My first impression and attraction to the Thai Ridgeback was about 5 years ago through pictures on the internet. They had a beautiful phsyique and some also had a great expression. I asked an older friend in Thailand about them and he had actually kept and bred them in his past! I told him i liked the blue color and he said that if i saw a good red in real life i would surely prefer them, as most Thai enthusiast do. He was absolutely right - a good red is truly a beautiful dog. with my first Thai Ridgebacks i learned of their varying temperaments and intelligence. i found lots to like and a bit that i did'nt like. Having kept Staffordshire Bull Terriers before Thai Ridgebacks the difference in temperament and personality was very obvious. I learned the most about my dogs through raising my first litter, and even more about their temperament, personality, and intelligence recently over a 3 month period doing a professional dog trainers course where i spent every hour of every day with my 6 month old red female - Maprang. I had never spent so much time with any of my dogs before this. Maybe that is why i now feel like their is something different about the Thai Ridgeback breed. It could just be that i have changed as a dog owner or maybe the Thai Ridgeback really is different. I had never before kept or experienced a dog breed classified as being "primitive", maybe this has something to do with the differences i perceive. i do not "love the breed", this is a meaningless statement to me. I have always liked keeping dogs and now i have a preference for the Thai Ridgeback breed. I would keep Thai Ridgebacks (and Staffords) whether they were liked by others (aka marketable) or not.
James El www.ManapeThaiRidgeback.com |