Free Sample

Table of Contents
Introducing the Royal Dog of Thailand.
Who is the Thai Ridgeback Dog?
Is the Thai Ridgeback Dog the right dog for me?
Now that I know I want one, what should I be
looking for?
Does the TRD have any physical or genetic health
problems?
What other type of dog diseases or problems do I
need to look out for?
What should I feed my dog, doggy nutrition?
Now that I know a TRD is perfect for me, how do I
find a good breeder?
Now that I have found my puppy, how do I get
him or her to me?
My puppy is here, hooray, now what do I do?
Some commonly asked questions about the TRD.
What is a problem child and how do I work with
them?
Dog friendly web sites.
Introducing the Royal Dog
of Thailand.
Furry friend, family member, personal companion;
these are all the things we see in a dog. It’s not hard
to love a Thai Ridgeback Dog, commonly called
the TRD, at first sight. They are gorgeous with their
perked ears, muscular bodies, short-haired coats,
and half-sickle tails. They are also the perfect size
to fit into a household, not too large and not too
small. On top of their physical appearance, they
are extremely intelligent and love their family to a
fault.
This book will delve into how to decide if the TRD
is the perfect dog for your household. If you have
purchased a puppy or adopted a rescue, we have
great information and pointers for you as well. We
will help you with the good, the bad and the ugly
of owning a Spitz Primitive Pariah-type dog, a dog
that is as close to a wild dog as you can get in a domesticated animal.
We will include information on their history, nutrition, health, personality traits, integration, and
troubleshooting. We will also include a slew of
Internet-based sites that will help you obtain products, health tips, and interaction with other TRD
owners and breeders.
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Who is the Thai Ridgeback
Dog?
The Thai Ridgeback Dog, also known as a TRD,
Mah Thai, or Mah Thai Lang Ahn, is the national
dog of Thailand and has been known as Thailand’s
domesticated dog for centuries.
According to scientists this Spitz Primitive Hunting
Dog may be one of the oldest dog breeds known to
man. According to rock art found in a cave in the
Uthai-Tanee province dating over 3,000 years ago,
drawings indicate a TRD-caliber dog accompanying hunters in their daily life. During this time the
TRD played a relatively large role in the lives of the
people, from being their companions to protecting their families, as well as ridding the villages of
rodents and hunting for larger prey.
Direct ancestry to the TRD has also been given to
the Dingo family (Canus lupus), who is predominantly located throughout Australia, Thailand, and
in scattered groups across Southeast Asia.
Pair of Dingos.
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http://www.dingodiscovery.net/history.html
Even though we have little written history behind
the origins of the TRD, scientists have genetically
tracked the first TRD to Eastern Thailand. Based
on genetic research, it is believed that the Thai
Ridgeback Dog and the Phu Quoc Dog (from Vietnam), two of the three ridged-back dogs in the
world, are descended from a now extinct ridgedback dog called the Funan Ridgeback Dog from the
Funan area of the region. Due to the TRDs seclusion, it has been able to avoid cross-breeding, hence
maintaining its original appearance. The TRD
has also somehow managed to avoid large genetic
problems associated with seclusion and inbreeding.
This is contributed strongly to the natural selection
process.
Currently the TRD runs the streets of Thailand
breeding naturally. Selective breeding is done in
order to maintain the purity of the breed and is
tracked through the Dog Association of Thailand
(1975) and the Kennel Club of Thailand (KCTH,
formerly DAT). A number of other international
clubs and associations also track the TRD; the Japanese Kennel Club, Asian Kennel Union, Asian Dog
Organization (1987,) Breed No. 338 by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI 1993), the
United Kennel Club (UKC), the American Rare
Breed Association (ARBA), and as a companion
breed with the American Kennel Club, Foundation
Stock Services (2008.)
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Below are pictured three of the only ridgeback
breeds alive today from a list of about five. From
left to right is the Rhodesian Ridgeback, the Thai
Ridgeback, and the Phu Quoc Dog. The two extinct breeds are the Hottentot and the Funan
Ridgeback Dog (not currently pictured). The difference in size between the breeds can be directly
explained by their job in life. African hunting dog
vs village companion and rodent remover.
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Is the Thai Ridgeback Dog
the right dog for me?
Wow! What a cool dog. What is this breed? I want
one! This seems to be one of the first thoughts going through someone’s mind when they see the
TRD for the first time on Animal Planet 101, in Rare
Breed Dog magazines, and in person. Almost every person who has called says the same thing. I
saw this dog the other day and now I’m on a mission to get one. I want to know everything there
is about it. Sitting there, speechless and not sure
where to start, the TRD could easily take a month
to glaze the surface of their true personality and
personality quirks.
I normally start out by asking a couple of very key
questions. Why do you “really” want this particular type of dog? What is their job going to be in
your house? Who is going to take care of them till
death do us part? Does everyone agree upon getting this puppy?
Dogs have been bred from the beginning of time to
have a purpose in life. This purpose dictates how
well they integrate themselves into our household.
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Husky sled team in full force.
A Siberian Husky is a sled-pulling workaholic, an
animal that can run all day and well into the night.
A Husky will howl, dig, and destroy your personal
property out of boredom if not exercised and entertained adequately. This animal has energy to spare,
and he will be sparing it on your furniture, while
talking to the neighbors for hours on end, and on
nervous habits of licking, biting, and chewing.
This is a dog that requires exercise, and not just any
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type of exercise, good cardiovascular exercise with
a dash of strength training.
Sleeping French Bulldog.
Yet a French bulldog is considered the apartment
dog of the century. Originally bred to work with
bulls, the bully has been bred down to simply
sleeping the day away on a couch or chair, waiting
for their owners to come home. They are not great
watchdogs. They will not protect you. They are
more likely to invite the person into your house if
given the chance. But this is a French Bulldog, the
perfect, quiet pet for someone who doesn’t have
a lot of space or time to take long sweeping walks
across the countryside. If all you want is a dog that
will sleep next to you on the couch while watching
TV and then look at you in that special sort of way
while you talk to them, then the bully is your dog.
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The Thai Ridgeback, on the other hand, was bred
to be a very energetic hunting and companion dog
to the Thai people. They protect their family and
village, rid the village of rodents, and perform
various work-related tasks, like pulling small carts.
This high-energy dog makes an excellent running
and biking companion, as well as a great guard dog
due to their excellent eyesight and hearing. On
the other hand, they also love to dig, scavenge, and
chew to highly varying degrees. They are shy by
nature and generally do not warm up quickly to
strangers. They also bark at any visual or heard
stimulus, they may even howl. They can also play
Houdini on you at the most inopportune times.
Why do you want this dog? Do you want a companion for the family? Are your kids pressuring
you into a cute puppy? Are you looking for a
guard dog to look after the house when you’re not
around? This is the most crucial question you will
have to ask yourself, and the answer that you give
yourself should be an honest one.
NOTE TO READER: REAL STORIES are stories
based off real life experience. They are used to help
emphasize a key point in the text and supply examples of behavior you may or may not experience
if you decided to purchase a TRD.
If you are looking for a family companion, please
make sure that everyone in the family agrees upon
this. The following situation can occur.
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REAL STORY: A man purchases a puppy without
his wife’s blessing. The man’s wife posted a black
and white picture of the family’s new puppy and in
bold letters wrote, ”This is my husband’s dog. I do
not like dogs myself.” In this case the husband may
not have taken into consideration his wife’s feelings prior to purchasing the puppy. The woman
seemed to be holding some sort of disdain towards
a puppy who had just joined their household a
week earlier. Due to this disregard to her personal
feelings, she may unknowingly give off vibes that
may cause the puppy to change the way it views or
reacts to her. This could possibly lead to aggressive
or destructive behavior towards her and her personal items, as well as general household items.
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