Jeju Dog

The Jeju Dog is the native dog of Korea's Jeju island, and it was down to three animals in the 1980s.

History

It lived on Jeju as a hunting and household dog and was thought extinct until a 1986 survey found three surviving specimens. Jeju's provincial government and a livestock research institute rebuilt the population from those three, and it was designated a provincial monument. Everything alive today descends from that handful, which is the central fact about the breed.

Temperament

The breed is known for being alert, brave and closely attached to its household, reserved with strangers and independent in the way Korean native dogs generally are.

Care and training

It needs substantial exercise and secure boundaries. The double coat sheds seasonally. Early socialising matters.

Health

A population rebuilt from three dogs carries a severe inbreeding burden, which is the main documented concern and the focus of the programme that keeps it. These are known patterns for the breed and a matter for a breeder and a vet; the measured facts are in the panel.