Unusual Breed: Thai Ridgeback

A Thai ridgeback in red

A "violin" ridge

This is one of a small number of dog breeds that have ridges of hair growing in the opposite direction along their backs. It comes in several colors and the ridge can vary greatly in size and shape. Unlike the Rhodesian ridgeback, which has only one accepted ridge shape, the Thai has eight, including "needle," "arrow," and "lute" among others.As the name suggests, they are native to Thailand and they are considered to be one of the primitive breeds, often called pariahs.

The breed has been used for such things as hunting and as watch dogs and even as carting dogs. They are known for being capable of killing cobras. Their temperament is typical of the pariah breeds, and reminds me very much of the basenji in the descriptions of its character.

A blue Thai

Thai ridgebacks are very active dogs with strong hunting instincts. They are very intelligent, independent thinkers and can be very challenging to train. Often destructive when young, they need exercise and are best behaved when kept active. They generally hate being bathed but they are also quite clean dogs, so baths are probably not often needed. They are sensitive to the cold and do very well in the heat. Though they are generally very quiet, but make good guard dogs. They can be very territorial around strangers. Tenacious in character, they will hunt anything small and are most likely not the sort of dog to have around cats.

As mentioned on Dogs 101 on Animal Planet, there are few outside of their native Thailand and, though mostly a very healthy breed, they are prone to dermoid sinus.  

Main source is the Association of Thai Ridgeback Owners & Fanciers. Images are from Wikimedia Commons under creative commons incenses: one, two, three.