MyDogBreeds
Kyi-Leo is originated from United States but Formosan Mountain Dog is originated from Taiwan. Kyi-Leo may grow 22 cm / 8 inches shorter than Formosan Mountain Dog. Kyi-Leo may weigh 12 kg / 26 pounds lesser than Formosan Mountain Dog. Kyi-Leo may live 3 years more than Formosan Mountain Dog. Kyi-Leo may have less litter size than Formosan Mountain Dog. Kyi-Leo requires Moderate maintenance. But Formosan Mountain Dog requires Low maintenance
The Kyi-Leo first came about in the 1950s in San Francisco, USA, with the crossing of two dog breeds – the Lhasa Apso and the Maltese.
Because this is a mixed-breed dog, it isn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club, but it is recognized by some of the other dog associations such as the American Rare Breed Association or ARBA as it is known. Today the dog is looked upon as a designer breed.
The Formosan Mountain Dog is most often known as the Taiwan dog and it is a landrace indigenous to Taiwan. It is a small to medium breed of dog that was semi-wild at one time. The colonialization of Taiwan and other foreigners help to fully domesticate the Formosan Mountain Dog. They were found to be very trainable and uniquely suited for the terrain around Taiwan. The dogs were easy to train and now serve as hunting dogs, stunt dogs, guard dogs, rescue dogs, therapy dog and personal companions. There are three types of Formosans two smaller types and one medium. However, the original pure Formosan Mountain Dog is getting close to extinction again because the government and people have provided no protection or conservation efforts for them. These dogs have been living in Taiwan in the mountains and were called Formosan Mountain Dogs when Taiwan was known as Formosa. They come from a line of Southeast Asian hunting/gun dogs and they are considered ‘rare’ now.
According to historian Dr. Sung Yung-yi, the breed went through 4 major catastrophes that affected their development. The first of these was the Dutch Establishment in 1624. The Dutch colonized Taiwan and imported both people and dogs. The dog they brought in was called the Flying Dog and was either Greyhound or Pointer. Eventually, the Flying Dog bred with the Formosan Mountain Dog. This along with the slaughter of dogs belonging to the indigenous people by the government, starting the decline of the original Taiwan dog.
In 1895, it was the Japanese acquiring Taiwan following the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese bred the Formosan Mountain Dog extensively with the own Japanese dogs. This further diluted the line and authenticity of Taiwan dogs.
This was followed by World War II when German Shepherds traveled with the US Army and they cross-bred with the Formosan. This was the third major dilution of the Formosan Mountain dog line. At the same time, the Japanese government considered the Formosan Mountain Dog a sanitation threat and barbaric. They massacred them in large numbers in the name of sanitation.
The fourth and final dilution took place during the Kuomintang Era beginning in 1945 with the arrival of the Chinese Nationalist Party. They brought with them the culture of eating dogs. During this time the economy of Taiwan took off and business people began to import their own foreign dogs that were high priced purebreds. These dogs bred with the Formosan and other Formosans were just abandoned to die. The ranks of the breed became very thin indeed. Today’s pure Formosan is highly valuable and extremely rare. Because of all the crossbreeding over the centuries, today’s purebred Formosan Mountain Dog is very different from the Taiwan dog of old. Today’s Formosan is loved all over the island and is a companion and watchdog.
Today there is an effort by Taiwanese ecologists to put together a research project that would study and preserve the Formosan in its indigenous form. Dr. Yung-yi led this effort. He located only 46 dogs with a pure pedigree, 21 females and 25 males. They let the Food and Agricultural of the United Nations know and the dogs were labeled close to extinction. Reproducing from the indigenous dogs to purify and increase the breed was the goal. The government was not very supportive.
Today the Royal Air Force is looking at the Formosan Dog to use for military security. They are currently only using German Shepherds and needed another choice. It was decided that the Formosan Mountain Dog had a better sense of smell, dexterity, alertness, and hearing as well as better padding on their paws.
Through these efforts and those of foundation stock breeders and owners, the Formosan Mountain Dog in its indigenous form was brought back. Some call this dog a purebred Formosan while others consider it a new type. Standards were presented to the FCI for registrations as a purebred. This debate continues today
The Kyi-Leo is a small dog standing at 20 – 30cm in height and weighing in the region of 4 – 6kg.
He has a long, silky coat which is essentially black and white or grey/silver and white or even gold and white. He has frail legs which can become injured or broken in vigorous rough and tumble games.
You can certainly describe the Kyi-Leo as a sweet, quiet, non-aggessive playful dog, and for anyone who wants a splendid pet and companion, this dog makes a great family pet and he won’t cost you an arm and a leg to feed either.
He also has an acute sense of hearing and this turns him into an excellent ‘alarm’ watch-dog. It is also a dog, that while he will love to join you on a walk, he isn’t a dog that is going to demand a lot of exercise.
He responds well to his human family, is easy-going and gentle, tending to be cautious around strangers. You can trust him to be an awesome playmate for children. In this instance, it’s the children who should be warned when playing with a dog like this as, because of his fragile build, he could easily be injured by children who haven’t been taught to respect animals.
Even though he is such an amicable pet, it will still be of benefit to you and him to have him trained and socialized. Then he responds well to basic commands such as sit, stay and lie-down.
Dogs who spend time with their family, pick up on the ‘culture’ of the family and they learn how to behave. Dogs who are left on their own and never socialized can become nervous and aggressive towards people as they never got to learn how to behave – they weren’t socialized.
The Formosan Mountain Dog that was seen during Dr. Sung Yung-yi’s research is a medium-sized dog, athletic and fit. It has a deep chest and a slim waist. The ears are half-covered, the nose is black and there is a coating of black on the tongue. This black tongue is the most distinguishing attribute of the Formosan Mountain Dog. The breed has a strong jaw, the skull that is just slightly longer than the muzzle, which is flat and tapered, triangle face and almond eyes. They have a thick coat and upright, curved tail.
The dogs are known to be extremely agile with an ability to hop that is rare in dogs but helps when hunting animals like rats. The Formosan Mountain Dogs hunted in packs with each dog attacking the prey with one bite until it was too exhausted to fight them off any longer.
The Kyi-Leo is everything you want in a family companion – active, playful, loving, gentle, happy and balanced.
He loves his human family but tends to be a little bit wary around strangers, gradually warming to them.
He may be small, but he is robust and alert, and he is also capable of making you a good watchdog.
The Kyi-Leo is an all-round great little pet to have.
The Formosan Mountain Dog is very child-friendly. He is affectionate and loyal to his family and protective of his children.
He is intelligent and has exceptional hunting skills. He is a good guard dog due to his alertness, but they can be fear-aggressive.
He is very adaptable to living in any location as long as there is somewhere for him to get adequate exercise. He is friendly to people and animals.
He is intelligent and learns quickly.
Your Kyi-Leo is such a feisty, robust little dog who is not likely to cost you much in terms of health care. With his frail legs, it is a good thing to know that you need to be careful with him in terms of back-and joint problems.
There are actually knee joint issues which are fairly common in small dogs, one of which is patellar luxation.
This is where the kneecap pops out of the thighbone, causing the dog to skip or hop. Some joint issues are genetic and may require surgery. Make sure to keep your pet’s weight under control to remove additional stress on the joints.
This is another dog illness you want to be careful with. Acute pancreatitis -inflammation - is when the condition comes on suddenly while chronic pancreatitis is when pancreatitis occurs over a period of time.
With acute pancreatitis in dogs you’ll see symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, tremors and reluctance to eat. Pancreatitis can be brought on by too much fat, especially rancid fat, some anti-biotics, a low protein diet or a sickness such as diabetes.
If you suspect pancreatitis in your dog, get him as quickly as possible to the vet.
Because there have not been any studies done on the health of the Formosan Mountain Dog, there is not a lot known about any inherent or genetic health issues. It would seem that some bloodlines are healthy, and others have some serious issues. Especially because there are no studies, it is important for breeders to test for eye issues and skeletal issues through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and the Canine Eye Registration Foundation.
The Kyi-Leo doesn’t require vigorous exercising. One walk a day will keep them happy. There are pet owners who believe dogs can be permanently outside dogs where they can do their own exercise.
Everybody who knows dogs, knows they are social creatures who will simply lie at your backdoor just waiting for some response from their beloved human family. Every dog, regardless of breed or size, needs exercise and interaction with their humans every day.
Dogs left alone in the yard day after day are loney, frustrated and bored, and when they start digging or barking, irresponsible owners will ill treat them. These kind of people should never own a dog.
The Kyi-Leo has a sensitive stomach so he’ll need good quality food to avoid digestive problems. Ideally home-cooked food such as softly boiled chicken, brown rice and raw or cooked vegetables added into top quality kibble is the preferred diet.
Fresh, cool water needs to be constantly available.
Brush the long, silky coat at least twice a week to ensure it remains free of knotting. Brushing keeps the coat shiny too.
As a long eared dog, ears should be checked and cleaned regularly too. Air doesn’t reach the inside of their ears and the warm dampness in the ears are a breeding place for infection.
Nails should also be trimmed when they become long because left uncut they can hook onto things causing injury ad pain.
Small dogs are more prone to tartar formation and loss of teeth. You’ll notice that something isn’t right because your lively little dog will be lethargic, he may not want to eat his food and his face may be swollen. When you suspect dental problems, get him to the vet.
Feed a high-quality puppy food for medium size dogs at the rate of a ¼ cup twice a day until 8 months then ½ to ¾ twice a day until 12-16 months.
1 to 2 cups of high-quality dry food split into 2 meals per day.
Generally healthy breed. Keep clean and watch for mites.
This is an energetic breed and he needs a lot of exercise. He must have at least an hour of exercise daily but the more, the better. He loves swimming and jogging with his people. He’s athletic, smart and agile. He does well with field trials, tracking, agility, and obedience.