What is Formosan mountain dog?
[[File:Formosan nina.jpg|thumb|right|250px|{{Center|Formosan mountain dog or Formosan dog}}]] 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'' ({{zh|t=台灣犬}}), ''Taiwanese Native Dog'' ({{zh|t=台灣土狗}}) or ''Takasago Dog'' ({{zh|t=高砂犬}}). They are [[Adaptation|well-adapted]] to the uneven and thickly [[forest]]ed [[terrain]] of Taiwan. They had become a [[wikt:semi-|semi-]][[wikt:wild|wild]] breed earlier. Formosans can be trained as [[hunting dog]]s, [[guard dog]]s, [[rescue dog]]s, or simply as [[companion dog|companions]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/09/11/2003271280 |title=The Formosan dog: A breed apart |publisher=Taipei Times |author=Meredith Dodge |date=2005-11-05 |accessdate=14 November 2014}}</ref> Formosan dogs can make good family pets but still have a strong hunting [[instinct]].<ref>Kim Dennis-Bryan; et al., ''The Dog Encyclopedia'' (New York: DK Publishing, 2013), p. 86</ref> However, now the pureblood Formosan [[Mountain dog|Mountain Dog]] is still close to extinction. This is due to limited [[conservation]] efforts of the Taiwanese and their government. ''Native Dog'' ({{zh|t=土狗}}) is the common name in Taiwan nowadays to indicate that the dog is an [[wikt:offspring|offspring]] of Formosan with foreign dogs. It is commonly confused with the ''Taiwan Native Dog'' ({{zh|t=台灣土狗}}). == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Dog breeds]] {{asia-stub}}