The Thai Ridgeback is a muscular, medium-sized pariah-type dog. It has a ridge on its back formed by hair growing in the opposite direction from the rest of the coat. Puppies are occasionally born ridgeless. Thai Ridgebacks have a muscular and streamlined body, making them very agile. The tail is carried upward into the air or slighty curved. Thay have a wedge-shaped head, with triangular-shaped prick ears that stand up progressively during the puppy growth period, they are not cropped.The coat is short, hard, and straight. Due to the length and density of the coat shedding is minimal, occurring once or twice yearly. Because this breed does not have an undercoat the hair does not usually bother people allergic to other breeds of dogs. Coat must be solid colors of blue, black, red or fawn with a black mask being acceptable on reds. Height should be 22-24 inches (56–61 cm) in males and 20-22 inches (51–56 cm) in females. The weight averages 35–55 lbs in females and 40-60 lbs in males. Studying the temperament and personality is just as important as admiring the grace, elegance and beauty.
Although today most dogs are mainly pets, they still maintain many of the same instincts for the purposes that they were used. When talking about temperament in the Thai Ridgeback one must remember that this breed has been used for centuries as hunter, guard dog and companion. They often had to provide for themselves and hunt on their own for food, which has given them strong survival instincts and a very high level of intelligence and drive.
A well bred and properly socialized Thai Ridgeback are loyal, loving pets. They are naturally protective of their home and can be aggressive or shy when meeting strangers. They are best kept by patient, consistant owners who have a thorough understanding of dog behavior and the Thai Ridgeback is not recommended for the novice dog handler. Because of prior geographic isolation and lack of outside human contact, the Thai Ridgeback remains independent minded and much of their natural instinct and drive remains intact, particularly their prey drive.They are natural athelets and are excellent runners and jumpers with a medium to high energy level.
This breed has few health issues. The rare occurance of Hip dysplasia does occur. More common than that is the Dermoid Sinus Cyst. A dermoid Sinus (DS) is categorized as a "neural tube fusion defect". In these cases, a tube or sinus forms from the spinal column to the skin. They can be either open to the skin or closed. These tubes are lined with hair and when the natural shedding of the coat takes place, the hair inside of these tubes often is not expelled. The result is an infection due to a build up of hair and oils leading to abcesses. At this point it is a painful and potentially dangerous situation for the dog. Dermoid Sinuses are often found on the midline of the neck, back and tail along the spinal column. However can occur on the head and shoulders. This condition is usually detected at birth. Once removed from a dog it usually no longer poses a threat or causes any discomfort.
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BREED STANDARDS Fédération Cynologique Internationale