FCI
STANDARD NR. 146
FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE
Secretariat Generale: 13, Place Albert I
B-6530 Thuin (Belgium)
Standard of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
FCI - Standard n.146
Date of publication of the Valid Original
Standard: December 10th, 1996 Breed n.
256 bis
Origin: Southern Africa
Standard supplied by the Kennel Union of Southern
Africa (KUSA) and the Zimbabwe Kennel
Club (ZKC)
UTILIZATION
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is still used to hunt
game in many parts of the world, but
is especially prized as watch-dog and
family pet.
FCI CLASSIFICATION
Group 6 Scent hounds and related breeds Section 3
Related breeds. Without working trial
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is presently the only
registered breed indigenous to
southern Africa. Its forbears can be
traced to the Cape Colony of Southern
Africa, where they crossed with the
early pioneer's dogs and the
semi-domesticated, ridged Hottentot
hunging 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 Dalmation 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. The
ridge is the escutcheon of the breed.
The ridge must be clearly defined,
symmetrical and tapering towards the
haunch. It must start immediatley
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 the crowns must not
extend further down the ridge than
one-third of its length. A good
average width of the ridge is 5 cm
(2").
BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT
Dignified, intelligent, aloof with strangers, but
showing no aggression or shyness.
HEAD
Cranial region
Skull
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 the ears; the
head should be free from wrinkles when
in repose.
Stop
The stop should be reasonably well defined and
not in one straight line from the nose
to the occipital bone.
Facial region
Nose
The nose should be black or brown. A black nose
should be accompanied by dark eyes, a
brown nose by amber eyes.
Muzzle
The muzzle should be long, deep and powerful.
Lips
The lips should be clean, closely fitting [Scissor
bite] the jaws.
Mouth
Jaws strong, with a perfect and complete scissor
bite, i.e. 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.
Cheeks
Cheeks should be clean.
Eyes
Should be moderately well apart, round bright and
sparling, with intelligent
expression, their colour harmonising the colour
of the
coat.
Ears
Should be set rather high, of medium size, rather
wide at base, and gradually tapering
to a rounded point. They should be
carried close to the head.
NECK
Should be fairly long, strong and free from
throatiness.
BODY
Back Power ful.
Loins
Strong, muscular and slightly arched.
Chest
Should not be too wide, but very deep and
capacious; the brisket should reach to
the elbow.
Forechest
Should be visible when viewed from the side.
Ribs
Moderately well sprung, never rounded like
barrel-hoops.
TAIL
Should be strong at the root and gradually
tapering towards the end, free from
coarseness. It should be of moderate
length. It should not be attaced too
high nor too low, and should be
carried with a slight curve upwards,
never curled.
LIMBS
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
The shoulders should be sloping, clean and
muscular, denoting speed.
Feet
The feet should be compact and round, with well
arched toes, and tough elastic pads,
protected by hair between the toes and
pads.
Hindquarters
In the hind legs the muscles should be clean,
well defined, good turn of stifle and
strong hocks well let down.
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") to 69
cm (27") Bitches 61 cm (24") to 66 cm
(26")
WEIGHT
The desirable weights are: Dogs 36,5 kg (80 lbs)
Bitches 32 kg (70 lbs)
FAULTS
Any departure from the foregoing points should be
considered a fault and the seriousness
with which the fault should be
regarded should be in exact proportion
to its degree.
N.B:
Male animals should have two apparently normal
testicles fully descended into the
scrotum.
AKC STANDARD
OFFICIAL STANDARD FOR THE RHODESIAN
RIDGEBACK
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The
Ridgeback represents a strong,
muscular and active dog, symmetrical
and balanced in outline. A mature
Ridgeback is a handsome, upstanding
and athletic dog, capable of great
endurance with a fair (good) amount of
speed. Of even, dignified temperament,
the Ridgeback is devoted and
affectionate to his master, reserved
with strangers. The peculiarity of
this breed is the ridge on the back.
The ridge must be regarded as the
characteristic feature of the breed.
SIZE,
PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE
A
mature Ridgeback should be symmetrical
in outline, slightly longer than tall
but well balanced. Dogs - 25 to 27
inches in height; Bitches - 24 to 26
inches in height. Desirable weight:
Dogs - 85 pounds; Bitches - 70 pounds.
HEAD
Should
be of fair length, the skull flat and
rather broad between the ears and
should be free from wrinkles when in
repose. The stop should be reasonably
well defined. Eyes-should be
moderately well apart and should be
round, bright and sparkling with
intelligent expression, their color
harmonizing with the color of the dog.
Ears-should be set rather high, of
medium size, rather wide at the base
and tapering to a rounded point. They7
should be carried close to the head.
Muzzle-should be long, deep and
powerful. The lips clean, closely
fitting the jaws. Nose-should be black,
brown or liver, in keeping with the
color of the dog. No other colored
nose is permissible. A black nose
should be accompanied by dark eyes, a
brown or liver nose with amber eyes.
Bite-jaws level and strong with
well-developed teeth, especially the
canines or holders. Scissors bite
preferred.
NECK,
TOPLINE, BODY
The
neck should be fairly strong and free
from throatiness. 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 is powerful and firm with strong
loins which are muscular and slightly
arched. 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 or
gay.
FOREQUARTERS
The
shoulders should be sloping, clean and
muscular, denoting speed. Elbows close
to the body. The forelegs should be
perfectly straight, strong, and heavy
in bone. The feet should be compact
with well-arched toes, round, tough,
elastic pads, protected by hair
between the toes and pads. Dewclaws
may be removed.
HINDQUARTERS
In the
hind legs, the muscles should be clean,
well defined and hocks well down. Feet
as in front.
COAT
Should
be short and dense, sleek and glossy
in appearance but neither wooly nor
silky.
COLOR
Light
wheaten to red wheaten. A little white
on the chest and toes permissible but
excessive white there, on the belly or
above the toes is undesirable.
RIDGE
The
hallmark 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 must
be regarded as the characteristic
feature of the breed. The ridge should
be clearly defined, tapering and
symmetrical. It should start
immediately behind the shoulders and
continue to a point between the
prominence of the hips and should
contain two identical crowns (whorls)
directly opposite each other. The
lower edge of the crowns (whorls)
should not extend further down the
ridge than one third of the ridge.
Disqualification: Ridgelessness.
Serious Fault: One crown (whorl) or
more than two crowns (whorls).
GAIT
At the
trot, the back is held level and the
stride is efficient, long, free and
unrestricted. Reach and drive
expressing a perfect balance between
power and elegance. At the chase, the
Ridgeback demonstrates great coursing
ability and endurance.
TEMPERAMENT
Dignified and even tempered. Reserved
with strangers.
SCALE OF POINTS
|
General appearance, size,
symmetry and balance
|
20
|
|
Ridge
|
20
|
|
Head
|
15
|
|
Legs and feet
|
15
|
|
Neck and shoulders
|
10
|
|
Body, back, chest, and loin
|
10
|
|
Coat and color
|
5
|
|
Tail
|
5
|
|
TOTAL
|
100
|
DISQUALIFICATION: Ridgelessness
Approved by The American Kennel Club
and effective September 30, 1992
.
KUSA STANDARD
(Standard supplied by the Kennel Union
of Southern Africa)
(2
November 1992)
Origin : Southern Africa
|
Brief historical summary :
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is the
only registered breed indigenous
to Southern Africa. It
originated in the Cape Colony of
South Africa as a hybrid of the
early pioneers' dogs and then
semi-domesticated, ridged,
Hottentot hunting dogs. Hunting
mainly in groups of two or three,
the original function of the
Ridgeback, or Lion Dog, was to
track game, especially lion, and
with great agility, keep it at
bay, until the arrival of the
hunter.
|
Photo
Marie-Edmée Rigaud
|
The
Ridgeback is still used to hunt game
in many parts of the world, but is
especially prized as a watch-dog and
family pet. The original standard,
which was drafted by F.R. Barnes, in
Bulawayo, was based on that of the
Dalmatian and was eventually approved
by the South Africa Kennel Union. It
was with this governing body that the
first pair of "Lion Dog" (from the
Kimberley district in the Cape Colony)
were registered in 1924.
General appearance :
The 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.
-
Caracteristics :
The characteristic feature 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. The ridge
must be regarded as the escutcheon
of the breed and must be clearly
defined, tapering and symmetrical.
It should start immediately behind
the withers and taper to a point
between the prominences of the hip
bones. It must contain only two
indentical crowns, opposite each
other, the lower edges of which
must not extend further down the
ridge than a quarter of its length.
A good width for the ridge is 5 cm
immediately below the crowns.
Important proportions :
The length of the body measured from
the point of the shoulder to the back
of the buttock, should be slightly
longer than the height at the withers.
Behaviour and character :
-
Character :
The Ridgeback is primarly a scent
hound, but hunts by scent and
sight. In addition to his inborn
skill as a hunter, his loyalty and
protective instints make him an
ideal companion.
-
Temperament :
Dignified, alert and showing
neither shyness nor unwarranted
aggression. A vicious temperament
is uncharacteristic and not
permissible.
Head :
-
Cranial region :
Should be a fair length (width of
head between the ears, distance
from occiput to stop, stop to end
of nose, should be equal). The
skull should be flat with a slight
indentation running up to center,
moderately broad between the ears
and well chiselled below the eyes.
The head should be free from
wrinkles when in repose.
Pigmentation of lips ans eye rim
should follow nose colour.
-
Stop :
The stop should be reasonably well
defined and not in one straight
line from the nose to the
occipital bone (which should not
be prominent).
Facial region :
-
Nose :
The nose should be solid black or
solid brown (never grey or pink).
-
Muzzle :
Should be neither to arrow, nor
too coarse across the top, and
should be long, deep and powerful,
with its topline flat and parallel
to the plane of the top of the
skull. Without being snipey, it
should gently decrease in depth
towards the nose.
-
Lips :
Clean, closely fitting the jaws.
Pigmentation of lips (and of eye
rims) should follow nose colour.
-
Flews :
Should never be pendulous and
their lower front edges should
never form a right-angle with the
topline of the muzzle.
-
Jaws :
Should be strong, the underjaw
should be developed, with good
strength of chin.
-
Cheeks :
Should be clean.
-
Teeth :
Complete scissor bite, i.e., the
upper teeth closely overlapping
the lower teeth and set square to
the jaws. Teeth should be well
developed, especially the canines.
A pincer bite, while tolerated,
should not be encouraged.
-
Eyes :
A black nose should be accompanied
by dark brown eyes ; a brown nose
by dark amber eyes. They should be
moderately well apart, round,
bright, sparkling with intelligent
expression and well protected by
expressive eyebrows.
-
Ears :
Should be set on at the highest
points of the sides of the skull,
of medium size, triangular-shaped,
gradually tapering to a rounded
point and carried close to the
head. When alert, brought slightly
forward and raised at the base.
Neck :
Should taper towards the head and
should be fairly long to enable the
hound to come down easily to scent.
Should be muscular, elegantly arched,
flowing smoothly into the shoulders.
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Lewis at 10 months
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CH.Kianga's Chivaz
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Body :
-
Back :
Should be firm with a level
topline. Loins strong and
muscular.
-
Croup :
Slightly sloping and well filled
out.
-
Chest :
The brisket should be deep, to the
point of the elbow. The chest
should be capacious, with
moderately well sprung ribs
carried well back.
-
Belly :
With a good tuck up.
-
Tail :
Should be well set on, continuing
the normal line of the vertebral
column and should not be inserted
too low nor so high as to continue
in a line with the topline. It
should be strong at the root,
gradually tapering to a point and
curved gracefully upwards. At rest
it should hang in a slight curve
and be of a length to reach to the
point of the hock. During movement
and excitement it will be raised,
but should not be carried much
above the line of the topline.
Note :
Male animals should have two
apparently normal testicles fully
descended into the scrotum.
Limbs :
|
P'tit Louis
Photo Madame Rigaud
|
|
The forelegs should be perfectly
straight, strong and well boned.
When viewed from the side, the
foreleg should be wider when
viewed from the front. The
fore-chest between the legs
should never be wide (i.e. never
more than a hand's breadth). The
fore-chest whilst visible when
viewed from the side, should not
be too prominent. The should
blades should be laid back at an
angle of 45 degrees to the
horizontal and should meet the
upper arms at an angle of 90
degrees.
|
-
Shoulders :
Should be clean and muscular.
The points of the shoulders
blades should be close at the
withers, with hardly more than
the width of the vertebrae
between.
-
Upper arm :
Elbows held close to the body.
The length of the upper arms
should be approximately equal to
the length of the shoulder
blades.
-
Pasterns :
Should be strong with a slight
spring.
-
Feet :
Should point forward and should
be compact, with close well
arched toes (cat feet). Pads
should be thick, tough and
elastic, with deep heel
cushions. Dew claws are usually
removed. Nails should be short,
hard, and black on a black-nosed
dog, and brown on a brown-nosed
dog.
-
Hindquarters :
In the hind legs the muscles
should be clean and well deferred
with well developed second thighs.
The hip bones should fall away
from the spinal column at an angle
of about 30 degrees and should
meet the thigh bones at an angle
of 90 degrees. When a dog is
standing, a line drawn vertically
down from the point of the back of
the buttock should fall
immediately in front of the toes.
-
Upper thigh :
Well rounded.
-
Lower thigh :
Stifles should be moderately
well bent. There should be good
angulation at the hocks which
must be well let down, the
latter ensuring agility.
-
Pasterns :
>From hock to foot should be
parallel, strong and
perpendicular to the ground.
-
Feet :
Should point forward and should
be compact, with close well
arched toes (cat feet). Pads
should be thick, tough and
elastic, with deep heel
cushions. Dew claws rarely
occurs and are always removed.
Nails should be short, hard and
black in a black-nosed dog, and
brown in a brown-nosed dog.
-
Gait :
In order to cover as much ground as
possible, there should be no
restriction of movement, with the
stride in front of readching out with
good extension, following through
behind with an easy rhythmic action
produced by powerful drive from the
hindquarters. Viewed from behind, the
legs move in parallel planes, hind
legs tracking the foe. With the
emphasis on endurance, sound,
graceful, unhurried movement is of the
utmost importance.
Skin :
Tight fitting. When alert the forehead
may be slightly wrinkled.
Coat :
-
Texture :
Should be short, sleek, glossy and
dense for protection.
-
Color :
Light wheaten to red wheaten (i.e.
sandy fawn to light chestnut).
Should be even in colour but
slightly lighter "camouflage"
patches at the base of the neck,
behind the shoulders or at the
back of the thighs are acceptable.
A little white on the chest and
toes is permissible. Black on the
muzzle is quite acceptable, as
long as the black does not extend
over the eyes. The ears may be
darker then the rest of the coat.
Height :
Dogs : 63 cm à 69 cm at the withers ;
Bitches : 61 cm à 66 cm at the
withers.
In
assessing the dog, these measurements
should be very closely adhered to.
Weight :
Desirable for a dog of medium height
(66 cm) is 36 kg ;
Desirable for a bitch of medium height
(63,5 cm) is 32 kg.
Weight
must be in proportion to height.
Faults :
Any departure from the foregoing
points should be considered as a fault
and the seriousness with which the
fault should be regarded should be in
proportion to its degree.
-
General appearence :
Tendency forwards massiveness.
-
Nose :
Grey or pink.
-
Muzzle :
Narrow or too coarse.
-
Jaw :
A wry mouth on an overshot or
undershot jaw is not permissible.
-
Eyes :
Prominent eyes. Any haw. Green,
blue or yellow eyes or eyes of
different colours are not
permissible.
-
Neck :
Should never be thick or short.
Should be free from throatiness.
-
Body :
Ribs never rounded like barrel
hoops. Short floating ribs are
highly undesirable.
-
Forequarters :
-
Shoulders :
Not loaded, which would restrict
freedom of movement.
-
Upper arms :
Never longer than length of
shoulder blades. Straight
shoulders do not permit
sufficient reach and should be
penalized.
-
Pasterns :
Knuckling-over is a serious
fault.
-
Feet :
Must not turn in or out. Hare
feet are highly undesirable,
flat splayed feet should be
severely penalized.
-
Hindquarters :
-
Stifles :
Should never incline outwards.
Straight stiffles lack
propulsion and are a serious
fault. High bowed on cow hocks
are a very serious fault.
-
Feet :
Must not turn in or out. Hare
feet are highly undesirable,
flat splayed feet should be
severely penalized.
-
Coat :
Never woolly, silky or long, which
would hold water, burrs and
parasites. An incorrect length of
coat can be seen easily at the
crowns, where a long coat will
give the appearance of large
crowns.
-
Colour :
No other colours except those
mentioned above are permissible :
the most offensive deviations
being sable, blue-shaded, wheaten
and dark mahogany. Excessive white
hairs on the chest, on the belly
or above the toes are highly
undesirable. Ears must never be
black. Excessive black hairs
throughout the coat are highly
undesirable.
-
Weight :
Excessive weight impedes agility.
-
Tail :
Should never be curled. It must be
free from the coarseness and
feathering. "Kinks" (deformed or
fused vertebrae, even when fused
in a straight line) are not
permissible.
-
Disqualifying faults :
-
Ridgelessness :
-
Crowns :
More than, or less than, two
crowns on the ridge ;
-
Dermoïd sinus :
Dermoid sinus or an operation
for the removal of same (most
obvious on the mid-line between
the back of the head and the
base of the tail).
AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK
F.C.I. Standard No 146 dated
10/12/96
Adopted in Australia 1/1/98
Country of Origin: Southern
Africa
UTILISATION - 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 the 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: Skull - Should be of a
fair length (width of head
between ears, distance from occiput to stop, stop to end
of nose, should be equal),
flat and broad between the
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 sparkling, with
intelligent expression, their
colour harmonising with the
colour of the coat.
EARS - Should be set
rather high, of medium size,
rather wide at base and
gradually tapering to a
rounded point.
They should be carried close
to the head.
MOUTH - Jaws strong with a
perfect and complete scissor
bite, i.e. 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 elbow.
Forechest - Should be visible
when viewed from the side.
Ribs - Moderately well sprung,
never rounded like
barrel-hoops.
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 the
toes and pads.
TAIL - Should be strong at
the 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
69cm (27 ins)
Bitches 61cm (24
ins) to 66cm (26 ins)
Weight - The
desirable weights are:
Dogs 36.5kg (80lbs)
Bitches 32
kg (70lbs)
FAULTS - Any departure
from the foregoing points
should be considered 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 normally developed
testicles fully descended into
the scrotum.
Hound Group A.N.K.C. ©
January 1998
KC STANDARD
G.B. KENNEL CLUB BREED
STANDARD March 1994
RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK
GENERAL APPEARANCE
Handsome,
strong, muscular and active
dog, symmetrical in outline,
capable of great endurance
with fair amount of speed.
Mature dog is handsome and
upstanding.
CHARACTERISTICS
Peculiarity is
the ridge on back formed by
hair growing in opposite
direction to the remainder of
coat; ridge must be regarded
as the escutcheon of breed.
Ridge clearly defined,
tapering and symmetrical,
starting immediately behind
shoulders and continuing to
haunch, and containing two
identical crowns only,
opposite each other, lower
edges of crowns not extending
further down ridge than
one-third of its length. Up to
5 cm (2 ins) is a good average
for width of ridge.
TEMPERAMENT
Dignified,
intelligent, aloof with
strangers but showing no
aggression or shyness.
HEAD AND SKULL
Of fair length,
skull flat, rather broad
between ears, free from
wrinkles when in repose. Stop
reasonably well defined. Nose
black or brown in keeping with
colour of dog, Black nose
accompanied by dark eyes,
brown nose by amber eyes.
Muzzle long, deep and powerful.
Lips clean and close fitting.
EYES
Set moderately well apart,
round, bright and sparkling
with intelligent expression,
colour harmonizing with coat
colour.
EARS
Set rather high, medium
size, rather wide at base,
gradually tapering to a
rounded point. Carried close
to head.
MOUTH
Jaws strong, with a
perfect, regular and complete
scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth
closely overlapping lower
teeth and set square to the
jaws. Well developed teeth,
especially canines.
NECK
Fairly long, strong and
free from throatiness.
FOREQUARTERS
Shoulders sloping,
clean and muscular. Forelegs
perfectly straight, strong,
heavy in bone; elbows close to
body.
BODY
Chest not too wide, very
deep and capacious; ribs
moderately well sprung, never
barrel-ribbed. Back powerful;
loins strong, muscular and
slightly arched.
HINDQUARTERS
Muscles clean,
well defined; good turn of
stifle; hocks well let down.
FEET
Compact, well arched toes,
round, tough, elastic pads,
protected by hair between toes
and pads.
TAIL
Strong at root, not
inserted high or low, tapering
towards end, free from
coarseness. Carried with a
slight curve upwards, never
curled.
GAIT/MOVEMENT
Straight forward,
free and active.
COAT Short and dense, sleek
and glossy in appearance but
neither woolly nor silky.
COLOUR
Light wheaten to red
wheaten. Head, body, legs and
tail of uniform colour. Little
white on chest and toes
permissible, but excessive
white hairs here, on belly or
above paws undesirable. Dark
muzzle and ears permissible.
SIZE
Dogs: 63 cm (25 ins)
desirable minimum height at
withers, 67 cm (27 ins)
desirable maximum height at
withers.
Bitches: 61 cm (24 ins)
desirable minimum height at
withers, 66 cm (26 ins)
desirable maximum height at
withers.
FAULTS
Any departure from the
foregoing points should be
considered a fault and the
seriousness with which the
fault should be regarded
should be in exact proportion
to its degree.
NOTE
Male animals should have
two apparently normal
testicles fully descended into
the scrotum.
