Skaduwee Reg'd Rhodesian Ridgebacks 

Ridgebacks insist on making themselves very much part of the family unit. They are companionable and inquisitive by nature, and like to be in close proximity to their people.  Ridgebacks are extremely loyal one-person dogs. As a puppy, a Ridgeback chooses “his” person, and attaches himself to that person for life. He will love the other members of the family, but his first loyalty will be firm. If parted from his owner, a Ridgeback will grieve long and hard. He can learn to love a new owner, but that first bond will never be forgotten.

          While not intrusive, a Ridgeback can always be found wherever the action is. A bored or unhappy Ridgeback left to his own devices can a become destructive nuisance. There is no point in owning a Ridgeback if he is not considered a true member of the family with the same need for attention, activity, and companionship as his human counterparts.

            Ridgebacks are gentle, protective, and adoring of children. Both children and the Ridgeback need to be taught how to respect each other and interact nicely. If a Ridgeback grows tired of a child’s games or wants to be left alone, he simply will remove himself from the room. A young, energetic dog can unintentionally topple a small child, and needs to be taught to control his size and strength, but this generally is accomplished with natural ease.

            Ridgebacks are known as the “comedians” the dog world. They love nothing better than a good laugh, often at the expense of the foolish humans who inhabit their domain. Interestingly enough, the color of a Ridgeback’s nose can direct his expression of humor. The black-nosed dogs most often enjoy a laugh at someone else’s expense. In contrast, the liver-nosed dogs are more apt to turn the humor on themselves to entertain their family. They are more exuberantly clownish.

            The Rhodesian Ridgeback is one of the most intelligent of all dogs. A ridgeback is very quick to learn what you expect of him, and while he wants to please you, his stubborn streak sometimes gets in the way. Do not expect instant or unfailing obedience. His independence is a natural result of what he was bred to do.

            Ridgebacks quietly accept newcomers in their domain that they sense are friendly, but will keep a close eye on those they distrust. Ridgebacks may act standoffish towards new people for the first few minutes after meeting them. He will watch, smell, and intuit the person before making up his mind whether or not the visitor is acceptable. If the guest “passes” inspection Ridgebacks will gladly accept petting & attention. If the dog dislikes the visitor, he will clearly snub all friendly overtures and may keep a watchful eye on the guest. Your dog is an incredibly astute judge of character, and should the need arise, he will be there to do his “job” as protector as his ancestors have always done.

Rhodesian Ridgeback Breed Standard

General Appearance

The Ridgeback should represent a strong muscular and active dog, symmetrical in outline, and capable of great endurance with a fair amount of speed.

The peculiarity of this breed is the ridge on the back, which is formed by the hair growing in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat. The ridge is regarded as the escutcheon of the breed. The ridge should be clearly defined, tapering and symmetrical. It should start immediately behind the shoulders and continue up to a point between the prominence of the hips (haunch bones), and should contain two identical crowns opposite each other. The lower edges of the crown should not extend further down the ridge than one-third of the ridge.ust be

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).

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.