rhodesian ridgeback

Appearance

The Ridgeback's general appearance is of a handsome, strong, muscular and active dog, symmetrical in outline, capable of great endurance with a fair (good) amount of speed. The mature dog is handsome and upstanding. The Ridgeback's distinguishing feature is the ridge of hair along its back running in the opposite direction to the rest of its coat. The ridge must be regarded as the escutcheon of the breed. It consists of a fan-like area formed by two whorls of hair (called "crowns") and tapers from immediately behind the shoulders, down to the level of the hips. The ridge is thought to be derived from the ridged hunting dog of the Khoikhoi (literally, "men of men"; native South African people, referred to by the Europeans as Hottentots).

Some Ridgebacks are born without ridges, and until recently, most ridgeless puppies were culled, or euthanized, at birth. Today, many breeders opt instead to spay and neuter these offspring to ensure they will not be bred.

Male Ridgebacks should be 25-27 inches (63-69 cm) at the withers and weigh approximately 85 lb (36.5 kg FCI Standard), however some have been known to reach up to 160 lb, females 24-26 inches (61-66 cm) and approximately 70 lb (32 kg). They are typically muscular and have a light wheaten to red wheaten coat which should be short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance but neither woolly nor silky. The presence of black guard hairs or ticking is not addressed in the AKC standard, although the elaboration of the AKC standard [1] notes the amount of black or dark brown in the coat should not be excessive. The FCI Standard states - excessive black hairs throughout the coat are highly undesirable. White is acceptable on the chest and toes.

Ridgebacks have a strong, smooth tail, which is usually carried in a gentle curve upwards. The eyes should be round and should reflect the coat color, dark eyes with a black muzzle, amber eyes with a liver nose and either with a light wheaten. The liver nose is becoming more common for its importance in keeping the golden lionlike colour in the coat [recessive gene]] and is therefore not as common as a black nose. The livernose has been in the past poorly represented in the ring and was extensivly bred out at one time, untill its importance was recognised in the breed.

The original standard allowed for a variety of coat colors, including brindle and sable. Today, all shades of wheaten are permitted. While the deeper red were often favored by judges in the past, it seems now a gross section of colours and it is only time before there is another livernose champion announced, the lighter wheaten is now sought after too. Color variants such as brindles, black-and-tans and blue dilutes appear occasionally but not commonly and are not considered acceptable for the show ring. White on the feet and chest are common but it is prefered to not reach the shoulder or above the dew claws on the feet. The only disqualification in the AKC standard for this breed is ridgelessness.

Temperament

Ridgebacks are loyal, intelligent, gentle, and very independent. They are, however, aloof to strangers. This breed requires training and dedication and is only for the experienced dog owner. They are strong-willed, exceptionally clever, and many seem to have a penchant for mischief. Owners report them teaching themselves (and each other) how to escape crates and kennels, open even 'child-locked' cabinets and doors, and especially behind-your-back stealing of food. They do not make a good first dog, though the same traits that make them difficult often appeal to the more experienced owners. Although they can withstand wide temperature variations due to their African heritage, they are sensitive and prefer to be with their human families inside. They were traditionally hunters, guardians, and companions.

Despite his athletic, sometimes imposing exterior, the Ridgeback has a sensitive side. Excessively harsh training methods that might be tolerated by a sporting or working dog will likely backfire on a Ridgeback. Intelligent to a fault, the Ridgeback accepts correction as long as it is fair and justified, and as long as it comes from someone he knows and trusts. Francis R. Barnes, who wrote the first standard in 1922, acknowledged that "rough treatment ... should never be administered to these dogs, especially when they are young. They go to pieces with handling of that kind."

History

The breed's long history dates back to early in the 17th century when the first European settlers found with the Khoisan tribes a domesticated dog with the hair on his spine being turned forward. Later, to fill specific needs of the big game hunters of the late 19th century for a serviceable hunting dog, tough, resistant to disease, intelligent enough to avoid crocodiles and snakes, with tick repellent smooth coat, tight paw pads to protect against thorns and rough terrain, brave enough to face a lion or any other big game, but fast enough to stay out of harm's way of horns, claws and teeth. The main person behind this development was Cornelius Van Rooyen of Plumtree, Rhodesia.

• Rhodesian Ridgeback breed history

The history of the breed is infuriatingly murky. What is commonly accepted is that Van Rooyen used two ridged, rough-coated bitches from the Swellendam district brought to him by the Rev. Charles Helm in 1879. Van Rooyen crossed these bitches with members of his pack, noting that their ridged progeny excelled at lion hunting.

In his book "The Definitive Rhodesian Ridgeback," the late Canadian breeder-judge David Helgesen theorized, based on historical records of the day, that seven distinct dogs were involved in the formation of the breed: the Khoi dog, whose blood was present in Helm's two deerhound-like bitches; the greyhound, for speed; the bulldog for biting and holding ability; the collie, for slashing ability; the pointer; and Airedale and Irish terriers, for coat color and scrappiness.

It is likely that the Great Dane, mastiff, bloodhound and deerhound also contributed to the gene pool along the way.

The Breed Standard is based on that of the Dalmatian and was first registered by the South African Kennel Club SAKU (now KUSA) in 1924. At that time KUSA was the only Kennel Club in the territory. The breed was first admitted into the American Kennel Club in 1955 as a member of the Hound Group.

As hunters, Ridgebacks in packs of 2 to 5 kept a lion at bay while the hunters came to kill it. The dogs worked in revolving groups to keep the lion occupied until the hunter arrived; the dogs themselves did not usually kill lions, but there are stories of pairs of them being able to kill smaller/young lions, and the breed was often used to kill smaller, unwanted animals around Southern African farms. Female Ridgebacks were often used more than males as the females tended to be more agile. When not used for hunting the dogs were beloved family pets, guardians of the property and able herders.

Health

Health conditions known to affect this breed are cataracts, cancer, elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia. Hypothyroidism is a growing concern, at least in the United States, where it is routinely screened for; the Ridgeback ranks number 8[2] in terms of most affected breeds recorded by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Average lifespan is from 9-11 years, but they have been known to live to nearly 16 years though this is very rare.

Dermoid sinus is a congenital condition that is known to affect this breed. It is discovered at birth, and these puppies may be culled.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States maintains a web site devoted to the breed's health issues and ongoing research at www.rhodesianridgebackhealth.org. This group recommends that breeders perform at least four health screenings -- hips, elbows, thyroid and eyes -- with cardiac and hearing tests optional.

Miscellaneous

There is some debate whether the Rhodesian Ridgeback is a sighthound or scent hound. Positions in this discussion usually mirror geography (and the body style of dog preferred), with Americans on the sighthound side of the debate and Europeans and Africans on the scenthound side. Perhaps both are correct: This incredibly versatile breed does not fit easily in either category. In general Ridgebacks pursue prey by sight, and if the prey is not in sight, Ridgebacks track by scent.

External links

• Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Germany (Germany)
• Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Scotland]
• Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States
• Houston Area Rhodesian Ridgeback Club (Houston, TX, USA)
• National Rhodesian Ridgeback Council (Australia)
• Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Österreich (Austria)
• Rhodesian Ridgeback Club d'Italia (Italy)
• Rhodesian Ridgeback Klub Zagreb (Croatia)
• Norsk Rhodesian Ridgeback Klubb (Norway)
• Dansk Rhodesian Ridgeback Klub (Denmark)
• Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Canada
• Greater Valley Forge Rhodesian Ridgeback Club (USA)]
• Dutch Rhodesian Ridgeback Club(NL)
• The r.r. association of Italy

Information

• Ridgeback Health and Genetics (USA)
• The Visual Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Care & Breeding (South Africa)
• [3]