Thai Ridgeback

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Thai Ridgeback

Chestnut Thai Ridgeback
Country of origin Thailand
Traits

The Thai Ridgeback is an ancient breed of dog. The breed was formerly unknown outside of Thailand, but is gaining notice in the western world. The breed is still very rare outside of Thailand [1]. The Thai Ridgeback is one of only three breeds that has a ridge of hair that runs along its back in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat (The others are Rhodesian Ridgeback and Phu Quoc Ridgeback). They are also known as a Mah Thai Lang Ahn.

Contents

[edit] Description

[edit] Appearance

The Thai Ridgeback is a muscular, medium-sized pariah-type dog with a wedge-shaped head, triangular-shaped prick ears, and a short, smooth coat. It has a pronounced ridge on its back from behind the withers to the hips. Thai Ridgebacks have muscular thighs and a streamlined body, making them extremely agile. The sickle tail is carried upward. Its forehead wrinkles with enormous expression. The tongue can be black or have black marks. Eyes are dark and almond-shaped. The ears are set low and point slightly outward, and have never been cropped. The back is straight and level. The coat is short, hard, and straight and must be solid colors of blue, black, red/fawn, or beige for show ring. However, brindle and white are also found. For international show and competition, shoulder height should be 22-24 inches (56-61 cm) in males and 20-22 inches (51-56 cm) in females. The weight should be 51-75 pounds in both genders.

Eight distinctive ridge patterns have been identified: needle, feather, arrow, lute, violin, bowling pin, leaf, and saddleback. All patterns are acceptable, but must be clearly defined and symmetrical. The broader the ridge, the higher the value.[1]

[edit] Temperament

Thai Ridgebacks are an intelligent breed. Due to isolation and lack of human contact, the Thai Ridgeback remains an independent and largely undomesticated breed. They are naturally protective of their home and family and can be aggressive with other dogs, as well as people. They are best kept by dominant owners who have a thorough understanding of dog behavior and aggression. Due to its largely undomesticated nature, the Thai Ridgeback is not recommended for the novice dog handler. They have an excellent jumping ability.

[edit] Genetics

A blue Thai Ridgeback
A blue Thai Ridgeback

The ridgeback is under a control of two groups of epistatic genes. The first determines the existence of the ridge. The other determines the size of the ridge, from none to very large (down to the side). For the latter, the more the genes in the dog, the broader is the ridge. The ridge will appear only if there is at least one dominant allele in both groups.

Coat color is also under a control of two groups of epistatic genes. The first determines the color of the coat if it should be black, brindle, red/fawn or white. The series of dominance is black to brindle to red/flawn to white. The intensity of the coat color is under control; of a set of modifying genes. The other group control the dilution of the colors. Black can be dilute to gray/silver/blue, and Red/frawn will turn beige. The normal color is dominance over the diluted.

[edit] Health

Inbreeding depression has not observed in the breed due to its small domesticated population for several generations in the past. Thai Ridgeback Dogs are prone to dermoid sinus. Modern line of Thai Ridgeback, resulting from interpopulation crosses, may also be prone to hip dysplasia and other genetic disorders.

[edit] History

The origin of the Thai Ridgeback is undocumented, but the breed was developed in eastern Thailand. The history of the breed is the subject of numerous hypotheses. It is generally considered a Pariah-type dating back to ancient times. The Thai Ridgeback may have mutated from another form of Thai dog which has similar appearance but with no ridge on the back. Rock art indicated that Thai dogs had accompanied a hunter since the new stone age of the country (over 2,000 years ago). Due to the isolation of Thai villages in the past, the breed had been inbred within the village for centuries. As a result, the appearance of the breed is quite uniform. Most lethal traits had been discarded through several generations of natural selection. The breed has a low level of inbreeding depression. The relationship between the Thai Ridgeback and the Rhodesian Ridgeback is uncertain, but possibly through Hottentot Dog or Ari Dog. There is no scientific proof that they are related.

The third existing breed of ridgeback dogs is the Phu Quoc Dog of Vietnam, which is somewhat smaller than the Thai Ridgeback. Based on genetic-based hypothesis, both Thai Ridgeback Dog and Phu Quoc Dog are likely to be descended from Funan Ridgeback Dog which originated over 1,000 years ago in Funan Era of the region. The Hottentot Dog or Ari Dog (as called by the tribe), a known African ridgeback ancestor of the Rhodesian Ridgeback, is now extinct. Its link to the Funan Ridgeback Dog is very likely in a historian opinion. The possible genetic connection among the three remaining breeds is being investigated through DNA studies.

[edit] See also

Rhodesian Ridgeback
Kombai

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Breed
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