Rhodesian Ridgeback Pup throwing high tackles

Kim, our 'slickback' (born ridgeless) Rhodesian Ridgeback pup at 7 months old throwing high tackles at my husband Alan in our front yard. At 7 months he was already very strong and heavy at 35 Kg (80 lb) and had a tremendous amount of energy to work off every day. This activity, whilst not recommended if you want your Ridgeback to be safe around small children, certainly did the job, although as we wanted him to learn not to jump up on people, it was a game played only a few times before we learnt the error of our ways. Lots of fun though!

Despite ruthless culling (killing) of all ridgeless pups as enshrined in the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed standard, 1 in 20 Rhodesian Ridgebacks is born without a ridge.

Anyone wondering about, or objecting to, the lack of a ridge on what must still be called 'Slickback' Rhodesian Ridgebacks will have to accept the ungainly nomenclature until breeders come to their senses and either admit the ridge for what it is — a medical deformity, i.e.a mild form of Spina Bifida which puts the young pups at a 10% risk of a potentially lethal and medically expensive complication called Dermoid Sinus (an opening leading from the spinal cord to a hole in the skin on the ridge, forming a potential entry passage for bacteria etc. into the spinal cord or brain) — and either breed this dangerous, purely cosmetic deformity out altogether leaving all 'Ridgebacks' free from Spina Bifida and safe from Dermoid Sinus and its dangerous and expensive complications, or at least allow those who wish their beautiful, graceful 'African Lion Hounds' to be free of the deformity to breed from 'Rhodesian Slickbacks' and make the ridgeless form of the breed official, with a new name to suit.

Watch this BBC programme snippet exposing the 'ridge' for what it is; it's a real eye-opener:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA_DOkZRk7Q

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• high tackle
• Ridgeback

[melville1967]

A good and responsible breeder would not put a puppy down just because it has no ridge!

[Gairlochan]

@melville1967, I do so wish that it were so and hope that it will be soon and that breeders will come to their senses. But breeders tend to be conservative, and the first element of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Standard states the requirement for a ridge. The standard also recommends that all pups born ridgeless shall be culled (killed). Search for 'Ridgeback Spina Bifida' on YouTube to watch a BBC exposé of the 'dogs bred for Spina Bifida' (the ridge is a form of Spina Bifida).

[beedonny]

i play like this with mine but he did learn that its only me and one other mate who he can jump at - so he is still safe with kids

[Gairlochan]

@beedonny, It certainly is a fun way to play this way. But he was always at the extremely wooden-headed, untrainable end of the RR spectrum and was still struggling with 'sit' after 6 months; I'm glad your boy is brighter.

His sister, whom we adopted with no prior socialisation or training and plenty of neglect and abuse at 10 months, learned to sit within five minutes of entering our house (having never been in a house before), and had become better trained than our boy by the end of the week.

[beedonny]

your dog still has all the character of a ridgeback - i too have one - with a ridge but would happily take a "slickback" as you call it - i was distraught when i heard the breeder tell me that they are put down - what a disgrace - they are the best breed of dog of all time

[Gairlochan]

@beedonny, I certainly would never have another breed since having RRidgebacks (we have two now, as you can see on some of my later videos; we rescued this dog's sister). Apart from being strikingly beautiful and athletic they have the most amusing and endearing natures.

I only call mine 'slickbacks' because that's the name the breeders and other 'experts'' on the Ridgeback forums I'm on use, and some will nitpick and argue that a Ridgeback without a ridge is by definition not a Ridgeback..

[lollylolly1980]

Looks almost like my ridgeless, The Dude!!!! He is the love of my life and I had no idea they were being put down because of this...that makes me absolutely sick.

[MrBradyhimself]

D.N.A testing has proven that the ridgebacks that have ridges are a genetic mutation that often result in a curvature of the spine and that the ridge-less pups in the litter are actually the healthy ones, but most breeders kill the healthy pups and keep the mutated ones with ridges purely for cosmetic value and an illusion that somehow the ridge makes them better hunters.

[jamesjr934]

Anybody that gets a Rhodesian Ridgeback from a breeder needs to demand a ridgeless, for they're healthier and it's sickening to think dogs are being put down simply because they're born ridgeless.

[HyperNessie]

I'm glad your dog is ridgeless because the ridgless ones are healthier!

[beedonny]

@Gairlochan they seem to be so intuitive dont they - i have 2 but the first was a mutt from the pound with no ridge and was a x breed but still had all the charater of a RR - everyone told me there is no way i could have 2 males in the backyard and the older one would hurt the little one but some people are so stupid - theyve been together over 2 months and not 1 propper fight - they brawl for hours for fun but no once has it turned nasty - I LOVE ALL RR's