Kunming Dogs

Unlike other commonly kept pets the Kunming Dogs are less commonly kept as pets because they are widely used by the Chinese military and police. Kunming Dogs stand taller in the back and have a shorter coat compare to German Shepherd Dog which some people thinks that they are similar due to their appearance and some features. You will usually see the tail of Kunming Dogs curled high when excited and they have coats that are marked with a black saddle and muzzle. The color of this breed ranges from light straw to deep rust.

This was an attempt of Communist China to recreate German Sheep Dogs. This breed was created to supply military dogs in Yunnan province. It was founded in the 1950’s on the blood of 10 Beijing military “wolf dogs”, likely of German Sheep Dog descent, 20 tested local dogs and 10 German Sheep Dog’s from Germany. Kunming Dogs were widely used in China as police and military dogs, as well as SAR dogs. They were selected due for their temperament although they have lost the beautiful trotting structure of the German Sheep Dog. Kunming Dogs are medium in size, close coated and well known to make fine companions, and overall would seem to show good stability and trainability.

Their height ranges from 25 to 27 inches (64-68 cm.) while their weight varies from 66 to 84 pounds (30-38 kg.).

The Chinese soldiers began the breeding program after the 2nd world war with the intention to develop a new dog of service. They choose ten experimental dogs of army and taken in Kunming de Beijing in 1953, where they were bred with more than fifty local civil watchdogs of various mediums. Almost forty various common dogs were brought from Guiyang and other provinces for breeding purposes too. Among those couplings, twenty satisfactory specimens were chosen and then crossbred with the imported dogs like the German Shepherd Dogs. During the four following decades, the type and the temperament were established and in 1988 the Chinese Public Security Bureau officially recognized the Kunming Dog as a breed. Kunming Dogs are now widely used by the Chinese military and police, and have also found their way into use as civilian watchdogs and guard dogs.