The Pungsan dog of North Korea is famed for its ability in hunting Amur tigers. It is more commonly used in hunting bears and wild boar.
According the North Korean government, the dogs are a cross between the East Asian spitz-type dog and the wolf that inhabits the Gamma Plateau.
I do not know if any genetic studies back up the wolf ancestry of this particular dog.
Most of these dogs are much lighter in color that this specimen. The photos I’ve seen have been of dogs that could easily be mistaken for white German shepherds or some unusually short-haired Samoyeds (Bjelkier, to my European readers).
Of course, one must have some skepticism about official breed histories.
And any official history about anything coming from North Korea must also be taken with a grain of salt.
Still, this could be another working breed with wolf ancestry– one that I had previously overlooked.
the head, especially the ear-profile, strongly resembles
an Akita – that continuous line from ear-tip down the
back of the neck is why Akita-ears are referred to as
-hooded-.
Sibes, GSDs, etc, have upright ears which in profile,
breaks the line of the neck and bends upward.
the rear is more-moderate than a Chow, but that
near-leg is still hyperextended – what is it with
Asian breeds and vertical rears?
they are so doggone popular, in so many breeds.
very handsome animal – i like the black pigment of
the lips and nose, even on a cream dog.
the ticking of the guard-hair is reminiscent of a
GSD and the grizzle often seen in saddle-areas –
tho here its on a cream or ‘biscuit’ dog
[‘biscuit’ referring to the toasted appearance of
the darker countershading of back, ears, etc].
thanks for the photo,
— terry
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
beautiful.
There are occasionally supposed Pungsans on petfinder, listed as Jindo/Akita mix but described as Pungsan per their previous owner.
If this is a dog with wolf genetics from the Gamma plateau, my guess is that the “wolves” of the Gamma plateau are mostly or entirely dogs! Such dog histories are common(and usually inaccurate), and yet actual wolf hybrids are so villified! Seems rather contradictory, doesn’t it? I had a Catahoula years ago, and read up on them with interest, and they had the so-called wolf ancestry story too, and it has become a parroted statement in the breed that the often weird, merle and blotched coloration common in the breed comes from their crossing with Red Wolves. Don’t know how THAT notion got started–no wolf of any kind I’m aware of has anything like a merle or spotted coat! Perhaps if they said it was from crossing with African Cape Hunting dogs(but then, that is probably just TOO far-fetched for even the most gullible!)……But, fine and functional a-looking dog as this is, it has no obvious characteristic that would indicate recent wolf breeding. Maybe once, long ago, some hunter had a wolf-crossed dog that is in the distant ancestry, but that would be about it, at most. I have seen photos of fairly recent, purposefully crossbred West Siberian Laikas with wolf used as hunting dogs in Russia–these dogs OBVIOUSLY(to me) had recent wolf genetics. And are controversial among the Laika afficiondos(as you would expect!). But as hunting dogs, they apparently are very functional, which I could readily believe……
Hmm… honestly, I don’t consider that a typical Poongsan. They would never be mistaken for a white German Shepherd or a Samoyed. Jindo-Akita is fair though.
If you want to see more typical Poongsans, it’s best to insert the Korean characters in a google search. 풍산개
You’ll see a different set of pictures that what you’ll find with “Poongsan” or “Pungsan”.
I used to keep track of the Poongsans in the 1990’s. Although an older breed, they only made an appearance outside of North Korea not too long ago. You could then track 3 groups that were claimed to be snuck out of North Korea. Not all three groups were considered genuine though. ex. Pariah dogs but not Poongsan dogs, Jindo-Akita mixes but not Poongsans, etc. At the height of their popularity in the 1990’s, dogs were being sold in South Korea for very high prices and some people capitalized on the wistful thinking of dog buyers by creating mixes within South Korea.
Nowadays, Poongsans don’t go for so much as word spread on their temperaments. For people used to raising Jindos, Poongsans come off as being not too bright. Part of that may be their slower to mature rate.
This dog looks a lot like the ORIGINAL-type Akitas.
thats a jindo i had one. really aggressive but just as loyal