The Formosan Mountain Dog (or Formosan) is a breed of small or medium dog. They live in Taiwan. These dogs are also known as Taiwanese Dog/Canis (Chinese: 台灣犬), Taiwanese Native Dog (Chinese: 台灣土狗) or Takasago Dog (Chinese: 高砂犬). They are well-adapted to the uneven and thickly forestedterrain of Taiwan. They had become a semi-wild breed earlier.
Formosans can be trained as hunting dogs, guard dogs, rescue dogs, or simply as companions.[1] Formosan dogs can make good family pets but still have a strong hunting instinct.[2]
However, now the pureblood Formosan Mountain Dog is still close to extinction. This is due to limited conservation efforts of the Taiwanese and their government.
Native Dog (Chinese: 土狗) is the common name in Taiwan nowadays to indicate that the dog is an offspring of Formosan with foreign dogs. It is commonly confused with the Taiwan Native Dog (Chinese: 台灣土狗).
