Thai Ridgeback Dog
Hi,
I recently became the owner of a kai dog but before that I had several Thai ridgeback dogs, a breed that I love for a long time ...
Here is my latest : Lilly, who is 4 years old and she's practicing agility dog.
The Thai ridgeback dog is both sporty and very quiet at home. This is a primitive dog that kept her instincts : quite suspicious with what is foreign, very sensitive, dominant with other dogs and with a strong prey drive. It is not cuddly but likes to stay close to his master. He does not like the cold and prefers to be warm at home on a good pillow !
There are 4 colors : Black, Blue, Isabella and Red :
I recently became the owner of a kai dog but before that I had several Thai ridgeback dogs, a breed that I love for a long time ...
Here is my latest : Lilly, who is 4 years old and she's practicing agility dog.
The Thai ridgeback dog is both sporty and very quiet at home. This is a primitive dog that kept her instincts : quite suspicious with what is foreign, very sensitive, dominant with other dogs and with a strong prey drive. It is not cuddly but likes to stay close to his master. He does not like the cold and prefers to be warm at home on a good pillow !
There are 4 colors : Black, Blue, Isabella and Red :
Comments
Oxxane, my first Thai (RIP)
An-Dao, Oxxane's son , my blue male (RIP)
Lilly and my old lady Meg (RIP)
and now :
Lilly and Hanako
It seems that they're not the greatest with other dogs tho
Lilly is very cute.
I'm very intrigued by Thai Ridgebacks. They've got an overall shape and alertness to expression that I find very attractive.
Love the athletic look of them very beautiful.
The earliest written documentation seems to come from an ancient manuscript of the period of King Songthan of Ayuttaya (1611 to 1628) who describes the Ridgeback as follows:
«The dogs are big. They are more than two sawk tall (one sawk is a traditional measurement which equals the length from an adult’s elbow to his finger tips). They appear in a variety of colors. And each dog has a ridge on the back.They are fierce. They are loyal to their masters. They are able to feed themselves, digging the earth in search of small prey. They like to follow their owner, to hunt in the wood. When they catch an animal they will bring it to their master. They are loyal to the entire household. They love their companionship. They go everywhere with their masters, even as far as the big Yang tree. They are powerful and fearless…. Their ears are pointed erect and their tails stand like the swords of tribesmen… «
Thai Ridgebacks originally came from the Pho Quoc Island originally part of Siam, now a part of Vietnam. It is the major isle in the Gulf of Siam, about 200 km south of Bangkok.
History of the breed dates back to ancient times and remains the subject of numerous surmises. It is very difficult to prove the origin of a breed as old as Thai Ridgeback undoubtedly is. First well-founded records of the breed were found in 380-year-old Taiwanese manuscripts. These books describe Thai Ridgeback as "a short-haired dog with a hair ridge on its back, with raised ears and a tail pointed up as a sword." The Thai discovered caves that are called Tum-Pra-Toom. Great number of drawings reflecting a day-to-day life of those times were found in these Thai caves. The dogs depicted in these drawings strongly resemble the present Thai Ridgeback. Experts estimate the drawings being at least 3000 years old. Besides the known Rhodesian Ridgeback, there was a Phu Quoc as well. It is considerably smaller than Thai Ridgeback and originates from the Phu Quoc island lying in the Gulf of Siam about 200 km eastwards from Bangkok. Nowadays the island is a part of Vietnam. The Phu Quoc dog lived by Cambodian border and it unquestionably is the predecessor of the present Thai Ridgeback. 1000-year-old caves with a ridge-back dogs drawn on their walls were discovered in Cambodia too.
Eastern Thailand where this dog originates from was inhabited by very poor people who were kept in isolation. These dogs were the only possessions of most of those people. The dogs meant a certain source of sustenance because Thai Ridgeback was an indispensable help when hunting, merits of the dog being speed, skill and perseverance but first and foremost its excellent sight. The dogs hunting in a pack were capable of bagging a hare, rabbit or even a young boar. When the dog's owner's family were working in the field, the dog stood guard over their home, killing rodents and snakes. The dog also served as a guard of a cart or wagon. The isolation of that part of Thailand protected this breed from crossbreeding. That is why Thai Ridgeback is considered a relatively pure and undoubtedly original breed.
It would seem that Thai Ridgebacks were originally used to hunt wild boar, deer, tapirs and birds. They were also used to escort carts along side their master, which were the mode of transport in Thailand at that time. As you can imagine long distance travel was difficult. These areas were very isolated because of the non existence of roads. There was no chance of cross breeding with other breeds due to this situation. As a result the Thai Ridgeback has remained unchanged for centuries. Due to natural selection only the strongest and fittest dogs survived thus creating a very healthy dog we know of today.
It has only been with introduction of modern day transport that these dogs have began to get more widely publicised and recognised around Thailand and the western world. Intense deforestation throughout Thailand has destroyed most hunting habitat and Thai Ridgebacks are no longer used in the same way. Nowadays they seem to be used mainly for guarding their masters family and property. It seems to be a real status symbol to own a Thai Ridgeback in Thailand. Government, military and police officials seem to be keen enthusiasts of this breed.
There have been many speculations regarding numbers in Thailand. Accept that not all Thai Ridgebacks are registered with the Kennel Club of Thailand the actual recorded number was only 367 in November 2002.
The first TR pup to exported out of Thailand was in 1990 by Ray Mersmann from Holland with his blue male «Hintza». Since then their popularity has grown rapidly.
Now, there are lots of thai ridgeback dogs living in eastern country and russia ( Lilly came from ukrania) but so rare in France.
TRdogs likes to live with others home dogs but dominant with strangers dogs ! A Very hunting dog with big instincts ! Veru be carreful of cats , poultry, sheets...
They are sensitive to cold but with a coat it's Ok for a little walk in the snow and freezing. But they must live at home with people not inside in a garden or a kennel.
And so They don't want to live far of the family because they need compagny !
Agility :
smile dog :
usually, trd don't like water !
a tiger trd,( not fci color )
Really athletic Lilly!