The Rhodesian Ridgeback , livre ebook

Turner Publishing Company - Eileen M. Bailey

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129 pages

English

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Known for its speed and strength, the handsome Rhodesian Ridgeback is also a wonderful companion dog. In addition to comprehensive advice on how to select a Ridgeback puppy, feeding, grooming and training, you will learn how to burn off some of this active dog's energy.
PART ONE: Welcome to the World of the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

1. What Is a Rhodesian Ridgeback?

2. The Rhodesian Ridgeback's Ancestry.

3. The World According to the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

PART TWO: Living with a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

4. Bringing Your Rhodesian Ridgeback Home.

5. Feeding Your Rhodesian Ridgeback.

6. Grooming Your Rhodesian Ridgeback.

7. Keeping Your Rhodesian Ridgeback Healthy.

PART THREE: Enjoying Your Dog.

8. Basic Training (Ian Dunbar, Ph.D., MRCVS).

9. Getting Active with Your Dog (Bardi McLennan).

10. Your Dog and Your Family (Bardi McLennan).

11. Your Dog and Your Community (Bardi McLennan).

PART FOUR: Beyond the Basics.

12. Recommended Reading.

13. Resources.

Sujets

Breeds

Pets

Dogs

Informations

Publié par	Turner Publishing Company
Date de parution	21 avril 2008
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780470331156
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0800€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

The
Rhodesian Ridgeback

Howell Book House

IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.
An International Data Group Company
Foster City, CA Chicago, IL Indianapolis, IN New York, NY
Howell Book House
IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.
An International Data Group Company
919 E. Hillsdale Boulevard, Suite 400
Foster City. CA 94404
Copyright 2000 Howell Book House
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Howell Book House is a registered trademark of Macmillan General Reference USA, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.
For general information on IDG Books Worldwide s books in the U.S., please call our Consumer Customer Service department at 800-762-2974. For reseller information, including discounts and premium sales, please call our Reseller Customer Service department at 800-434-3422.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bailey, Eileen M.
The Rhodesian ridgeback: an owner s guide to a happy healthy pet.
p.cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-58245-011-0
1. Rhodesian Ridgeback. I. Title
SF429.R5 B35 2000
636.753 6-dc21 99-047512
CIP
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Series Director: Susanna Thomas
Book Design by Michele Laseau
Cover Design by Iris Jeromnimon
External Features Illustration by Shelley Norris
Other Illustrations by Jeff Yesh
Photography:
Front cover by Mary Bloom
Back cover by Mary Bloom
All photography by Mary Bloom unless otherwise noted.
Joan Balzarini: 96
Paulette Braun/Pets by Paulette: 96
Buckinghambill American Cocker Spaniels: 148
Sian Cox: 134
Dr. Ian Dunbar: 98, 101, 103, 111, 116-117, 122, 123, 127
Howell Book House: 24
Dan Lyons: 96
Cathy Merrithew: 129
Liz Palika: 133
Susan Rezy: 96-97
Bob Schwartz: 20
Judith Strom: 96, 107, 110, 128, 130, 135, 137, 139, 140, 144, 149, 150
Production Team: Tammy Ahrens, David Faust, and Heather Pope
Contents
part one

Welcome to the World of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
1 What Is a Rhodesian Ridgeback?
2 The Rhodesian Ridgeback s Ancestry
3 The World According to the Rhodesian Ridgeback

part two

Living with a Rhodesian Ridgeback
4 Bringing Your Rhodesian Ridgeback Home
5 Feeding Your Rhodesian Ridgeback
6 Grooming Your Rhodesian Ridgeback
7 Keeping Your Rhodesian Ridgeback Healthy

part three

Enjoying Your Dog
8 Basic Training
by Ian Dunbar, Ph.D., MRCVS
9 Getting Active with Your Dog
by Bardi McLennan
10 Your Dog and Your Family
by Bardi McLennan
11 Your Dog and Your Community
by Bardi McLennan

part four

Beyond the Basics
12 Recommended Reading
13 Resources
part one
chapter 1

What Is a Rhodesian Ridgeback?
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is courageous enough to face off the fearsome African lion, fast enough to bring down the swift gazelle at full gallop, strong enough to trek many miles across hostile terrain and gentle enough to be the perfect playmate to even the youngest children. He is a unique blend of guardian, companion and hunter that is without an equal in the entire world of dogs.

He carries on his back a distinctive ridge of hair so the observer knows who he is at a glance, and it is a mark he wears with justifiable pride. Known also as the African Lion Hound, the Rhodesian Ridgeback was developed in the southern portion of the African continent following the emigration of large numbers of Dutch, German and Huguenot settlers. The settlers brought their native European breeds with them and the ensuing matings between many of these and dogs of the Hottentot people evolved into the modern Rhodesian Ridgeback. Those early Ridgebacks filled the farmers need for a dog that could work on the farm, help in the hunt and that could stand up to the harsh conditions encountered in the bush.
In 1877 he came to the attention of several celebrated big-game hunters, and was made famous for his extreme courage in harassing and holding at bay the King of Beasts. He has the reputation of being the only breed of dog that will take on a lion and live to remember it. The Ridgeback s courage is legendary. But even more remarkable is the breed s versatility.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback was developed to meet a unique need in a harsh, pioner environment.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback belongs to the group of dogs known as hounds. The American Kennel Club Hound Group is composed of dogs developed to hunt furred game and whose primary function is to bring the hunter within range of his prey. The hounds are classified into two main branches. The scenthounds track prey by using their exceptional noses to follow the trail of the game. The sighthounds, or gazehounds, hunt by visually tracking their prey and running it down with amazing swiftness. The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a link between the two divisions that does both. His body type is not like the ponderous, loose-skinned, long-eared scent hounds, such as the Bloodhound or Basset Hound. Nor is it the sinewy leanness of the gazehounds, like the Greyhound or the Whippet, breeds built for extreme speed. Rather, the Ridgeback is a sleek, tight-skinned dog of substantial bone and muscle who is capable of tracking his target through the thick African scrub, flushing it into the open and either running it down or holding it at bay until the hunter arrives. In addition, all the years that the Rhodesian Ridgeback served as a guardian and companion gave him a legacy of watchfulness, devotion to his family and resourcefulness that makes him so highly regarded as a companion today.

THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB
Familiarly referred to as the AKC, the American Kennel Club is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of purebred dogs. The AKC maintains a registry of recognized breeds and adopts and enforces rules for dog events including shows, obedience trials, field trials, hunting tests, lure coursing, herding, earthdog trials, agility and the Canine Good Citizen program. It is a club of clubs, established in 1884 and composed, today, of over 500 autonomous dog clubs throughout the United States. Each club is represented by a delegate; the delegates make up the legislative body of the AKC, voting on rules and electing directors. The AKC maintains the Stud Book-the record of every dog ever registered with the AKC-and publishes a variety of materials on purebred dogs, including a monthly magazine, books and numerous educational pamphlets. For more information, contact the AKC at the address listed in Chapter 13 , Resources, and look for the names of their publications in Chapter 12 , Recommended Reading.
The Breed Standard
W HAT I S A B REED S TANDARD ?
The specific attributes of each recognized dog breed identify that breed and distinguish it from every other. These attributes are detailed for each breed in the Official Standard.
The breed Standard is a written picture of the conceptually perfect Rhodesian Ridgeback. Much like a cookbook, the breed Standard describes the various ingredients which, when combined properly, create an unparalleled whole. Unlike a cookbook however, the breed Standard describes an ideal which is to be as closely approximated as possible. To actually achieve the perfection it presents is the elusive goal of conscientious breeders everywhere, who may spend a lifetime in pursuit of it.
The original breed Standard for the Rhodesian Ridgeback was first written in 1922 in South Africa. The Standard in effect in the United States today is presented below. This Standard was written by the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States and approved by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1955, changing very little since the original was drawn up. It creates an excellent visual image of the dog it describes. The breed Standard is printed in italics, with interpretation and comments following in roman text. For any questions regarding points of anatomy, please refer to the illustration at the beginning of this chapter that depicts these points.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback s temperament and conformation suited him to his role as a guard dog and hunter of large game. Today, he makes a wonderful companion for any active owner.
G ENERAL A PPEARANCE
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.
Keep this picture in mind at all times when considering the overall picture of a typical Rhodesian Ridgeback.
S IZE , P ROPORTION , S UBSTANCE
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.
The Ridgeback is a medium to large dog combining power, grace and beauty. He needs to be fast and agile; too much height, or too much weight in muscle and bone inhibits speed and agility. The Ridgeback that was too heavy did not survive long in the harsh African environment. On the other hand, a Ridgeback should not be so small or slight as to lack endurance and strength, nor should he lack the size necessary to deal with large and dangerous adversaries.
H EAD
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.
The Ridgeback s head should fit his body and be powerful in appearance but free from coarseness or heaviness. The apparent