Before setting out to find your Ridgeback puppy, make sure that this is the right breed for you and your lifestyle. Ridgebacks grow into a large, powerful dog and this must be taken into consideration. As a pet a Ridgeback is fairly easy going but as with any dog they thrive on love and affection from its family (Ridgebacks are a pack animal and by having an RR as a pet, you become its pack, with you as the pack leader and the dog as the sub-ordinate). All dogs need exercise in varying amounts and your Ridgeback is no exception, but a puppy under 12 months should have its exercise carefully monitored so as not to over do it.

Before purchasing your pup try and visit a few litters of puppies and observe the way that they are raised and the environment that they are bought up in. The first weeks of life are critical to a pups social development, and this time is spent at the breeders since a pup cannot leave until it is 8 weeks of age. At a minimum you want to see the mother of the pups and if possible the father or at least a photograph.

Observe the pups at play and enquire which ones are available, which are show dogs and which are pets and why. A puppy sold as a pet usually only has a cosmetic defect that would count against it in the showring, sometimes there is no difference except that there is not enough show homes (people wanting a dog to show).

When selecting a puppy there are many things to consider, here are some to assist you with your choice, some apply to all breeds and some are specific to Ridgebacks. Please note that these are to be used as a guide only.

• Hold the pup in your hands. It should be warm, clean and free of parasites such as fleas.(look near the base of the tail and in the relatively hairless areas, under the arms and hind legs)
• Compare its weight with that of the other puppies in the litter. Very thin or obese pups should be avoided
• Check the gums; they should be a healthy pink colour.
• The pup's eyes should be the same colour as each other.
• Look under the tail for signs of diarrhoea.
• A Ridgeback must have a ridge on its back as a pup, it will not develop later as the pup matures. It is born with a ridge or will never have one.(without a ridge they are just a big, brown dog)
• Ridgebacks must be checked for Dermoid Sinus (a condition similar to Spina Bifida in humans). This is the responsibility of the breeder and pups with a sinus are humanely ethunased.

Buying a dog requires a long term commitment and should be looked upon as requiring a bit of time and patience. Don't rush out and buy the first pup that you see, be prepared to take a bit time and do a bit of research and you'll enjoy your new family member even more knowing that you made the right choice. Choosing the right breeder can make a difference and this can be a difficult task. Right now you are probably wondering whether to believe a word of what you are reading as we are breeders ourselves and probably trying the hard sell. Well we only have a litter of pups when we want a pup for ourselves not just for the sake of it.

Here is a few guidelines to assist you when looking for a breeder.

• Ask why they are breeding? The ultimate aim of breeding is to improve the breed by selecting the best match of sire and dam to have the best chance of quality pups.
• Ask about the genetic defects in the breed.
• Can you see the mother and the father? Ask to see their pedigrees to make sure that they are pure breeds.
• Make sure that you see more than just the one litter, and that the breeder is aware of this. If they seem to have a problem with you seeing other litters perhaps you should be very wary of them.
• Don't be bullied into buying a pup with the threat that you will miss out if you don't buy from them now.
• Visit dog shows, even though you may not want a show dog this is the best place to view a number of dogs at one time and to talk to different people also the mother and/or father are likely to be show dogs.
• Ask lots of questions and even the same question in a different way to try and determine if you are getting honest, reliable answers. Make sure that you are comfortable with them as people.
• Take a close look at the enviroment that the pups are in and also the behaviour of any other dogs that they own/have in their yard. The social behaviour of the pups is greatly affected by their surrounding environment.
• Be prepared to wait to purchase a pup from a breeder that you are comfortable with. If you don't feel comfortable with the breeder, keep shopping around.
• Don't believe that your only chance of ever getting a puppy is to place your name on a waiting list with the first breeder that you speak to, shop around!
• After the pups are born the breeder should not object to you visiting a number of times prior to collecting your puppy.
• Remember a good breeder will be checking you out as much as you are checking them out. We have refused to sell pups to a number of people as we felt that we could find better homes for our puppies.
• When you find a breeder that you are happy with keep in mind that unless the pups are already born you may have to be prepared to wait as bitches don't always come in to season when we want them to and nature can't be rushed.

It is very important that children be taught to respect and care for their family pet, equally so dogs need to be taught to obey and respect all family members, including children.

Young children and dogs should not be left alone together, an adult should always be near by to supervise and if needed, to intervene . This is especially important if it is unfamiliar children with your dog, you don't know what the children may do to your pet. Also be wary of an unfamiliar dog as you may not be sure of the dogs behaviour towards children. A dog that has not had contact with children may not be use to being handled by little people.

Children should be taught to approach a strange dog correctly to avoid an unpleasant situation. They should never approach a strange dog without the owners permission. When the owner gives permission, approach the dog slowly avoiding direct eye contact and extending the back of the hand with the fingers curled to allow the dog to approach and sniff. If the dog wags his tail and appears friendly stroke the dog gently on the chest, shoulder and under the chin. Never pat a unfamiliar dog on the top of the head, this is very demeaning to the dog and may be taken as an aggressive action.

Always have a safe haven, usually the dogs sleeping area, where the dog may go to have some peace and quiet. Do not allow the dog to be disturbed nor annoyed when in this area. Teach children that when your dog is in this space or sleeping to leave him alone. Also teach children not to approach a dog when it is sleeping, eating, tied up or in a car.

One question that we have been asked many times is how best to introduce a baby into an environment where there is a dog already living there. The way that has worked for us, is to introduce the dog to your new baby and make your Ridgeback feel that it is not being forced out of its pack, its family, by this new stranger. We have done this by placing the baby on the floor on a rug and allowing the dog to approach and sniff the baby whilst talking to, and reassuring the dog that all is well. It is important the your Ridgeback feels that it is not being replaced and that it is still a valuable member of your family. If the dog has been allowed in to the house at certain times, before the babies arrival, this must be allowed to continue. If the dog feels neglected or left out of the family, this is when behavioural problems may occur. Your Ridgeback will soon adapt to the new family member and be a great guardian of your baby. Jaeger, one of our bitches, when our son Kyle was a baby was the first in to the nursery when ever he woke or was crying. It is a beautiful sight to see such a large, powerful dog laying on the floor next to a sleeping baby, on guard to ensure that no harm comes to its young master. As long as your dog is in good health, regularly wormed and bathed there is not generally any problems with your Ridgeback being near your baby.

 Utilization

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is still used to hunt game in many parts of the world, but is especially prized as a watch - dog and a family pet.

Brief Historical Overview

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is presently the only registered breed indigenous to southern Africa. Its forebears can be traced to the cape Colony of southern Africa where they crossed with the early pioneers' dogs and the semi - domesticated, ridged Hottentot hunting dogs. Hunting mainly in groups of two or three, the original function of the Rhodesian Ridgeback or Lion dog was to track game, especially lion, and, with great agility, keep it at bay until the arrival of the hunter.
The original standard, which was drafted by F.R Barnes, in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, in 1922, was based on that of the Dalmatian and was approved by the South African Kennel Union in 1926.

General Appearance

The Rhodesian Ridgeback should represent a well balanced, strong, muscular, agile and active dog, symmetrical in outline and capable of great endurance with a fair amount of speed. The emphasis is on agility, elegance and soundness with no tendency towards massiveness. The peculiarity of the breed is the ridge on the back, which is formed by the hair growing in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat.

Characteristics

The ridge is the escutcheon of the breed. The Ridge must be clearly defined symmetrical and tapering towards the haunch. It must start immediately behind the shoulders and continue to the hip (haunches) bones. The ridge must contain only two crowns, identical and opposite each other. The lower edges of crowns must not extend further down the ridge than one-third of its length. A good average width of the ridge is 5 cm (2ins).

Temperament

Dignified, intelligent, aloof with strangers but showing no aggression or shyness.

Head and Skull

Cranial Region: Should be of fair length ( width of head between ears, distance from occiput to stop, stop to end of nose, should be equal), flat and broad between ears; the head should be free from wrinkles when in repose.
Stop: Should be reasonably well defined and not in one straight line from the nose to the occipital bone.
Facial Region
Nose: Should be black or brown. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown nose by amber eyes.
Muzzle: Should be long, deep and powerful.
Lips: Should be clean, closely fitting the jaws.
Cheeks: Should be clean.

Eyes

Should be moderately well apart, round, bright and sparking with intelligent expression, their colour harmonising, with the colour of the coat.

Ears

Should be set rather high, medium size, rather wide at base and gradually tapering to a round point. Carried close to head.

Mouth

Jaws strong with a perfect and complete scissor bite, ie. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. The teeth must be well developed, especially the canines or holders.

Neck

Should be fairly long, strong and free from throatiness.

Forequarters

The forelegs should be perfectly straight, strong and well boned, with the elbows close to the body. When viewed from the side, the forelegs should be wider than viewed from the front. Pasterns should be strong with slight spring.
Shoulders - Should be sloping, clean and muscular, denoting speed.

Body

Back: Powerful.
Loins: Strong, muscular and slightly arched.
Chest: Should not be too wide, but very deep and capacious; the brisket should reach to the elbows.
Forechest: Should be visible when viewed from the side.
Ribs: Moderately well sprung, never barrel-ribbed.

Hindquarters

In the hind legs the muscles should be clean and well defined with good turn of stifle and strong hocks well let down.

Feet

Should be compact and round with well arched toes and tough, elastic pads, protected by hair between toes and pads.

Tail

Should be strong at root and gradually tapering towards the end, free from coarseness. It should be of moderate length. It should not be attached too high nor too low and should be carried with a slight curve upwards, never curled.

Gait / Movement

Straight forward, free and active.

Coat

Hair: 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 is permissible, but excessive white hairs here, on belly or above toes is undesirable. A dark muzzle and ears permissible. Excessive black hairs throughout the coat are highly undesirable

Size

The desirable heights are:

Dogs: 63 cm (25 ins) to 69 cm (27 ins)
Bitches: 61 cm (24 ins) to 66 cm (26 ins)

Weight

The desirable weights are:

Dogs: 36.5 kg (80 1bs)
Bitches: 32 kg (70 1bs)

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considers a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportions to its degree.

**Note**

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.