Hound for hound

Before the Kunming dog was developed, China largely depended on imported police dogs, a practice that was costly and not sustainable in the long term.

In the 1950s, Yunnan police selected 20 local wolfdogs from the high-altitude plateau city of Kunming for breeding and training. These dogs, with coats colored "wolf black" and "straw yellow", and some with black backs, became the origin of the three major strains of the Kunming dog, said Li Judong, deputy director of the breeding research office at the Kunming police dog base.

Over the decades, the Kunming police dog base used local canines to advance its breeding program. A reliable working breed was eventually developed with well-regulated bloodlines and stable core traits.

In 1988, the breed passed ministry-level verification and was officially designated the Kunming dog, marking its formal recognition in China's police system.

In 2007, the Kunming dog successfully passed evaluation by the National Commission on Genetic Resources for Livestock and Poultry and was added to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity. This made it the first and only Chinese police dog breed to be recognized by an international organization, possessing fully independent intellectual property rights.

Maintaining a stable supply of high-quality working dogs adapted to local conditions has become a key factor, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

In recent years, significant breakthroughs have been made in breeding Kunming dogs, said Wan Jiusheng, director of the breeding research office at the base.

The process has been standardized, covering all stages from selection and pairing to breeding, performance evaluation and promotion. This comprehensive approach has created a replicable breeding model and laid the foundation for establishing independent intellectual property rights, Wan said.

Extensive research has also been carried out on the preservation and innovation of the Kunming dog's genetic resources. In 2011, a genetic resource bank for the breed was established, encompassing live specimens, gametes, DNA and a database to ensure long-term preservation.