Major Characteristics of Thai Ridgeback Dog

A prominent characteristic of Thai Ridgeback Dog is an obviously reverse (ridge) hair on the back. The reverse hair starts from its croup, and goes up along its spine. It can have many different shapes.

There are only 2 species of dogs, which have reverse (ridge) hair: "Thai Ridgeback Dog", and "Rhodesian Ridgeback Dog".

Hundred years ago, Thai people sustained their lives by hunting animals in jungles. They brought Thai Ridgeback Dogs as their assistances. The dogs could help them pursuing hunted animals.

Thai Ridgeback Dogs are hunting-aid dogs because they can run very fast. They have strong body, solid muscular legs, deep chest, and small waist. So, they are one of the hounds (a hunting companion). Sometimes people call them as "Mah-Tarm-Kwean " (cart-following dogs) to describe their habits of following their owners’ carts into jungles.

Why we call them Ridgeback Dogs?

The reason we call them Ridgeback Dogs is because their hair on the back grows in the opposite direction of the other parts. Their reverse hair starts from the edge of spine under the withers to the middle of the back or the croup.

The reverse hair has different shapes. Commonly it looks like a saddle (a seat fastened on the back of a horse or other animal for riding, typically made of leather and raised at the front and rear). That is why we call this reverse hair as "ridge".

There are some random numbers of spiral hairs appearing on the ridgeback. Some of Thai Ridgeback Dogs have 9 spiral hairs; some of them do not have it at all. The perfect ridge needs to be symmetric, and has the same number of spiral hairs on both side of the ridgeback. Besides from ridge, other appearances, and colors of Thai Ridgeback Dogs are the same as other Thai dogs. Nevertheless, there are 4 registered colors mentioning in breed standard, which include red, black, blue, and isabella.

Ridge Naming

Names of the ridge depend on shapes, or appearances. The names vary among many places and groups. But it can be mainly categorized into the following groups:

  1. Arrow-shape ridge is a ridge, which has the shape of an arrow. It has 2 spiral hairs on the head of the ridge near dog’s withers. The end of the ridge is sharp and narrow along the dog’s back or croup. However, if there is no head of the ridge, it will be called "Needle rigde" or "Thep-pha-nom ridge" depending on the shape of the hairs.


  2. Plate ridge is a large-shape ridge. It can have spiral hairs or not, and also have different shapes. It can be called differently according to its appearance: Indian lute ridge, Violin ridge, Bohd leaf ridge, Bowling ridge, Saddle ridge, Guitar ridge, etc.


  3. Side-falling ridge is a ridge which looks similar to a saddle but with bigger size. The edges of the ridge go along the side of dog’s body. This type of ridge once was very famous.

Written by... Kru Yong, Chantaburi province (eastern Thailand)

Translated by... Chaiyong Ragkhitwetsagul & kkpoom