Taiwan Dog


The Taiwan Dog is a breed of small or medium dog indigenous to Taiwan. These dogs are also known as the Formosan Mountain Dog.
Taiwan Dogs have been genetically traced back between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, making them one of the oldest and most primitive dog breeds in the world.
They are well-adapted to the uneven and thickly forested terrain of Taiwan, having become a semi-wild breed prior to the arrival of several colonial reigns and foreign powers. Notwithstanding these adaptations, Formosans retained the potential to be trained and are now used as hunting dogs, guard dogs, stunt dogs, rescue dogs, or simply as companions. Formosans are classified into one medium type and two small types.

Appearance

There are two small types of the Formosan Mountain Dog; one is about tall at the shoulder and the other is around. However, the latter one was not found during the research conducted by Dr. Sung Yung-yi in 1976. The medium type of the Formosan Mountain Dog has a shoulder height under, with a firm and fit body, slim waist, big chest and half-covered ears. The most common type of these three in recent years is the medium-sized dog. Its color can range from black to earthy yellow or yellowish-brown and the nose is black. Black coating on the tongue is one of the most distinguished traits of the Formosan Mountain Dog.
Dr. Sung of the National Taiwan University and Mr. Ming Jie, Xu of the Formosan Dog & Guard Dogs Breeding Center described a typical Formosan as having almond eyes, firm jaw strength, black coating on the tongue, a triangular face, thin prick ears and a sickle tail. The tail is upright or curved with a thick fur coat, but the belly is hairless; the tail is used to warm the belly and may even be long enough to protect the snout from insects. The dog is also well known for being well-balanced.

Movement

Formosan dogs are particularly agile; they are known for their hopping skill, especially when they are hunting small animals, such as rats. When they are startled or trying to intimidate their target, they will hop sideways back and forth. Unlike Rottweilers and German Shepherds, Formosan dogs do not hold their bite on their target. This habit is adopted and may be traced back to early boar hunting. Taiwanese aborigines used five to six Formosan dogs to circle a wild boar and each dog would work to wound the boar. They would release their bite once they had attacked it and wait for the next attack again and again until the boar was exhausted enough for their master to move in for the final kill.

FCI Standard

  • Proportions
  • * Depth of chest:height at withers = 4.5:10 to 4.7:10
  • * Height at withers:length of body = 10:10.5, females can be slightly longer.
  • * Length of muzzle:length of skull = 4.5:5.5.
  • Size & weight
  • * Height: Dogs: :
  • * Weight: Dogs: :
  • Head
  • * Cranial Region:
  • * Forehead: Broad and roundish, without wrinkles.
  • * Skull: The skull is slightly longer than the muzzle.
  • * Stop: Well defined with a slight furrow.
  • Facial Region :
  • * Nose: Moderate size. Wide nostrils. Black in color, but can be slightly lighter in all colors except for the ones with black fur.
  • * Muzzle: Flat nasal bridge. Tight lips, without flews. The muzzle tapers a little from the base to the nose, but it is not pointed at the tip.
  • * Jaws/teeth: Jaws are strong. Scissors bite, teeth are set square to the jaws.
  • * Cheeks: Well developed and slightly protruding.
  • * Eyes: Almond in shape. Dark brown in colour. Brown is also acceptable, but yellow or light eyes should be avoided.
  • * Ears: Pricked, set on sides of the skull at an angle of 45 degrees. Inside of the outline is straight, while outside of the outline is slightly rounded.
  • Neck: Muscular, strong, good length, slightly arched. Without dewlap.
  • Body:
  • * General: Sinewy and muscular, nearly square in shape.
  • * Back: Straight and short. Withers well developed.
  • * Loin: Firmly muscled.
  • * Croup: Broad. Flat or very slightly sloping and short.
  • * Chest: Fairly deep yet not reaching the elbow. Forechest slightly protruding. Ribs are well sprung.
  • * Belly: Well tucked up.
  • Tail: In the shape of a sickle, set on high, carried erect, active, with the tip curving forward.
  • Limbs:
  • Forequarters:
  • * Shoulders: Well muscled. Shoulder blades are laid back. They should meet the upper arms at an angle of 105-110 degrees.
  • * Elbows: Close to the body.
  • * Forearms: Straight and parallel to each other.
  • * Metacarpus : Firm.
  • Hindquarters: Hindlegs should be slender, with good bone, well muscled and parallel to each other. The rear angulation should be in balance to the front.
  • * Upper thighs: Broad, sloping and well bent at the stifle.
  • * Lower thighs: Should be in balance with upper thighs.
  • * Metatarsus : Perpendicular to the ground.
  • Feet turning neither in nor out. Pads are firm and thick. Nails are black in colour, but lighter colors are acceptable in all colors except for those with black coats.
  • Gait/movement: Powerful gait with reaching stride. Agile enough to easily turn 180 degrees quickly.
  • Coat/hair: Short and hard, lying tight to the body. Length is between.
  • Color: Black, brindle, fawn, white, white and black, white and fawn, white and brindle.

    Temperament and behaviour

The Formosan is a high energy, loyal, affectionate and intelligent breed that learns very quickly. In unfamiliar situations, they tend to be wary of strangers and sounds, and they can become fear-aggressive. In new situations where the dog is fear-aggressive, it can take a few days before the dog will calm down.
If comfortable and well-trained, the Formosan will be friendly to people and other animals, though they tend to be a bit aloof or suspicious of strangers once they have bonded with their owner. When kept as a family pet, they often form a strong bond with one member of the family and may act stand-offish toward other family members, leading some to describe them as one-person dogs. Once bonded, they are extremely loyal and affectionate to their owners.
Due to the breed's alertness, these dogs can make good guard dogs; if not well-trained, the Formosan can become overly protective and aggressive toward strangers.

History

Four catastrophes

There are four catastrophic events described by Dr. Sung Yung-yi that have been critical in the development of the Formosan Mountain Dog: the Dutch settlement of Formosa, the Japanese rule, World War II and the Kuomintang Era.

The Dutch settlement

In 1624, the Dutch established a commercial base at Tayoan, the colonial capital. After the Dutch made Taiwan a colony, they began to import workers from Fujian and Penghu as laborers, many of whom settled there.
The Dutch military presence was concentrated at a stronghold called Castle Zeelandia. The Dutch colonists imported a hunting dog to Taiwan and started to hunt the native Formosan sika deer that inhabited Taiwan. The Dutch East India Company established a trading post whose main business was the export of sika skins to Europe. During the six decades of Dutch activity 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 sika skins were exported to Japan and China, contributing to the eventual extinction of the subspecies on the island. The "Flying Dog" was thought to be a Greyhound or an English Pointer.
Exporting was reduced when the Dutch were forced out of Taiwan in 1684, but continued throughout the Qing period with a switch to Japan as the major export market.
During the settlement, the Dutch hunting dogs started to crossbreed with the Formosan Mountain Dogs; this was the first time that foreign breeds had influenced the Formosan Mountain Dog. Furthermore, the Dutch prohibited native tribes from owning dogs, slaughtering large numbers of the indigenous dogs.

The Japanese rule

The Qing Empire was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95. When the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed on April 17, 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan, which sought to transform Taiwan into the supply-end of an extremely unequal flow of assets. The Japanese made efforts to exert full control over the aborigines, the first time this had ever been carried out. The means of accomplishing this goal took three main forms: anthropological study of the natives of Taiwan, attempts to reshape the aborigines in the mould of the Japanese culture, and military suppression. During Japanese occupation, Taiwanese aborigines were under repressive rule and the Formosan Mountain Dogs were intensively crossbred with Japanese dogs, due to the Japanese government relocating many remote high-mountain villages closer to administrative control. Furthermore, Japanese immigrants massively explored the east coast, currently called Hualien and Taitung Counties. The east coast expeditions further provided a chance of crossbreeding Japanese dogs with the Formosans.
File:Aboriginal with formosan dog.jpg|thumb|left |upright |From a collection of National Geographic photos ca. 1939, taken by Japanese photographer Katsuyama with the Saisiyat people.

World War II

At the end of World War II, for military purposes and preventing the U.S. Army from landing on the east coast of Taiwan, Japan started to build the Central and Southern Cross-Island Highway. During the construction, there were military dogs traveling with the highway workers, German Shepherds. This led to crossbreeding between the Formosans and the military dogs. If it were not for these strategic constructions, the Formosans may have had a chance to preserve their bloodline high in the mountains. Furthermore, during this period, there was evidence showing that the Japanese military launched a massacre to reduce the population of the Formosan Mountain Dog. However, the true reason for this may never be known.
Dr. Sung Yung-yi told a New Taiwan journalist: "Formosan dogs are very smart and agile, but they are more primitive animal, and do not want to be caged. For example, during birth period, they will find a cave and usually will not return until few months later with their puppies. Another example will be the masters do not need to provide a lot of foods for them, they have the habit of finding their own foods. These were the reason Formosan was called the "barbarian dog," by Japanese. Using sanitation as an excuse, Japanese military launched a large-scale massacre of Formosan to reduce the local dog population."
During the time when the Japanese military was building the Central and Southern Cross-Island Highway, they were constantly encountered by the aborigines. The aborigines launched numerous assaults to the Japanese military bases. During the assaults, Formosan dogs also gathered and hunted down Japanese military dogs, leaving a bloody scene in the morning. For revenge, the Japanese military killed every Formosan dog they saw to reduce the population.