Korean Jindo

About the Korean Jindo

The Korean Jindo comes from the island of Jindo off the south-west coast of Korea, where it was isolated for centuries and hunted deer, badger and boar, often in small groups and often without a handler present. It is designated a national treasure in Korea, and taking dogs off the island has long been restricted.

Dogs stand about 50 to 55 cm, square and hard-conditioned, with a harsh double coat, prick ears and a tail carried curled or sickle over the back, in white, red fawn, black, black and tan, wolf grey or brindle. The Jindo is famous for attaching itself to one person and for finding its way home over long distances. A stud should be sound and confident, and a dog that cannot be handled by a stranger is a poor prospect at stud.

There are few of these dogs in Britain and no long list of breed-specific tests. Hip and elbow scoring, a patella assessment and an eye examination are the reasonable requests. Ask about thyroid function, which is worth checking in the northern breeds, and about skin and coat problems. Because the founding population is small and geographically restricted, ask how the pedigree is documented and how closely related the proposed pair are.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.