Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: How tall is a Rhodesian Ridgeback?
Male ridgebacks usually stand 25–27in (64–69cm) at the withers and weigh about 36.5kg (80lb) (FCI standard); females are typically 24–26 inches (61–66cm) tall and about 32kg (71lb) in weight. 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.[17]
The university's mascot and logo is based on a Rhodesian Ridgeback breed of dog. The idea of relating the infamous Ridgeback to the university's athletic program is that the Rhodesian Ridgeback is a large and well muscled hunting dog that is legendary for its ability and use in hunting down lions. Strong and extremely competitive by nature, the Ridgeback is also lightning quick and deftly alert while constantly paying attention to its surroundings. Known as a dominant dog with aggressive instincts, the Ridgeback moves, not only like a hunting dog, but like a dog of prey. It is strong willed and confident and thrives on vigorous exercise and athletic activities. It is equally as tough in the water as it is on land.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a dog breed developed in the Southern Africa region.[1] Its forebears can be traced to the semi-domesticated, ridged hunting dogs of the Khoikhoi, which were crossed with European dogs by the early colonists of the Cape Colony of southern Africa. The original breed standard was drafted by F. R. Barnes, in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), in 1922, who named the breed the Rhodesian Ridgeback. The standard was approved by the South African Kennel Union in 1927.
Despite Rhodesian Ridgebacks being extremely athletic and sometimes imposing, they do have a sensitive side. Francis R. Barnes, who wrote the first standard in 1922, acknowledged that, "rough treatment ... should never be administered to these dogs, especially when they are young. They go to pieces with handling of that kind."[21] The Rhodesian Ridgeback accepts correction as long as it is fair and justified, and as long as it comes from someone the dog knows and trusts.[22]
CRRHS - it is also recommended that all ridgeback owners enter their dogs' information in the Comprehensive Rhodesian Ridgeback Health Survey.[34]
By the 1860s, European colonisers had also imported a variety of mainly European dog breeds to this area of Africa, including such dedicated hunting dogs as Great Danes, Bloodhounds, Greyhounds, and terriers. Genetic analysis indicates that there has been admixture between the Great Dane and the Ridgeback,[3] indicating the Dane's major contribution. These breeds were bred with the indigenous African dogs, including the dog of the Khoikhoi people, which resulted in the Boer hunting dogs, generically called names such as boerhund (Boer hound) in Dutch then its descendant language of Afrikaans, which are the chief forerunners to the modern Rhodesian Ridgeback." Other breeds came from Arabian traders around the Horn of Africa and with Asian immigrants, particularly into the Cape Colony, and jackal coursing introduced from British India brought lurchers from England and Ireland and the borzoi or Russian wolfhound, and before the era of standardised modern breeds, several breeds may have more rarely contributed to Rhodesian Ridgeback genetics.
Other dog breeds also have a reverse line of fur along the spine, including the Phu Quoc ridgeback dog and Thai ridgeback. The Thai ridgeback is a crossbreed of the Phu Quoc; historians have speculated the relationship between the Rhodesian Ridgeback and the Phu Quoc with suggestions that historically one breed may have been imported to the other's location.[2][9]
The original breed standard for the Rhodesian Lion Dog was drafted in 1922 by F. R. Barnes on founding the first Ridgeback Club at a Bulawayo Kennel Club show, then in Southern Rhodesia (now in Zimbabwe),[12] and based on that of the Dalmatian. In 1927, Barnes' standard was approved by the South African Kennel Union with the name amended to Rhodesian Ridgeback.[4] Outside the subcontinent and internationally, the first Rhodesian Ridgebacks in Britain were shown by Mrs. Edward Foljambe in 1928.[13] In 1950, Mr. and Mrs. William H. O'Brien of Arizona brought six carefully selected Ridgebacks to the US from South Africa.[14] He and his wife and Margaret Lowthian of California began the process of getting the breed accepted by the American Kennel Club. Similarly, in 1952, The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Great Britain was founded at Crufts to promote the breed around the United Kingdom to show judges, so a standard for the breed might be recognised.[15] In 1954 the first Challenge Certificates were awarded to dogs shown as Rhodesian Ridgebacks at United Kingdom competitions, toward their subsequent recognition by The Kennel Club of Great Britain,[15] and in 1955 the American Kennel Club recognised the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed[16] as a member of the hound group.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback has also previously been known as Van Rooyen's lion dog or the African Lion Hound or African Lion Dog—simba inja in Ndebele, shumba imbwa in Shona—because of its ability to keep a lion at bay while awaiting its master's arrival.
Rhodesian Ridgeback Rhodesian Ridgeback Examples of ridges Ridge with an extra whorl
Rhodesian Ridgebacks are known to be loyal and intelligent. They are typically somewhat aloof to strangers; this is not to be confused with aggression, a Rhodesian Ridgeback with a good temperament will not attack a stranger for no reason. They require consistent training and correct socialization; they are often not the best choice for inexperienced dog owners.[18] Rhodesian Ridgebacks are strong-willed and confident dogs.[19] They are protective of their owners and families; if trained well, they can be excellent guard dogs.[20]
RRCUS H&G - the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States maintains a web site devoted to the breed's health issues that also gathers ongoing research for their Health & Genetics Committee.[33] This group recommends that breeders perform at least four health screenings: hips, elbows, thyroid and eyes, with cardiac and hearing tests optional.
Presently, the breed is categorised as a "hound" by every major registry throughout the world. For example, the British Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel club both categorise the Rhodesian Ridgeback as a hound, without any further specification. Both of the major registries in the United States, the AKC and the UKC, currently further distinguish the breed as a sighthound. The FCI, the largest international canine governing body, which looks to the parent club in the country of origin (the parent club in Zimbabwe) for the breed standard and group classification, currently further distinguishes the Rhodesian Ridgeback as a scenthound.
Phyllis McCarthy (12 March 1903 in Johannesburg – 16 February 1986 in Johannesburg) was a noted South African breeder of and authority on Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs. She established the Glenaholm Kennels in 1949 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, played a seminal role in the Ridgeback community and produced a long line of Ridgebacks featuring prominently in the ancestry of almost all modern members of the breed.
Hypothyroidism is a growing problem in the Rhodesian Ridgeback, and this condition causes a multitude of symptoms, including weight gain and hair loss. Treatment for hypothyroidism in dogs consists of an inexpensive once-daily oral medication. Dr. Lorna Kennedy at the University of Manchester’s Centre for Integrated Genomic Medical Research in England has found the haplotype (group of genes), which, when present, double the chances of a Ridgeback becoming hypothyroid due to lymphocytic thyroiditis. This is important to the breed because lymphocytic thyroiditis is the overwhelming cause of hypothyroidism in ridgebacks.
Breeds known to be affected include Rhodesian Ridgeback, Phu Quoc Ridgeback, and Thai Ridgeback, in which it is hereditary, Kerry Blue Terriers, Shih Tzus and Boxers.
In Canada, lure coursing is sanctioned by the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). In Canada, the officially eligible breeds do not include the Sloughi, or the Rhodesian Ridgeback. An effort is currently underway to get the Rhodesian Ridgeback included in Canadian lure coursing. The Italian Greyhound, although considered a Toy Breed is now eligible for Lure Coursing as the CKC recognizes it as a Sighthound.
The union's official name for the breed was changed from 'Rhodesian lion dog' to 'Rhodesian Ridgeback'. The breed was placed in the union's 'gundog' group.
Today, there are at least five competing theories concerning proper group placement for the Rhodesian Ridgeback.
The Thai Ridgeback (, ) is an ancient landrace of dog, recently established also as a standardized breed. The breed was formerly unknown outside Thailand, but is gaining notice in the Western world. They are also known as a Mah Thai Lang Ahn. The Thai Ridgeback is one of only three breeds that has a ridge of hair that runs along its back in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat. The other two are the Rhodesian Ridgeback and the Phu Quoc Ridgeback.
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, that placing the Dalmatian and the Rhodesian Ridgeback (the only breeds currently in FCI group 6.3), breeds that historically have served as versatile hunting/wagon dogs, should indeed be classified as two examples of the same type of dog, but further asserts that such dogs’ classification makes more sense as a discrete group. This classification theory is generally supported by historical accounts that mirror the one offered by Phyllis Archdale who went to Southern Africa in 1919 and bred ridgebacks there in the 1920s, "Old timers told me that in early days most Dutch transport riders had a Ridgehound as guard to their wagons. They were used to bail up lion and wild pig. Mine did both..."
Native to Vietnam, the Phu Quoc Ridgeback's history has not been well documented. Enthusiasts and few experts believe that all ridgeback breeds (including the Phu Quoc, Rhodesian, and Thai) originated in either Asia or Africa, due to their distinct ridge markings along the spine, though this has never been confirmed scientifically.
It is also believed that, like the Thai ridgeback, the Phu Quoc has been used as a carting, escort, hunting, and guard dog throughout its history due to its impressive appearance and muscular physique.
The Phu Quoc Ridgeback is a breed of dog from Phú Quốc Island in Vietnam's southern Kiên Giang Province. The Phu Quoc Ridgeback is one of only three breeds that has a ridge of hair that runs along its back in the opposite direction from the rest of the coat (the others are Rhodesian Ridgeback and Thai Ridgeback). The Phu Quoc is the smallest of the three ridgeback breeds.
The programme traced the Kennel Club's history to the eugenics movement, on which it said purebred dog breeding is based . A Rhodesian Ridgeback breeder interviewed on the programme advocated the culling of healthy ridgeless puppies because breed standards forbid ridgelessness in the breed. The Chairman of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club stated that she considered ridgelessness a genetic fault. The ridge is a genetic trait, the presence of which is claimed to make the dog more prone to suffer from dermoid sinus. The programme mistakenly claims that the ridge itself is a mild form of spina bifida, and a complaint was lodged with Ofcom about this error . One in twenty puppies is born ridgeless. A section of the code of ethics of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club was shown to state that "Ridgeless puppies shall be culled." (This sounds more dramatic that the programme lets on, however. "Culling" simply means 'prevention from breeding'; while this can, in extreme cases, refer to killing the unwanted animals, more often it is simply keeping the animals out of the breeding programme by separating them, or by neutering.)
On this second point Barnes was emphatic, stating "I am breeding a gundog." The Rhodesian Ridgeback remained classified as a gundog for over 20 years thence.