disclaimer: Before reading this section, please understand that I'm still reading and researching this subject.   I reserve the right to be completely wrong and make drastic changes to this section.
 
 

 

Overall Body
 

Most Korean Jindo owners recognize that there are two distinct body types for a Jindo. They are gyupgae and heutgae.  The KNDA uses relatively new terms such as Tonggul (equivalent to gyupgae), Hudu (equivalent to heutgae), and Gakgol (blend of the two).
 
 

The heutgae is usually easy to pinpoint, with their racier, leaner build.  They tend to have less depth of chest and a slightly long loin (space between the ribs and the hips), resulting in an appearance that is longer than tall.   They tend to have longer features... longer head, longer ears, longer muzzle, etc.

The gyupgae is widely acknowledged as being stockier and more muscular than the heutgae.   They give the impression of power rather than speed.

Then there exist dogs that are blends of the two extremes.

Narrowing down what are correct proportions for a Jindo dog is extremely complicated.  Some organizations pick only one set of proportions while other allow for differences between the heutgae and gyupgae.   The proportions for the gyupgae is especially problematic.  For instance, the KNDA recognizes that for gyupgaes, proportions are 10:10 and for heutgaes, proportions are 10:11.  Another source, a Jindo Island evaluator, differs and says that gyupgaes have exactly the same proportions of heutgaes (100:110) with the only difference being the heavier bones and increased muscle mass on gyupgaes.

This can be either hard or easy to reconcile.  There's a bit of a contraction because each is correct in their own way  - according to the image they have of a gyupgae.

For instance, I've encountered situations where I've had one person look at one picture of a dog and the person say that the dog is an excellent gyupgae, but had another person look at the same picture and say the dog is a blend of the heutgae and gyupgae (ie. Gakgol).   It may be that one person is looking at a smaller range than the other (ie. heutgae to heutgae/gyupgae blend) while the other has a wider range (heutgae to gyupgae/oversized blend).

Anyways, it's still a topic that I need to research more.
 

In addition to proportions, desired height is also a tricky issue.   As far as I understand, the differences are somewhat based on the early days of Jindo preservation, and values were influenced by the heights of the Japanese breeds rather of what was really present in the Korean Jindo?

One thing to keep in mind though is that this ambiguility about height does not give free-rein to breed whatever sized Jindo a person wants.  Many breeds have suffered from fads... going to miniture to giant size.  The Jindo, in recent years, is not immune to people who think smaller is cuter or bigger is better.  However, true fanciers of the Jindo breed realize that the Jindo is foremost a natural breed.  The Jindo is the size it is because it needed to have a body size large enough so that could hunt for prey on its own but small enough as to not waste energy in maintaining bodily functions.  Breeding away from this natural state makes a Jindo no longer a Jindo.

Narrowing down weights is slightly less complicated.  A gyupgae and a heutgae might have the same height, but their weights are expected to be different due to the gyupgae's bigger bones and corresponding increased muscle mass.   Looking at the condition of the dog, whether the animal is pure, mixed, underfed, overweight, or in peak condition overrides any absolute weight criteria.
 

Different organizations have set different ranges of what they would consider desirable height/weights in Jindos.  The following is just a sample.
 

Table from the KJCCA website

	MALE HEIGHT (cm)	FEMALE HEIGHT (cm)	RATIOS
HanKook JinDotGae ChukSanHyupDongJoHap "Korean Jindo Dog Livestock Raising Cooperation" (roughly trans.)	45~58	43~52	.
HanKook JinDotGae HyupHei "Korea Jindo Dog Association"	49~55	45~50	100~110
DaeHan JungThong JinDotGae HyupHei "The Traditional Jindo Dog Association" (roughly trans.)	49~53	47~49	100~110
HanKook AeWanDongMoor BoHo HyupHei "Korean Pet Protection Association" (roughly trans.)	50~55	45~50	100~110
HanKook JinDotGae JoongAngHei "Korea Jindo Dog Centrel Committee Association"	52~55	48~53	100:110~115

Table compiled from other sources

	HEIGHT	WEIGHT	RATIOS
Korean National Dog Association	Male 49-53 cm (19-21 in) Female 48-51cm (19-20 in)	.	GyupGae 10:10 HeutGae  10:11
United Kennel Club (U.S.A.) (based on the KNDA standard)	Male (desired): 19.5-21 in.  Female (desired): 18.5-20 in.	35-45 lbs 30-40 lbs	GyupGae 10:10 HeutGae  10:11
Federation Cynologique Internationale FCI	Males: 20 - 22 in.(50 - 55 cm),  ideal 21 in. (53 - 54 cm)  Females: 18 - 20 in. (45 - 50 cm),  ideal 19 in. (48 - 49 cm)	18 - 23 kg.  15 - 19 kg	10:10,5
HanKook JinDoGae HyulThong BoJon HyupHei	Males: 48 cm ~ 53 cm Females: 45 cm ~ 50 cm	.	100:110
Official Jindo Island Standard  (before revision, from their old website)	White Male: 48.98cm +/- 4.16cm  Red Male: 47.62cm +/- 4.07cm  White Female: 45.15cm +/- 3.13cm  Red Female: 45.39cm +/- 3.21cm	20-30 kg (44-66 lbs) under 20 kg (44 lbs)	.

 
 
 
 

Topline

When viewed from the side, the Jindo's topline consists of curves rather than sharp angles.  There is a two-fold reason for this... function and astethics pleasing to Koreans.   The functional reason will be explored under the Movement section.

It's been said that the Jindo gives the impression of being drawn with a brush, while the Japanese breeds are drawn with a pen.  Curves and gradual transitions makes the Jindo "natural" to the Korean eye.

For the readers who are more attuned to comformational terms, the following describes the curves in the Jindo pretty well.

"The topline inclines very slightly downward from well-developed withers to a strong back with a slight but definite arch over the loin, which blends into a slightly sloping croup. The ribs are moderately sprung out from the spine, then curving down and inward to form a body that would be nearly oval if viewed in cross-section. The loin is muscular but narrower than the rib cage and with a moderate tuck-up. The chest is deep and moderately broad. When viewed from the side, the lowest point of the chest is immediately behind the elbow. The forechest should extend in a shallow oval shape in front of the forelegs but the sternum should not be excessively pointed. "
                                                                                                                                        --from the United Kennel Club Jindo Standard

Although one Jindo book states that Jindos have a straight, level back rather than the aforementioned topline, this opinion seems to be in the minority.  Certainly, it is not desirable for a Jindo to have a swayback though.
 
 
 

Neck

The neck is thick, relatively short and muscular without loose areas.   It's desired that a Jindo be dry-skinned... skin is tight against the rest of the body.

When walking or standing, the neck is normally carried low like a wolf.
 

Forequarters

The shoulders are moderately laid back, with moderate angulation and well-developed muscles. The forelegs are shoulder-wide, straight and muscular, with heavy bone and strong, moderately short, slightly sloping pasterns. The shoulder blade and the upper arm are roughly equal in length. The upper arm lies close to the ribs but is still very mobile, with the elbow moving close to the body.
 

 
 
 
 
 

Hindquarters

The thighs are very muscular but the muscles are long and well-defined. The rear legs are moderately well angulated at stifle and hock joints.  The upper thigh is long and the lower thigh is short. The hocks are tough, elastic, and well let down. Viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns should be parallel to each other; from the side, they should be perpendicular to the ground.
 

rear pasterns parallel to each other (borrowed from Shiba Inu diagrams)	undesirable legs "cow-hocked"
rear pasterns perpendicular to ground	photo by Ann Kim

 
Feet

The feet are of medium size, round in shape, with thick, strong pads. Toes are short, well arched and tightly closed.  Floppy rear dewclaws are removed if present at birth.
 
 
 

rear feet	front feet
photos by Ann Kim

 

The shape of the feet is extremely important, especially in light of how Jindos had to travel for days sometimes when they had to hunt for food on the island.  A poorly constructed foot would cause the dog to go lame after traveling only a short distance.
 

photos by Ann Kim

 

There are some Jindos that are born with rear DOUBLE-dewclaws.  The double-dewclaw is not at all desirable and it was the conclusion of one judge that saw them that it negatively affects the movement of the dog.  (Dog compensates by turning legs outward, which creates inefficient motion and adds stress to the hips.)

undesirable rear dewclaws

Tail

The tail is thick and strong and set on at the end of the topline. The tail should be at least long enough to reach to the hock joint. The tail may be loosely rolled over the back or carried over the back in a sickle position. The tail fur is long, harsh, and straight.

If the dog has a curled tail, the tail should held straight up and then roll into a curl.  Some dogs have physical discomfort when their tail is manually unrolled due to the tightness of the curl but the length of the tail should be long enough to almost touch the hocks of the dog.  The curl is held above the body and  fur outside of the curl (usually lighter or white) is obviously longer than the inside of the curl. Tightly curled tails that are resting entirely flat against the body and of somewhat even, short fur lengths are frowned upon.   A proper curled tail should evoke the image of a hand fan held upright rather than a donut laying on the flank or back.  According to a breeder of champion Siberian Huskies, an overly tight tail negatively affects the movement of the dog when traveling for long distances.   It makes sense that the same applies to Jindos which had to travel long distances in order to hunt for their food.  Some organizations further divide this catagory into right, center, left, curled, and hooked.
 

Examples of fur on the outside of curl being white.
photo by Johnathan Lee	photo by Patty Etherington

 

The sickle tail is preferred for hunting Jindos as people like to believe  it is a throwback to wolves.  The tail can be pointed straight up like a sabre-sword or forward like a farmer's sickle.
 
 

Examples of saber tails that point straight up.	An example of a tail that resembles a farmer's sickle.
Photo by Jhun Kim	photo by Johnathan Lee

 

Under the tail is the anus which is large and muscular on a Jindo.  Black skin on a Jindo is desired.
 
 

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• The first table is from the Korea Jindo Dog Centrel Committee Association's website.
• The second table is from various source.  The Korean National Dog Association's  informantion is from their old bilingual website.  The United Kennel Club's information is from their website.  The FCI's information was from an English standard mailed to me.   The HanKook JinDoGae HyulThong BoJon HyupHei's information is from their 2000 publication.  The Jindo County data was published on their old website which used to be hosted on iworld.com.
• The front picture of white dog is by Mr. Woo, Mu Jong.  It was published in his 1996 hardcover book, p. 45.
• The feet pictures were taken of local dogs or family pets.
• The black&tan rear belongs to ChoRong.  The red rear belongs to Woody.
• The straight-up saber tails belongs to BeeRyong.  The curved saber tail belongs to BaikJin.