THAI RIDGEBACK DOG
ABOUT THE BREED
SIAMESE RIDGEBACK /
THE ROYAL DOG OF SIAM/
MAH THAI LUNG AHN "dog from Thailand with saddle on back"
FIRST IMPRESSION
A Thai Ridgeback Dog gets attention everywhere! Maybe you think at first that this is a succesful combination of Basenji, Pharao Hound an Rhodesian Ridgeback.
But ...... the Thai Ridgeback Dog is probably one of the oldest dogbreeds in the world!
This is an elegant, strong and very
muscular dog of medium seize.
The male is 56-61 cm and the females is 51-56 cm at withers.
It has a very dense, short and soft coat with a ridge on the back (hair is growing in opposite direction). The ridge is an important mark for the breed and only appears in one more breed, Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Some examples of different ridgeforms
Itīs important that the ridge is clearly defined and a symmetrical ridge is preferable
Thai Ridgeback Dogs appear in four different colours:
Red, Blue-Silver, Black and Fawn. Reds can have black facemask.
The eyecolour shall be dark
brown, but may be Amber coloured in Blue and Silver.
The nose is black.
Dark markings on the tounge is characteristic for the breed.
The ears are neat and firmly pricked.
Head and the tail should be carried high and with pride.
The gait should be long and powerful though the angulation is moderate.
The general appearance should be an elegant athletic and alert dog.
PERSONALITY
The Thai Ridgeback Dog is a
soft and kind dog but indomitable and independent.
Itīs devoted to its owner and family. Itīs friendly to friends but can be
reserved to strangers.
They have a tendency to talk with a growling sound that can be misunderstood.
They have been used as hunting dogs, watch dogs and companion dogs for years. They had to find their own food and manage by themself, so they have developed a strong survival instinct and also high intelligence with independency.
A good tempered TRD is always alert but also sensible and steady. The breed can also combine, in a charming way, a curios attitude with a large portion of self esteem.
By nature they are tolerant towards both humans and animals. However, the breed can be standoffish and even rejected towards strangers.
In general a TRD enjoy the company of other dogs, but if the breed gets unjustly provoked it can be stubborn, fearless and show great eager to defend himself (or its owner).
TRAINING
When it comes to education, the breed is either fussy or difficult to deal with. The dog has an eager to please but you can never demand a complete resignation by a TRD!
If you do train with soft methods, you will find this intelligent dog breed responsive and suitable for all kinds of training and a TRD is in general very adaptable and easy to train. You probably get the best results in events where the dog can practice and develop their quickness -hunting skills in Lure Coursing , jumping ability in agility and excellent sense of smell in trackingskills.
Because of the temper, the breed is not the right dog for everyone. Earlier experience of dogs and special understanding may be required. But if you decide to buy a TRD, you will find out that the devotion and affection the dog shows towards its master is remarkable and worth while waiting for!
HEALTH
The Thai Ridgeback Dog is a very
healthy breed.
They can be born with a Dermoid Sinus. A cyst by the spine, but they
show early in puppies. It can be palpated as a tube or cord-like thread
attaching the skin to the vertebral column. Because it is a tube of skin
containing, in its center, hair and sebum, it can easily become the seat of an
infection.
350 years old painting of a TRD
The breed has been kept pure for a very long time. Because of the poor communication in this part of Asia, large areas in Thailand were kept isolated in centuries, which gave the breed less chance to intermix with other dogs.
Click on the map to see a bigger Thailand map!
Even if there are
no complete documentation of the origin of the breed there are some support that
the TRD is an very old dog breed.
In a Thai cave some dog drawings have been
found, and these look just like TRDs.
The drawings are more than 3,000 years
old!
But there is real evidence that the breed is at least 350 years old. According to an over 350 year old Thai manuscript, which describe the breed very well, the TRD was already common in Thailand!
In eastern Thailand the
Thai Ridgeback Dog was used for hunting and as watchdog.
The dog are very fast and could hunt rabbit, deer or tapir.
Asian Tapir
Deer
The dogs were also efficient watchdogs for the owner, his family and his property.
 |
They also kept the house clean from rats and snakes |
The Thai Ridgeback Dogs were also used as escort dogs.
The cart was the main transport in ancient days so the owner took his dogs with
him as he travelled.
In certain provinces they called the dogs "Cart Escort
Dogs"
Cart transport
Around 1975 a serious efforts
were made by breeders in Thailand to save the nationalbreed.
The breeders did a successful
work to get an acknowledgement of the breed by different Kennel Clubs around the
world.
In 1993 the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) did recognize the
TRD. The breed was admitted into group 5; Spitz and primitive dog types.
When FCI recognized the TRD the interest in the breed raised in Europe. Netherlands and Germany was the first countries to import dogs from Thailand.
The Thai Ridgeback Dog came to
Sweden in 1995 and the first litter was born 1996.
In Sweden there are just over 25 Thai Ridgeback Dogs, in Dec 2006.