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When Mr. Paul Stanton had read the FCI standard for the Thai Ridgeback Dog he found that it in
some cases it was insufficient and even misleading from what he has learned about the breed. I
have included Mr. Stantons notes about the present standard for the Thai Ridgeback Dog
Special thanks to Mr. Stanton, for his kindness
in sharing his knowledge!
FCI's breed standard for Thai Ridgeback Dog
with notes by Mr Stanton.
Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) Standard No 338 ;
Date of publication of the original valid standard: July 30, 1997
ORIGIN: Thailand
Patronage: Nihon (Japan)
UTILIZATION: Hunting dog
FCI'S CLASSIFICATION:
Group 5 (Spitz and primitive types),
Section 7 (Primitive Type-Hunting Dogs),
Without working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The Thai Ridgeback Dog is an old breed which can be seen in the
archeological writing in Thailand which was written about 350 years
ago. Mainly in the eastern part of Thailand, it was used for hunting.
And people also used it to escort their carts and as a watch dog. The
reason why it has kept its own original type for years is poor
transportation systems in the eastern part of Thailand; it had fewer
chances to crossbreed with other breeds.
GENERAL APPEARANCE:
Medium-sized dog with short hair forming a ridge along the back. The
body is slightly longer than its height at withers. Muscles are well
developed, and its anatomical structure is suitable for activities.
MR STANTON: The general appearance should be a dog who is very
powerful and with well developed muscles, but also dry and not
without elegance.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:
Length of body : size (height at the withers) = 11 : 10
Height of chest : size (height at the withers) = 5 : 10
Length of the muzzle : length of the head = 2 : 3
MR STANTON: In the present standard the proportions between the
length of the muzzle and the length of the skull should be 2:3, but in the
most dogs I have seen this is more like 4:5.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMERAMENT:
Tough and active with excellent jumping ability.
MR STANTON: It is a very active and alert dog but also a bit aloof
towards strangers.
HEAD:
Cranial region:
Skull: The crown is flat and has a gentle slope toward the stop.
MR STANTON: The crown should be almost flat and it should be
broad enough to give a powerful impression.
Stop: Clearly defined, but moderate. Inclination is not abrupt.
MR STANTON: The stop should be clearly defined and show a gentle
change into the foreface.
Facial region:
Nose: Colour is black.
MR STANTON: The black, red and fawncoloured dogs should have
black pigment, but for blues and silvercoloured dogs the colour of the
nose should harmonize with the coatcolour.
Nasal bridge: Straight and long.
Muzzle: Wedge-shaped. Dogs with fawn coat have a black mask.
MR STANTON: The foreface should be wedgeformed and powerful,
it should not be snipey.
Lips: Tight.
MR STANTON: They should be tight and tightfitting.
Mouth: Black marking on the tongue.
MR STANTON: On the tongue dark markings can occur but this is
not compulsory.
Jaw: Upper jaw is thick enough, and lower jaw is strong.
MR STANTON: The jaws should be strongly built and well developt
with a strong underjaw.
Teeth: White and strong with scissors bite.
MR STANTON: The dog should have a complete scissor bite. Bad
mouths do occure, for instance level bite and under-shot.
Eyes: Middle size and almond shaped. The eye colour is dark brown. In blues
and silvers, amber-coloured eyes are premitted.
MR STANTON: The eye colour should harmonize with the colour of
the coat.
Ears: Set on either side of the crown, which is slightly broad between the two
ears. Rather large triangular, inclining forward and firmly pricked. Not
cropped.
NECK: Strong, muscular, holding head high.
MR STANTON: The neck should be strong, well set and of a good
length.
BODY:
Back: Strong.
MR STANTON: The back should be very strong. It is not unusual
that some dogs have a tendency to have a slight rise over the topline,
this is not a serios fault as long as the back is strong.
Loin: Strong and broad.
MR STANTON: The loin should be well developed and with strong
musculature.
Croup: Moderately round.
MR STANTON: The croup should be long and only gently rouned.
Chest: Deep enough to reach the elbows. The rib is well built, but it is not
barrel-shaped.
MR STANTON: The brisket should be deep but not too rounded. The
ribcage should be rather long.
Lower line: The belly is tucked up.
MR STANTON: The belly should be tucked up in a gentle curved
underline, however not so tucked up as that of a Whippet.
Tail: It has a thick base with gradual tapering toward the tip. The tip reaches
hock joints. It holds up vertically or curves like sickle tail.
MR STANTON: The tail is fairly low set, because of the gently
rounded croup. The tail should be carried straight up or with a slight
curve over the back (sabre tail).
LIMBS:
Front legs: The forearm straight.
MR STANTON: The front legs should be straight with strong bones
and the angulation should be moderate.
Hind legs: Well developed thighs and well bent stifles. Hocks are tough.
MR STANTON: The present standard says "well bent" stiples, but I
have always been told that the breed should have angulation which is
moderate.
Nails: The nails are black or light through brown.
GAIT: Stride with no pitching nor rolling of the body. Track in two parallel
straight lines. When viewed from the front, the forelegs move up and
down in straight lines so that the shoulder-, elbow- and pastern joints
are approximately in line with each other. When viewed from the rear,
the stifle- and hip joints are approximately in line. Move in a straight
pattern forward without throwing the feet in or out; thus enavling the
stride to be long and drive powerful. The overall appearance of moving
dog is one of smooth flowing and well balanced rhythm.
MR STANTON: The gait should be parallel with a long stride and
with powerful drive.
SKIN: Soft, tender and tight skin.
MR STANTON: The puppies have a very loose skin (very much like
the Shar-Pei), the dogs gradually "grow into" the skin as they mature.
COAT:
Hair: Short and smooth. The ridge on the top region is formed by the hair growing in the
opposite direction to the rest of the coat. It should be clearly
defined from other parts of the back. There are various shapes of the ridge, but a symmetrical one is preferred.
MR STANTON: A very short, smooth and dense coat is most
common. A coat who looks like velvet is also correct, but more
rare. Eight different shapes of the ridge are premitted. It is important that the ridge
is even, with or without any crowns.
Colour: Solid colour: light chestnut red (the deeper, the better), pure black,
silver or blue.
MR STANTON: The only accepted colours are; fawn, red, black,
silver and blue. Clear colour is desirable. A little white on the toes, the
chest and on the belly is premitted.
SIZE: Height at the withers:
Dogs = 22 - 24 inches (56-61 cm)
Bitches = 20 -22 inches (51-56 cm).
There is a tolerance of one-half inch (1-2 cm).
MR STANTON: Most of the dogs I have seen are about 55-60 cm - the bitches are even lower.
FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault
and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be
in exact proportion to its degree.
- Any bite other than scissors bite.
- Unbalanced ridge.
ELIMINATING FAULTS:
- Dogs without ridge
- Long hair.
N.B.: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully desended into
the scrotum.
About Mr. Paul Stanton:
Mr. Stanton is one of the youngest all around judges in Sweden. He is an internationally recognized,
well established and often engaged dogjudge. Mr Stanton is also probably one of the most
experienced judges in Europe of the Thai Ridgeback Dog! He has judged the breed in Thailand
several times and he is often invited as a judge.
Mr. Stanton saw the breed for the first time in Bangkok in 1991. He became very interested and charmed by the dogs and decided to learn
more about the breed. He did so with help and assistance from experienced breeders and
breed specialists. Through the years Mr. Stanton has seen several hundred Thai Ridgeback
Dogs, most of them in Thailand. He is still very interested in the breed and he hopes that it also will
gain appreciation outside Thailand. Mr. Stantonīs experience of the breed, acquired mostly from
Thailand, is invaluable and worth while to be taken care of.
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