Loyal, independent, agile, tough, active and intelligent. These are all words you can expect to hear when you ask an owner to briefly describe to you the Thai Ridgeback breed.
They are excellent jumpers with a very pronounced survival instinct, but they are also loyal family dogs even though they are not recommended for owners who have no experience with dogs as they know how to impose their own will very easily in unprofessional hands.
The Thai Ridgeback is an independent thinker and will look for ways to outsmart you. They require a stable owner and constant training to preoccupy their thoughts. They favour only one person in the family whom they choose as their “leader”, but they can learn to tolerate and respect other family members. They have a very pronounced predatory instinct, and without proper upbringing you can easily lose control of the dog.
The Thai Ridgeback is an ancient primitive breed believed to date back 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, judging by the archaeological findings of drawings with the motif of people and dogs hunting.
These drawings show medium-sized dogs with raised ears and a high tail that forms an arch.
However, we can only claim with certainty that that the oldest written documents about the breed found in Thailand are 400 years old. Judging by the type of manuscripts, archaeologists have concluded that they date back to the reign of King Songthan of Ayutthaya (1611 to 1628).
These documents state:
“Dogs are taller than a traditional length measurement indicating the length from the elbow to the fingertips of an adult person.
They come in different colours. Each dog has a ridge on its back made of fur stretching backwards.
They are fierce.
They are loyal to their people.
They are able to survive on their own, feeding by digging the ground in search of small prey.
They like to follow their master and hunt in the woods.
When they catch an animal, they bring it to their master.
They are loyal to the entire household.
They go everywhere with their master, even to the Great Yang Tree.
They are very powerful and fearless, their ears stand erect and their tails like the swords of a tribe.”
The fact that the Thai Ridgeback is a primitive breed is proved by their unpretentiousness in everyday life, and the fact that they eat sparingly and save their energy. They master physical and mental exercises with ease. Breed representatives differ from other dogs by good coordination, skills, sharpness, speed and agility.
In addition, they are usually formed intellectually at a very early age, so it is sometimes easy to forget that you still deal with a puppy. The development stage within the age limits is clearly observable and they reach their full size much earlier than other breeds. They have a surprisingly good memory.
Their need for activity is extremely high, which demonstrates their natural instinct and the desire to cooperate with their human.
Other qualities of this beautiful breed include: cleanliness, no smell, shedding once a year. They are extremely clean breed, more like a cat than a dog. Their fur is extremely soft to the touch and shiny. It is very likely the Thai Ridgebacks that lives in colder regions will need to wear adequate equipment because they do not stand cold weather.
They come in four colours:
– Black
– Red (with or without the black mask)
– Fawn (Isabella)
-Silver/blue
Ridge is the hair that extends along the back and grows in the opposite direction from the rest of the hair on the dog’s body. It is important for the ridge to be symmetrical with no imbalance no matter what shape it comes in. They come in 8 shapes and each has its own name. Shapes and names can be seen from the drawing in the photo.
Generally speaking, they are a healthy and active breed, but there are reported cases, especially in uncontrolled breeding, where the dermoid sinus cyst appears. Individuals with DS must be excluded from breeding. It is important to pay attention to the choice of the breeder when purchasing a particular individual. I would recommend to always contact a reputable breeder who provides their breeding dogs and offspring with only the best possible care and veterinary care. That way, responsible purchase helps all of us, even the breed itself to remain healthy and in its original form of carefully selected breeding to date.
