When You Brought Your Dogs From Your Home Country To Thailand

[kunash]

Hi. Maybe in the future I will have to bring my 2 dogs ( poodle and yorkie ), to Thailand. At the moment they are in the UK, and have a lovely life - playing in the garden, and going for long walks, and are very settled. it is also not to hot in the UK. When i have to make the decision to bring them to Thailand, I just hope they settle ok. I am worried they wont like it, but i am sure they will adapt. for a start, they will have to live in a house with noisey children, they will be very hot, maybe they wont be able to go on walks. ( i say this because where i rent now, there are many soi dogs, and if i did walk my dogs here, they would be attacked). but they would be with me, and that is what they like best.

so when you brought your dogs to Thailand, what were your worries about your dogs, was there no need to worry, and did everything work out ok, or not?

and where do you walk your dogs? are you worried about soi dogs? i will have a car, so can drive somewhere to walk them, but would not know where to go.

[WaatWang]

Hi Kunash,

I will be able to answer all your questions in about three weeks time because I am bringing my dog to live with me next month!

Similar to you I did not bring him with me when I first moved here. I needed to get settled and find a place that would allow me to have him. I have been here now over a year, and we actually had a couple of dogs during that time.

- First dog - small senior dog. She had no problems with soi dogs and we walked several times a day around my neighborhood. We had her for a few months before she developed serious heart issues and the vet could not save her.

- Second dog - medium sized senior dog. We got her around the same time as the first dog so we had two dogs together for a while. After the first dog died I was walking this dog alone to drop off laundry (which we did frequently) and a dog came and attacked her. Believe it or not this was not a soi dog, it had a home and the owner watched the whole event unfold without intervening. She knew her dog was dangerous and lets him out anyway. Don't get me started on that.

What I learned from this situation is that most dogs in Thailand are not well socialized (with people) and that if you're out walking your own dog be prepared to get between dogs you don't know and your own dog(s). If you do this the other dog will run off and stay away from your dog. Carry a big stick. I only walk once a day now - late at night when the soi dogs are not out in force. I also pick up my dog if another dog approcahes, but depending on how big your own dog is, obviously you might not be able to do this.

We now have a puppy so when my dog comes from the US he will have a friend here. She's 5 months old. And by now I know the dogs in my neighborhood, so I know who I can trust and who I can't. Several homes nearby have dogs and we have mini play dates so our dogs can still get some socialization safely. Having dogs is a great way to meet your neighbors!

Yes, my dog in the US is 'safe' and will not encounter soi dogs there. He has a huge yard and a dog door. But going back & forth I still believe he will be happier here. He is old and has arthritis, so the warm weather will actually be better for him here than dealing with winter in NY. And he also misses me very much - he's lost weight and started engaging in some destructive behaviours since I left. I can't wait to get him here. I will stop back and let you know how things go with the trip if you're interested.

Good luck with your own pups!

Kind regards,

WaatWang

[sbk]

Its not that dogs are not socialized, its that they are territorial -- all dogs are territorial its just that dogs here tend to have a bigger territory than a back yard. Walking a dog through another dog's territory will bring on aggression issues, just as if someone brought their dog into your backyard.

[kunash]

Its not that dogs are not socialized, its that they are territorial -- all dogs are territorial its just that dogs here tend to have a bigger territory than a back yard. Walking a dog through another dog's territory will bring on aggression issues, just as if someone brought their dog into your backyard.

my 2 dogs will bark at every dog, when i take them for their evening walk outside my house, so they are very territorial.

[kunash]

Hi Kunash,

I will be able to answer all your questions in about three weeks time because I am bringing my dog to live with me next month!

Similar to you I did not bring him with me when I first moved here. I needed to get settled and find a place that would allow me to have him. I have been here now over a year, and we actually had a couple of dogs during that time.

- First dog - small senior dog. She had no problems with soi dogs and we walked several times a day around my neighborhood. We had her for a few months before she developed serious heart issues and the vet could not save her.

- Second dog - medium sized senior dog. We got her around the same time as the first dog so we had two dogs together for a while. After the first dog died I was walking this dog alone to drop off laundry (which we did frequently) and a dog came and attacked her. Believe it or not this was not a soi dog, it had a home and the owner watched the whole event unfold without intervening. She knew her dog was dangerous and lets him out anyway. Don't get me started on that.

What I learned from this situation is that most dogs in Thailand are not well socialized (with people) and that if you're out walking your own dog be prepared to get between dogs you don't know and your own dog(s). If you do this the other dog will run off and stay away from your dog. Carry a big stick. I only walk once a day now - late at night when the soi dogs are not out in force. I also pick up my dog if another dog approcahes, but depending on how big your own dog is, obviously you might not be able to do this.

We now have a puppy so when my dog comes from the US he will have a friend here. She's 5 months old. And by now I know the dogs in my neighborhood, so I know who I can trust and who I can't. Several homes nearby have dogs and we have mini play dates so our dogs can still get some socialization safely. Having dogs is a great way to meet your neighbors!

Yes, my dog in the US is 'safe' and will not encounter soi dogs there. He has a huge yard and a dog door. But going back & forth I still believe he will be happier here. He is old and has arthritis, so the warm weather will actually be better for him here than dealing with winter in NY. And he also misses me very much - he's lost weight and started engaging in some destructive behaviours since I left. I can't wait to get him here. I will stop back and let you know how things go with the trip if you're interested.

Good luck with your own pups!

Kind regards,

WaatWang

thanks for your reply.

i was walking my dogs in the UK once, in a park, and another dog came up to my 2, and barked and then all hell broke loose. They werent properly fighting, but growling and sizing each other up. You know how fearless yorkies can be - small dog syndrome. anyway, i tried to shoo the other dog away and it was very difficult - dogs are very agile. so if a soi dog did come up to my dogs, and attacked it would be hard to fight the soi dog off, and if there were 2 or 3 soi dogs, my dogs would be in trouble.

you said you carry a stick, would you use it? i probably would. but if the dog attacking yours had an owner, who was watching, like what you said, would you still use the stick? i am just thinking about possible future repercussions. and if they were soi dogs and no owner, it would be hard still to hit a dog(s), as they are agile, then they might start on you.

i dont want my dogs, if they come to thailand, to live their lives stuck in a yard / house and not go out.

[bina]

you said you carry a stick, would you use it? i probably would. but if the dog attacking yours had an owner, who was watching, like what you said, would you still use the stick? i

although not in thailand, we have a similar living situation with both feral dogs and owned but loose dogs ; with my boxers, i had instructed hubby to keep the bitch on leash when around other small dogs because she enjoyed using small dogs and cats as prey game material; now i have two small furry types and hubby has used big stick, strong voice and rocks as protection against several of the larger dogs (we have several rhodesian ridgebak mixes on the kibbutz that are loose, no one here keeps dogs tied up locked up or leashed, so the best protection for our dogs is also to be off lead so they can run like hell to get to a hidey spot or our porch, wher ehtye promptly become the aggressors.) husband is thai, and i imagine, knowing him, and seeing other thais wtih their pets here, he has no compunctions using big sticks, or whatever else there is to protect his own (children,me, or dogs).

and i definately would never ever pick up my dogs when a larger dog was agressing. i dont want to be bitten or toppled over, better my dogs then me, and given the chance, using strong tones (no matter the language, as hubby yells 'pbai loiee ee haw' at hebrew speaking dogs, they usually move off.)u can usually move dogs away from u. going 'shoo shoo and waving hands and kicking usually incites the dog in to attack mode. using a firm and low voice commanding works better.

also, never underestimte the power of dogs and body language. if u move away from your dog, a few feet back usually they will go with u, and the territorial dog will follow just as far as his own territory. ive seen foofoo my lhasa chase many a large intruder dog from our area, since he is very dominant and he will instigate fights if i am near.

however, u must first teach your dogs where home is, where safe areas are (holes under fences, etc that they can use to make their quick escape)and all ways to get home (all the different roads, alleys etc. ) dogs learn fast, mine have learned several escape routes through bushes, under fencing, etc when running hell bent for leather away from some group of dogs or other. foofoo was caught once by a pack, he survived, but he has learned to be more wary now.

learning where the other dogs live,, who they belong to , their personalities, etc also helps when looking out for trouble that u can avoid by going over to the other side of the street or turn a different way when u see trouble.

bina

israel

[WaatWang]

Its not that dogs are not socialized, its that they are territorial -- all dogs are territorial its just that dogs here tend to have a bigger territory than a back yard. Walking a dog through another dog's territory will bring on aggression issues, just as if someone brought their dog into your backyard.

Mmmm what I mean is that they're not socialized *with people*. The dog that attacked my dog was actually afraid of me. I didn't make any attempt to shoo the dog away because its owner was right there and I *assumed* that if he was with his owner it would be a good dog. I will never make that assumption again. As soon as he attacked my dog I freaked out and started yelling and waving my hands around - as Bina says "using strong tones" and the dog ran right off. Most dogs I've encountered on the street are the same way. Yes, they're territorial with other dogs, but most of them are scared to death of people.

For my poor dog the damage was already done, we brought her to the vet but she died the next day of internal bleeding. Knowing what I know now, if I had just got between them and yelled he would have run off, and my dog would still be alive.

you said you carry a stick, would you use it? i probably would. but if the dog attacking yours had an owner, who was watching, like what you said, would you still use the stick? i am just thinking about possible future repercussions. and if they were soi dogs and no owner, it would be hard still to hit a dog(s), as they are agile, then they might start on you.

As with my experience above, if yelling does't scare the dog off, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll use the stick, and I don't care who's watching. If their dog comes after mine, I'd rather pay the other owner's vet bill and have my dog still alive (even if it wasn't my fault to begin with) than see another dog of mine die a slow, painful death. Never again. The way I'm looking at it now is, I'm walking the equivalent of a young child out there on the street, and it's my responsibility to protect them. I let down one dog by assuming the best from another dog but it won't happen again.

[kunash]

Its not that dogs are not socialized, its that they are territorial -- all dogs are territorial its just that dogs here tend to have a bigger territory than a back yard. Walking a dog through another dog's territory will bring on aggression issues, just as if someone brought their dog into your backyard.

Mmmm what I mean is that they're not socialized *with people*. The dog that attacked my dog was actually afraid of me. I didn't make any attempt to shoo the dog away because its owner was right there and I *assumed* that if he was with his owner it would be a good dog. I will never make that assumption again. As soon as he attacked my dog I freaked out and started yelling and waving my hands around - as Bina says "using strong tones" and the dog ran right off. Most dogs I've encountered on the street are the same way. Yes, they're territorial with other dogs, but most of them are scared to death of people.

For my poor dog the damage was already done, we brought her to the vet but she died the next day of internal bleeding. Knowing what I know now, if I had just got between them and yelled he would have run off, and my dog would still be alive.

you said you carry a stick, would you use it? i probably would. but if the dog attacking yours had an owner, who was watching, like what you said, would you still use the stick? i am just thinking about possible future repercussions. and if they were soi dogs and no owner, it would be hard still to hit a dog(s), as they are agile, then they might start on you.

As with my experience above, if yelling does't scare the dog off, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll use the stick, and I don't care who's watching. If their dog comes after mine, I'd rather pay the other owner's vet bill and have my dog still alive (even if it wasn't my fault to begin with) than see another dog of mine die a slow, painful death. Never again. The way I'm looking at it now is, I'm walking the equivalent of a young child out there on the street, and it's my responsibility to protect them. I let down one dog by assuming the best from another dog but it won't happen again.

sorry to hear your dog died, that must have torn you up. did you ever go back to the attacking dog's owner and say your dog had died? are you still at the house and have to see the owner every now and then?

[WaatWang]

sorry to hear your dog died, that must have torn you up. did you ever go back to the attacking dog's owner and say your dog had died? are you still at the house and have to see the owner every now and then?

Hi Kunash,

Being that the owner is a Thai lady, as mad as I was I handled it in the Thai way. I am friends with another Thai lady in the neighborhood that knows everyone because she's lived here forever. I told her what happened and she talked to the dog owner on my behalf. They said they would muzzle the dog if it was out in the future, and they did for a little while. This was a few months ago now, but recently I've seen the dog out twice without the muzzle. Not much else I can do. At least now I know the dog, the owner knows what happened, and so do all our neighbors. I have to walk by their house every day to go shopping, etc. I'm not going to be a prisoner in my own house because my dogs have all loved walk time, and in over a year living here with three dogs it's the only time I've had a problem. I'm just extra vigilant and very protective of my dog when we're out now.

I hope my scary story doesn't discourage you from bringing your dogs here! Like I say, for the most part it's been no big deal taking them out for walks, and there are definite perks like getting to meet all the neighbors. There aren't many people who don't love a cute dog! It's a good way to meet people in your neighborhood and socialize your dog at the same time.

Kind regards,

WaatWang

[isanbirder]

Soi dogs can always be a problem; one way of tackling it is to get a big dog yourself. Most big dogs are well-behaved with small dogs in their own household, and act as a deterrent to the soi dogs. In Chiangmai I had dogs the whole of my 16 years there, and only once had a problem. A pack of dogs took up residence on some waste land behind my house. The leader of this pack was obviously aggressive, and one day attacked the bigger of my two dogs, which was not much more than half his size. What the soi dog didn't realise was that my bigger dog was a Bangkaew. I slipped his lead to give him freedom, and thirty vicious seconds later, the soi dog was in full retreat, and never threatened again. Not that I'm recommending a Bangkaew... but the principle's the same... most soi dogs are cowards

[kunash]

Soi dogs can always be a problem; one way of tackling it is to get a big dog yourself. Most big dogs are well-behaved with small dogs in their own household, and act as a deterrent to the soi dogs. In Chiangmai I had dogs the whole of my 16 years there, and only once had a problem. A pack of dogs took up residence on some waste land behind my house. The leader of this pack was obviously aggressive, and one day attacked the bigger of my two dogs, which was not much more than half his size. What the soi dog didn't realise was that my bigger dog was a Bangkaew. I slipped his lead to give him freedom, and thirty vicious seconds later, the soi dog was in full retreat, and never threatened again. Not that I'm recommending a Bangkaew... but the principle's the same... most soi dogs are cowards

lol maybe i should buy a Bangkaew to protect my 2 doggies, and to be my lovely 3rd doggie of course

[bina]

i want to clarify: i would never put myslef between an agressing dog and my dogs; i stand to the side, away from all of them, thus creating psychological distance for all the dogs, creating a less 'territory' type situation (owners =territory );

second, i would never ever wave my hands and yell. that would just cause the dogs agressing to jump on me. i use quiet, calm, low and assertive commands to tell the dogs move off, go home, whatever.

and if there is an attack, i dont interfere unless i have others with me that can help, and some extra leads for restraining the attacking dogs... what i do do is throw something big in the direction of but not at the attacking dogs. enough to divert attention to give my dogs a chance to run like the wind.

im sorry about your dog. foofoo was also victim of a five dog fight where he was the object of the tug of war, suffereing internal wounds , stitches and shock.... my husband waited for the same dogs to get close to foofoo (who refused to go out side for a while), and then jumped out at them, using big stick and thai kick boxing tactics. same dogs move away very quickly from our area now when they see us with foofoo.

bina

israel

[isanbirder]

Soi dogs can always be a problem; one way of tackling it is to get a big dog yourself. Most big dogs are well-behaved with small dogs in their own household, and act as a deterrent to the soi dogs. In Chiangmai I had dogs the whole of my 16 years there, and only once had a problem. A pack of dogs took up residence on some waste land behind my house. The leader of this pack was obviously aggressive, and one day attacked the bigger of my two dogs, which was not much more than half his size. What the soi dog didn't realise was that my bigger dog was a Bangkaew. I slipped his lead to give him freedom, and thirty vicious seconds later, the soi dog was in full retreat, and never threatened again. Not that I'm recommending a Bangkaew... but the principle's the same... most soi dogs are cowards

lol maybe i should buy a Bangkaew to protect my 2 doggies, and to be my lovely 3rd doggie of course

NOT a Bangkaew... they tend to be bullies; I just gave it as a real-life example of dealing with soi dogs. I had a love-hate relationship with that dog... and was not altogether sorry when it disappeared in a thunderstorm. My preference would be for Alsatian or Labrador, or a cross with either of these breeds... but of course there are plenty of others.

[Gladiator]

I brought Cassie, my Blue Merle Border Collie, out to Thailand nine years ago.The paperwork was quite considerable at both ends. In the U.K. the Vet handled it all of me with the appropriate Ministry. In Bangkok, my nephew did the same with the Thai authorities. Plus a number of vaccinations for Cassie, sorry - it was long ago and I can't recall what they all were. Everything worked out fine. My concerns at that time were:

The flight, being ten hours of more, plus the additional flight up to Chiang Mai. I broke the journey for a few days in Bangkok and then flew up to Chiang Mai. Cassie was a lot younger then so my Vet prescribed some tranqulilizers and I understand that Cassie was asleep when they closed to bulk hold door. Not quite sure what happened at Bangkok as I was expecting cassie to go into Quarantine - but for some reason that did not happen.

The heat. I asked my Vet about clipping her - but he said that it would be better to keep some 2 litre water bottles handy and give her a regular shower and ensure that she had a lot of drinking water.

Cassie is a great traveller and the back of the pick-up became her kennel on wheels. I bought a sort of tent frame which shields her from the sun and the rain. She does not object, but gets rather confused at Songkran, when she gets the extra showers.

One of the first things that I did was to discover a good Vet. Although my employees always translated, I was lucky that he spoke excellent English. I have moved a number of time since being in Thailand and most houses had large gardens for Cassie to exercise in. Cassie is not an aggressive dog, but perhaps Thai dogs can smell that she is different and a barking contest always ensues when we drive by the Soi Dogs. I found a large type of football field on the way to my office and I always used to stop off in the mornings to let Cassie roam.

One thing that Cassie did bring with her is her phobia of the noise of fireworks, and as I am sure that you are aware - Thais love fireworks. Casie, at 15 years is too old for tranqulizers now but I brought out with me a good supply of the Bach Stess Rescue Remedey and I believe that it works. I also leave on both the T.V. and radio to distract her on particularly bad nights.

As far as diet is concerned ,I buy a high quality dog biscuit and supplement it with either meat or tuna. Plus the usual Doggy treats sold in all supermarkets. Recently I have been adding Vitamin C as she has a couple of growthstumors. Plus the usual Frontline for fleas and Tics.

I hope that helps.

Good luck

Gladiator

Quote

Hi. Maybe in the future I will have to bring my 2 dogs ( poodle and yorkie ), to Thailand. At the moment they are in the UK, and have a lovely life - playing in the garden, and going for long walks, and are very settled. it is also not to hot in the UK. When i have to make the decision to bring them to Thailand, I just hope they settle ok. I am worried they wont like it, but i am sure they will adapt. for a start, they will have to live in a house with noisey children, they will be very hot, maybe they wont be able to go on walks. ( i say this because where i rent now, there are many soi dogs, and if i did walk my dogs here, they would be attacked). but they would be with me, and that is what they like best.

so when you brought your dogs to Thailand, what were your worries about your dogs, was there no need to worry, and did everything work out ok, or not?

and where do you walk your dogs? are you worried about soi dogs? i will have a car, so can drive somewhere to walk them, but would not know where to go.

Unquote

[kunash]

I brought Cassie, my Blue Merle Border Collie, out to Thailand nine years ago.The paperwork was quite considerable at both ends. In the U.K. the Vet handled it all of me with the appropriate Ministry. In Bangkok, my nephew did the same with the Thai authorities. Plus a number of vaccinations for Cassie, sorry - it was long ago and I can't recall what they all were. Everything worked out fine. My concerns at that time were:

The flight, being ten hours of more, plus the additional flight up to Chiang Mai. I broke the journey for a few days in Bangkok and then flew up to Chiang Mai. Cassie was a lot younger then so my Vet prescribed some tranqulilizers and I understand that Cassie was asleep when they closed to bulk hold door. Not quite sure what happened at Bangkok as I was expecting cassie to go into Quarantine - but for some reason that did not happen.

The heat. I asked my Vet about clipping her - but he said that it would be better to keep some 2 litre water bottles handy and give her a regular shower and ensure that she had a lot of drinking water.

Cassie is a great traveller and the back of the pick-up became her kennel on wheels. I bought a sort of tent frame which shields her from the sun and the rain. She does not object, but gets rather confused at Songkran, when she gets the extra showers.

One of the first things that I did was to discover a good Vet. Although my employees always translated, I was lucky that he spoke excellent English. I have moved a number of time since being in Thailand and most houses had large gardens for Cassie to exercise in. Cassie is not an aggressive dog, but perhaps Thai dogs can smell that she is different and a barking contest always ensues when we drive by the Soi Dogs. I found a large type of football field on the way to my office and I always used to stop off in the mornings to let Cassie roam.

One thing that Cassie did bring with her is her phobia of the noise of fireworks, and as I am sure that you are aware - Thais love fireworks. Casie, at 15 years is too old for tranqulizers now but I brought out with me a good supply of the Bach Stess Rescue Remedey and I believe that it works. I also leave on both the T.V. and radio to distract her on particularly bad nights.

As far as diet is concerned ,I buy a high quality dog biscuit and supplement it with either meat or tuna. Plus the usual Doggy treats sold in all supermarkets. Recently I have been adding Vitamin C as she has a couple of growthstumors. Plus the usual Frontline for fleas and Tics.

I hope that helps.

Good luck

Gladiator

thanks Gladiator. Seems Cassie settled very well

[Shaitan]

Hello! We brought our 14.5 year old Yellow Lab, two younger dogs and four cats to Bangkok 15 months ago. Our concerns were similar to yours - especially about soi dogs and adjusting to local weather. Our experience, so far, has been great. We are fortunate that we rent a house with a little yard so I don't have to walk the dogs. However, I do like to take the two younger dogs for walks (a neutered 7 yr old male hound-shepherd and a spayed 5 year old female beagle-hound) for walks. There are not many soi dogs in our housing estate but there are some. I find walking my dogs and carrying a long stick has been successful so far but I have not confronted more than a single soi dog. I do not know how it would be if there were two or more soi dogs and only myself and my two dogs. Could you walk your dogs with another person? As to weather, we came from Tennessee in the United States - not as cold as the UK but we did have cold days. Our dogs adjusted to the hotter weather pretty well, especially the two younger ones who actually enjoy being outside for at least part of the day. As to children, our dogs love children, having gotten used to our grandchildren. However, there may be a learning process on each side as to what to do and what not to do: not acceptable for dog to snap at child or acceptable for child to hit or hurt dog, etc. Good luck!

[Igaar]

Soi dogs are easy to scare off. I would never be afraid of them and when they show aggression while I walk my dog dominant body language is enough to keep them at a distance most of the time. If they come too close I just get mad at them and tell them to fuc_k off. If one of them ever became a real threat to my dog I would not hesitate to kill it with my bare hands. So far the biggest problem have been dog with owners living in homes though, I guess dogs become much more fuc_ked up mentally when living with humans who have no clue about dogs than if they just live naturally with other dogs in the street.

Edited January 24, 2011 by Igaar