The Thai Ridgeback Dog of Thailand

History

The Thai Ridgeback dog of Thailand, Asia, better known as the "Mah Thai Lung Ahn" is one of the oldest breeds of stock within the dog world. They can be seen in the archeological writings in Thailand which was written over 350 years ago. They were mainly used for hunting dogs. The reason why it has kept its own original type for years is the poor transportation systems in Eastern Thailand where it has had fewer chances to crossbreed with other dogs.

Although not globally as famous as Siamese cats, Thai dogs win no less popularity, or even more, than their feline compatriots among pet lovers in their home country. And among all the Thai dogs, the most acclaimed breed is undoubtedly the Thai ridge back, which, according to a manuscript that dates back to 1627, to the period of King Songtham of Ayutthaya , is believed to have been an ancient breed of local Thai dog.

The script says, "The dogs are big. They are more than two “sawk” tall (one sawk is a traditional measurement which equals the length of an adult's elbow to his finger tips). They appear in a variety of colors and each has a ridge on the back”.

"They are fierce and very 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 woods. When they catch an animal, they bring it to their masters. They are loyal to the entire household. They love their companions. 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 stand like the swords of tribesmen...."

Judging from the dog's appearance, a more modern description would say that, the Thai Ridgeback Dog is strong, muscular, medium sized dogs of the Hound Group, resembling in many ways the Pharaoh hound. They have a dense coat, but with a ridge on the back. The ridge, which gives the breed its peculiarity, is formed by the hair growing in the opposite direction from the rest of the coat.

The Thai Ridgeback Dog is one of the oldest breeds of dogs in the world today. It was recognized by the FCI on July 28, 1993 as #338. In October 1993, the Communication Authority of Thailand printed the TRD on four different postage stamps, one for each color. The TRD is one of the oldest breeds in Southeast Asia . There are four different breeds of dogs native to Thailand. They are the Thai Dog (no ridge on back-your basic street dog), the Boran Dog (a totally hairless dog), the Bang-Kaew Dog (a fox-cross wolf dog) and last the Thai Ridgeback Dog (Which comes in eight different ridge patterns on the back). Now the TRD, has become very popular in Thailand, in the past twenty years.

Years ago a very old book was found with a drawing of a Thai Ridgeback Dog. This book is about 350 years old. Many Thai people say the TRD is Kon San (short coat), Lung Ahn (ridgeback), Hoo Tang (erect ears), and Hang Dab (tail up like a sword). These words describe the characteristics of the dog in the drawing in this very old book. So this book can prove that the TRD has been in Thailand for at least 350 years.

A few years ago, some Thai people found a cave in Uthai-Tanne province. This cave is named Tum-Pra-Toon. There are a lot of drawings in this cave. The drawings show the daily life of that time. There are dogs in some of these drawings. One drawing of a dog is very clear, it looks just like the TRD. A Thai professor has proved that these drawings are more than 3,000 years old. There are other caves in Korat, which has many drawings of dogs looking like the drawings in the Tum-Pra-Toon cave.

Prior to 1960, there were no dog shows in Thailand. Thai people just had dogs as pets or to protect their homes. Rich people would import dogs from Europe . German Shepherds being the most popular breed. Most of the Thai people had the "street dog" or "Mah Thai" (Thai dog-with no ridges.)

Between 1967 and 1982 there were only a few dog shows, breeders and exhibitors in Bangkok. The TRD were always in the show ring and always top winners. The breeders of the TRD had to travel to all parts of Thailand to find the best dogs. They were not easy to find. They were hidden away in areas were there was very poor communication and very few people would travel there because of poor roads. Due to the remote areas, the TRD must have bred true for a very long time. No other breeds were known to inhabit these areas other then the TRD.

In 1988-1993 there was a very big boom of the TRD. Some dogs would cost as much as $20,000. Today, there are over 50,000 TRD`s, registered by the Dog Association of Thailand (DAT), but there are over 10 times more TRD`s that have not been registered. So there could be more than 500,000 TRD`s in Thailand. Thailand and China are not that far apart. So is it possible that the TRD of today and the Chinese Shar-Pei actually came from the same dog?... Or the Shar-Pei came from the TRD? Many say that the Shar-Pei came from the Phu Quoc Dog. Is the Phu Quoc Dog the same as the Thai Ridgeback Dog?

In ancient times, the King of Vietnam was in trouble with his people. He fled to Thailand and stayed with the King of Siam ( Thailand was called Siam ). The King of Siam supported the King of Vietnam to fight back his enemies. Soon he regained his kingdom and developed very good relationship with the Thai people. Many say he brought back the Thai Ridgeback Dog to his country. Could these dogs have evolved to become the Phu Quoc Dog of Vietnam ? Also many travelers from Africa brought back the Phu Quoc Dog to breed to their Hottentot Dog to create the Ari Ridgeback of South Africa , later to be called the Rhodesian ridgeback.

So, who made the TRD? No one really knows. They go back in time before written history.

Actually, apart from the Thai Ridgeback there is another breed that also bears such a unique feature, the South African Rhodesian Ridgeback. However the latter was recorded to have been the result of a cross breeding between a native African dog and a dog from Indochinese ancestry. This dog must have been none other than the Thai Ridgeback Dog.

Compared in size, the Thai Ridgeback are not as big as their remote cousin in South Africa . Their ears are also smaller and differently set. While the Rhodesian ridgebacks are colored from light-wheaten to red-wheaten, The Thai Ridgeback; as mentioned in the ancient manuscript, appear in various colors, ranging in many shades of fawn, black, blue, and red. However, people tend to prefer blue and red more than the rest. Apart from the muzzle which is supposed to be black, the dogs are preferred to be solid in color, from head to toe and the tip of its tail. Of course, that includes the ridge.

With the type of their coat, the Thai Ridgeback can be divided into two major categories. The first group with ordinary short hair, and the other are those who's hair is extremely short and dense, so much so that the coat looks like a piece of velvet. So far, the velvet-coated dogs seem to be more preferable than those with an ordinary coat.

And as for the ridge, this remarkable physical feature, that distinguishes the breed from other local breeds as well as all other breeds in the world, except for the Rhodesian ridgeback, also appear in various forms. Unlike their African cousin, the Thai Ridgeback have their ridges to offer in several different shapes, ranging from the arrow shaped ridge, like that of the Rhodesian Ridgeback, to seven other kinds of large ridges.

The biggest type of ridge is called the "Bai Pho" which looks like a huge Bhodi tree leave that cover most of the dogs back as well as part of his hips. The bigger the ridge is, the more appreciable the dog is and the higher the price too.

The color also determines the shape of a dog's ridge. The blue dogs do not often have big ridges as the red dogs. So the blue dogs that carry big ridges are highly appreciated by Thai dog lovers. So, naturally, for those dogs who combine all the best qualities in themselves, their prices will be set up somewhat very high. As an example, a newborn blue velvety puppy with a Bai Pho ridge may be sold at a price starting from 30,000 Baht and up. (41 Baht = 1 US Dollar.)

Hundreds of dog breeds world-wide have evolved through natural and/or artificial selection of genetic variances arisen from mutation and hybridization. This selection process is still going on; thus, some breeds are going to disappear unless the breeds have some features that meet the selection criteria. The trait of having hair growing in the opposite direction to the usual coat that appears in only three known breeds is perhaps a major criterion for the selection.

Of the three, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is the artificial breed selected for a ridge from a multi breed mongrel population. The breed is so well known that its detail will not be further discussed here. Our attention will rather be on the other two breeds that are considered, by most people, to be the primitives. The two are the now extinct hound dog of the Hottentot tribe of South-West Africa and the Thai Ridgeback dog of South-East Asia ( Thailand ).

The Hottentot Hunting Dog or the Ari Ridgeback dog is better known by most dog-fanciers than the Thai Ridgeback since the former has been strongly believed to be the ancestor which solely contributed the ridgeback trait to the Rhodesian. As claimed by many, the first record on the Hottentot dog was written by a Dutch man named J. van Riebeek. Riebeek reached the Cape of Good Hope in April 1652, 133 years after the westward trip around-the-world through South-East Asia of F. Magellan of Portugal , at about the same time as the Hottentot tribe migrated there with their dogs. He described that the domestic dog of the Hottentot had a ridge on its back. However, the recent articles by Dr. Hromnik stated that The Hottentot had been in South Africa long before Riebeek's arrival and nobody ever documented any information about ridged dogs before the 19th century. Since the breed is now extinct, the detailed description of the dog has to be gathered from documents, illustrations and excavation information. In a book published in 1857, there is a hunting scene of the Hottentot tribe showing a dog with semi-erect ears, a drop tapered tail and, as appeared to many people, a ridge. Later, a preserved specimen was found and revealed that the Hottentot dog had a ridge, pricked ears, a broad flat skull and a long bushy tail. The two items of evidence are contradicted in the shape of ears and tail. But, the second evidence received stronger support.

From the available historical evidence, all Hottentot dogs had ridges on their backs. The Hottentot dog must had been thus developed through a careful selection of the ridgeback. The ridgeback trait has never been associated with the ability to survive in nature; therefore, the Hottentot dog with a ridge would have been found along with its non-ridgeback counterpart if the breed was developed solely by natural selection. One also can see that it is difficult to obtain a pure ridgeback population even in the artificially selected population of the Rhodesian. Having many important features of the Dingo/Pariah group, the genetic resource for the selection of the Hottentot dog should be from Asia . This hypothesis agrees with Dr. Hromnik's conclusion.

It is interesting that there is an indigenous breed of Asia that carries a ridgeback. The breed is little known to the western world probably because its country of origin has never been colonized and extensively explored by the western civilization. It is the national dog of  Thailand . The breed once was referred to as 'The Phu Quoc Greyhound'. However, its correct name is 'Thai Ridgeback'.

Prehistoric people of the late Neolithic period who lived in central Thailand and those of the metal period who lived in North-Eastern Thailand raised dogs as their domestic animal. Archeologists estimated that the dog has been domesticated in Thailand for about 5,300 years. A prehistoric rock art of over 3,000 years old on a cave wall showing a sickle tail male dog standing by a hunter who was throwing an arrow suggested that the dog was raised to assist in the hunting. Since the dog was so important in the hunting-for-living of the primitive society, the culture of raising a dog must have been a continuous practice for over 5,000 years.

The Thai dog is a muscular light-medium Pariah, belongs to the Spitz and Primitive Group under FCI classification. It is fearless, upstanding and alert. The wedge-shape head is carried high, has a flat skull for good aerodynamics. Its forehead wrinkles upon its expression of surprise. The stop is well defined but not abrupt. Its well-developed maxillary skeleton and its deep muzzle make a very powerful bite. It should be noted that the muzzle line must always be straight from the nose tip to the stop. The eyes are dark and almond-shaped. The pricked ears of medium size set on rather low and point slightly outward. The lips are black and tightly closed. Its teeth are of a scissor bite. There are some black marks on the tongue, with exceptional black tongue. The nose is dark with well opened nostrils. The body is of short rectangular build. The length of the body is greater than the shoulder height for its static stability admits speed gallop. The wither must be in the same line as its back. The breed has a straight back which either levels or slightly inclines toward the hip. The back is very muscular, but flexible, that produces great galloping, climbing and jumping abilities. The low angularity hind leg also enhances the climbing potential. These attributes are the essential features that the dog needs for its survival in the jungle. However, having the hind leg this way reduces the speed of its gait. A sickle tail with its tip point forward is high set. The tail is tapered and almost reaches its hock. The rather deep-chested body is slightly tucked up with a strong loin. This feature helps the breed to move at a good speed in its gallop. The coat is short, hard, straight and of rather thin undercoat. The modern type may have an ultra-short (so called 'velvet') coat without the under coat. The coat color may be brindle or solid black, red, fawn, beige, blue or white. A small white pattern of not larger than the nose is not desirable, yet permissible. The body skin is slightly tight, thus no dewlap or wrinkles. The ridge may be of needle, arrow, violin, harp, bracket or inverted heart (saddle) shape, but has to be of bilateral symmetry. Shoulder height should be 48-61 centimeters (19-24 inches) in dogs and 43-56 centimeters (17-22 inches) in bitches. The weight should be 19-24 kilograms (42-53 pounds) in dogs, 17-22 kilograms (37-48 pounds) in bitches.

During the past 20 years, Thai dog breeders have been making an effort to improve the breed. The goal is to add an attacking ability to this hunting hound. Thus, the improvement has been emphasized on increasing the height, the weight and the obedience ability. To achieve the goal, the flexibility of movement has to be sacrificed. The jumping and climbing abilities are also thus be the ancestor of the Hottentot dog since the Rhodesian, as a representative of the Hottentot, apparently has less mutual alleles.

This hypothesis agrees with the opinion of renowned historian, Dr. Hromnik. The relationship between the two breeds can be elucidated by the common features of the ridgeback, the crown on the back and also the dermoid cyst disease. Hopefully, a current study conducted by a Dutch research team at Utrecht University on the DNA fingerprint of The Rhodesian, the Phu Quoc and the Thai will soon provide a solid conclusion on the relationship of the three.

The place of origin of the Thai Ridgeback is another interesting issue since the breed's habitat is not only in Thailand but also in Vietnam, Kampuchea ( Cambodia ) and Indonesia. Surprisingly, the dog is found only on the islands of Vietnam, Kampuchea and Indonesia while it is found on both the islands and the mainland of Thailand . Phu Quoc was the island where the western dog-fancier first encountered the breed and obtained the dog in the 19th century when the island was colonized. A study was undertaken to locate the place of origin without any historic record, the genetic analysis of the ridgeback was performed using reported survey data. The width of the ridge and the number of crowns on the body which are controlled by a number of additive alleles were used since the dog with the higher number of mutant alleles has the longer history. According to a genetic theory, the dog with the broader ridge or more crowns is resulted from the accumulation of more genes of interest. The Ridgeback in Thailand has its ridge much wider than its back, sometime down to its flank, with the maximum of at least 14 crowns. The closest competitor from Vietnam , including Phu Quoc island, has its ridge only on its back, hardly down to the side, and the maximum of at least 10 crowns. Thus, the Thai dog must have been evolved for the longest period. Hence, the 'Ridgeback' must be of Thailand origin. This justified the name 'Thai Ridgeback'. The area where most population of the breed was the eastern fishing ports of Thailand ; thus, it was probably a fisherman who took the dog to the islands of Thailand's neighboring countries. The current hypothesis on how the Thai Ridgeback went to South Africa is that Asian traders took the dog with them to Africa in the first millennium A.D.

To comprehend more about the Thai Ridgeback, one should know its general appearance. The dog is a freedom-loving and active animal. Its brain capability has been developed to be a self-dependent like a human as in other primitive breeds, not a master-dependent like a computer as in the man-made reduced to make a faster gait. This has been done by selecting the higher angularity hind legs and the lower hip than the original. To have a uniform pattern in each coloration; the white pattern is being removed genetically. For a challenge to breeders, the broadest ridge with good bilateral symmetry and well-defined edge is being tried to be produced since it is very difficult to obtain. In addition to the above traits, there are some minor features that are being improved; such as, broaden the hock joint while maintaining its short hock. Anyway, there is yet no dog that has all these ideal features at this point. The breeder still has to do a lot of work to achieve it.

As far as temperament is concerned, the Thai Ridgeback is sort of  a wild and alert creature since their hunting instincts still remain. Apart from the physical appearance, another distinct characteristic of the Thai Ridgeback from other local breeds is their intelligence. And as mentioned in the old manuscript, they are extremely loyal to their masters. Yet, although they are a one person type of dog, but their strong loyalty embraces the whole family, as well as their possessions. These qualities make them both good companions and serious guardians. During the past few years, the Thai Ridgeback has gained more and more popularity among Thai pet lovers. Many kennels and breeders have shifted their focus from foreign breeds to the Thai Ridgeback. Dog shows are held regularly in Bangkok as well as in the eastern part of Thailand which is believed to be the origin of the breed.

While, ordinarily, a great many Thai dog owners do not pay much attention to registering their dogs, most of the owners of the Thai Ridgebacks have their dogs’ pedigree registration with the Dog Association of Thailand (DAT) now the Kennel Club of Thailand (KCTH). The Thai Ridgeback Club of the United States (TRCUS) American Kennel Clubs Foundation Stock Service (AKC-FSS) the UKC (TRAC) Thai Ridgeback Association of Canada,and ARBA in the United States. At the international level, the breed has already been recognized by the FCI and Asian Kennel Union (AKU).

At the closing of this article everyone must have a better insight about the Thai Ridgeback. One should also be enlightened that the Thai Ridgeback has been the only primitive ridgeback dog in the world. The Hottentot hunting hound was likely to be a primitive cross breed of the Thai dog. Whilst the Phu Quoc dog is simply the same breed as the Thai Ridgeback dog, but named after the place it was first sighted instead of its origin. However, this hypothesis about the primitive ridgeback dog relationship may have some disagreement. All arguments with good historical evidence or a better scientific explanation are greatly welcome with an appreciation.

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