Post by charmingnancy on Jan 6, 2009 15:28:01 GMT -5
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Group: 2- Hounds
Origin: Southern Africa (Rhodesia and Zimbabwe)
Purpose: Hunting Lions
Description:
Named for the distinctive ridge on its back, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is a compelling mix of agility, strength and hardiness.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
Coat and Colour: The coat should be short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance, but neither woolly nor silky. Colour light wheaten to red wheaten. A little white on the chest and toes permissible, but excessive white here and on the belly and above paws is undesirable.
Head: The head should be of a fair length, and skull flat and rather broad between the ears and should be free from wrinkles when in repose. The stop should be reasonably well defined, and not in one straight line from the nose to the occiput bone, as required in a Bull Terrier. The muzzle should be long, deep and powerful. Jaws level and strong with well developed teeth, especially the canines or holders. The lips clean, closely fitting the jaws. The nose should be black, or brown, in keeping with the colour of the eyes. No other coloured nose is permissible. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown nose by amber eyes. The eyes should be moderately well apart, and should be round, bright, and sparkling, with intelligent expression, their colour harmonizing with the colour of the nose. The ears should be set rather high, of medium size, rather wide at the base, and tapering to a rounded point. They should be carried close to the head.
Neck: The neck should be fairly strong and free from throatiness.
Forequarters: The shoulder should be sloping, clean, and muscular, denoting speed. The forelegs should be perfectly straight, strong and heavy in bone; elbows close to the body. The feet should be compact, with well-arched toes, round, tough, elastic pads, protected by hair between the toes and pads.
Body: The chest should not be too wide, but very deep and capacious; ribs moderately well sprung, never rounded like barrel hoops (which would indicate want of speed), the back powerful, and loins strong, muscular and slightly arched.
Hindquarters: In the hind legs the muscles should be clean, well defined, and hocks well down.
Tail: The tail should be strong at the insertion, and generally tapering towards the end, free from coarseness. It should not be inserted too high or too low, and should be carried with a slight curve upwards, never curled.
Scale of Points
Ridge- 20
Head- 5
Neck and shoulders- 10
Body, back, chest, loins- 10
Legs and feet- 15
Coat- 5
Tail- 5
Size, symmetry, general appearance- 20
TOTAL 100
Size:
A mature Ridgeback should be a handsome, upstanding dog; Dogs should be of a height of 25-27 inches (63-69 cm), and Bitches 24-26 inches (61-66 cm).
Minimum bench standard: Dogs 25 inches (63 cm), Bitches 24 inches (61 cm).
Weight (desirable): Dogs, 75 lb. (34 kg); Bitches, 65 lb. (29 kg).
Temperament:
As one might expect from a dog that was bred to hunt lions, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is a tough and resilient breed. The dog is intensely loyal to its family and will guard its loved ones at any cost. This means that one should not expect the Ridgeback to warm to strangers right away, and should in fact be careful when the dog is in a situation it may consider threatening. This is not to say, however, that the dog does not have a sensitive side. Quite the contrary: the Rhodesian Ridgeback is very good with children and other pets, so long as it is raised with them from a young age. The breed is also highly intelligent and strong-willed; reports of Ridgebacks opening gates and cabinets to fetch a snack are common and often frustrating for owners. Without firm upbringing, the dog can become domineering and turn aggressive at the slightest perceived threat against its owner.
Health:
Health conditions known to affect this breed are hip dysplasia and dermoid sinus which is the canine version of the human condition, spina bifida. The Ridgeback ranks number six in terms of most affected breeds for thyroid problems recorded by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.
Average Lifespan:
9 to 11 years, though they have been known on rare occasion to live to nearly 16 years.
History:
The breed's long history dates back to early in the 18th 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 and muscular 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.
The history of the breed is disputed. 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.
The dogs themselves did not kill lions, but somehow over the years this fable began and still persists to this day. When not used for hunting, these dogs were family companions, guardians of the family and property, and cattle drovers.
Traditionally, many ridgeback puppies were culled at birth for numerous reasons, including ridgelessness. A growing number of contemporary breeders opt for surgical sterilization of these offspring to ensure they will not be bred but can live into maturity as non-showing, non-breeding pets. Some breed parent clubs and canine registries have even made the culling of ridgeless whelps a requirement.
The Breed Standard is loosely based on that of a slightly enlarged 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.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Breeder Retriever
CKC
Pictures:
Photobucket
Group: 2- Hounds
Origin: Southern Africa (Rhodesia and Zimbabwe)
Purpose: Hunting Lions
Description:
Named for the distinctive ridge on its back, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is a compelling mix of agility, strength and hardiness.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
Coat and Colour: The coat should be short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance, but neither woolly nor silky. Colour light wheaten to red wheaten. A little white on the chest and toes permissible, but excessive white here and on the belly and above paws is undesirable.
Head: The head should be of a fair length, and skull flat and rather broad between the ears and should be free from wrinkles when in repose. The stop should be reasonably well defined, and not in one straight line from the nose to the occiput bone, as required in a Bull Terrier. The muzzle should be long, deep and powerful. Jaws level and strong with well developed teeth, especially the canines or holders. The lips clean, closely fitting the jaws. The nose should be black, or brown, in keeping with the colour of the eyes. No other coloured nose is permissible. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown nose by amber eyes. The eyes should be moderately well apart, and should be round, bright, and sparkling, with intelligent expression, their colour harmonizing with the colour of the nose. The ears should be set rather high, of medium size, rather wide at the base, and tapering to a rounded point. They should be carried close to the head.
Neck: The neck should be fairly strong and free from throatiness.
Forequarters: The shoulder should be sloping, clean, and muscular, denoting speed. The forelegs should be perfectly straight, strong and heavy in bone; elbows close to the body. The feet should be compact, with well-arched toes, round, tough, elastic pads, protected by hair between the toes and pads.
Body: The chest should not be too wide, but very deep and capacious; ribs moderately well sprung, never rounded like barrel hoops (which would indicate want of speed), the back powerful, and loins strong, muscular and slightly arched.
Hindquarters: In the hind legs the muscles should be clean, well defined, and hocks well down.
Tail: The tail should be strong at the insertion, and generally tapering towards the end, free from coarseness. It should not be inserted too high or too low, and should be carried with a slight curve upwards, never curled.
Scale of Points
Ridge- 20
Head- 5
Neck and shoulders- 10
Body, back, chest, loins- 10
Legs and feet- 15
Coat- 5
Tail- 5
Size, symmetry, general appearance- 20
TOTAL 100
Size:
A mature Ridgeback should be a handsome, upstanding dog; Dogs should be of a height of 25-27 inches (63-69 cm), and Bitches 24-26 inches (61-66 cm).
Minimum bench standard: Dogs 25 inches (63 cm), Bitches 24 inches (61 cm).
Weight (desirable): Dogs, 75 lb. (34 kg); Bitches, 65 lb. (29 kg).
Temperament:
As one might expect from a dog that was bred to hunt lions, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is a tough and resilient breed. The dog is intensely loyal to its family and will guard its loved ones at any cost. This means that one should not expect the Ridgeback to warm to strangers right away, and should in fact be careful when the dog is in a situation it may consider threatening. This is not to say, however, that the dog does not have a sensitive side. Quite the contrary: the Rhodesian Ridgeback is very good with children and other pets, so long as it is raised with them from a young age. The breed is also highly intelligent and strong-willed; reports of Ridgebacks opening gates and cabinets to fetch a snack are common and often frustrating for owners. Without firm upbringing, the dog can become domineering and turn aggressive at the slightest perceived threat against its owner.
Health:
Health conditions known to affect this breed are hip dysplasia and dermoid sinus which is the canine version of the human condition, spina bifida. The Ridgeback ranks number six in terms of most affected breeds for thyroid problems recorded by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.
Average Lifespan:
9 to 11 years, though they have been known on rare occasion to live to nearly 16 years.
History:
The breed's long history dates back to early in the 18th 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 and muscular 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.
The history of the breed is disputed. 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.
The dogs themselves did not kill lions, but somehow over the years this fable began and still persists to this day. When not used for hunting, these dogs were family companions, guardians of the family and property, and cattle drovers.
Traditionally, many ridgeback puppies were culled at birth for numerous reasons, including ridgelessness. A growing number of contemporary breeders opt for surgical sterilization of these offspring to ensure they will not be bred but can live into maturity as non-showing, non-breeding pets. Some breed parent clubs and canine registries have even made the culling of ridgeless whelps a requirement.
The Breed Standard is loosely based on that of a slightly enlarged 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.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Breeder Retriever
CKC
Pictures:
Photobucket