Purpose of dogs in traditional Thai households?

[RamenRaven]

In traditional Thai households, are dogs simply trash disposal machines that also happen to serve as alarm bells?

 

It's something that I'm struggling to understand even after years of observations.

 

Please explain: dogs in traditional Thai households, the same way you would explain bizarre Western dog culture to a rural Thai villager ("Did you know that farangs take their leashed dogs on walks everyday and keep them indoors all day?").

 

I'm talking about older Thais with traditional views of animals living in village-type environments that have few or no stray dogs. I'm not talking about Thais who have adopted the more recent Western-style pet culture, where purebred dog breeds are raised as companion pets. Here's what I've noticed:

 

 

- They treat their dogs just like their chickens. The only relationship they have with their dogs is feeding them, and nothing else.

- They are clearly not "man's best friend" and only seem to be tolerated. Dogs are never let indoors.

- Give them some rice and water everyday, and that's literally it.

- Maybe an occasional bath depending on the owner, but usually they are never bathed.

- They don't play with the dogs. They don't take their dogs on walks. The dogs are never trained. The dogs don't herd sheep or do any physically demanding tasks.

- They can bark at strangers, but they are certainly not good guard dogs because Thai yard dogs are typically small creatures that run away from strangers while barking constantly. Visitors would typically say "pai," raise their hand, or even pretend to pick up a rock.

- The only time the owners talk to the dogs is when they run towards strangers. "Maa nii," come here! And the dogs never listen.

- In fact, Thais have asked me questions like "Why do farangs walk around with their dogs? And their dogs have leashes too!" Or, "Why do farangs let dogs sleep in their beds?"

 

 

I've asked some Thai villagers why they raise dogs. "Fao ban" (watch the house), taking care of waste food, or that they just got the dog from a friend. That's about it. They don't universally agree on a reason. It's like they're just tolerating something that happens to be there. Sometimes they seem puzzled by my questions.

 

Also I'm talking about the many semi-rural suburbs and villages all over Thailand where there are no stray dogs, only house dogs that have the characteristic dingo-like look of Asian village dogs. They all lounge around yards, mostly sleeping all day.

 

 

I am not complaining about dogs in Thailand. I like Thai village dogs and often play with them. I also like Western dogs that are treated like humans.

But I am struggling to understand the concept of how and why dogs are raised here.

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

3 minutes ago, RamenRaven said:

In traditional Thai households, are dogs simply trash disposal machines that also happen to serve as alarm bells?

Mostly yes.

3 minutes ago, RamenRaven said:

("Did you know that farangs take their leashed dogs on walks everyday and keep them indoors all day?").

That's me the crazy farang

One of the three walking/cycling with or without a leash and otherwise keeping all three on the property.

Never ever saw a villager walk his dog.

Just some take them on their sidecar/truck bed out to the fields when working.

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by KhunBENQ

[pgrahmm]

I live in a small MuBaan (120 houses), about 25k out from CM.....

Every night I see Thais walking leashed & unleashed dogs....I leash walk my Bangkaew because he was a soi dog I befriended & rescued and he still has some of that call of the wild instinct.... He's the #2 trained/behaved dog out of the group....

There are also houses where the dogs never get out of their yards, while others open their gates for a short time to let the dogs wander, then come back to their own yard....

 

I imagine it gets more free ranged the further out in the countryside you go..... They're pretty free range with their kids too, the further out you go ....

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

45 minutes ago, RamenRaven said:

why [...] reason

There is no why. There is no reason. It just is.

You will never find a reason because there is no reason - not just for dogs.

Accept this little truth and life becomes so much easier in Thailand. 

[In the jungle]

They are noisy.

 

They smell.

 

They may attack you or other people.

 

They may bring parasites that can make you seriously ill or kill you.

 

They cost you money.

 

They will breed uncontrollably unless you neuter them which will cost you more money.

 

They may harass or kill your cats and other pets.

 

I am not a dog person.

[papa al]

Delicious when properly prepared.

 

[sometime]

8 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

They are noisy.

 

They smell.

 

They may attack you or other people.

 

They may bring parasites that can make you seriously ill or kill you.

 

They cost you money.

 

They will breed uncontrollably unless you neuter them which will cost you more money.

 

They may harass or kill your cats and other pets.

 

I am not a dog person.

Of course any pet cost you money. but I think you are a very sad person

[Cult of the Sun]

Dogs are never let indoors.

 

I would get along well with Thai women then.  In house animals are disgusting. I hate the US and their weird relationship with dogs & cats and it's mostly the women who are (again) leading this bizarre parade.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Cult of the Sun

[BangkokReady]

4 minutes ago, Cult of the Sun said:

I hate the US and their weird relationship with dogs & cats

Aren't dogs literally bred to be human companions though?  What's weird about that?  They provide companionship and affection.  It's pretty well proven that they have a positive effect on humans, psychologically.

[Cult of the Sun]

1 minute ago, BangkokReady said:

Aren't dogs literally bred to be human companions though?  What's weird about that?  They provide companionship and affection.  It's pretty well proven that they have a positive effect on humans, psychologically.

So because someone started a business & gave me a laundry list of 'studies'... , I should buy their weird science project and bring it in my home?  I should clean up after it, sleep with it and share its parasites?  Hey, who am I to judge. You do you..

[Dcheech]

1 hour ago, RamenRaven said:

But I am struggling to understand the concept of how and why dogs are raised here.

The same reasons dogs were kept in Europe, North America and many other lands say a hundred years back. Not talking about urban pooches and Hi So people & pets of those times. You can still find that in many countries  today, in what you would term 'western countries'. 

You say you are struggling with it, I suspect you haven't considered the above, or have little knowedge of it.

[dcalaska]

My good friend once said '' dogs are nothing but poop and fur factories''. 

I agree with him.

Edited February 23, 2023 by dcalaska
typo

[BangkokReady]

3 minutes ago, Cult of the Sun said:

So because someone started a business & gave me a laundry list of 'studies'... , I should buy their weird science project and bring it in my home?  I should clean up after it, sleep with it and share its parasites?  Hey, who am I to judge. You do you..

You can do what you like, but many people get a lot from keeping dogs as pets.  This makes it worth the cost and hassle of maintaining them.

 

Even though you don't share their feelings about dogs, you should still be able to at least see the logic.

 

I'm not sure why you're applying extra things that aren't true.  People often have the dog sleep somewhere else, and I'm not sure how you would "share its parasites" or why you would allow it to have parasites in the first.

 

It sounds like you have an incomplete understanding of keeping dogs as pets, to the point where you have little appreciation of the benefits and a very exaggerated/inaccurate understanding of the costs.

[Cult of the Sun]

Quote

Report Highlights. Pets, pet products, and pet care are all part of a $103.6 billion national industry; 40.5% of revenue is from food and treats alone.

• The pet industry grows by 11.6% every year.
• The average pet-owning household spends $1,120 per year on their pets.
• 2-in-3 American households include at least one pet.
• Two (2) corporations consume 49% of the pet industry’s market share.
• Globally, the pet industry is worth $232 billion.

 

Almost half of all "global" revenue comes from the US alone. Ergo, mostly stupid people live in US..  I had a dogs & cats in my life, so I'm not judging younger folks necessarily. I just wished I'd had arrived where I am now a long time ago. 

[In the jungle]

3 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

You can do what you like, but many people get a lot from keeping dogs as pets.  This makes it worth the cost and hassle of maintaining them.

 

Even though you don't share their feelings about dogs, you should still be able to at least see the logic.

 

I'm not sure why you're applying extra things that aren't true.  People often have the dog sleep somewhere else, and I'm not sure how you would "share its parasites" or why you would allow it to have parasites in the first.

 

It sounds like you have an incomplete understanding of keeping dogs as pets, to the point where you have little appreciation of the benefits and a very exaggerated/inaccurate understanding of the costs.

Have you heard of Lyme disease?  Be fearful.

[Cult of the Sun]

4 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

You can do what you like,

Thanks for the lecture. Is it SUN-day already?

[still kicking]

21 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Aren't dogs literally bred to be human companions though?  What's weird about that?  They provide companionship and affection.  It's pretty well proven that they have a positive effect on humans, psychologically.

It is proven people with pets live longer and where would a blind person be without a guide dog and every airport has sniffer dogs 

[BangkokReady]

7 minutes ago, Cult of the Sun said:

Thanks for the lecture. Is it SUN-day already?

Is that when you usually pick up your prescription?

[RamenRaven]

42 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

They are noisy.

 

They smell.

 

They may attack you or other people.

 

They may bring parasites that can make you seriously ill or kill you.

 

They cost you money.

 

They will breed uncontrollably unless you neuter them which will cost you more money.

 

They may harass or kill your cats and other pets.

 

I am not a dog person.

Many farangs in Thailand end up hating dogs for obvious reasons. It's quite understandable.

 

But learning to get along with dogs in Thailand is an absolutely essential part of adapting to life here. I'd argue that if you like walking around a lot, it is even more important to learn to peacefully co-exist and deal with dogs than to speak fluent, native-like Thai.

 

Learning to speak Dog may be more important than learning to speak Thai if you want to relocate here!

 

[sammieuk1]

My sausage dog is meticulously maintained hates going out of the gate and is a nightmare on a lead anyway not smelly seldom barks whines to go to bed at 6.30pm and doesn't move until 6 am no mess in the 9 months I have had him a super little long dog who just likes Markro's bones ???? 

[RamenRaven]

Don't get me wrong, I like dogs.

 

It's just that I am trying to get into my Thai neighbors' minds. They all have dogs that are raised much like free-ranging chickens, pigs, and goats. Even many Thai middle-class suburban homeowners raise dogs like this, not just rural farmers.

 

I have adopted a soi dog and take it on daily walks and runs. One lady says that it's actually a neighbors' dog because she feeds the dog, but the dog never goes inside into her property. It sleeps in the soi. Because it's well socialized, it never barks at strangers or chases them.

 

I also take my neighbors' dogs on walks and runs, because the dogs randomly started following me. They approached me, not the other way around. One neighbor doesn't even know that I'm actually exercising her dog all the time. The other is happy about it and lets me do anything with it. Both Thai neighbors don't do anything other than feed the dogs and lock them behind fences at night.

 

Unsurprisingly, the dogs appear to be more attached to me than to their nominal owners.

 

 

44 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Aren't dogs literally bred to be human companions though?  What's weird about that?  They provide companionship and affection.  It's pretty well proven that they have a positive effect on humans, psychologically.

That's Farangland, not Thailand.

 

In the villages of Thailand, dogs are not man's best friends in the European sense. They are man's most commonly tolerated mammals. They are more like chickens, pigs, rats, or other refuse-eating yard animals that happen to bark and understand human social cues better.

 

They can be your best friend if you want to do so, but by default, they aren't meant to be placed on a pedestal and to provide human-like affection. That's farang thinking that has crept into Thailand over the past several decades.

 

You are supposed to throw them some leftover rice and let the dogs do whatever they want. From a rural Thai grandpa's perspective, you can get good karma from being compassionate to animals, but they're not human-like companions.

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by RamenRaven

[proton]

53 minutes ago, sometime said:

Of course any pet cost you money. but I think you are a very sad person

Lots of people do not like dogs, that does not make them sad. I'm sad when I go into somebodies house and they jump all over you, filthy, drooling flea bags.

[proton]

22 minutes ago, RamenRaven said:

Many farangs in Thailand end up hating dogs for obvious reasons. It's quite understandable.

 

But learning to get along with dogs in Thailand is an absolutely essential part of adapting to life here. I'd argue that if you like walking around a lot, it is even more important to learn to peacefully co-exist and deal with dogs than to speak fluent, native-like Thai.

 

Learning to speak Dog may be more important than learning to speak Thai if you want to relocate here!

 

It's not essential to get along with dogs here, why should you. Don't have any interaction with these mutts at all, and if they try it on with you whip out an expandable metal rod to correct them with. 

[proton]

52 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Aren't dogs literally bred to be human companions though?  What's weird about that?  They provide companionship and affection.  It's pretty well proven that they have a positive effect on humans, psychologically.

Not on me they don't, I hate all dogs. Love cats though.

[still kicking]

2 minutes ago, proton said:

Not on me they don't, I hate all dogs. Love cats though.

So, all the airports can employ sniffer cats then. 

[RamenRaven]

5 minutes ago, proton said:

It's not essential to get along with dogs here, why should you. Don't have any interaction with these mutts at all, and if they try it on with you whip out an expandable metal rod to correct them with. 

Trekking poles are perfect. They are telescopic and can be expanded. They fit perfectly in small backpacks. Use them to gently guide the dogs to back off, but you wouldn't actually want to smack a dog because Thailand, like Western countries, has animal cruelty laws.

 

I've seen some Thais carry bamboo poles with them when they walk around neighborhoods, but most of them calmly walk through groups of barking dogs without even flinching. Wonder how they do that. I have to carefully walk through and gently talk to the dogs to calm them down. I also like to walk with some dogs borrowed from my Thai neighbors, which serve as distractions for the other dogs.

 

[brianthainess]

I'm glad this has come up and have had probs. with neighbors dog barking, long story short, my missus complained again to the local authority, jeez 4 trucks 4 motorbikes all turned up (elections are coming up) , they have TEN dogs, well they also own the house next door, And apparently you are allowed 5 dogs per house.

My point is that; it's a crazy law, and should go on how big your land is. whatever size a dog, it still has a bark. 

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by brianthainess

[proton]

1 minute ago, brianthainess said:

I'm glad this has come up and have had probs. with neighbors dog barking, long story short, my missus complained again to the local authority, jeez 4 trucks 4 motorbikes all turned up, they have TEN dogs, well they also own the house next door, And apparently you are allowed 5 dogs per house.

My point is that; it's a crazy law, and should go on how big your land is. whatever size a dog, it still has a bark. 

 

Posted this before, sister in law lives on a nice Sansiri estate in Bkk. All was well until somebody moved in the next soi with over 30 dogs, the racket is horrendous. Claims it's his right to have as many as he wants. Sansiri have plenty of rules but he still has the dogs.

[Drumbuie]

55 minutes ago, RamenRaven said:

Don't get me wrong, I like dogs.

 

It's just that I am trying to get into my Thai neighbors' minds. They all have dogs that are raised much like free-ranging chickens, pigs, and goats. Even many Thai middle-class suburban homeowners raise dogs like this, not just rural farmers.

 

I have adopted a soi dog and take it on daily walks and runs. One lady says that it's actually a neighbors' dog because she feeds the dog, but the dog never goes inside into her property. It sleeps in the soi. Because it's well socialized, it never barks at strangers or chases them.

 

I also take my neighbors' dogs on walks and runs, because the dogs randomly started following me. They approached me, not the other way around. One neighbor doesn't even know that I'm actually exercising her dog all the time. The other is happy about it and lets me do anything with it. Both Thai neighbors don't do anything other than feed the dogs and lock them behind fences at night.

 

Unsurprisingly, the dogs appear to be more attached to me than to their nominal owners.

 

 

That's Farangland, not Thailand.

 

In the villages of Thailand, dogs are not man's best friends in the European sense. They are man's most commonly tolerated mammals. They are more like chickens, pigs, rats, or other refuse-eating yard animals that happen to bark and understand human social cues better.

 

They can be your best friend if you want to do so, but by default, they aren't meant to be placed on a pedestal and to provide human-like affection. That's farang thinking that has crept into Thailand over the past several decades.

 

You are supposed to throw them some leftover rice and let the dogs do whatever they want. From a rural Thai grandpa's perspective, you can get good karma from being compassionate to animals, but they're not human-like companions.

 

Seeing dogs in rural Thailand and Sri Lanka I've often thought they have a pretty idyllic life in canine terms - freedom to wander as they please, as much or as little canine companionship as they want, and food they don't have to hunt for. Being often left alone, indoors, as many dogs are in cities, is not a kind way to treat an animal that naturally lives in a pack. 

[roo860]

12 minutes ago, Drumbuie said:

Seeing dogs in rural Thailand and Sri Lanka I've often thought they have a pretty idyllic life in canine terms - freedom to wander as they please, as much or as little canine companionship as they want, and food they don't have to hunt for. Being often left alone, indoors, as many dogs are in cities, is not a kind way to treat an animal that naturally lives in a pack. 

Until they get runover.