Rhodesian Ridgeback

The Rhodesian dog (rhodesian ridgeback) is a dog breed originally developed in southern Rhodesia, present-day Zimbabwe, but now it is South Africa that holds the breed standard and is actively pursuing its development in southern Africa. It is the result of a cross between the dogs of the European pioneers and the semi-domesticated dorsal crested hunting dogs of the Hottentots. The ridgeback is robust, muscular, very fast and very enduring. It is symmetrical in silhouette and is characterized by a dorsal ridge (hence the term "Ridgeback" = "ridge" (engl.) = "la Crête" + "back" (engl.) = "le Dos, dorsal" , literally "Ridgeback" means "dorsal ridge"). He was able to hunt wild animals like the lion but without seeking contact. His great flair makes him an effective tracker, he also excels in the search for injured game. In Australia, some sheep farmers stock themselves with rhodesian. The Ridgeback is still used as a hunting dog in many places around the world, but it is primarily prized as a watchdog and companion dog. He is primarily a track dog: he hunts in the wind and on sight: indeed, the safaris with multiple exploits, mythical in some cases, testify to an important "hunting" past. The rhodesian was used to track cougars and lynx. Many photos, many stories, accredit the virulence of certain hunts (Janet Murray The Rhodesian Ridgeback 1924-1974 p95-100, wild pig hunt with three rhodesian ridgebacks). For game, it is better to have the least dominant animal possible. In France, no workbook for hunting tests has been obtained by a Rhodesian; a single patent for blood research (wounded game) is however to be noted; 'Nevertheless, we find many Rhodesian Ridgebacks in "utility disciplines" or in Agility.' A few Rhodesian Ridgebacks, often females, act as retrievers. The Rhodesian Ridgeback, overwhelmingly, has no propensity for retrieving objects or game. You have to teach him. Sometimes, the Rhodesian has a morphology reminiscent of that of the Labrador. When we know that there were illicit crossings, formerly, with Labradors in order to define a more hunter Rhodesian Ridgeback, then no surprise [ref. necessary]. These crosses, prohibited by the South African Breeding Charter, were more particularly operated in the 1950s by some breeders in the Republic of South Africa and also in Kenya. The Rhodesian can very well be trained in guard and defense work1. However, in France, the rhodesian cannot participate in events where the mordant enters into selective sports work. The Rhodesian Ridgeback can, and must, derive from its intrinsic qualities of guardian and tracker, a sporting use, such as European utility trials, very far from work on civilians and military and/or police uses practiced in other countries. Recently, a few Rhodesian Ridgebacks in France have successfully obtained the "brevet d'obéissance", in Anglo-Saxon countries, certificates of "Good citizen dog", "dog tracker" and "Therapy Dog" are awarded. Famous dogs Mr Kelly, is a famous Rhodesian, a real "show-dog" in the Republic of South Africa, and formidably trained in operational police work. And the performance of another Rhodesian dog from the British police force. The Canadian police have used Ridgebacks to search for lost people, in the forest, in the summer period (article magazine dogs 2000 1982). dermatological particularity: Breed prone to sinus dermoid, congenital and hereditary dermatological anomaly which results from an incomplete separation of the skin and the spinal cord following the differentiation of the cutaneous covering and the central nervous system from the ectoderm during the early stages of embryonic development. source Veterinary thesis N°100 ENV LYON 1995 L. GOBY According to certain Swedish university studies, the dermoid sinus is associated with the presence of the "ridge"; However, this conclusion is still not unanimous within the scientific community. Rigorous breeding with a supply of vitamin B10 for females at risk allows a substantial reduction of this hereditary defect. Now, a greater number of bloodlines are unscathed, for several generations.

Dogs possibly originating from Asia but more likely native to Africa gave the Rhodesian Ridgeback a characteristic crest on its back. These primitive type dogs were commensals of the San/KhoiKhoi peoples (nicknamed Hottentots by the first Dutch settlers) who lived and moved in these southern African lands. Despite numerous crossings, this dog has always retained this crest. A missionary took two of these dogs from Cape Town to Rhodesia. It now bears the name of the country which intensively breeds them. Very effective for lion and big game hunting, however it is especially appreciated as a companion and guard dog as stipulated by the FCI and KUSA breed standards. The breeds that have structured the Rhodesian Ridgeback are: the Bantu dog the greyhound the mastiff the terrier the shepherd We quote, in RSA, also the border-collie, at the time of the Great Trek, for guarding and accompanying livestock.

Friendly, energetic, devoted and watchful. The behavioral definition of a breed is always tricky. Depending on the country, the variability of mentalities, breedings, of the individual himself, requires some caution. The dog is loyal. Nevertheless, any standard describes the desired character of the breed to which it relates but the interpretation that can be made of it sometimes gives significant differences. For example, "the Rhodesian Ridgeback is distant with strangers", in France, has too often justified fearful temperaments towards human beings. The spirit is that the Rhodesian Ridgeback just isn't friendly to just anyone. Selection plays a key role: not all Rhodesians have an easy, pleasant, affectionate, receptive character.