I rescued a stray dog six months ago and always assumed she was a 'Heinz 57'!but i was in a local pet shop today and saw a calender of this breed of dog and there is a striking resemblance.She is very underweight and i'm still trying to build her up.I would be grateful if someone could look at a picture of her on e-mail and confirm it or not.I'm sure she may well be mixed with something else but it would help me know how to train her.She is very loving,energetic.Runs fast,barks(very deep)at strangers.She's very intelligent and picks up tricks very quickly but is also destructive-this is where i need the help!!!i would be extremely grateful if someone could do this for me.
thanks

One of the easiest ways to tell whether she is a ridgeback is the obvious one, she will have a raised ridge of short hair running down her back.
Ingrid

How tall is your girl should be about 26" at the withers (base of the neck) ears carried close to the head and the ridge with the two twirls either side at the shoulders. We are all a warry of giving our e-mail address at the moment, why not join the board and talk through her points with someone. If she is a R/Ridgeback she is a hound and will show hound traits. Sorry can't help more. Jackie

When my Scarlet was a pup (Vizsla) - I had someone ask me if she was a Ridgeback without a Ridge!! (LOL) - I've had other people ask me if my dogs were Ridgebacks from time to time, I suppose it's because they have similar coat colouring, but Ridgebacks tend to have a dark muzzle don't they, and they are much, much bigger than a Viz.:)

They are bigger than a Viz but not always dark muzzled :)

Actually Lara, you saying that, I have seen a Ridgeback in our local woods who didn't have a dark muzzle and she really did look like a Vizsla - she even had the correct nose colour for a Viz! - but she was much stockier - when I first saw her I thought she was a Viz. Maybe the guest has got a Vizsla or a Vizsla cross? - she said the dog was very thin didn't she?

It's a possibility Mair - your post reminded me that I had to look twice at a Viz at Crufts one year because I mistook it for a Ridgeback :D.

LOL - thats funny Lara :)

There is a colouring of Ridgeback called a liver nose. The nose is the same colour as a Viszlas. Usually the dog is devoid of the black mask or wheaten colouring of the "usual" Ridgebacks.

I have a friend who's Ridgeback got hold of a Weimaraner bitch in-season. The resulting 2 offspring were black and both had ridges and crowns (The swirly bits). I know of 2 litter sister Ridgeback x Dobermanns, Ridgie colour, one had a full ridge and crowns, the other had nothing.

You occasionally find ridgeless Ridgebacks or one's with incorrect ridges, missing crowns. Some breeders cull these at birth, some will sell unregistered or with endorsements.

Hi Guest

Not all Ridgebacks are born with a ridge so you may still have a Ridgeback if this is not apparent. Their ears are indeed set close to the head but are set slightly higher on the head than a Lab for example. Their brow tends to wrinkle noticably when they prick their ears and smooth out again when they drop them.

perhaps guest you could open an msn community account and upload a couple of pictures, then post the link to the pictures here and then members could have a look and give their opinions??

:-)

Hi,i've now joined the board known as jenny24.The best way of describing her is she looks very similar to scooby doo!!!she has a darker muzzle,ears and around the eyes.She looks identical to the pictures i've seen of ridgebacks with the dark muzzles but she doesn't have a ridge!!!if she sees a stranger out walking the whole of her hair at the back goes up like a mohecan.i'm going to try and join msn and show some pictures for peoples opinions but i don't know if my computer skills are up to that!
thanks
jenny

Hello Jenny24
Its sounds to me your bitch has some R/ridgeback in her it might be a cross or 100percent
without the ridge.There is no such thing as a perfect R/ridgeback, I have 2 which our
different in looks and build and I know a few ridgeless dogs which our great allrounders,
there is a book by Stig Larson which my help you or R/R sites.