Korean Jindo Dog puppies

About the Korean Jindo Dog

The Jindo comes from Jindo island off the south coast of Korea, where it hunted more or less independently and earned a reputation for finding its way home over long distances. It is a medium spitz of 13.6 to 22.7 kg and 43 to 56 cm, with a weatherproof medium double coat, and it is long lived at 14 to 15 years. Jindos are famously fastidious, easy to house train and nearly odourless. They attach hard to one household and rate at the bottom of the scale for tolerating other animals.

Exercise is a long daily walk plus a job, and the breed does well at lure coursing, agility and scent work. Grooming is weekly brushing with a slicker or pin brush, plus a month of vacuuming when the undercoat comes out. Fencing has to be high and dig proof, because a bored Jindo will leave. Recall is not reliable enough for off lead work in open ground. Ratings with children are middling, so supervise and socialise. Owners most often underestimate the prey drive and bring home a cat or a small second pet.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Korean Jindo Dog puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hypothyroidism, screened by a thyroid blood panel
• Discoid lupus, diagnosed by a vet from a skin biopsy
• Hip dysplasia, screened by x-ray evaluation, though systematic testing in the breed is recent
• Inherited eye disease, screened by an ophthalmologist examination

From Korean Jindo Dog breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/korean-jindo-dog/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Your Korean Jindo Dog puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Korean Jindo Dog.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 13.6 to 22.7 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Other medium breeds

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