MyDogBreeds
Welsh Corgi is originated from United Kingdom but Formosan Mountain Dog is originated from Taiwan. Welsh Corgi may grow 22 cm / 8 inches shorter than Formosan Mountain Dog. Both Welsh Corgi and Formosan Mountain Dog are having almost same weight. Welsh Corgi may live 4 years more than Formosan Mountain Dog. Welsh Corgi may have less litter size than Formosan Mountain Dog. Welsh Corgi requires High maintenance. But Formosan Mountain Dog requires Low maintenance
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi were once considered to be two types of the same breed. Today they are recognized as very different breeds, but cousins of sorts.. They are alike in many ways and very different in others. The general information in terms of height and weight above applies to the more popular and better known Pembroke Welsh Corgi, developed as a herding dog from the spitz line in Pembroke shire, Wales. The Pembroke is famous for being the breed favored since childhood by Queen Elizabeth, the current queen of England. It’s believed that the Pembroke came to the country around the 10th century with Flemish weavers. The Cardigan is thought to have come with the Norse people and be a relative of the Sedish Vallhund.
The Cardigan Welsh Corgi, also a herding dog has their ancestry in ancient Celtic dogs. They are older than the Pembroke and hail from Cardiganshire, Wales.
Both breeds are friendly, smart and independent. Both dogs herd cattle and sheep. About the end of the 19th century, farmers in Cardiganshire began to raising sheep rather than cattle. The corgis were herding dogs for cattle. “Heelers” who avoid the cattle kicking them by nipping at the cattle’s heel. Pembrokeshore and Cardiganshire are counties in South West Wales that adjoin each other.
Then the move was made from cattle to sheep in Cardiganshire they bred their corgis with the Welsh Sheepdog where the merle color is said to come from, and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. This caused the similarities between the two dwarf breeds. At the same time the distance grew between the two breeds and they grew into very distinct and different looking dogs. There are also some differences in their personalities.
The first corgi to appear at Crufts came in 1927 and in 1928 a Pembroke won a championship at Cardiff for the first ever corgi win. It was not until 1934 that the kennel club recognized them as separate breeds rather than a Pembroke shire type and a Cardiganshire type. From this point on the two are separate breeds with tremendous similarities. A Pem won the Reserve Best in Show at Crufts in 1955.
The first corgi came to the United States in 1933 by a breeder of Old English Sheepdogs. In 1934 the American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized Corgis as one breed with 2 types. The Pembroke has always been the more popular of the two.
The Formosan Mountain Dog is most often known as the Taiwan dog and it is a landrace indigenous to Taiwan. It is a small to medium breed of dog that was semi-wild at one time. The colonialization of Taiwan and other foreigners help to fully domesticate the Formosan Mountain Dog. They were found to be very trainable and uniquely suited for the terrain around Taiwan. The dogs were easy to train and now serve as hunting dogs, stunt dogs, guard dogs, rescue dogs, therapy dog and personal companions. There are three types of Formosans two smaller types and one medium. However, the original pure Formosan Mountain Dog is getting close to extinction again because the government and people have provided no protection or conservation efforts for them. These dogs have been living in Taiwan in the mountains and were called Formosan Mountain Dogs when Taiwan was known as Formosa. They come from a line of Southeast Asian hunting/gun dogs and they are considered ‘rare’ now.
According to historian Dr. Sung Yung-yi, the breed went through 4 major catastrophes that affected their development. The first of these was the Dutch Establishment in 1624. The Dutch colonized Taiwan and imported both people and dogs. The dog they brought in was called the Flying Dog and was either Greyhound or Pointer. Eventually, the Flying Dog bred with the Formosan Mountain Dog. This along with the slaughter of dogs belonging to the indigenous people by the government, starting the decline of the original Taiwan dog.
In 1895, it was the Japanese acquiring Taiwan following the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese bred the Formosan Mountain Dog extensively with the own Japanese dogs. This further diluted the line and authenticity of Taiwan dogs.
This was followed by World War II when German Shepherds traveled with the US Army and they cross-bred with the Formosan. This was the third major dilution of the Formosan Mountain dog line. At the same time, the Japanese government considered the Formosan Mountain Dog a sanitation threat and barbaric. They massacred them in large numbers in the name of sanitation.
The fourth and final dilution took place during the Kuomintang Era beginning in 1945 with the arrival of the Chinese Nationalist Party. They brought with them the culture of eating dogs. During this time the economy of Taiwan took off and business people began to import their own foreign dogs that were high priced purebreds. These dogs bred with the Formosan and other Formosans were just abandoned to die. The ranks of the breed became very thin indeed. Today’s pure Formosan is highly valuable and extremely rare. Because of all the crossbreeding over the centuries, today’s purebred Formosan Mountain Dog is very different from the Taiwan dog of old. Today’s Formosan is loved all over the island and is a companion and watchdog.
Today there is an effort by Taiwanese ecologists to put together a research project that would study and preserve the Formosan in its indigenous form. Dr. Yung-yi led this effort. He located only 46 dogs with a pure pedigree, 21 females and 25 males. They let the Food and Agricultural of the United Nations know and the dogs were labeled close to extinction. Reproducing from the indigenous dogs to purify and increase the breed was the goal. The government was not very supportive.
Today the Royal Air Force is looking at the Formosan Dog to use for military security. They are currently only using German Shepherds and needed another choice. It was decided that the Formosan Mountain Dog had a better sense of smell, dexterity, alertness, and hearing as well as better padding on their paws.
Through these efforts and those of foundation stock breeders and owners, the Formosan Mountain Dog in its indigenous form was brought back. Some call this dog a purebred Formosan while others consider it a new type. Standards were presented to the FCI for registrations as a purebred. This debate continues today
They used to differentiate between the Cardigan and the Pembroke by saying the Cardigan was the one with the bigger ears and the Pembroke had no tail. In many parts of the world where tail docking has been banned, most Pembrokes now have tails. Only those born without don’t have them. Both dogs are long and low to the ground with big chests and short legs. This is because they are dwarfs. They are not little dogs.
The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is heavier boned than the Pembroke, has large rounded ears and a flowing, fox like tail. The Cardigan comes in a variety of colors but never predominately white. He is double coated with a dense, harsh outer and a soft, short and thick undercoat.
Pembroke is smaller and longer than the Cardigan with pointed ears. They are intelligent, sturdy and strong with tremendous stamina. The tail is docked in the United States or the pups are bred not to have a tail. This was originally so that the cattle could not step on their tails and injure the dogs. The double coat on the Pembroke is short and weather resistant inner coat with a longer and rougher outercoat. He has the same deep dropped chest as the Cardigan. Both corgis shed voraciously.
The Formosan Mountain Dog that was seen during Dr. Sung Yung-yi’s research is a medium-sized dog, athletic and fit. It has a deep chest and a slim waist. The ears are half-covered, the nose is black and there is a coating of black on the tongue. This black tongue is the most distinguishing attribute of the Formosan Mountain Dog. The breed has a strong jaw, the skull that is just slightly longer than the muzzle, which is flat and tapered, triangle face and almond eyes. They have a thick coat and upright, curved tail.
The dogs are known to be extremely agile with an ability to hop that is rare in dogs but helps when hunting animals like rats. The Formosan Mountain Dogs hunted in packs with each dog attacking the prey with one bite until it was too exhausted to fight them off any longer.
1Children friendliness For the most part they are good but can be grumpy and bossy. They are bossy personalities
3.Adaptability – Very. Can live anywhere but they do need to run and they bark a lot.
4.Learning ability – incredibly smart but stubborn. Respond well to training that is reward based.
The Formosan Mountain Dog is very child-friendly. He is affectionate and loyal to his family and protective of his children.
He is intelligent and has exceptional hunting skills. He is a good guard dog due to his alertness, but they can be fear-aggressive.
He is very adaptable to living in any location as long as there is somewhere for him to get adequate exercise. He is friendly to people and animals.
He is intelligent and learns quickly.
• Degenerative Myelopathy – a muscular neurological disease very similar to Lou Gehrig’s Disease or ALS. It is always fatal.
• Some have cardiac issues while others may have hip dysplasia or Von Willebrand’s disease.
Because there have not been any studies done on the health of the Formosan Mountain Dog, there is not a lot known about any inherent or genetic health issues. It would seem that some bloodlines are healthy, and others have some serious issues. Especially because there are no studies, it is important for breeders to test for eye issues and skeletal issues through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and the Canine Eye Registration Foundation.
1Feeding the puppy prone to overweight, the pem needs ½ to 1 cup of small breed high quality food in 3-4 meals per day. The Cardigan needs ¾ to 1 ¼ cups of high quality small breed food in 3-4 meals per day.
2.Feeding the adult – Don’t overfeed them. The Pem need 1 cup per day of high quality small breed food in 2 meals per day. The Cardigan needs 1-1 ½ cups per day in one to two meals.
They are fast, athletic dogs. Agility, CAT, Barnhunt. Herding trials, flyball and they just love backyard ball fetching. Confirmation and obedience, along with rally.
Feed a high-quality puppy food for medium size dogs at the rate of a ¼ cup twice a day until 8 months then ½ to ¾ twice a day until 12-16 months.
1 to 2 cups of high-quality dry food split into 2 meals per day.
Generally healthy breed. Keep clean and watch for mites.
This is an energetic breed and he needs a lot of exercise. He must have at least an hour of exercise daily but the more, the better. He loves swimming and jogging with his people. He’s athletic, smart and agile. He does well with field trials, tracking, agility, and obedience.