History The Thai Ridge Back Dog is an old breed which can be seen in the archaerological writing in Thailand, which was written about 350 years ago. Mainly in the eastern part of Thailand, it was used for hunting. And people also used it to escort their carts and as a watch dog. The reason why it was kept its own original type for years is poor transportation systems in the eastern part of Thailand, it had fewer chances to crossbreed with other breeds.

General Appearance Medium sized dog with short hair forming a ridge along the back. The body is slightly longer than its height at withers. Muscles are well developed and it anatomical structure is suitable for activities.

Important proportions Length of body compared to size(height at wither) is 11:10. Height of chest compared to size is 5:10 Length of the muzzle compared to length of head is 2:3

Temperament Tough and active with excellent jumping ability.

Head
Cranial region
Skull The crown is flat and has a gentle slope toward the stop.
Stop Clearly defined but moderate. Inclination is not abrupt

Facial region
Nose Color is black
Nasal bridge Straight and long
Muzzle Wedge-shaped. Dog with fawn coat have black mask
Lips Tight
Mouth Black marking on the tongue
Jaw Upper jaw is thick enough abd lower jaw is strong
Teeth White and strong with scissors bite
Eye Middle size and almond shaped. THe eye color is dark brown. In blues and silver, amber color eyes are permitted.
Ears Set on either side of the crown, which is slightly broad between the two ears, Rather large, triangular, inclining forward and firmly pricked, not cropped

Neck Strong, muscular, holding head high

Body
Back Strong
Loin Strong and broad
Croup Moderately round
Chest Deep enough to reach the elbows. The rib is well built but it is not barrel shaped
Lower line The belly is tucked up

Tail It has a thick base with gradual tapering toward the tip. The tip reaches hock joint. It holds up vertically or curves like sickle tail.

Limbs
Frontlegs The forearm is straight.
Hindlegs Well developed thighs and well bent stifles. Hocks are taugh. The nails are black or light through brown

Gait Stride with no pitching nor rolling of the body. Track in two parallel straight lines. When view from the front, the forelegs move up and down in straight line. so that the shoulder, elbow and pastern joints are approximately in line with each other. When view from the rare, the stifle and hip joints are approximately in line. Move in a straight pattern forward without throwing the feet in nor out, thus enabling the stride to be long and drive powerful. The overall appearance of the moving dog is one of smooth flowing and well balanced rhythm.

Skin Soft, tender and tight skin.

Coat
Hair Short and smooth. The ridge on the top region is formed by the hair growing in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat. It should be clearly defined from other parts of the back. There are various shapes of ridge, but symmetrical one is preferred.

Color Solid color, light chestnut red (the deeper the better) pure black, silver and blue

Size Ideal height at the withers, dogs 22-24 inch, Bitches 20-22 inches. There is a tolerance of one half inch.

Eliminating Faults
Dogs without ridge, long hair

Faults any departure from the foregoing point should be considered a fault and the seriousness with the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

In October 1993 the Communication Authority of Thailand printed 4 pictures of thai ridge back dog on 4 kind of Thai Stamps.

Last update Jun. 30, 2000
This website will be updated every week

Copyright 1999    By  dogfriend.com  All Rights Reserved.

Link to our friend's website 
www.thaivet.org
www.thaifishmart.com