Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bramble]

[Dude Ranch]

from the Korean Jindo Dog wikipedia page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Jindo_Dog

[Steelrails]

[Bramble]

[cdninkorea]

Frankly, I don't see why people are saying that Koreans freaking out about a big dog should stop anyone from getting one; who cares?! As long as the dog isn't actually violent, why should it really matter that people may get scared? Don't take them anywhere that dogs aren't allowed and don't let yourself get told to leave if you take them anyplace dogs are allowed just because some are irrationally afraid.

[Pluto]

@Bramble. Thanks for recommending the Jindos. �Son Muuuuuuuuuuuuy Preciosos! Sin embargo, I'm thinking of getting a Doberman. Are they common in Korea? After all there would be no need to dial 119. And then there is this photo...

[earthbound14]

I love dogs, big or small.

I don't get wrapped up in what dog fits my personality...it's an animal. I hate the idea that people choose a dog based on style (breeding).

I only take mutts, I find em and will never buy an animal. Buying a dog to fit my life seems way too f---d up I don't think this means you will find a dog you actually like.

If I have the space and the desire and I find a dog needing a home (one that has a good personality...it's all about personality, whether you buy it or find it) then I'm all for it. If I had a farm I'd have a few dogs.

My current dog is a little mutt found in the trash. She's great, she's been a real sweet dog from day 1 and great in the house.

My favourite dog was my horrible neighbour's German Shepherd. Really smart animal, really nice, really sociable but terribly mean owners. This dog was so smart he knew how to open our front door and would always come over to visit. If I saw him running around town, I just had to tell him to hop in the back of the truck and he'd ride around all day with me. When we went riding, he'd come running over to do some trails with us. Very cool animal.

Another dog named Wizard (no idea what breed...Lab Collie cross I think) was super cool. A ski patroling dog at our ski resort who would run down the hill at mach 10 then ride the lifts by himself.

Whatever dog it is, it's all up to the personality of that individual dog, you can't program them from birth (you can train them but you can't change who they are). Get a dog you bond with, mutts usually seem to be the smartest and easy going, but dogs like Collies and German Shepherds are awesome if you have the room. They deserve it. Otherwise, little mutts like mixed terriers are pretty good around the house. Lhasa Apsos are suprisingly nice dogs despite the flat faces (really loyal dog).

[pr1ncejeffie]

I used to have a Shar Pei. Those dogs are really loyal. Sleeps on my feet when I'm on the computer, can literally hear me down a NYC block and waits for me on the balcony. Gets really angry with strangers and usually takes time for Shar Pei to get to know you.

I miss lucy

[Bramble]

Yes, the individual dog is what's important, of course. Many of the Jindos at the Asan shelter probably aren't purebreds, but I'm sure some of them are. I feel bad for the Jindos because they've been at the shelter for so long, and I wanted to let people know what wonderful angels they are. But if some other dog is a better match for you, you can definitely find your perfect friend at a pound or shelter somewhere in Korea. There's never any reason to go to a breeder or pet store.

Regarding toy breeds, they're definitely more likely to be tolerated in places where dogs "officially" aren't allowed. Bangsiri sits with me in coffee shops and helps me do my grocery shopping ... that definitely wouldn't fly in Canada. Most people on the street say she's cute and pretty, and sometimes they ask about her age/breed ... A lot of Koreans love Jindos, but they're definitely not as portable as smaller dogs and that's something to think about.

Regarding irrational fears: I wouldn't be happy if someone let their pet tarantula crawl all over me. I feel (a little) bad for the people Bangsiri scares, but she can't help being a scary little dog.

[cdninkorea]

[T-dot]

[Bramble]

[mlh]

T-dot has a good point about adopting Jindos. When I adopted mine from Asan I didn't really understand what I was getting into. He also had some aggression issues that I wasn't fully aware of when I adopted him and there have been some challenges with that. 99% of the time he ignores other people but sometimes something will set him off (generally I think its men that smell of alcohol).

His problem isn't that bad but he is nervous around strangers and so its not cool when the occassional Korean is bold enough (generally children) to attempt to pet him without asking my permission. We did have one incident when he did jump on a woman (my fault he wasn't ready for loose leash walking) and while he didn't harm her she got the police involved and I had to pay her 100,000 Won for "psychological pain". So since then he's on a much shorter leash and we've changed our walking times to try and avoid as many people as possible. I've also worked really hard to step up my efforts on training him.

Anyways on my quest to better train my dog I've been looking for info on Jindos and its hard to find stuff in English. I've read that most of the info is in Korean so its difficult to find things out about Jindos specifically. They are similar to Akitas and other asian breeds. www.dogster.com is a good resource for information about all kinds of different breeds but there are a couple of Jindo groups that aren't very active but information is shared. There are also some groups on Yahoo and Jindo rescues in the States that can be contacted for more information.

I think the big challenge with Jindos is they're a hunting breed so they have very strong prey drives and all the stuff I've read pretty much says they can't be let off their leash, its just too dangerous. This can also be a problem when walking a Jindo because of the pulling and if you adopt an older one it can be difficult to fix.

They're also very independent and stubborn. Initially I found my dog a bit tricky to train but I ordered this book, "When Pigs Fly! Training Success With Impossible Dogs," and its about behavior shaping and clicker training and it has been amazingly helpful with my dog and he's doing ten times better since we've started with this.

But always when you rescue a dog from a shelter you should consider the problems that come with not knowing a dog's background. Especially here in Korea larger breeds like Jindos often live their lives chained up so if they're older odds are they weren't very well socialized as puppies which can lead to problem behavior in adulthood which might be difficult to correct.

I'm really glad I got my dog but I just don't think I really realized how much work it would take. But that said the payoff has been huge. He's much happier and healthier now and so am I. I think I've lost 10kg alone just from all the walking we do together.

[T-dot]

I used to to teach a dog breeder (trained military dogs and even went on Tv a few times) and my GF's family has been raising jindo's and poongsans their entire lives.

So, I picked up a fair bit of knowledge about the breed and how they were traditionally trained.

I probably would never put my dog off leash in a public area. Jindos tend to roam and not walk by your side, although they will always be near. If you chase them, they run further away (they think of it as a game). Jindos tend to also pull hard on their leash, so it can be a struggle if you're a little weak.

Jindos can be VERY affectionate if raised right. Mine has a habit of approaching everyone and jumping on them in order to lick their face (doesnt go over too well with non dog lovers). Loyal as any friend can be.

I can try to answer some Jindo related stuff, but dont claim to be an authority on the breed.


The only real problem Ive ever had with my jindo is the constant shedding.

[Bramble]

Thanks again for the good information. It helps.