The Formosan Mountain Dog (Taiwan Dog) is one of the oldest and most primitive dog breeds in the world. These dogs predate the first human inhabitants on the island, Austronesians, who migrated to Taiwan some 6.000 years ago. So, it is not surprising that very little is known about the true origin of these dogs. This breed, or better to say landrace, is in fact much older than any written records of dog breeding. A recent genetic study confirmed that the Formosan Mountain Dog descended from ancient Pariah hunting dogs from Southeast Asia, which had arrived in Taiwan sometime between 20.000 and 10.000 years ago. According to Japanese researchers who conducted this study, these ancient progenitor dogs were closely related to the Dingo and the New Guinea Singing Dog, with whom Taiwan Native Dogs share many similarities. Continue Reading →
