Jindo dog's territorial instinct and hunting habits: Why they even bite humans

According to the November 20, 2023, broadcast of KBS Animal TV : Animal for You animal4u's 'Dogs Are Incredible', it was confirmed that the Jindo dog's instinct to strongly occupy a specific area can pose a threat to guardians and people nearby.

Habits of perceiving hunting as play and characteristics as a territorial animal

The pet dog in the video showed behavior of rushing toward living creatures in its surroundings as if hunting. According to the guardian's explanation, when the puppy smells a snake or other animals, it attempts to catch the target even by digging the ground, and tends to enjoy this hunting instinct like a game. In particular, the video mentions a case where the puppy caused another animal to be bitten to death, showing that this strong hunting instinct is manifesting as everyday behavior.

Furthermore, the pet dog appearing in the video strongly perceived a specific space as its territory. The guardian defined the area from the residential area to the balcony as the puppy's territory, and explained that the core of the problem is that the dog shows strong rejection toward others entering this territory.

Aggression extending to family and acquaintances, the cause is 'possessiveness'

The territorial instinct does not stop at simple aggression toward animals but has led to accidents where people are bitten. The guardian mentioned several biting accidents that occurred in the past. Biting accidents occurred when the dog suddenly showed aggression toward staff in charge of walks, including company officials, and even toward a family member (younger sibling) with whom it had built trust while living together for nearly two years.

Strong possessiveness and the instinct to defend territory were identified as the causes of this sudden aggression. In the video, it was analyzed that the dog's behavior of showing loyalty to a specific person (older brother) could actually result in preventing other people from entering that space. In other words, the instinct to protect a specific target it has recognized and that space is transferred into aggression toward others.

The cast members in the video mentioned that such behavior aligns with the traditional characteristics of the breed in the past. While modern pet culture prefers communicating flexibly with one another, it was suggested that this particular pet dog strongly maintains past behavioral patterns of strictly dividing and defending territory, indicating a need for socialization training.