​It's no secret that this is a very old breed. The first references to these dogs date back 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. The first TRD breed standard was established by Paripon Pochanapisuti in 1945, describing the TRD as a medium-sized dog, 55 cm at the withers, weighing 20-22 kg for males, and 50-52.5 cm tall and 18-20 kg for females, with short hair, erect ears, and a tail resembling a sword.

Nearly 40 years ago, the standard began to falter as some breeders believed that a true red Thai dog should have a solid coat colour, while others insisted on a black mask, blue tongue, black markings on the legs, black nails, and tail. There was a significant conflict in Thailand; breeders were so focused on the red colour that the remaining three colours (black, isabella, and gray/blue) developed weakly, making TRDs of these colours more beautiful outside the country. There were many rumours that Doberman blood was mixed in to enhance the colour, and possibly German Shepherd blood, as some lines showed longer hair, a more robust and elongated build, and a large tongue. However, serious breeders in Thailand no longer mix bloodlines and work with what they have.

The blue TRD colour dogs have their own history. This colour was created by a man nearly 100 years ago, not by nature. The same Paripon Pochanapisuti tried to breed the blue colour using dogs with the gene for this colour. At that time, Chow Chows and Shar-Peis were the most common breeds in Thailand, and he likely used mixed breeds of these dogs. Perhaps this is why even today, blue puppies are born with a lot of loose skin and sometimes have long, non-standard hair.