Understanding Training, Barking, and the Nature of Formosan Mountain Dogs
- thehomelesschefs
- Mar 11
- 4 min read
Understanding Training, Barking, and the Nature of Formosan Mountain Dogs
Life at Legend of Puppy Sanctuary is not only about rescue. It is about understanding the nature of the Formosan Mountain Dog, exercising patience, and helping these remarkable animals adapt to life here in the United Kingdom, in Sandringham.
Namaya’s puppies are now approximately twelve months old. To many people they may already look like adult dogs, yet behaviourally they are still very young adolescents. Just like humans, dogs go through stages of development. At twelve months they are still learning how to regulate excitement, interpret their surroundings, and respond calmly to unfamiliar situations.
For this reason we are currently working with them at Beau’s Pawsitive Dog Training here in Sandringham, where we have access to a secure training environment that allows us to work with the dogs individually, in small groups, and also together as a full pack.
This last part is especially important, because our reality is that we live together as a family of ten dogs, and learning how to remain calm and balanced as a group is part of their lifelong training.
Visitors walking past the training paddock may sometimes notice the dogs barking at the fence. It is very understandable that this behaviour may be misinterpreted. However, barking in such situations does not automatically mean aggression.
The Formosan Mountain Dog is an exceptionally ancient landrace, believed to be between 10,000 and 20,000 years old. These dogs developed naturally alongside humans in the mountainous regions of Taiwan. They were never selectively bred for appearance or convenience. Instead, they evolved as intelligent partners in survival — acting as sentinels, hunters, and protectors of human settlements.
Because of this history, the breed carries certain natural characteristics:
• exceptional intelligence
• deep loyalty to their human family
• heightened environmental awareness
• sensitivity to movement and sound
• strong observational instincts
• emotional responsiveness to their surroundings
In their original environment these traits were essential. A dog that could detect movement quickly or alert humans to potential danger was invaluable.
However, when several young and highly perceptive dogs live together as a group, their sensitivity can sometimes lead to rapid escalation of excitement.
When a person or another dog passes close to the training fence, it may only take one dog noticing the movement for the entire group to respond. Behaviourists describe this phenomenon as social facilitation — when the behaviour of one individual triggers a similar response in others.
Because there are ten dogs together, this chain reaction can occur within seconds.
Occasionally the group’s excitement becomes so intense that the arousal briefly spills over into small scruffs or scuffles between the dogs themselves. This is not true aggression or hostility between them; it is simply an overflow of nervous energy within a highly stimulated group that is still learning how to regulate itself.
This is exactly why we train.
At Beau’s Pawsitive Dog Training we are actively working on helping the dogs learn:
• calm responses when people or dogs pass by
• how to disengage from the fence
• emotional self-regulation in a group environment
• confidence and composure in stimulating situations
• balanced behaviour even when one dog becomes alert
Training such intelligent and sensitive dogs takes time, consistency, and patience.
Many people who pass by have also seen me walking the dogs around Sandringham in smaller groups, where they move calmly through the countryside, often off lead, exploring scents and observing the world around them. In those situations they rarely bark at people or other dogs at all.
The difference lies in the environment.
When dogs are behind a boundary such as a fence, with movement passing close by and several companions reacting at once, the level of stimulation becomes very different. The training field allows us to work safely with these situations, so the dogs can gradually learn calmer responses.
We train them individually.
We train them in small groups.
And we also train them together as a full pack — because this is how we live, and this is how we will continue living together for many years to come.
These dogs are not aggressive animals. They are thoughtful, intelligent, and emotionally perceptive companions who are simply learning how to navigate a modern human environment.
We are incredibly grateful to the many people who pass by and offer encouragement and kindness during this process. Your support truly makes a difference.
For those who may occasionally hear the dogs barking at the training fence, we simply ask for understanding and patience. What you are witnessing is part of an ongoing training journey.
If you would like to follow their story or support their development, please feel free to visit and share our pages:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/legend.of.puppy
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/genevieve.carter.lenette.2025
And you can learn more about their training here:
Thank you for taking the time to understand these extraordinary dogs and the long journey we are undertaking together.
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