MyDogBreeds
Yo-Chon is originated from United States but Formosan Mountain Dog is originated from Taiwan. Yo-Chon may grow 22 cm / 8 inches shorter than Formosan Mountain Dog. Yo-Chon may weigh 14 kg / 30 pounds lesser than Formosan Mountain Dog. Both Yo-Chon and Formosan Mountain Dog has almost same life span. Yo-Chon may have less litter size than Formosan Mountain Dog. Yo-Chon requires Moderate maintenance. But Formosan Mountain Dog requires Low maintenance
The Yorkie Bichon or Yo-Chon as he is fondly referred to as a designer crossbreed hailing from the United States.
Information isn’t readily available on the origins of this cute little dog, but the dog is believed to be a cross between a Bichon Frise and Yorkshire Terrier.
It is thought that the dog was developed in the United States from about 1998 to 2001. As a hybrid, the Yorkie Bichon isn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club.
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
The Yo-Chon stands between 25 and 30cm and weighs in the region of 2 to 4kg. He can be like a teddy-bear this little dog and the coat can be either silky and straight or wavy. It is medium length and some people have the coat professionally trimmed.
The low shedding coat comes in a variety of colors – cream, grey, tan, white, black or bi-colored.
Your Yorkie Bichon will no doubt have some habits that come from both parent breeds. Your dog is likely to be independent, social, friendly, social and loving, wanting to spend lots of time with you.
They’re small but they make good watchdogs with their high-pitch bark. Your Yo-Chon is an intelligent little dog too and by having him trained and socialized he is well behaved and pleasant to have around. You can tell him to lie down, sit or stay which is useful when you have visitors.
He gets on well with children, but the puppies particularly are tiny and fragile and they can easily get hurt by untrained and undisciplined children.
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.
The Yo-Chon is an independent, happy dog who loves nothing more than to be surrounded by all his favorite human beings.
They are loving, loyal and gentle dogs and are good playmates for children who have been taught how to handle them with care and kindness.
He is smart and has an amicable nature and will take kindly to being trained and socialized.
With the Yo-Chon in your life, you can be sure you’re going to benefit from having a splendid family pet and companion.
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.
Both the Yorkie and Bichon Frise are dog breeds that are prone to Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. This is when there is insufficient blood supply to the hind thigh bone, so the dog becomes lame.
Surgical correction is necessary. Like small dogs in general, the Yochon might have dental issues. Slipped kneecaps, hypothyroidism and eye problems might affect the Yochon as well.
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.
Everybody is busy and they don’t always have time to exercise their pets. As a human being, your health relies heavily on the exercise you get so you and your dog can exercise together.
These days if you seriously don’t have time and you have money to spare, there are excellent doggy daycare centers where your dog can have fun playtimes with other dogs and people.
Dog exercises will change over time with age but at least try to get used to giving your pet a walk every day as this kind of exercise can extend into old age with both you and your pet.
Swimming, ball games, fetch games and walks or hikes are all great forms of exercise.
Good nutrition ensures your Yorkie Bichon has a good chance to be healthy and energetic. Some of the commercially manufactured dog foods you get are made with bad ingredients and they can make your dog sick.
The good quality ones can be nutritious for your dog and also wonderfully convenient. Always read the packaging labels so you know what your dog’s getting.
Cooked vegetables, boiled chicken and brown rice, nicely chopped up and added to the dry kibble can add variety to your pet’s diet while remaining deliciously nutritious and tasty as well.
Brush your Yo-Chon at least twice a week to keep the hair silky and shiny. Clip your dog’s nails when they get long.
Check inside his ears for signs of redness and the possibility of an infection. Try and look inside his mouth too for bad teeth as this can cause lots of health problems for your pet.
If you don’t have the time to do all these things, there are professional pet groomers who will do all these grooming chores for you.
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.