Родезийский риджбек: фото, описание и характер породы

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is the only South African dog breed to be recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. A distinctive feature of these dogs is the presence of a ridge (from the English "ridge" - "comb") - a strip running just below the withers, not reaching the level of the femurs, ideally having a symmetrical cone shape with characteristic curls at the point of narrowing of the ridge (comb) . The hair of the comb grows in the opposite direction relative to the hairline on the dog's body.

Родезийский риджбек

Photo of a Rhodesian Ridgeback | dreamtime.com

Brief description of the breed

Initially, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, related to hounds, participated in hunting game, guarded livestock during grazing, and guarded human habitation. And today this dog is quite versatile, in addition to the listed features (hunter dog, watchman, security guard) Ridgebacks show remarkable results during the capture of criminals while serving in the police in European countries. Ridgebacks are often bred with the aim of finding a companion dog, since these animals have a lively mind, a fairly balanced disposition, they do not differ in unreasonable aggression towards people, but they can stand up for the owner and his house. Ridgebacks are quite beautiful, tall (males reach 70 cm, females up to 66 cm), strong and muscular dogs. Their weight is from 30 to 37 kg.

Head: Skull of medium size, wide between the ears. Muzzle: The eyes of the dog are set relatively far apart, round in shape. The nose has a black or brown tint, and with a black lobe, the dog's eyes have a darker shade than with a brown nose, when the eyes are yellow. The cheekbones of the dog are not very pronounced. Scissor bite, lips dense, dark shade. The ears are set high, hanging close to the head, wide at the base, tapering towards the tips. Neck: Strong, without dewlap. Body: deep chest, powerful, muscular body, somewhat curved in the lumbar region. Limbs: Straight, bony, with well developed muscular shoulders and hips. Feet are compact and rounded. Tail: tapering towards the end, of medium length. Somewhat curved, but not curled into a ring on the back. Middle position. Coat: short, thick, shiny, medium hardness. Color: from light wheaten to dark red. Sometimes ridgebacks have dark markings (mask) in the muzzle and ears. Small white markings on the chest and toes are acceptable.

basic information

Breed name:	Rhodesian Ridgeback
Country of origin:	Rhodesia
The time of the birth of the breed:	beginning of our era
Type of:	hounds and related breeds
The weight:	30 - 37 kg
Height (height at the withers):	61 - 70 cm
Life Expectancy:	10 – 12 years old
ICF classification:	Group 6, Section 3, Number 146
Puppies price:	300 – 1100 $
Most popular nicknames:	List of nicknames for the Rhodesian Ridgeback

Assessment of breed characteristics

Adaptability (a definition meaning how easily a dog can adapt to changes in life)	🐶🐶🐶🐶
Shedding level (Level and frequency of hair loss in the animal)	🐶🐶
Tenderness level (The level and amount of tenderness and affection that the dog gives in return for attention to itself)	🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
Exercise needs (Dog's daytime activity level)	🐶🐶🐶🐶
Social need (The required number of contacts of the dog with other animals, as well as people)	🐶🐶🐶🐶
Apartment content (A factor that determines the level of noise and other inconveniences that a dog can deliver to owners in relation to the size of the apartment to the size of the dog)	🐶🐶🐶
Grooming (The number of bathing, brushing, and the number of professional grooming sessions required for the dog)	🐶
Friendliness in an unfamiliar environment (Features of the behavior of a dog in a society with strangers or in an unfamiliar environment)	🐶🐶
Tendency to bark (Tendency to bark and its frequency and volume)	🐶
Health issues (Potential health status of the dog)	🐶🐶🐶
Territoriality (The dog's tendency to protect his home, yard, or even his owner's car)	🐶
Friendliness to cats (Tendency towards tolerance of cats and reduced expression of hunting instincts)	🐶🐶
Intelligence (The ability of the dog to think and solve emerging difficulties (not to be confused with learning!)	🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
Education and training (The level of difficulty in training the dog to perform certain actions)	🐶🐶🐶🐶
Friendliness to children (A factor that determines how friendly a dog is to children, whether he likes to play with them and tolerate some childish pranks)	🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
Game activity (The concept is determined by its very name, and, as a rule, is found in almost all dogs)	🐶🐶🐶🐶
Observation (The ability of a dog to detect the presence of a stranger on its territory)	🐶
Friendliness to other dogs (The tendency of the dog to find common language with his other relatives)	🐶🐶

Photo of the Rhodesian Ridgeback:

родезийский риджбек

Origin story

Ridgeback-like dogs have inhabited Africa since at least the beginning of our era. Presumably, dogs with a comb on their backs helped the inhabitants of the Ethiopian tribes during the hunt for big game, guarded the dwellings of people from the attacks of the beast. One of the first "owners" of such dogs was the Hottentot tribe, gradually settling not only in East Africa, but also in the south (in the place of the current state of Zimbabwe). It was in the south that tribal rock paintings depicting hunters with their dogs were discovered. Most likely, in appearance, the Hottentot dogs differed significantly from modern Ridgebacks (both in height and coat color), but ancient dogs also had a comb of hair growing in the opposite direction. Gradually they interbred with hunting dogsand other tribes (for example, the Bushmen - another inhabitant of South Africa). At the end of the 17th century, the famous colonial administrator and traveler Jan van Rieben, who founded the first Dutch migrant Cape Colony, paved the way to South Africa not only for white people, but actually gave access to the import of new animals, including dogs new to Africans. Gradually, the settlers became interested in Hottentot dogs, emphasizing the high hunting qualities and peaceful disposition of these animals. So in the 18th century, predecessors appeared on the hot continent - the most similar to the current red-red ridgeback dogs with a comb in the middle of the back. Further systematic breeding of such dogs took place in Rhodesia (on the territory of present-day Zimbabwe) and already at the beginning of the 20th century, Rhodesian Ridgebacks (also called lion dogs - then hunting for lions was not prohibited in South Africa, so Ridgebacks often participated in the capture of this large predator) began to chain the attention of true hunters. In 1900, a kennel for these dogs was founded, and two decades later (in 1922) the breed standard was approved, and in 1924 the Rhodesian Ridgeback was recognized by the South African Kennel Union.

Personality of the Rhodesian Ridgeback

These dogs perfectly feel the mood of their owner, try not to bother him with their company, if there are reasons for that. They are quite intelligent and even in a difficult situation they will reserve the right to resolve the issue in their own way, which is sometimes necessary when something threatens the life of the owner. They get along well with children, and with adult members of the owner's family. Outsiders are not treated aggressively, but with suspicion. Fights can occur with other pets (especially cats). In other words, Ridgebacks are dogs with character and dignity. They cannot be called kind-hearted, ready to run after anyone who beckons or offers a delicacy to a person, but they are not spiteful, not bloodthirsty. Rhodesians are very strong and hardy (although they do not give the impression of being too massive), active, but not galloping around the site or apartment for days on end. Barking is rarely raised, most often if necessary.

Maintenance and care

Ridgebacks live both in apartments and in open-air cages with a kennel house on the territory of country or private houses. Caring for these dogs does not imply any difficulties even for an inexperienced owner - it is enough just to cut the dog's claws in a timely manner, clean the ears, monitor the condition of the eyes, pay attention to signs of ill health (temperature, depression, indigestion, pathological discharge from the nose, ears , eyes, genitals, limping gait, etc. - in a word, everything that clearly signals an illness). Bathing Ridgebacks is not more than three or even two times a year, and if necessary, only wash their paws after a walk. These dogs are combed out infrequently - a couple of times a month, since short hair eliminates the formation of tangles, leaves and dirt rarely stick to it. In winter, a short-haired ridgeback can be put on a warm jumpsuit, since these dogs cannot boast of either a luxurious fur coat or a thick undercoat. This is quite reasonable, since Rhodesians need long walks daily. It is desirable that during the walk the dog had the opportunity to run and play plenty. It is very good if the owners have the opportunity to take the dog out into nature - to the forest, grove, where you can let the animal off the leash, giving it the opportunity to run and stock up on energy.

Training and education of Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs

From the appearance of a ridgeback baby in the house, its owner needs to behave with the dog in such a way that, growing up, she understands who is in charge in the “owner-dog” relationship. Excessive softness and permissiveness will make the Ridgeback wayward, obeying only his own opinion and his desires. Independence is already laid in the blood of these dogs, so you should not indulge even a small puppy when he climbs on the sofa, begs for food from the table, jumps on the owner in a fit of joy (in childhood, Ridgeback puppies are quite playful). It is better if such a dog has a fairly strict person who knows how to stand his ground as the owner.

Dog trainers note that although Ridgebacks are wayward, they learn willingly, they grasp commands very quickly. But for the correct training process, it is necessary to establish contact with the dog. For a comfortable stay of a dog in society, owners are advised to take a General training course with Rhodesian Ridgebacks on a special training ground under the supervision of a professional, remembering the training methods.

Rhodesian Ridgebacks are dogs with the blood of hunters in their veins, in addition, they are very strong and strong. Therefore, street cats, small dogs can easily be attacked by an untrained ridgeback. Untrained dog will pull the owner on a leash wherever she wants. That is, when acquiring such an animal, one should always be aware that socialization, training and training are necessary for it. And one should think about hunting for hunting only when the owner plans to introduce such a dog to the extraction of wild animals.

Health and disease of the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed

Rhodesian Ridgebacks are healthy dogs with fairly strong natural immunity. Therefore, with properly selected feeding and reasonable, sufficient physical activity, timely vaccination against a number of diseases, these dogs may well give odds in terms of health to many large and medium quadrupeds. Nevertheless, even in strong ridgebacks sometimes there are: diseases of the musculoskeletal system - hip dysplasia, osteochondrosis; eye diseases - cataract, entropion; obesity; deafness; skin diseases - dermoid sinus, allergic reactions.

Some interesting facts

In Russia, the Rhodesian Ridgeback dog breed appeared relatively recently - the first male and female were imported from the United States in 1993. A year later, on November 1, 1994, 5 Ridgeback puppies were born in the first litter. The first exhibition of the National Club of Rhodesian Ridgebacks in our country took place in 1999, where the presidents of ridgeback clubs from South Africa, the homeland of these dogs. Many of the Rhodesians born in Russia have become World and European Champions.
The visiting card of the Rhodesian Ridgeback is their crest, the parameters of which are described in detail in the Standard breeds dated December 10, 1995. It happens that in the litter there is one or more puppies without a ridge-ridge at all. This serves as a reason for refusing the participation of such dogs in the exhibition business, since not only the absence of the ridge, but also some defects in its shape (asymmetry, short length, etc.) are disqualifying features of the breed. However, without the notorious ridge, the Rhodesian Ridgeback does not cease to be one. And the best qualities of the breed are preserved without a mark on the back - intelligence, endurance, calmness towards people and devotion to the owner.