Mah Lung Ahn ( Ridgeback Dogs ) 

 By Khun Nor Chanwongthiwa

Introduction

It has been more than 14,000 years since dogs have become man’s domesticated pets. In the past, man had bred dogs for hunting and for protecting property. Dogs can acclimate themselves to man better than any other animals, as they are easily tamed and are willing to form relationships with man.

There are many reasons why man loves to breed dog

1. They are great company, providing love, companionship and understanding

2. They are loyal and endlessly faithful.

3. When danger arises, dogs by nature will alert you of the situation.

 Dogs have also been known to play matchmaker as the saying goes �?he who loves me must also love my dog.�?/SPAN>

The Origin of the Thai Ridgeback Dogs

The Thai Ridgeback Dogs, originally from Asia, have been Thailand’s domesticated dog for centuries. Their remarkable characteristics are “high set ears, a straight top line with a distinctive line of hair that grows along the backbone, a straight tail, and a black spotted mouth that looks “dirty�?making them look both elegant and fierce simultaneously.
The Thai Ridgeback dogs have been known amongst the Thai people for several centuries. Most of them are naturally bred and run free around residential areas, farms, and temples. There are old documents that mention the Thai Ridgeback dogs. In the era of the King Ram Kham Hang Maharach of Sukhothai Kingdom in the year B.E. 1826, the King had his army fight against Indochina, now Vietnam in order to expand the territory with the help from his skillful warriors from around the kingdom. It is possible that these warriors found the strange-looking dogs and brought these dogs with them to Sukhothai Kingdom. Since being raised and bred as domestic dogs for some period of time, these dogs had been developed to be the Thai Ridgeback Dogs.
In the era of King Song Tham of Ayuthaya Kingdom in the year B.E. 2170, there was information written about the Thai Ridgeback dogs in Sa-mhud-khoi (a long book made of pulp from trees of the family Uricaceae) that, “these dogs are large.�?They are taller than 2 cubits. They come in various colors. They have a distinctive line along their straight back. They are fierce but loyal and faithful to their owners. They hunt smaller animals by digging holes into the ground. They love to follow their owners into the woods for hunting. When they catch their prey, they will bring it back to their owners. They are loyal to their families, and love their pack. They are courageous, strong and fearless. The two documents mentioned above indicate that the Thai Ridgeback dogs are originally from Thailand. They are also appreciated as one of Thailand’s many treasures. This is why they should be preserved and developed for the betterment of the breed in the future.

The development of the Thai Ridgeback dogs:
Ruang Paripon Potchanapisut, A past Justice Department official, had bred the Thai Ridgeback dogs since the year 1927. He passionately loved and was kind to the Thai Ridgeback throughout his life. He was recognized as the "Master of the Thai Dogs.�?He pioneered the breeding and development of the Thai dogs, especially the blue Thai Ridgeback. By that time, the only blue-gray dog that he owned was a bitch with short hair, but with no ridge. Later, he got the blue-gray male Ridgeback dog with the ridge on it’s back. He mated this male dog with the female one that he had before. The result was a blue male puppy with a ridge on it’s back. This puppy’s name was Chao Tao (Mr. Gray). He was so beautiful with his amazing qualities that people started to call him (MR. Gray of Khun Ruang). He became so famous, that many people brought their female dogs to mate with him because they wanted to have the blue Thai ridgeback dogs for their own. It is reasonable to say that all of the blue Thai Ridgeback dogs now a day are Chao Tao’s grandchildren.
The Thai Ridgeback dogs of Khun Ruang originally had short hair with a straight tail. He then took his dogs to mate with the hairless dogs from Chantaburi and Trad provinces. The results were the popular Ridgeback puppies with very short and fine Hair in many colors.
The Thai Ridgeback dogs were recently accepted into the Asian Dogs Organization in 1987.

There are several objectives in developing the Thai Ridgeback dogs.
To preserve the original breed.
To study the intelligence, training and working abilities
To eliminate aggressions so they can get along well with man and be trusted.
To develop the healthy physical appearance of the dogs, such as structure,  skin and the length and color of the coat.,  

In order to reach the objectives above, these are the suggested approaches.
Choose the right breeding pairs      
Provide a nutritious and balanced died.
Living quarters and proper health care

There are several reasons why people are encouraged to breed the Thai Ridgeback Dogs.
To preserve the beauty of the dogs for the people of the future generations.
To develop and breed for the betterment, with the remarkable characteristics of the TRD
To be man’s companion and guardian.
To show and promote the breed to interest other people as well as allow the breeders to proudly show their dogs.

Where to get the Thai Ridgeback Dogs:
Today there are several Thai Ridgeback breeders in the southeast of Thailand, located in the Trad, Chantaburi ,Rayong and Chonburi provinces, Bangkok and Nonthaburi. These breeders are famous and popular among dog lovers both inside Thailand and abroad.

The Standard Of The Thai Ridgeback Dogs

In the year 1946, after the end of World War II, there was a committee setting the standards of the Thai Ridgeback Dogs and had organized a dog show at Dusit Garden in Bangkok. By this time, the standard was firmly established, but it has been altered and improved throughout the years.

The Thai Ridgeback Dog Standard-1946
Size of males - 20-22 kilograms in weight and 55 cm. tall for a dog (measured from the front pastern to the shoulder).
Size of females - 18-20 kilograms in weight and 50 cm. tall for a bitch (usually, a bitch should be 2.5-5 cm. shorter than a dog. The dog should be bigger and look more beautiful than the bitch.)
Head - Blunt muzzle, not pointed, with a broad skull that should not be flat or rounded. The stop should be moderate and subtle. The teeth are white and should be a scissor bite.
Body - The length from the front legs to the rear legs should be proportionate with the height. The body should not be too long as it would make the legs look short and unbalanced. The chest should deep with a moderately tucked abdomen.
Tail - The tail can be in various shapes, curled once or twice to one side of the back or carried up over the back in the U shape. The committee at Dusit Garden had set the first standard for the Thai dogs as “erect ears and a sword-shaped tail�?
Color - The Thai dogs come in a variety of colors like black, white, red with the black mask, beige with the black mask, the tiger-like color, the panther-like color, pale purple or blue-gray. If the whole body is a solid color, white spots are acceptable in some areas such as the chest, neck, tails and toes. 
Temperament - loyal, intelligent, trainable and obedient.

The standard of the Thai dog set in the year 1987
Head : Wedge-shaped, blunt muzzle, broad forehead with a big jaw.
Nose : Black
Teeth : white with 20 upper teeth and 22 lower teeth /scissor bite
Ear : Set high, not more than 60 degrees, measured from the outside to the core of the ear.
Neck : Strong, not short or too small, should be balanced with the size of the body.
Body : Square-shaped. The length of the body should not be longer than the height by 1 inch. The height is measured perpendicularly from the front shoulder to the front pastern. The length is measured from the outside of the chest to the end of the rump, parallel with the ground.
Chest : deep to the front elbows.
Front legs : Straight and parallel.
Rear legs : Straight and parallel, slightly oblique to the back.
Feet ; 5 toes for the front feet and 4 toes for the rear feet. The gap between each toe should not be too close or too far. When the dog stands, the feet should look like the lion’s feet. There should not dew claws on the rear feet.
Tail : sword-shaped, straight, set and carried high when the dog stands, swinging back and forth when the dog runs. A slight upward curve is acceptable but over curled is not desired
Color of the nails : Pink, brown, black; harmonious with the color of the coat. White is not acceptable.
Gait : Horse-like gait with the head up making the dog look graceful.
Ridgeback : various shapes and sizes but must be symmetrical.
Skeleton : Strong and  balanced with the shape of the body, with a straight top line.
Weight : Approximately 22-24 kilograms for an adult dog and 20-22 kilograms for an adult bitch. The weight should be well balanced with the height.
Mouth : Blunt, not snipey. Muzzle should not be too short
The whole body : Harmonious balance of the body, from head to tail, with a graceful look. <o:p></o:p>

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