the forelegs but the sternum should not be excessively pointed.

HINDQUARTERS

The thighs are very muscular but the muscles are long and well-defined, more like those of a marathon runner than a weight lifter. The rear legs are moderately well angulated at stifle and hock joints. The upper thigh is long and the lower thigh is short. The hocks are tough, elastic, and well let down. Viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns should be parallel to each other; from the side, they should be perpendicular to the ground. When standing normally, the rear legs are spaced moderately apart and positioned so that a line dropped from the point of buttocks to the ground would run down the back of the rear pasterns.

FEET

The feet are of medium size, round in shape, with thick, strong pads. Nails are hard and may be black, cream or gray. Front and rear dewclaws may be removed.

TAIL

The tail is thick and strong and set on at the end of the topline. The tail should be at least long enough to reach to the hock joint. The tail may be loosely curled over the back or carried over the back in a sickle position. The hair on the underside of the tail is thick, stiff, abundant, and twice as long as the coat on the shoulders, which causes the hair to fan outward when the tail is up.
Serious faults: Tail too thin; tail too short.
Disqualification: Tail curled tightly on top of the back.

COAT

The Jindo has a double coat of medium length. The outer coat is harsh, straight, and stands somewhat away from the body, particularly in the neck and shoulder area. The undercoat is soft, very dense, and shorter than the outer coat. The outer coat on the shoulders is twice as long as the body coat and the hair on the tail is twice as long as the coat on the shoulders. The hairs on the cheek stand out to give the Jindo its characteristic octagonal-shaped face.
Serious faults: Short outer coat; soft outer coat; absence of undercoat.

COLOR

Jindos come in five colors:

White-This color is actually an off-white or ivory shade with tan or light brown around the tips of the ears, the back of the hind legs, and the tip of the tail. Some whites may have a subtle tan stripe running from the head, down the topline, to the tail.

Fawn-The color of well-ripened wheat with stiff black hair on the edge and back of the ears.

Gray-This coat looks gray from a distance but is actually made up of individual white, black, and fawn colored hairs.

Black and tan-Black head and upper body with tan on the muzzle, belly, and paws, and an eye-shaped tan spot over each eye.

Brindle-Also known as "Tiger" pattern. Thin, dark brown or black stripes like a tiger's on a fawn base. These stripes appear at an early age.

Disqualification: Pure or snow white; any color other than the approved colors.

HEIGHT & WEIGHT

Desirable height at maturity, measured at the withers, ranges from 19 1/2 to 21 inches for males and 18 1/2 to 20 inches for females. Weight should be in proportion to the height, giving a well-muscled, lean appearance without being too light or too heavy. The average weight for a male Jindo in good condition is 35 to 45 pounds; for a female, 30 to 40 pounds

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GAIT

The Jindo moves with strides of moderate length. It is a quick, light, elastic trot which enables the Jindo to travel quickly over any terrain. Correct movement is essential in this breed. The forelegs and hind legs are carried straight forward, with neither elbows nor stifles turned in or out. While the dog is gaiting, the topline remains firm and appears level. At a normal walking speed, the Jindo tends to lower its head.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness, marked shyness or cowardliness. Spots of black or blue color on the tongue any larger than a pinpoint. Butterfly nose. Complete lack of pigmentation on nose. Long narrow eyes. Outer corner of the eye turned downward. Tail curled tightly on top of the back. Pure or snow white color. Any color other than the approved colors.

* NOTE: This information has been contributed by, and is property of The United Kennel Club, Inc. and is gratefully used here with permission.

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