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TnoTTER VS. GNILOPER: WUERE IS THE RIOCEBACK HEADINC? ORIT NEVO

Trotter vs. Galloper: Where is the Ridgeback heading? Origin of the Group Concept

At the 2008 World Congress, we learned from our American Breed groups have significance only within the framework of friends and colleagues that the AKC was considering splitting all-breed shows. The first shows were recorded in the and expanding its seven variety groups into 10, including 17'r' Century and established during the second part of the dividing the Group between "Scenthounds" and 19'h Century [the Crystal Palace show in London in 1851, the "." We learned that members of the Rhodesian first Westminster show in New York in 1877). Ridgeback Club ofthe United States voted to have the breed The concept of dog shows was derived from agricultural placed in the proposed Group. Back in Ireland in shows, where farmers showed their best products: alongside 2008, what was natural to the American delegates seemed a the best pumpkin and best cow, they also exhibited the best very strange concept to many ofthe delegates from Europe [and, sometimes, the best fighting dogs]. This and Africa. was the concept of "exhibition."

There is more to this discussion than a formal group- The concept of "Best of Breed" was introduced only at the division debate. Four years late4 even though the AKC beginning of the 20'h Century [at Westminster in 1907 and group realignment has been tabled for now, I would like to in 1928), and brought new concepts - the concepts of investigate the notion of the Ridgeback being a Scent- or "show" and "competition," which soon oriented less toward Sighthound. a "utility" concept and more toward a "beauty" concept' When you have a Best of Breed, it is a short way to Best in Summary Show and this has to go through Group winners. In 1923 the introduced the Group system at the Group division is something artificial that has nothing to do Westminster show following the five-group system that was with the breeds themselves. Dogs are not to be pigeonholed, also recognized by the British Kennel Club at the time' and some of the more interesting breeds, like the Ridgeback, have to pay the price for this human passion to categorize. The Way You Call Them Is The Way You See Them

It is all a game, about 100 years old, but it is not just a maner The Anglophone system of seven groups is less challenging of terminology. When we split our dogs into "Groups" and when it comes to hunting breeds; dogs that hunt are at in let them compete within this frameworh we condemn them the Hound Group, dogs that assist the hunter in specific not to stand by themselves and not to stay true to their segments of the hunt are in the Sporting Group. Personally, I 'it, pure nature. From that point the danger of altering their see a lot of sense in that. The FCI has to deal with many more true character and structure is almost unavoidable. In our breeds. Its system offers more specified divisions and sees case, I believe classifuing the Ridgeback in the Sighthound "" as three separate groups: groups number 4,6 and Group - the group of the gallopers - will doom it to become a 10. While the AKC recognize 27 breeds in its entire Hound i$ galloper-type breed, something that it very different from its Group and the [British) Kenne] Club recognize 36 breeds in trotter heritage. that comprehensive group, the FCI recognize more than 70 iiiri breeds in Group 6 alone, another 13 in Group 10, and 9 more What I propose is that as a technical tool - that is, sorting in the Group 4. jf dogs for competition purposes - this system might influence and alter breed type. In FCI, Group 6 is called tl:e "Hound" Group. "Hound" means

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RIDGEBACK WORLD CONGRESS . Mississ a dog that hunts by himself but it also known as a dog that "Sighthounds are not the most intelligent of dogs, in the way hunts mainly by scent, so it is known also as "Scenthound" we recognize intelligence in the working breeds. They were or "Earth Dog." bred to be passionate independent hunters, to run fast with little time to think. They are not particularly amenable to any But what is the name of FCI Group 10? form of training other than physical conditioning." Well, will any ofyou classify your Ridgeback into that category? In most of the European languages, the name of Group 10 indicates speed and, more specifically, chasing a hare. When you think about a , , Afghan or In German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish it is , what first comes to mind is speed, a dog that will windhund, meaning literally wind-hound (1); in Finish it is chase a hare. When you think about a , meaning the same. In French is l6vriers, in vinttikoirat, it yes, it can chase a hare and even catch it fmine did it, to my Italian it is levriero and in Spanish it is lebreles, all related to big regret, when they were 9 and 10 years oldJ, but do you the word liivre (hare). In the Russian language it is Eopsar, really think that the main purpose of our multi-tasking super pronouncing "borzay" and meaning "fast." You can also breed is the ability to catch hare? interpret it as: BOR-wood and ZAYA-hare. Structure So in other languages, this group name indicates speed, and being fast enough to catch a hare. Only in English does the The IFCIJ Sighthound group is one of the more homogenous name - Sighthound or Gazehound - indicate a different and more distinct among the ten FCI breed groups (5). The meaning. classical Sighthound has what Prof. Raoul Baron called already in the 19th Century a "longliniar" leanJ structure. Working Abilities Many ofthem are also "convexilinear" [convex) and al] ofthem have a "dolichocephalic" head. Sighthounds are lean, narrow, The classic Sighthound chases prey from hare to gazelle or [2] with minimal weight to their size and function; altogether and works in open fields, using as a result primarily - - they have an aerodynamic structure. Their aerodynamic long speed and sight. When you are quick enough and you can and lean heads are without much of a stop and with relatively reach what you see in the distance, you run and use your narrow jaws. Can you imagine a Ridgeback with that type of eyes; otherwise, you use your nose and other senses. head and jaws?

The Hounds hunt primarily by scent and endurance, and Sighthounds also have unique physical features that they they do it in a varied environment and surface, most often do not share with Ridgebacks: their extremely strong and in covered terrain and thicket. While the Sighthound will run capacious heart, relatively far bigger than in other breeds his prey to death, Hounds will force their game by endurance. and thus capable of an increased cardiac output and higher blood pressure. , and Deerhounds have One of the most important characteristics of the Ridgeback is a heart that is on average twice heart-to-body-weight than being a true multi-purpose, versatile breed. Any Ridgeback non-Sighthound dogs. Their cardiovascular properties are owner will swear that his dog will do anything to protect unique. There are other hematological parameters shared his owner. There is the famous story about Louis Pienaar's by various Sighthounds, such as the high blood cell volume "Hottentots dogs" that around the 1870s in Swellendam and hemoglobin values. Some also claim that Sighthounds District bayed and killed a monkey that chased their owner's have higher number of retinal ganglion cells, retain higher child; itwas clearly an act of protection, not of hunting t3l. All sensitivity to objects and rapid movement in the horizontal ovet the world we hear about Ridgebacks functioning as big field of rrision. l' :1 gamb hunters, as rescue dogs, service dogs, and even seeing- eye dogs for the blind. It is not the main function of the breed Rhodesian Ridgeback fsadlyJ share none of those super- ir1 nowadays, most are just loyal , but if you ask them to do abilities.;More than that, what I want to claim is that the ti; it, they are quite efficient. Sighthounds also can be versatile, main structural characteristic of the breed is his balanced, tii but it is not intrinsic to their nature. In the article "Sighthound averaged, unexaggerated-in-any=way structure, which is .:: Identity" (4), Sighthound specialist and Deerhound exact$ what you need::for endurance and versatility. So in if l, I breeder Richard Hawkins writes about this group: "They thataspectthe Ridgeback is, in away, exactlythe opposite of li were developed for speed, no more, no less." And he adds: the good Sighthound. ii ii1 riJ lil ll ii;1 Ili llll tli) ;t l tfli

WORLD CONGRESS . Mississauga, Ontari Trotter vs. Galloper 1.17. The trotters have moderate angulation, ideally equal in front and rear assembly - think about the or the African Being a Sighthound is first and above all being a galloper. wild dog. That means they will have less back angulation but more front angulation than the galloper. The work of a Ridgeback was to cover a great distances over harsh terrain in expeditions that took many days, every day, Ridgeback should be able to gallop well and to be agile to the whole day. That kind of work can be done only by a trotter. catch up and deal with the big cat, but he also needs the Not for nothing was the first breed standard built upon the body mass and substance that is significant while engaging platform of the 's, the ultimate trotter. Shifting an animal like the lion or boar. The multi-purpose Ridgeback the Ridgeback to a Sighthound means re-building it as a couldn't execute his job without substantial body and head' galloper. The only other recognized breed that has to do with big cats is the Dogo Argentino; can you imagine the Dogo being What is the difference between the two? The gallop is an classified as a Sighthound? extreme mode of action executed for a limited and intense period of time. The trot is a very even, very balanced mode of The Role of Lure and ASFA action that can be maintained for a long time and distance. Each requires very different body structures. The extreme Since lion hunting is not really an option anymore, many double suspension gallop asks for an extreme body structure. alternatives appear. is one of the most populal It is an unsymmetrical movement, based mainly on the especially in the States. To compete in lure coursing the super-engine behind and the flexibility of the coupling part breed club has to declare to the American Sighthound Field of the body [the spineJ. That kind of movement requires lean Association IASFAJ that they consider their breed to be a outlines, with almost flat ribs, unique proportion between "Sighthound." It is of great benefits for all. The only problem the widths of the rib cage to its depth and a very well tucked- is that in that way a breed must "become" a "Sighthound." up abdomen; it requires special long and lean legs, meant for Many breeds can gallop extremely well: Bedlington Temiers, maximum ground cover , Pointers, Dobermans and many others. Shall we classify them as "Sighthounds" [6)? In "Dog Locomotion and Gait Analysis," Curtis Brown talks about "legginess ratio," which is the ratio between the Not only can "non"-sighthounds now be classified as distances from the bottom of the dog's chest to the ground Sighthounds, according to ASFA, but also some will claim that divided by the height atthe withers minusthe aforementioned the titles they competed for may have nothing to do with real distance. The Dingo has a ratio of1.00. Sighthounds are varied, hunting ability. but they are on the upper scale. The Whippet and Saluki ratio is 132, the racing and coursing Greyhound and the Pharaoh In thatvein, let me mention a story told by another Sighthound Hound are 1.30 [so is the cheetah], the Deerhoundis 1.27' expert, Dr. Dan Belkin, who describes in his article "The Functional Saluki: Lessons from the Coursing Field" how a Another important characteristic of the fast gallopers is a young Saluki that couldn't compete on pure speed with his significant difference between frontand rear angulations. top open field coursing Salukis running, was the only one While they celebrate very developed back angulations fthink in the pack that managed to catch hares and for the whole about the rear angulations of Greyhound or WhippetJ, their week in the desert was feeding the tvvo coursing champions, front angulations are not so developed. According to Brown, himself and Belkin. 'A good hunting Saluki is not necessarily "sighthounds have blades about 10 degree steeper then that a good coursing Saluki" was Belkin's conclusion. :il found in other class of dogs." ,ai The Rhodesian Ridgeback has no significant history of ij:! On the other hand, the trotters rely upon one maior factor coursing. An excellent utilitarian hound, companion and iit, structure a trotler will be jjil - balance. For that the body of , it has been used to chase, drive and run down prey anyttring buf ertreme. The trotter has to be very balanced - butthat is true for almost any breed in the Hound Group. Its iiti moderate built. The "legginess ratio" of the 1i:i and of a specialty in big-game hunting is, for sure, not "hare huntingi' the closest to the iir Dalmatian - the ultimate trotter and and its presence in the ASFA/AKC lure-coursing group is no well behind the gallopers - \d Ridgeback Brown's study had - is indication of true Sighthound status. As Hawkins says, "lt /:l li1 \ii hi ilti tiii l\ti \l'i

RIDGEBACK WORLD CONGRESS . Mississ is simply proof of ASFAs generosity to those who seek to Acknowledgments reward their hounds with healthy recreational fun." This article wouldn't be what it is without the help of some WhgDoes lt Matter? friends, devoted to the same passion oflearning dog breeds. Thank you, Dr. Rita Trainin, Dr. Zafra Sirih Richard Hawkins, As Denise Flaim hints in her "Outta Sight" articlel [7J it all Denise Flaim, Mariette van der Veer; Linda Costa and Bruno might be a matter of different definition of Sighthound Boucher. Group, while the FCI countries [and some more) see the Sighthound Group in a "purist" notion, the Americans just see Footnotes it in a broader perceptions. So we just have to understand Some say that those dogs were initially called the different vocabulary and that's it. Why does it matter? 1l "Wendischer" fSlovakianJ dogs as they came from that It matters because giving Ridgebacks a "Sighthound" status region and somehow along the years the word got turned isn't just a classification. It means that at the end of the in "Wind." Another explanation is that in old German day people will start seeing the Ridgeback as a hound that Ianguage, the word "Wint" was used to designate the hunt. What ever are the historical roots the fact is that is mainly a galloper. With time [and one might say it has "wind already started) people will start to forget the original nature for decades the name that was fixed is the hound". of the breed [remember the Saluki's story). That will start to influence fand again, some might say it has already startedJ 2] I will exclude the from this discussion the appearance of the breed toward a leggie4, lighter- because I think this is another case ofa sophisticated breed boned, light-headed, extremely rear-angulated with not so that is stuck in a specific group that does not best represent much front angulation and less balanced appearance. That him. tendency will be increased when the successful breeders, wanting to win Groups and Best in Show, will have to 3l fanet N. Murray "The Rhodesian Ridgeback Indaba" pg. 21 defeat those impressive Afghan Hounds, Greyhounds and , and only them. It will be only natural that step by 4) Published in "The Performance Sighthound journal" fuly- step they will start favoring those exaggerated eye-catching September 2007 issue dogs that might be able to compete successfully at the Group level with the all-rounder and Sighthound Group specialist 5J You can find the list of the FCI group 10 breeds at: judges, but that offer another breed type then when they http:#wwwfci.be/nomenclature.aspx and the proposed compete with a or a . AKC Sishthound srouo at: htto://www.akc.orslevents/ /srouo realienment.clm As I stated at the beginning of this paper - I think that Group division is something artificial, without a true cynological 6l Even classi$ring breeds of "Primitive Type" IFCI Group 5 value. I also stated that the Ridgeback is among those classificationsJ such as the andthe Podengos "special" breeds, which thanks to its unique mix, history fibizian includedJ as Sighthounds is controversial among and versatility, is difficult to be classified. But since we all some ofthose breed experts. play this game of "Dog Shows/Competitions" we have to understand that the group where our breed is classiflzing 7) "The Ridgeback Register" summer issue 2011 in, will determine its "benchmark." My claim is that by classifiring it as a Sighthound we doom the breed to alter its physical structure from that of a trotter to that of a galloper and to become a different breed.

CANADIAN RHODESIAN RIDGEB WORLD CONGRESS . Mississauga, Ontari