Thai Ridgeback - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Primitive dog
The Thai Ridgeback is so called primite dog breed. What does it mean? Well, it means that they evolved with minimal human intervention and that they were not bred intentionally. They tend to be wilder than typical dogs.

2) Appearance
All the primitive breeds have the same characteristics and it is prick ears, wedge-shaped heads, wrinkled foreheads, squarish bodies, long legs and smooth coat. So as you can see, the Thai Ridgeback is typical primite breed. You can find Thai Ridgebacks in black, fawn, red or blue color. Interesting fact about its appearance is, that they can have pigmentation or spots on his tongue, just like the Chow Chow.

3) The Ridge
But of course, the most distinctive part of the Thai Ridgeback feature is the ridge. The ridge of hair on his back will extend down his spine and the ridge can be in different shapes and patterns, but it is always symetrical. Some Thai Ridgebacks have very broad ridge, while others can have very very thin ridge. Sometimes, they dont have the ridge and even though it is considered as a fault, it does not mean that there is something wrong with your dog.

4) Versatile hunter
The Thai Ridgeback is very smart and persistant dog, which is a reason why they are so versatile. They have high prey drive, so they were used as skilled hunters, thanks to their allertnes, they can also be used as guard dogs and because of their strength and endurence, they were even used to pull carts. It is also very brave and courageous dog and in Thailand, they were even used to hunt cobras.

5) Training

The training and especially the socialization is crucial with the Thai Ridgeback. Well socialized Thai Ridgeback make amazing family companion, they love attention and create strong bond with the owners. But if they are not socialized they can become very agressive towards strangers, other dogs and they will be extremely territorial. The training is not the easiest. It is true that this is intelligent breed, but because of their independent and stubborn personality, they are not pushovers to train. They need firm, consistent and patient leader.

6) Ridgebacks

The Thai Ridgeback is not the only breed with the ridge, but it is true that it is extremely unique trait and there are actually only two other breeds with the ridge – the very popular Rhodesian Ridgeback and the Vietnamese Ridgeback, which is called Phu Quoc Ridgeback.

7) Easy maintenance

It is very easy to groom Thai Ridgebacks. They have smooth short coat, that is not heavy shedding. You can brush them time to time to remove the dead hair and minimize the shedding. Bathing is not needed very often as well. Because they have such a short coat, they do not tolerate cold temperatures. After all, they developed in sunny Thailand.

8) Escape artists

Thai Ridgebacks are known for running away after anything that has fur and that moves. They truly have very high prey drive. Make sure you have a good high fence around your property, because Thai Ridgebacks are amazing jumpers and climbers. And because they are good diggers as well, the fence must be burried several inches bellow the ground. Because of they high prey drive, it is recommended to keep your Thai Ridgeback on leash, when you are in unfenced or unknown area.

9) Size

This is medium to large sized dog breed with powerful and muscular built. Their average height is between 51-61 cm which is 20-24 inches and weight should be between 16-35 kg which is 35-75 pounds. The females are naturally little bit smalelr than males.

10) Health

Thai Ridgebacks are overall healthy breed with few inherent health issues. The common health issues are dermoid sinus and hip dysplasia. The Thai Ridgebacks lifespan is between 12-15 years and if you want to keep them healthy and happy, proper daily exercise, like long walks, jogs, hikes or vigorous playtime is needed.