Post by LeopJag on Jun 1, 2013 7:13:33 GMT 5
Rhodesian Ridgeback
History
The Khoikhoi people occupied the Cape Peninsula during the mid 17th century when the Dutch began trading with the area and set up a trading station. These people had a dog which was used for hunting; described as ugly, but noted for its ferocity when acting as a guard dog. The ears have been described both as erect and hanging, but the most distinctive feature was the length of hair growing in the reverse direction along its back.
By the 1860s, European settlers had brought a variety of dog breeds to this area of Africa, including Bloodhounds, Greyhounds, terriers, and Foxhounds. These breeds were bred with the indigenous African dogs, including the dog of the Khoikhoi people, which resulted in the Boer hunting dogs, a forerunner to the modern Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Reverend Charles Helm traveled to the Hope Fountain Mission in Southern Rhodesia in the 1870s, taking two ridged dogs with him. It was there that Cornelius van Rooyen, a big–game hunter, saw them and decided to breed his own dogs with them to incorporate their guarding abilities. The offspring were dogs with red coats and ridges. The dogs were used to hunt not only lions but also other game, including wild pigs and baboons. They have the ability to kill a baboon independent of a human hunter.
Appearance
The Rhodesian Ridgeback's distinguishing feature is the ridge of hair along its back, running in the opposite direction to the rest of its coat. 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 usually about 2 inches (5 cm) in width at its widest point. It is believed to originate from the dog used by the original African dog population, which had a similar ridge.
Male Ridgebacks should stand 25–27 inches (63–69 cm) at the withers and weigh about 85 lb (39 kg) FCI Standard); females should be 24–26 inches (61–66 cm) tall and about 70 lb (32 kg) in weight; many are much larger. Ridgebacks are typically muscular and have a light wheaten to red wheaten coat, which should be short, dense, sleek and glossy in appearance, and neither woolly nor silky.
Temperament
Rhodesian Ridgebacks are loyal and intelligent and somewhat aloof to strangers. This is not to be confused with aggression; a Ridgeback of proper temperament will be more inclined to ignore, rather than challenge, a stranger. This breed requires positive, reward-based training, good socialization and consistency; it is often not the best choice for inexperienced dog owners. Ridgebacks are strong-willed, intelligent, and many seem to have a penchant for mischief, though loving. They are protective of their owners and families. If trained well, they can be excellent guard dogs.
Classification Conundrum
Today, there are at least five competing theories concerning proper group placement for the Rhodesian Ridgeback.
1) Scenthound - This theory arises from the fact that the southern African landscape in general, and the Zimbabwean landscape specifically, is an extremely varied and diverse terrain, where a true sighthound would be severely handicapped in its finding ability in the game producing cover of the bushveldt, thornveldt, and kopjes. Proponents of the scenthound classification also observe that the Ridgeback bears very little resemblance to the decidedly northern African desert breed sighthounds, in either form or function.
2) Sighthound - This theory is based on the fact that some of the foundation stock used by Cornelius Van Rooyen during the creation of the breed was Sighthound stock. Support for this theory has grown in areas (most notably in the United States) where Ridgebacks have been allowed to compete with sighthounds in lure-coursing field trials. The theory's detractors contend that success in lure coursing trials does not in and of itself make a dog a true sighthound, and further bolster their contention by pointing out that Ridgebacks are very poor performers when allowed to run in unofficial open field courses where they typically cannot keep up with the true sighthounds. Even so, no one can argue that Ridgebacks have not been successful at lure coursing events.
3) U.K.C. Cur Dog - This theory is based on the United Kennel Club's (the leading 'working dog' registry in the U.S. in terms of numbers of dogs registered) classification system which, within the scenthounds, includes a sub-group known as "Cur Dogs". Contrary to the traditional/historical meaning of the term "Cur", these dogs are neither mongrels, nor dogs of dubious breeding or value. Quite the contrary, the UKC Cur-Dogs are pure-bred, versatile hunting and livestock dogs.
4) Wagon Dog/Wagon Hound - This theory was forwarded at the 2008 Rhodesian Ridgeback World Congress, and contends that an honest evaluation of the breed's functional history indicates that during its formative development and early use as a breed, the Ridgeback was much more a "Hunter's/Farmer's Ox-Wagon Dog" than it was a "Lion Dog". This theory aligns itself with the current FCI classification of the breed, Group 6.3 (a special type of scenthound). However, the important distinction in this theory is not that the FCI classification of "scenthound" is accurate, but rather, the placement of the Dalmatian and the Rhodesian Ridgeback.
5) Ridged Primitive - There is also a group of Ridgeback fanciers who believe Rhodesian Ridgebacks should be thought of in terms of the FCI's group 5.8. FCI group 5 includes the Spitze and related primitives. FCI group 5.8 specifically is "Primitive type Hunting Dogs with a ridge on the back". The theory's detractors note that the Rhodesian Ridgeback was not only developed in the late 19th century and standardized in the early 20th century, but developed specifically to "hunt to the gun" and as such is in fact a very modern creation, and anything but "primitive".
Ridge Genetics:
History
The Khoikhoi people occupied the Cape Peninsula during the mid 17th century when the Dutch began trading with the area and set up a trading station. These people had a dog which was used for hunting; described as ugly, but noted for its ferocity when acting as a guard dog. The ears have been described both as erect and hanging, but the most distinctive feature was the length of hair growing in the reverse direction along its back.
By the 1860s, European settlers had brought a variety of dog breeds to this area of Africa, including Bloodhounds, Greyhounds, terriers, and Foxhounds. These breeds were bred with the indigenous African dogs, including the dog of the Khoikhoi people, which resulted in the Boer hunting dogs, a forerunner to the modern Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Reverend Charles Helm traveled to the Hope Fountain Mission in Southern Rhodesia in the 1870s, taking two ridged dogs with him. It was there that Cornelius van Rooyen, a big–game hunter, saw them and decided to breed his own dogs with them to incorporate their guarding abilities. The offspring were dogs with red coats and ridges. The dogs were used to hunt not only lions but also other game, including wild pigs and baboons. They have the ability to kill a baboon independent of a human hunter.
Appearance
The Rhodesian Ridgeback's distinguishing feature is the ridge of hair along its back, running in the opposite direction to the rest of its coat. 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 usually about 2 inches (5 cm) in width at its widest point. It is believed to originate from the dog used by the original African dog population, which had a similar ridge.
Male Ridgebacks should stand 25–27 inches (63–69 cm) at the withers and weigh about 85 lb (39 kg) FCI Standard); females should be 24–26 inches (61–66 cm) tall and about 70 lb (32 kg) in weight; many are much larger. Ridgebacks are typically muscular and have a light wheaten to red wheaten coat, which should be short, dense, sleek and glossy in appearance, and neither woolly nor silky.
Temperament
Rhodesian Ridgebacks are loyal and intelligent and somewhat aloof to strangers. This is not to be confused with aggression; a Ridgeback of proper temperament will be more inclined to ignore, rather than challenge, a stranger. This breed requires positive, reward-based training, good socialization and consistency; it is often not the best choice for inexperienced dog owners. Ridgebacks are strong-willed, intelligent, and many seem to have a penchant for mischief, though loving. They are protective of their owners and families. If trained well, they can be excellent guard dogs.
Classification Conundrum
Today, there are at least five competing theories concerning proper group placement for the Rhodesian Ridgeback.
1) Scenthound - This theory arises from the fact that the southern African landscape in general, and the Zimbabwean landscape specifically, is an extremely varied and diverse terrain, where a true sighthound would be severely handicapped in its finding ability in the game producing cover of the bushveldt, thornveldt, and kopjes. Proponents of the scenthound classification also observe that the Ridgeback bears very little resemblance to the decidedly northern African desert breed sighthounds, in either form or function.
2) Sighthound - This theory is based on the fact that some of the foundation stock used by Cornelius Van Rooyen during the creation of the breed was Sighthound stock. Support for this theory has grown in areas (most notably in the United States) where Ridgebacks have been allowed to compete with sighthounds in lure-coursing field trials. The theory's detractors contend that success in lure coursing trials does not in and of itself make a dog a true sighthound, and further bolster their contention by pointing out that Ridgebacks are very poor performers when allowed to run in unofficial open field courses where they typically cannot keep up with the true sighthounds. Even so, no one can argue that Ridgebacks have not been successful at lure coursing events.
3) U.K.C. Cur Dog - This theory is based on the United Kennel Club's (the leading 'working dog' registry in the U.S. in terms of numbers of dogs registered) classification system which, within the scenthounds, includes a sub-group known as "Cur Dogs". Contrary to the traditional/historical meaning of the term "Cur", these dogs are neither mongrels, nor dogs of dubious breeding or value. Quite the contrary, the UKC Cur-Dogs are pure-bred, versatile hunting and livestock dogs.
4) Wagon Dog/Wagon Hound - This theory was forwarded at the 2008 Rhodesian Ridgeback World Congress, and contends that an honest evaluation of the breed's functional history indicates that during its formative development and early use as a breed, the Ridgeback was much more a "Hunter's/Farmer's Ox-Wagon Dog" than it was a "Lion Dog". This theory aligns itself with the current FCI classification of the breed, Group 6.3 (a special type of scenthound). However, the important distinction in this theory is not that the FCI classification of "scenthound" is accurate, but rather, the placement of the Dalmatian and the Rhodesian Ridgeback.
5) Ridged Primitive - There is also a group of Ridgeback fanciers who believe Rhodesian Ridgebacks should be thought of in terms of the FCI's group 5.8. FCI group 5 includes the Spitze and related primitives. FCI group 5.8 specifically is "Primitive type Hunting Dogs with a ridge on the back". The theory's detractors note that the Rhodesian Ridgeback was not only developed in the late 19th century and standardized in the early 20th century, but developed specifically to "hunt to the gun" and as such is in fact a very modern creation, and anything but "primitive".
Ridge Genetics:
