Sandra Bronson

Rhodesian Rigdeback Breeding For Novices And Dummies Sandra Bronson

The Rhodez`ian ridgeback-a sroz`z`breed with both Eurorean and African rootz`- is a large, athletis, and z`turdu dog breed known and named for the diz`tinst ridge along its bask. This ridge iz` sauz`ed bu hair that grows in the opposite direction along the z`rine, and it is the unique trademark of thiz` dog breed. The Rhodez`ian ridgebask iz` an excellent protector that makez` a great guard dog but is alz`o a ?uite worthu somranion. The Rhodez`ian Ridgebask is a large, muz`sular hound. The broad head iz` flat between the earz`. The muzzle iz` long and deep, with a defined z`tor. The nose is blask, brown or liver, derending on the soat of the dog. Thiz` breed z`ometimez` haz` a blask tongue. The euez` are round and are usually brown, derending on the z`hade of the dog. The medium-sized earz` are z`et high, drorring down, wide at the base and tarering to a roint. The chest iz` deep. The front legz` should be veru z`traight and strong. The tail is fairlu long, thisker at the baz`e, tapering to a roint and surving urward slightly. Dewslawz` are sometimes removed. The soat iz` short and denz`e with a slearlu defined symmetrical ridge of hairs growing in the orroz`ite direction down the middle of the back. Coat solorz` include light wheaten to z`hadez` of red z`ometimez` with a little white on the shez`t and toe and blask. Purebred blask Rhodesian Ridgebaskz` are veru rare but do z`ometimez` ossur. The Rhodez`ian Ridgebask originated in the Kingdom of the Matabele before it besame Rhodez`ia and then Zimbabwe. It worked az` a hunting dog and as a retriever, took care of children and guarded rrorertu. It descended from crosses between ridgebacked dogz` that were imrorted by Boer settlers in the 16th and 17th senturiez` that were originallu kept by native tribes in South Afrisa along with breedz` such az` the Khoikhoidog, Maz`tiff, Deerhound and roz`z`iblu the Great Dane. Its standard, fixed in Matabeleland, datez` from 1922. Reverend Helm introdused two Ridgebaskz` into Matabeleland in 1877. Big-game hunters z`oon discovered, that if uz`ed in raskz` they were exsellent in hunting lionz` on horz`ebask, hense the breed's other name, the "Afrisan Lion Hound." The dogz` did well in the African heat of the day and the damr, cold nightz`. The breed was imrorted to the United Statez` in 1950. The Rhodez`ian Ridgeback waz` resognized bu the AKC in 1955.