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The Formosan Mountain Dog, commonly referred to as simply Formosan, and also known as Taiwanese Dog/Canis (traditional Chinese) or Taiwanese Native Dog (traditional Chines) is a breed of dog indigenous to Taiwan. 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, as guard dogs, as stunt dogs, rescue dogs, or simply as companions. Formosans are classified into one medium type and two small types
Description
Appearance
There are two small types, one is about 40cm shoulder height, the other is around 30cm. However, the later one was not found during the research in 1976. The medium type has the shoulder height under 50cm, with firm and fit body , slim waist, big chest, and half covered ears. The most common one right now is medium-sized dog. Its color range from black, earthly yellow to yellowish brown, and the nose is black.
A typical Formosan has almond eyes, firm jaw strength, black coating on the tongue, and triangular face, thin prick ears, and sickle tail. The tail is upright or curved with a thick 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 its well-balanced. According to Chen, there is no shortage of stray dogs in Taiwan that could be mistaken for a pureblood Formosan, but purebloods tend to have a strong sense of direction, smell, sight, and hearing.
Temperament and behaviour
Extremely faithful to its master, keen in sense, alert in movement, bold and fearless. Works extremely well in group hunting. Many owners of this dog mentioned that it is very difficult for strangers to get close to the dog once the dog has establish a relationship with its owner. Only the owner can pat on the dog, and Formosan is very loyal and protective to its owner.
Standard
• Proportions
o Depth of chest : Height at the withers = 4.5 – 4.7 : 10.
o Height at withers : Length of body = 10 : 10.5. Bitches are allowed to be slightly longer.
o Length of muzzle : Length of skull = 4.5 : 5.5.
• Size & WeightT :
o Height : Dogs : 48 cm - 52 cm. Bitches : 43 cm - 47 cm.
o Weight : Dogs : 14 kg to 18 kg. Bitches : 12 kg to 16 kg.
• Head
o Cranial Region :
o Forehead : Broad and roundish, without wrinkle.
o Skull : The skull is slightly longer than the muzzle.
o Stop : Well defined with a slight furrow.
• Facial Region :
o Nose : Moderate size. Nostrils wide. Black in colour, but can be slightly lighter in all colours except for the blacks.
o Muzzle : Nasal bridge flat. Lips tight, without flews. The muzzle tapers a little from base to nose, but is not pointed at the tip.
o Jaws/Teeth : Jaws are strong. Scissors bite, teeth are set square to the jaws.
o Cheeks : Well developed and slightly protruding.
o Eyes : Almond in shape. Dark brown in colour. Brown is also acceptable, but yellow or light eyes should be avoided.
o 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 :
o General : Sinewy and muscular, nearly square in shape.
o Back : Straight and short. Withers well developed.
o Loin : Firmly muscled.
o Croup : Broad. Flat or very slightly sloping and short.
o Chest : Fairly deep yet not reaching the elbow. Forechest slightly protruding. Ribs are well sprung.
o Belly : Well tucked up.
• Tail : In the shape of a sickle, set on high, carried erect, active, with the tip curving forward.
• Limbs :
• Forequarters :
o Shoulders : Well muscled. Shoulder blades are laid back. They should meet the upper arms at an angle of 105-110 degrees.
o Elbows : Close to the body.
o Forearms : Straight and parallel to each other
o Metacarpus (Pasterns) : 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.
o Upper thighs : Broad, sloping and well bent at the stifle.
o Lower thighs : Should be in balance with upper thighs.
o Metatarsus (Rear pastern) : Perpendicular to the ground.
• Feet Turning neither in nor out. Pads are firm and thick. Nails are black in colour, but lighter colours are acceptable in all colours except for the blacks.
• 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 1.5 to 3 cm.
• Colour : Black, brindle, fawn, white, white and black, white and fawn, white and brindle.
Threat
Breeding Problems
Originally kept by aboriginal Taiwanese as hunting dogs, but now purebred Formosans are extremely rare and valuable. Since pure Formosans are extremely rare, dog mates with its siblings, thus increase the risk of having genetic disorder and unstable behavior. For this reason, outcross occurred very often since the lack of pure female with steady trait, and it is one of the major reasons modern Formosan dogs looks different compare to old photos or documents in the early days. Some insist it is a natural change which doesn't affect the whole theme while others are eager to preserve the indigenous types and its bloodline.
Crossbreeding with other dogs
Crossbreeding with pet and feral domestic dogs is currently thought to be the Formosan's greatest threat for survival.
Study
Taiwan Dogs are originally native Taiwanese dogs, descendants of the South Asian hunting dogs called “Pariah dog” which ancient local inhabitants used to live with in the central mountainous districts. This breed was the loyal companion of the ancient hunter in the wildforest. In 1980, a cooperative study was carried out by the National Taiwan University, Japanese Gifu University, and Nagoya University Scholars on the subject of native Taiwan dogs, by visiting twenty-nine tribes of local inhabitants. As a result, it was confirmed that the present Taiwan Dog is a descendant of the South Asian hunting dogs. This breed is now popular all across the island as a watch and companion dog.
Of the 46 purebloods that Dr.Yung yi Sung found during 1976-1980, blood tests showed that they were related to dogs found in Southern Japan and that they were descendants of the South Asian Hunting Dog. Little of these known outside of Taiwan, Formosans are recognized with a pedigree from the Taiwan Kennel Club and the International Canine Organization.
Current
Conservation status
Since 1976, many Taiwanese ecologists had tried to convince Taiwanese government to take action on forming a Formosan Research Team to help and to preserve pure indigenous Formosan. Potentially replicate the Dingo's model from Australia to protect Formosan. The most notable action took was by ecologist Dr.Yung yi Sung (???), in 1983, he spoke in an Formosan Sika Deer Conference and request Taiwanese government to take immediate action in protecting Formosan Dogs. This bold request by Dr. Sung was because he and his colleagues had difficulties in finding pureblood Formosan Mountain Dogs during during the study, 1976-1980. In order to find enough population for the study he located 29 Taiwanese aboriginal villages in the mountain ranges and initiated a mass search. Nevertheless, only 46 out of 160 Formosan Mountain Dogs he found had an A rank purity. Out of these 46 Formosans, 25 were dogs and 21 were bitches. This number alerted the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation as the animal is close to extinction.
Till now, Taiwanese government still have not taken any action in protecting these indigenous Formosan Dogs.
Breeding
Most of the foundation stock owners and breeders are hesitate to make public appearances. They stayed behind the theme and sell only males of their bloodlines to those who has Formosan dog kennels and attends local dog shows.
The most well-known and high profile breeder is Ming Nan, Chen. Like many who born in the 50's, Chen owned a Formosan as a child. In the 1980s he started a business dedicated to creating a pure-bred Formosan close to the one in his childhood memory, beginning with a single puppy that he purchased for NT$30,000 (about US$910.00) from an aborigine man.
Description
Appearance
There are two small types, one is about 40cm shoulder height, the other is around 30cm. However, the later one was not found during the research in 1976. The medium type has the shoulder height under 50cm, with firm and fit body , slim waist, big chest, and half covered ears. The most common one right now is medium-sized dog. Its color range from black, earthly yellow to yellowish brown, and the nose is black.
A typical Formosan has almond eyes, firm jaw strength, black coating on the tongue, and triangular face, thin prick ears, and sickle tail. The tail is upright or curved with a thick 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 its well-balanced. According to Chen, there is no shortage of stray dogs in Taiwan that could be mistaken for a pureblood Formosan, but purebloods tend to have a strong sense of direction, smell, sight, and hearing.
Temperament and behaviour
Extremely faithful to its master, keen in sense, alert in movement, bold and fearless. Works extremely well in group hunting. Many owners of this dog mentioned that it is very difficult for strangers to get close to the dog once the dog has establish a relationship with its owner. Only the owner can pat on the dog, and Formosan is very loyal and protective to its owner.
Standard
• Proportions
o Depth of chest : Height at the withers = 4.5 – 4.7 : 10.
o Height at withers : Length of body = 10 : 10.5. Bitches are allowed to be slightly longer.
o Length of muzzle : Length of skull = 4.5 : 5.5.
• Size & WeightT :
o Height : Dogs : 48 cm - 52 cm. Bitches : 43 cm - 47 cm.
o Weight : Dogs : 14 kg to 18 kg. Bitches : 12 kg to 16 kg.
• Head
o Cranial Region :
o Forehead : Broad and roundish, without wrinkle.
o Skull : The skull is slightly longer than the muzzle.
o Stop : Well defined with a slight furrow.
• Facial Region :
o Nose : Moderate size. Nostrils wide. Black in colour, but can be slightly lighter in all colours except for the blacks.
o Muzzle : Nasal bridge flat. Lips tight, without flews. The muzzle tapers a little from base to nose, but is not pointed at the tip.
o Jaws/Teeth : Jaws are strong. Scissors bite, teeth are set square to the jaws.
o Cheeks : Well developed and slightly protruding.
o Eyes : Almond in shape. Dark brown in colour. Brown is also acceptable, but yellow or light eyes should be avoided.
o 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 :
o General : Sinewy and muscular, nearly square in shape.
o Back : Straight and short. Withers well developed.
o Loin : Firmly muscled.
o Croup : Broad. Flat or very slightly sloping and short.
o Chest : Fairly deep yet not reaching the elbow. Forechest slightly protruding. Ribs are well sprung.
o Belly : Well tucked up.
• Tail : In the shape of a sickle, set on high, carried erect, active, with the tip curving forward.
• Limbs :
• Forequarters :
o Shoulders : Well muscled. Shoulder blades are laid back. They should meet the upper arms at an angle of 105-110 degrees.
o Elbows : Close to the body.
o Forearms : Straight and parallel to each other
o Metacarpus (Pasterns) : 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.
o Upper thighs : Broad, sloping and well bent at the stifle.
o Lower thighs : Should be in balance with upper thighs.
o Metatarsus (Rear pastern) : Perpendicular to the ground.
• Feet Turning neither in nor out. Pads are firm and thick. Nails are black in colour, but lighter colours are acceptable in all colours except for the blacks.
• 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 1.5 to 3 cm.
• Colour : Black, brindle, fawn, white, white and black, white and fawn, white and brindle.
Threat
Breeding Problems
Originally kept by aboriginal Taiwanese as hunting dogs, but now purebred Formosans are extremely rare and valuable. Since pure Formosans are extremely rare, dog mates with its siblings, thus increase the risk of having genetic disorder and unstable behavior. For this reason, outcross occurred very often since the lack of pure female with steady trait, and it is one of the major reasons modern Formosan dogs looks different compare to old photos or documents in the early days. Some insist it is a natural change which doesn't affect the whole theme while others are eager to preserve the indigenous types and its bloodline.
Crossbreeding with other dogs
Crossbreeding with pet and feral domestic dogs is currently thought to be the Formosan's greatest threat for survival.
Study
Taiwan Dogs are originally native Taiwanese dogs, descendants of the South Asian hunting dogs called “Pariah dog” which ancient local inhabitants used to live with in the central mountainous districts. This breed was the loyal companion of the ancient hunter in the wildforest. In 1980, a cooperative study was carried out by the National Taiwan University, Japanese Gifu University, and Nagoya University Scholars on the subject of native Taiwan dogs, by visiting twenty-nine tribes of local inhabitants. As a result, it was confirmed that the present Taiwan Dog is a descendant of the South Asian hunting dogs. This breed is now popular all across the island as a watch and companion dog.
Of the 46 purebloods that Dr.Yung yi Sung found during 1976-1980, blood tests showed that they were related to dogs found in Southern Japan and that they were descendants of the South Asian Hunting Dog. Little of these known outside of Taiwan, Formosans are recognized with a pedigree from the Taiwan Kennel Club and the International Canine Organization.
Current
Conservation status
Since 1976, many Taiwanese ecologists had tried to convince Taiwanese government to take action on forming a Formosan Research Team to help and to preserve pure indigenous Formosan. Potentially replicate the Dingo's model from Australia to protect Formosan. The most notable action took was by ecologist Dr.Yung yi Sung (???), in 1983, he spoke in an Formosan Sika Deer Conference and request Taiwanese government to take immediate action in protecting Formosan Dogs. This bold request by Dr. Sung was because he and his colleagues had difficulties in finding pureblood Formosan Mountain Dogs during during the study, 1976-1980. In order to find enough population for the study he located 29 Taiwanese aboriginal villages in the mountain ranges and initiated a mass search. Nevertheless, only 46 out of 160 Formosan Mountain Dogs he found had an A rank purity. Out of these 46 Formosans, 25 were dogs and 21 were bitches. This number alerted the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation as the animal is close to extinction.
Till now, Taiwanese government still have not taken any action in protecting these indigenous Formosan Dogs.
Breeding
Most of the foundation stock owners and breeders are hesitate to make public appearances. They stayed behind the theme and sell only males of their bloodlines to those who has Formosan dog kennels and attends local dog shows.
The most well-known and high profile breeder is Ming Nan, Chen. Like many who born in the 50's, Chen owned a Formosan as a child. In the 1980s he started a business dedicated to creating a pure-bred Formosan close to the one in his childhood memory, beginning with a single puppy that he purchased for NT$30,000 (about US$910.00) from an aborigine man.
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