INTRODUCTION

MY INTEREST AWAKES

I've had dogs my whole life (Dachshound, miniature/standard Poodle, Eng Springer Spaniel, Rottweilerx2, German Sheperd, Basenji. My sibblings have had Curly Coated Retriever and Doberman).
So I have a long time experience with dogs. Our dogs have been and are good tempered and very sound.
My interest began at early age and has stayed with me my whole life. I've always been curious of the different breeds.

I found a picture of a very nice Thai Ridgeback Dog by chance on the Internet.

I was so fascinated that the breed was such a nice looking breed. I then sucked in in all the information I could on the breed on the Internet.

Although I didn't find out a whole lot. I didn't seem to be the easiest breed either. The more I read and and learned about the breed the more interested I became. Because of the fact that Ive never seen a TRD in real life it seemed this had to be my next move. I came into contact with some people that had TRD in Sweden. They were friendly and introduced me to their dogs. When i finally met the TRD in real life I was hooked.

FINDING A PUPPY

There were only about 25 dogs here in Sweden and most of them were colored blue. I wanted a red because this is my personal favourite colour and I also wanted a bitch. We already had to males at home so I thought a bitch would fit nicely into the pack. We had a standard Poodle, Lancelot 7 years old and our Basenji, Zeke 4 years old. Findig a puppy wasn't the easiest thing to do and there are very few puppies born here in Sweden. You have to search long and hard. You might have to reserve a puppy ahead of time.

MY VERY OWN PUPPY

There are discussionforums on the net for the TRD with members from all over the world. Almost every continent is represented with TRD owners/breeders. The forum provides you with information and personal experiences with the TRD.
I then came in contact with Saara, Tuvas breeder, from Finland.
After getting to know eachother thru both mail and pictures we decided mutually that Tuva would suit me here in Sweden.

Tuva 5,5 weeks and 8 weeks. Photo Saara Kananen

IMPORT

In order to bring a puppy at the age of 8 weeks from Finland to Sweden you are required to have a license from the Swedish Department of Agriculture. After recieving the import license, Tuva flew 8 weeks old to Gothenburg on the third of January 2005.

Oooooh I was heartbroken of the fact that Tuva flew all alone in a cage from Finland. Tuvas breeder Saara in Finland felt the same way. Tuva and her sister Papu were familiar with the cage at home in Finland already and that felt a little bit better. But poor Tuva was to sit in the cage for many hours. My best friend Liz was with me on the trip and I sat with Tuva on my lap the whole way home.

Tuva came out of the cage right away. She was just the sweetest puppy I'd seen in my life. She was happy go lucky and her coat was like shining red velvet. Our eyes filled with tears.

She came right up to me and I held her in my arms. She licked my face and despite the long trip she seemed so happy and secure. Her coat was clean and dry and there was just a little pee on the blanket and a little poo in the corner of the cage. She was of course very hungry and ate happily the food I brought with me for her right away. The airline workers had taken her out and given her water earlier that evening.They stood around us and admired her my sweet little puppy. The workers wondered what breed she was. Most of them thought she was a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

THE PACK

Tuva met the dogs and the cats right away and it went smoothly. They accepted her at once and she started playing with them without any fear at all.
When Tuva was a little older she liked to play rough and used her teeth in the process. Her playmates should absolutely be of the robust type. And at the same I´ve seen her extremely careful and she can make very small and timid.She did this when she met a shy little Chihuahua boy at the Dog clubb. This little guy became her dearest friend.

Lancelot our poodle has been a very nice and patient mentor for both Zeke and little Tuva. Poodles are extremely nice with others dogs so she was lucky to have him as a good example. Lancelot played so nicely and patiently with her right from the start. Tuva can growl a little when she meets other dogs but you can see by her body language and her wagging tail that she´s friendly. She growls because she is unsure of the other dog. The best way to meet other dogs is if they meet unleished outdoors and it goes smoothly for the most part.

FOOD

Some of her behavior is typical för the rare breed. Food is a typical "warzone" for Basenjis. Tuva shows the exact same warzone behavior. It can vary from individual to individual. Protecting and stealing food is a natural instinct. They would`nt have survived in their pack in Thailand if they did´nt have the ability to find and steal food. They are survivers!! We let our rare dogs eat in different rooms due to this warzone food behavior. WE then avoid the risk of them geting into a fight .My Poodle Lancelot can eat with any of the others without getting inte a fight.   Tuva is more of a rascal than Zeke. She would most of all like to steal his food then eat her own if she could. She eats so quickly its sursprising.

TROUBLE

Tuva has been a little rascal as all my dogs have been when they were young . Shes chewed on the patio door when noone let her in. Shes also chewed on the kitchen door. Other then that she hasnt been in alot of trouble. She likes her stuffed animals and is very careful with them. (Lanci tears them all apart..hehe) She potty trained very quickly. Allthough she pooed on the patio floor awhile there because it was the only place without snow when she was a puppy.

UNLEISHED IN THE FOREST

Tuva has always been able to run free in the forest because she has always been focused on me. She just wants to be where I am. Shes comes happily to me when I call on her. She has´nt run away thus far after wild animals despite the fact that she is a hunting dog. The only "hare" shes chased this far is Zeke!

LEARNING

Tuva is very smart and easily taught in my opinion. She understands my signals ( hand signals etc;) very quickly and understands what I want. She´ll do anything for a treat! I´ve used clicker training and it works very well on Tuva.   We have passed a general obedience to Working Dog. Tuva was very good but could sometimes be a little stressed. She is extremely attentive to me and would for instance never let themselves be tempted by a thrown toy when you calla her in. Any interference from the leaders failed completely! It is mummy that counts! We practice freestyle and I think she's great. In the spring, we begin with some trackingwoek. The picture shows Tuva jumping through a hula hoop.

One can imagine a bit Dingo, or wild dog. Then you handle the dog in a more confidence-inspiring manner. Someone has said, that you do'nt own the Thai - its the Thai owns you and there is some truth in it. With violence and tough dressage methods you will fail. Despite this, you must be clear and definite. I like to say that there must be black or white - no grey tones from mum or dad. A "no" must be firm and clear and a "good girl" must be sweet like vinning a milliondollar! Show with your whole body and your tone that you like that particular behavior. With soft methods - positive reinforcement - you will get results. To hit or was physically punishing a Thai Ridgeback, is doomed to fail! Never try that! If you want and need an exemplary obedience dog - choose a different race!

THAI RIDGEBACK AND CATS

Tuva works very well with our cats. Our two adult Ocicat has previous experience of dogs, when Tuva came to us. Lucy and Tuva play and squabble a lot. They have a lot of fun in the crowd and are usually really good friends. But I think it would be hard to introduce an adult Thai to cats since they usually consider cats or any animals - running away as prey.

THAI RIDGEBACK AND STRANGERS

The Thai is reserved. They decide if they want to hang out with strangers. You can not just stick your hand out, from above to pet their head. You have to approach the right way. The best way is to ignore them and wait for the dog itself to arrive. Let them smell your hand. In our home, all people we introduce and friends are welcomed by Tuva and she is very social to everyone, big and small. But she has favourites! In the picture, Tuva, takes a nap during Linus jacket at Finnish Winner Show in Helsinki 2005. There were approximately 8 000 dogs and at least as many people. Then it can be nice to hide and sleep for a while!

Special people, those with "dog fancy" can very quickly get Tuvas full confidence, and she becomes really friendly and likes to cuddle. These people are "chosen"!  

In more stressful environments, such as large indoor exhibitions, she can become stressed and are most often not at all interested in being petted. She also becomes quite subdued in the environment and not even interested in a treat. She is totally unlike the happy social dog she is at home.
Despite this, she still has one-year-old managed to put on display at the fair-sized exhibits with lots of people, lots of dogs and an awful noise.

The Thai has a guard instinct. Tuva gards me especially! If I sit somewhere and Tuva sits beside me and you approach - she looks up at once. If the person looks mysterious, for example dressed in a raincoat or a hat. She announces very fast! Often by a quiet, but very roughly grrrrrrrrr and she looks towards the "bad guy" saying I'm keeping an eye on you! A Thai would never attack a person. They are reserved and would only do so if it's a real threat.

FINALLY

Thai Ridgeback Dog is not a dog for everyone!
Being an owner of a Thai Ridgeback Dog requires some knowledge of dogs and some dog psychology, but the rewards are plentiful. I think it's a great dog that is also very personal.

If you win the dog's confidence and heart, it is extremely loyal and very amiable towards all members of the family. It is extremely expressive and happy and shows with his whole being to the love you and his flock.

Tuva is very playful and she likes both stuffed animals, balls and all sorts of playing. The Thai have countless wonderful expressions (they also speak), that makes you melt.
A bit of humor is required of you when they do pranks that young dogs.

 

To say some negativ about the Thai I should mention that hey're not so good at socializing with other dogs. It's fine if the other dog shows submission. They want to rule the "dogworld"!

Tuva follows me like a shadow and she likes to be where I am. She is very calm and relaxed indoors but is very active outddors. All family members are loved but I'm in the topposition. Here you see Tuva when she takes a nap behind my back when I sit at the computer. Otherwise, she is usually under the desk. The Thai is a very fast and surprisingly nimble and agile dog with very good jumping ability! The head and facial expression is quite sweet with an aura of high integrity and intelligence. The eyes are watchful. Personally I think that the head with her striking beauty is the most beautiful thing on a Thai Ridgeback.

If you choose a Thai Ridgeback Dog, you get a robust, very alert and happy dog who loves to be with you.
The coat is shiny, and very soft to the touch like velvet.
You also get a dog that attracts people's eyes!
Many people arrive, admire, talking and likes to take photos.

  Helene