RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE ISSUE 12/2023

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RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

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n our editorial office, we prioritize covering a diverse range of topics that cater to the interests of our readers. We understand that certain content may resonate more with some readers than others, but we are always fascinated by exploring the various activities that our beloved dogs, especially the Rhodesian Ridgebacks, are involved in.

As always, we invite you to contribute your ideas, interesting stories, research findings, and anything else that would captivate fellow members of our wonderful Rhodesian Ridgeback community. We are committed to continuous improvement and delivering engaging content in advance. We encourage breeders to share their history and stories of working for the betterment of the breed, and judges to not hesitate to contact us for presentations. We also invite breed clubs to fill some blank pages in our magazine by presenting their history, members, and vision for the future. We are here to listen and capture your stories for a lifetime.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all those who support us by placing ads and breeder advertising, as well as to the writers who help make our magazine interesting.

We look forward to welcoming you back in our next issue.

Timmy, Snežka and Zhanna

R H O D E S I A N R I D G E B A C K E U M A G A Z I N E ISSUE 12 / APRIL 2023

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

DEAR READERS

CONTENTS R H O D E S I A N

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R I D G E B A C K

E U

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M A G A Z I N E

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— FAREWELL BARBARA

— WHAT ABOUT ” WHITE”?

— RR VIRTUAL GLOBAL GATHERING

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— THE COLOUR GENETICS

— PRESERVING THE TRUE WHEATEN

— PREPARING FOR A LITTER

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— THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG

— ACUPUNCTURE AND CHINESE MEDICINE

— ESSENTIAL OILS FOR WINTER WELLNESS

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— THE JOURNEY OF A BREEDER

— SUE TEMLETT JUDGE

— SHAWDI BREEDER

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— DOLCEBAY BREEDER

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— COLKERIRIN BREEDER EDITOR MAGAZINE TEAM

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RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE ISSUE 12 / APRIL 2023

AS S O C I AT E / T RA N S L AT I O N S AS S I S TA N T E D I TO R A N D T RA N S L ATO R

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— RIDGEBACK CLUB HUNGARY

122 — TRUFFLE TRACKING

TIMMY U. RALFE (SOUTH AFRICA) JUDGE AND AUTHOR.

L AYO U T D E S I G N & G R A P H I C S S N E Ž K A K U R A LT S TA R R D E S I G N ( S L O V E N I A )

SALES & PR Z H A N N A G O DJA J E VA ( L AT V I A ) AN ACTIVE STUD RR OWNER WHO LOVES TRAVELLING AROUND THE EUROPE SHOWING RR.

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— BLOOD TRACKING

— WILLIAM CRUFTS

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— SEARCH AND RESCUE DOG

— OLDY

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— SEE THROUGH CAMERA LENS.....

— COVER DOG

OFFICIAL DESIGNERS S N E Ž K A K U R A LT - S TA R R D E S I G N ( S LOV E N I A ) FC I J U D G E S P EC I A L I S T, RR OWNER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER

LICENCE OWNER S N E Ž K A K U R A LT

FAREWELL

BARBARA

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RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

KWETU RHODESIAN RIDGEBACKS

by Dorothy McGoldrick Villagedogs

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Barbara’s choice for BISS winner, out of Veteran class, CH Helios of Parnassus, 2004 Rhodesian Ridgeback Congress Show and 73rd US National.

arbara Sawyer-Brown, a renowned figure in the world of Rhodesian Ridgebacks, has spent over six decades owning, loving, showing, breeding, and raising our breed. In addition, she has judged both Rhodesian Ridgebacks and other breeds all over the world. Barbara served as a Mentor for the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States (RRCUS) and was the National Director of Ridgeback Rescue of the U.S. (RRUS).

Throughout her life, Barbara’s dedication to Rhodesian Ridgebacks was unwavering, and her expertise in the field earned her widespread respect.

She was known for her kind and generous nature, and many young breeders looked up to her as a mentor. The Kwetu Rhodesian Ridgebacks kennel, owned by Barbara, has produced dogs that have served as the foundation for numerous other kennels, with their bloodlines appearing in the pedigrees of Champions all over the world.

Although she started exhibiting her own dogs as an owner-handler in 1969, Barbara’s show career was cut short due to health issues. Later when asked if she had any regrets, she said “The only loss that I feel, after being left disabled by a stroke, is the loss of being able to show my own dog, now.”

We have crossed paths many times, usually at Ridgeback events like RR World Congresses or US National Specialty shows. However, one occasion stands out in my memory: the 73rd RRCUS National Specialty and the 2004 Rhodesian

Ridgeback World Congress held at the Southwark Ranch in Dallas, Texas. It was mid-September, and the weather was hot.

During that event, Barbara shared with me that, just a month earlier, she had experienced a second stroke, which was thankfully less severe than the first. The RRCUS committee was concerned about her ability to judge, especially given the intense heat, but she persisted. Over the next three days, Barbara judged 374 Ridgebacks under the scorching sun. Her love for the breed was apparent in the way she engaged with each dog, and her commitment to excellence was reflected in her discerning eye as a judge. As a mere spectator, I found it to be a significant learning experience. It was truly remarkable.

In honour of her memory, I would like to share an article What About ”White”? that Barbara Sawyer-Brown wrote for, and was first published by, the The Ridgeback in 2004. Her article addressed important yet often overlooked issues in the breed and her ability to accurately predict the future direction of the Rhodesian Ridgeback. If her observations from over 20 years ago still hold true today, it speaks volumes about her knowledge and understanding of the breed.

Barbara Sawyer-Brown’s contributions to the world of Rhodesian Ridgebacks were marked by her pursuit of excellence, her dedication to mentorship, and her kind nature. Her absence will be felt deeply within the Rhodesian Ridgeback community.

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Wri tte n by B a r b a r a

WHAT A BOUT ”WHITE”?

What about white markings on a Rhodesian Ridgeback? The AKC Standard states “A little white on the chest and toes permissible but excessive white there, on the belly or above the toes is undesirable.”

The Elaboration explains: “Our standard does not condemn white. Some white is permissible and excessive white is not desirable. Small socks and white on the chest on an otherwise typey, sound dog should not eliminate him from consid­ eration. The scale of points allows 5 points out of 100 to Coat and Color. Emphasis should be placed on the general conformation.” To quote from Maj. T.C. Hawley’s definitive work THE RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK, “We must, at all costs, avoid a fetish that white is taboo.”

So .... even though there is a limit placed on the amount of white, this does not mean that a complete absence of white is more desirable. I have too often watched a judge examine a quality RR, who happens to have four feet with white toes or a really typey, sound RR with a short white sock on one foot, and then walk back to the table to review the standard in regard to white, and this is fine as long as he does not resume judging with dismissal of the RR with the white ... unless he has found one he likes better.

The only serious faults in our breed standard are ridge related. Excessive white should be treated as any other undesirable trait and believe me, we have many serious problems in this breed. I have often stated that I wish judges would reward strength where the breed is weak! Where is the breed weak? I think today’s RR’s need better fronts, which includes not only shoulder layback but fill in the chest.

We are not looking for Weimaraner or Dachshund chests, but when a judge puts his hands between the RR’s front legs (and I wish they all would do this) he should feel chest in his palm, not an empty space. And I am tired of watching RR’s travel around the ring with their tail carried in beagle fashion. Yes, the tail only counts for 5 points and perhaps this is why too many breeders disregard trying to improve tails. I recently heard of one breeder whose lack of concern re the tails of her dogs was explained by the fact that her dogs were winning. This statement explains why judges often choose the way the breed goes.

I worry about the lack of bone I am seeing in our breed. (Good bone is impor­ tant for this breed of dogs!) These, to me, are things to worry about because these are things I see too often. An occasional bit of extra white (or black) does not con­ cern me. As a matter of fact, in 30 years of watching RRs compete in conformation events (and now this includes judging the breed), I have yet to see a RR with what I feel is excessive white in the ring!

And finally, I think judges need to understand that this breed hunts with its cour­ age, stamina and agility. (The dog must have the stamina to go all day, through the thick brush of the jungle. It must have the courage to hold the lion at bay. It must have the agility to keep out of harm’s way while doing so.) It should not be a big coarse dog! It was never bred to attack lions! How big must a dog be to bring down an 800-pound king of carnivores who can reduce its prey to a bloodstain in a matter of minutes?

If you do not care to take my word on white, consider the word of the most respect­ ed expert in our breed. Major Tom Hawley, when judging our National in the USA, chose for his Best in Show (and all of America’s best were competing) Ch Kimani’s Currituck, a young liver-nosed dog with a short white sock on one of his feet.

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Sawyer-Brown Kwe t u R h o d e s i a n R i d g e ba ks

HISTORY

WR IT T EN BY ORIT NEVO

THE FIRST RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK VIRTUAL GLOBAL GATHERING

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hey say: tell me your breed and I will tell you who you are.

The years and Congress that passed just made it stronger.

And Rhodesian Ridgeback people, seeing you at the RRVGG (Rhodesian Ridgeback Virtual Global Gathering) I definitely can tell who you are!!!

The global COVID19 pandemic put a hold on so many things, RRWC was one of them.

The stamina, the intelligence, the never-ending curiosity, the determination to stay and learn de­ spite the late and the long hours and the tech­ nical challenges, definitely show that like Ridge­ backs like owners!!!

The RRVGG was a wild idea, that in 4 months came true, and I’m quite sure, that it will leave its mark in our global RR community for the future.

― I will never forget my first RRWC (Rhodesian Ridgeback World Congress). It was in Denmark 1988, and it was the world’s second RRWC. Try to imagine those days, not only pre-social-media, but pre-internet, when all correspondence was done by printed notes sent by snail mail... you can imagine the huge value the RRWC offered, the exposure to state-of-the-art knowledge, as well as networking. It was in that congress that I became “addicted” to the amazing project of the RRWC.

So, for the time being, till a physical gathering will be possible again, the RR Club Israel (RRCI) thought it might be a nice idea to hold a virtu­ al international event, to help keeping our global community united and keep distributing infor­ mation and knowledge about our beloved breed.

Easy to say, but extremely challenging to operate: how do you find a day that is free of major shows and events all over the world (and is not Christ­ mas day...)? How can you agree about an hour that will work for people in Australia, Europe, USA East, and West coasts??? Not for the faint heart­ ed…. But the global response was amazing, and I would like to thank all the wonderful people and clubs that were not afraid of the challenges and offered to share with the global RR community their vast knowledge and hard work.

Almost 100 RR enthusiastic from 27 countries participated at the RR Virtual Global Gathering that was held by Zoom December 17, 2022. ― The idea was to give a bit about the past, a bit about the present (the state of the breed and

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clubs around the world) and a bit about the new knowledge and about the challenges of the fu­ ture.

We started with Linda Costa Vice President (Aus­ tralia) of The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club, the Parent Club, founded 1922, and the keeper of the Parent Club Archive, who spoke about the parent club archive, its past, present, and future.

This archive contains many files, as well as two very large suitcases, remained almost intact since the late 1920’s and its integrity was secured by its different custodians through almost 100 years.

The first among them was Francis Barnes, at Es­ kdale Farm near Figtree. Thorough the years the archive moved between Salisbury (Harare), Bula­ wayo and even South Africa, and its story reflect­ ed the situation at the country of origin.

Linda shared not only the unbelievable hardship and miracles this archive went through, small an­ ecdotes and big conflicts, but also some histori­ cal documents. Her presentation ended with the challenges for the future of our breed’s archive. As Linda says: If we don’t know our past, how can we interpret our present or even dream of our future?

The other fascinating historical story told by Dr. Mariette van der Veer, Vizara Kennel, who grew up in Rhodesia and Nyasaland, became a world-famous breeder in the Netherlands and now living in Malawi. Mariette talked about the Rhodesian Ridgebacks in Rhodesia at Analysand and about what dogs and life used to be like In the years of the formation of our breed. We heard about dogs, leopards, and lions; we also heard, for the first time, the story of John Stent – the father and the son – who were, each at its turn, the managers of the Vizara rubber estate, the father was a friend of Frederick Courtney Sel­ ous and used to hunt with him and the son kept his memories from the Ridgebacks at Vizara.

geless RRs”. It summarized an exceptional work DZRR are leading for many years, dealing with questions about DS, Ridge, Ridgeless dogs and breeds, and about the controversial question does the crossbreeding with ridgeless RRs help to reduce the DS? It covered the long-term research that was done in cooperation between the University of Veteri­ nary Medicine Hannover, led by Prof. Dr. Ottmar Distl, and DZRR, started 2014. Their conclusion is: the hypothesis that DS is a Mendelian trait, and that DS only develops in ridged Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs when they carry two copies of the 133-kb duplication on CFA18 can’t be proven.

In conclusion, we show that the 133-kb duplica­ tion responsible for the ridged phenotype is not identical with the hypothesized locus for DS. 1,600 litters (14,400 puppies born live) checked by our breed wardens between 2001 and 2021 show a downward trend in both: dermoid sinus and rid­ gelessness. The conclusion is that breeding with Ridgeless Ridgebacks will not help to reduce cas­ es of DS. ― The other keynote lecture was by Anna Vavilova, Aries Khan Kennel, Russia. “Colour’s genetic: “Rainbow of ginger”. It was indeed a state-ofthe-art presentation that shed a new light (or co­ lour) on the vast variety of the “wheaten” colours of the RR. The presentation included amazing pictures of colours and patterns, that many of them will be absolutely new to most of us. It helps to understand the genetics behind those colours and patterns, and it included some new knowl­ edge about the genetics behind some of those colours/patterns.

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As Anna said: The colour genetics of the Ridge­ back are one of the simplest and most predict­ able. But how wide and beautiful the palette of red wheaten in the Ridgeback is, as the Ridge­ back itself is just as beautiful and multifaceted!

The first of the two keynote lectures were Martin Klopsch’s (DZRR) who presented the work done by him and Dr. Thomas Laube about “New scientific findings on the cause of dermoid sinus and the meaningfulness of crossbreeding rid-

She focused on the Locus A: Ay (clear sable agouti/dominant red), Ays (shaded sable - dark­ ened agouti/sable, black ends of hairs), aws (sad­ dle agouti) and at (black and tan), and tells us that until recent studies, it was only possible to

determine Ay, aw, at and a - black (recessive). The different degree of darkening of the red was ex­ plained by a combination of alleles of the A locus.

Now Anna tells us about recent work that shows varied combinations: 2 types of VP (Ventral Pro­ moter) and 5 types of HCP (Hair Cycle Promoter), that explain the intensity of the colour.

ice dog owners as well as the most experienced breeders. Will’s beautiful and thought-provoking video, “What Does a Healthy Breed Community Look Like? - A Consideration of The Rhodesian Ridgeback and social media” emphasizing the important role of breeders in educating the pub­ lic and the newcomers to the breed.

The presentation dealt also with Locus E (exten­ sion) that determines the distribution of black or brown without changing the basic colour of dog, including Em - dark mask; the D (diluted), K (black), kbr (brindle), B, bc, bs, and bd (all of them related to brown), and the si (white spotting).

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― The Italian club presented the story of the long-coated pedigree ridgebacks, something that most of us never saw, but we all need to be aware of, and the RRCI is working hard to identify and eliminate those lines. Thank you Mattia Cenci, RRC Italy for that. ― The global character of the gathering included National Breed Club’s presentations. The National Rhodesian Ridgeback Council Australia, led

by Rochelle Ferriday, shard a most beautiful and comprehensive presentation, composed with pic­ tures donated by the clubs’ members, and the re­ sults were breathtaking. RRC Italy offered not only the excellent presentation about the long coat but also a country presentation; more presen­ tations were by France, with Ann Marie Marenco; CKRR, Czech Republic, with Ana Penkove; SKCHR, Slovakia, with Miki Lukacin and Lívia Lakotová; RRCH, Hungary, with Andrea Deak, RRCF, and last, but not least Croatia (RRCZ), with Tomislav Trninić, who told us the news about the next RRWC that will be held in 2024 in Croatia next to the WDS (FCI World Dog Show).

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― A special angle was offered by Will Kearney - @ MarkingOurTerritory – who is a Vlogger (Video blogger) that run a well-known Vlog about Ridge­ backs, and manages to express very complicated thoughts about the responsibility of the breeders, in a way that will be easy to understand to the nov­

A special treat was left to the end – for those who survived the very long session – it was a special documentary movie, 40 minutes long, by Anna Vavilova, Aries Khan Kennel, Russia: “Back to the Wild” about hunting abilities and the meaning of the Rhodesian Ridgebacks as a hunting breed in the 21st century. ― I would like to thank all the many people who were my partners to this very special journey, all those who made the presentations, named along this article, and also my special partners at the RR Club Israel without their help none of that would have happened: Sahar Gayer and Omer Resner along with my friend Shifra Bibi, special thanks to Orivet Australia for their support, and to the dozens of RR enthusiastic from all around the world that gave a hand in so many ways: offer­ ing information and pictures, spreading the word around and registering to the event even before the schedule was finalized, your support and trust means the world (literally…).

The world is getting back to its (relative) normality and 2024 will offer us the next real RRWC, in Cro­ atia. But I’m sure that the role of the RRVGG was not a one-time thing and the future will offer us more options to this kind of global gathering.

For now, the 3 hours and 20 minutes long video of the RRVGG is available on-line to watch, it is free to all those who registered to the event and not less important - open to all the other who couldn’t make it to the live event and now can register for the video.

For more information about RRVGG and video access to the recorded event, please contact us at rrglobalvg@gmail.com.

“Thank you to everyone who participated in the virtual meeting. We appreciate your time and contributions to the discussion.”

Orit Nevo

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HISTORY

WR IT T EN BY A N N A VAV I LOVA

RAINBOW OF GINGER THE COLOUR GENETICS

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he colour genetics of the Rhodesian Ridgeback are quite simple compared to the color genetics of most other dog breeds. But at the same time, we can say with all confidence that the Ridge­ back has the widest palette of red shades, which makes it unique and undoubtedly extremely beautiful!

Let’s remember what the standard tells us about color.

Colour: from light wheaten to red wheaten. Head, body, legs and tail of the same tone. A little white on the chest and toes is permissible, but exces­ sive white hairs here, on the stomach, or above the toes is undesirable. A dark muzzle and ears are permissible, it is desirable that it be bright and intensely coloured. The presence or absence of a mask cannot be a criterion for the quality of a dog.

Excessive black hairs throughout the coat are highly undesirable.

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The nose is black or brown. Dark eyes correspond to a black nose, amber to brown.

Among breeders, a stable definition of brownnosed Ridgebacks is accepted – they are called “liver”.

From the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed standard: 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.

EYES: Should be moderately well apart, round, bright and sparkling, with intelligent expression, their colour harmonising with the colour of the coat.

Nose: The nose should be black or brown. A black nose should be accompanied by dark eyes, a brown nose by amber eyes.

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COLOUR GENETICS The colour of the coat of an animal depends on the type of pigment, the shape of the pigment granules and their distribution throughout the hair. The whole variety of colours in mammals is due to the presence of melanin pigments, repre­ sented by two forms: eumelanin and pheomel­ anin, synthesized in the form of pigment grains (granules) of various shapes.

The perception of colour depends on the refrac­ tion of light passing through them or reflected from them. Eumelanin granules have a some­ what elongated ellipsoidal or spherical shape and can vary quite a lot in size. Eumelanin has two modifications: black and brown. Pheomela­ nin granules are characterized by a classic yellow or orange colour. They are spherical and much smaller than eumelanin granules.

In most coloured animals, both pheomelanin and eumelanin are formed in the same hair follicle, re­ spectively, and both types of pigments are simul­ taneously present in the hair. But it is important to note that only one type of eumelanin and only one type of pheomelanin can be present at the same time.

MAIN ALLELES OF THE RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK Ginger The red colour of the Ridgeback can have dif­ ferent shades: from light tones – light wheaten, straw-red – to golden-red and red-ginger and even almost brown. The main colour forming al­ leles of this color are Ау/Ау E(Em)/E(Em) ky/ky.

At the same time, in the colour, the eumelanin zone (darker - brown / black) is shifted to the end, and the pheomelanin zone (yellow / red) – to the base of the hair. This colour has the common name sable, in the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed – wheaten.

Locus A (ASIP) Under the influence of the Ay allele in the hair fol­ licle, at a certain moment in the growing hair, the synthesis of eumelanin switches to the synthesis of pheomelanin, that is, there is agouti, a yellow pigment appears. As a result, the eumelanin zone is at the end of the hair, and the pheomelanin zone is at the base of it. And whether the ridge­ back will be wheaten or dark red depends on the ratio of these melanins in the hair. Since eumel­ anin synthesis is more active in the initial stages of hair growth, puppies of this colour are born almost black and brighten with age. The relative intensity of pigment synthesis may depend on many factors, including: the expressivity of the Ay gene itself, modifier genes, the hormonal back­ ground of the dog, metabolic characteristics, etc.

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The colour of the Rhodesian Ridgeback is essen­ tially zoned red, where a reddish stripe of a more saturated shade forms on the back. On the neck, shoulder blades, back of the thighs, belly and underside of the tail the colour is a lighter shade than the main tone. This colour is without any ad­ mixture of black hair, excluding the muzzle and ears in the presence of a mask. According to the standard for the Rhodesian Ridgeback, excessive blackening of the red color is a serious fault. Pre­ viously, such blackening (darkening) of the color could not be determined by testing, but thanks to recent research, it has become possible.

In the very last days of a severe pandemic year of 2020, geneticists from the Universities of Bern and Stanford shared what is probably the most significant discovery in the field of dog colours in the past few years. The authors studied the work of the agouti gene (locus A) in dogs and identified the basic principles of regulation. This allowed the discovery of a new series of mutations, some of which more accurately predict the diversity of agouti colours than previously described vari­ ants, and even explain the genetic differences between two very similar manifestations of the dominant red - red Ay and black-red Ay. Numer­ ous studies have been carried out, on the basis of which it is now possible to speak about the pres­ ence of more alleles of the A locus than previously thought.

Ay > Ays > aws > aw > asa ( asa1, asa2, asa3) = at ( at1, at2, at3)> a.

Ay > (clear sable) agouti/dominant red - a clear red with lighter and more saturated areas (present in the breed, confirmed by tests).

Ays > (shaded sable) darkened agouti/sable black ends of hairs all over the body, with an increase in the intensity of black accumulation in the neck, forehead, back, tail. (present in the breed, confirmed by tests)

aws >(saddle agouti) black-haired agouti black ends of hairs mainly in the dorsal region, forming a saddle pattern on the dog’s back. (probable in breed, not tested) aw > (agouti) zonal / “wolf” - intense blackening along the body like “sable”, with a minimum amount of red or its complete absence. (improbable in the breed) asa (asa1, asa2, asa3) > (saddle) black hairs on the back of the dog forming an intensely colored saddle pattern (improbable in the breed) at (at1, at2, at3)> black and tan (tanpoint/ black&tan) - black colour with red areas in permanent areas: eyebrows, cheeks, throat, shoulders, underside and inside of the paws. (present in the breed, confirmed by tests) asa/at – dogs with this type of genotype have an intermediate colour like asa/asa dog, but with a characteristic dark “cap” on the head a - (recessive black) black - solid black colour (improbable in the breed).

Until recent studies, it was only possible to deter­ mine by testing Ay - dominant red, aw - zonal, at - black and tan and a - black (recessive). And the different degree of darkening of the red was ex­ plained by a combination of alleles of the A locus.

All alleles of the A locus are different haplotypes - a combination of mutations in the agouti pro­ moters that control the operation of the gene. VP (Ventral Promoter) - 2 options, and HCP (Hair Cy­ cle Promoter) - 5 options. And their different com­ bination determines the diversity of alleles of the agouti locus.

This table shows combinations of different muta­ tions. 2 types of VP (Ventral Promoter) and 5 types of HCP (Hair Cycle Promoter). And the Ay, Ays and at alleles are present in the breed, and this is con­ firmed by tests as well.

The alleles aw, aws, asa, and a are probable but doubtful and not tested. I once saw a dog with the aws or asa phenotype, when there were no such tests available. The dog was definitely pure­ bred. And we see similar to these ones even now.

Here is an example, but these may all just be vari­ ations on the sable agouti.

Dogs with the allele a - recessive black are like­ ly but uncertain. A lot of dogs have been tested, the test has been done for a long time and the a-allele has not been identified anywhere – sev­ eral researchers have collected statistics. While we were looking for illustrations, we found several black mixed breed dogs, which are not recessive black, but dominant, where one black ancestor is enough. One dog was introduced to us as a ridge­ back, but objectively this is extremely doubtful.

But since we have no official evidence of impure breeding, the presence of this allele in the breed is not completely excluded.

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Locus А (ASIP) Ay > Ays > aws > aw > asa ( asa1, asa2, asa3) = at ( at1, at2, at3)> a.

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Ay > (clear sable) agouti/dominant red

Ays > (shaded sable) darkened

aws >(saddle agouti) black-haired agouti

aw > (agouti) zonal / “wolf”/ “wild”

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asa > (saddle)

at > black and tan (tanpoint/black&tan)

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a-recessive – black - solid black colour (improbable in the breed)

and 5 types of HCP (Hair Cycle Promoter).

The alleles aw, aws, asa, and a-recessive are probable but doubtful and not tested

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2 types of VP (Ventral Promoter)

And the Ay, Ays and at alleles are present in the breed, and this is confirmed by tests as well.

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I once saw a dog with the aws or asa phenotype, when there were no such tests available.

The dog was definitely purebred.

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And we see similar to these ones even now.

Here is an example, but these may all just be variations on the sable agouti.

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Dogs with the allele a - recessive black are likely but uncertain.

* The dogs in the photo are mixed breed dogs with the K allele. The pictures are provided solely for illustrative purposes.

On photos below you see dogs with blackening, sables with varying degrees of blackening. A liver dog will also be sable, but the tips of the coat of a liver dog will be brown, so the sableness of a liver dog will not stand out as sharply as a black-nosed dog. But a sable liver will also pass this allele on to all its children, who, with a black nose, will look like typical sable.

Locus E - (extension) - determines the dis­

tribution of black or brown eumelanin through­ out the body of the dog, without changing the amount of yellow pigment.

Major alleles of the locus The order of dominance at this locus is: Em > Eg > E > Eh > e-recessive Alleles present in the breed: Allele Em - dark mask The mask refers to the spread of black or brown pigment on the muzzle, and often on the front of the head, up to the ears. The color-forming allele of the mask is the dominant allele Em, which can show different degrees of expressiveness.

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All these dogs are Ays/Ays: blacknosed and livers

Locus E - (extension) Major alleles of the locus The order of dominance at this locus is: Em > Eg > E > Eh > e recessive Alleles present in the breed: Allele E-dominant is a simple uniform distribution of eumelanin without zones of intensity.

Allele E-dominant is a simple uniform distribu­ tion of eumelanin without zones of intensity.

Alleles absent in the breed: Allele Eg (extension grizzle) - grey and tan, which is inherent in greyhounds and some other breeds.

The Eh allele has been found in English Cocker Spaniels.

Ginger colour due to alleles e/e The recessive gene e in the homozygous state prevents the distribution of eumelanin through­ out the body of the dog. Dog - carriers of these alleles, regardless of the color formula, have a uniform red colour. Eumelanin is concentrated only in the skin and the iris of the eyes. Puppies of this colour, unlike puppies of sable colour, are born pure red, without the slightest hint of black­ ening. Alleles e/e are epistatic - dominant in re­ lation to all other color genes, therefore, red, es­ pecially lightened, dogs can be hidden carriers of any gene (dominant black, brindle, marble, etc.).

Therefore, crossing such individuals with dogs of other colours often leads to unexpected results.

For example, beautiful bright red Irish setters are genetically ... black or black&tan, but under the in­ fluence of alleles e/e - red.

The presence of a red colour of this type in Rho­ desian Ridgebacks has not been confirmed by genetic tests, but it is not excluded either, since an insufficient number of studies have been car­ ried out to completely exclude these alleles in the breed.

Intensity and shades of red colours Red dogs have very different intensities and shades, which depends on the many brightening factors acting on pheomelanin, its location in the

hair, the thickness and transparency of the corti­ cal layer, etc. It also depends on the presence of alleles of a polygenic action, that is, the action of several genes that affect concentration of phe­ omelanin in the hairs. Shades of red colors may depend on the types of pheomelanin, as well as on other alleles that have a lightening effect on the color (d-dilute, G - age lightening, like in Ker­ ry Blue Terriers, etc.). The combination of action of all these genes can lead to a very strong, up to almost white, lightening of the red color of dogs.

There is also an assumption about the possible polygenic inheritance of the red color according to the type of cumulative polymerization - the cu­ mulative interaction of several pairs of genes with a similar effect. A similar assumption was put for­ ward by the famous American genetics research­ er Clarence Cook Little, speaking about the pres­ ence of rufus polygenes that affect the intensity of the colors of the pheomelanin group.

In recent years, several genetic factors associat­ ed with the features of pheomelanin synthesis have been discovered. Thus, it is assumed that the lightening of pheomelanin, leading to the ap­ pearance of cream, fawn colors, is associated with mutations in the MATP genes - locus I (MFSD12), KITLG, CHR2, CHR18, CHR21. These mutations are responsible for 70% of the color lightening variations.

Empirically, we excluded the influence of locus I in our breed by testing dogs of different color in­ tensities and getting the same result I/I for all.

The work of mutations in the KITLG gene deter­ mines the saturation of the colour - the more copies of mutations in this gene, the richer the colour. For example, the Irish Setter is the owner of the largest number of copies in this gene, and

Em/Em dark mask in blacknosed dog and liver

Alleles absent in the breed: Allele Eg (extension grizzle) - grey and tan, which is inherent in greyhounds and some other breeds.

The Eh allele has been found in English Cocker Spaniels.

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e / e recessive

this gene is also responsible for the variability in colour saturation in poodles.

The three recently discovered loci CHR2, CHR18, and CHR21 are not yet well understood. Their vari­ ous combinations lead to different color intensity, the mechanism of which is not yet clear. The labo­ ratory that tests for these mutations, unfortunate­ ly, without a detailed explanation, gives the result “dark, medium, light” with a brief description of the fact that there are genes that are responsible for 70% of redhead intensity cases.

Locus D - dilution.

The exact genetic designation is dilutes or pales eumelanin pigment to blue, and phaeomelanin subtly (MLPH). This locus determines the innate intensity of pigmentation.

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Major alleles of the locus (currently being tested) • Allele D-dominant • Allele d-recessive (d1, d2, d3)

Allele D - determines the normal form of melano­ cytes and ensures the development of pigmenta­ tion of full intensity.

Allele d - causes the development of congenital weakening of the colour. Under the action of this allele, pigment granules stick together. In this case, the number of granules does not decrease, but they stick together into random groups, as a result of which their uniform supply to the grow­ ing hair is disturbed, which leads to the appear­ ance of separate voids in the hair shaft and un­ even accumulation of granules in different parts of the hair. This in turn leads to a strong decrease in the absorption of light by the hair tissues and a phenotypic weakening of the colour. In the ho­ mozygous state, this allele causes the birth of clarified puppies.

An association with a recessive allele associated with alopecia is suspected.

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Possible mutations in the KITLG gene, locus CHR2, CHR18, CHR21 and any another factors

Locus D - dilution

Locus K (KB) solid black

Locus K (dominant black, solid black) Major alleles of the locus • Allele К (КВ) - dominant solid black (absent in the breed) • Allele кbr – brindle (absent in the breed)

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• Allele k (ky) – present in the breed Allele K (KB) - determines the continuous distri­ bution of eumelanin in the hair and body of the dog. It is this allele that has received the name “dominant black” in our time. Under its influence, black or brown eumelanin is evenly distributed over the hair and body of the dog, forming a con­ tinuous uniform colour.

Allele kbr - (Brindle) - brindleness - causes an un­ even distribution of pigments over the body with the formation of vertical stripes of varying inten­ sity.

The brindle colour can vary greatly in the width of the stripes and the colour of the main back­ ground, which is due to the interaction with the alleles of other loci and the influence of modifier genes.

Brindle dogs are 99% absent in the breed. We leave 1% for the off chance of some line, where, in addition to the brindle, there is a recessive red, which hides everything under itself and stably meets a partner with an allele of a recessive red colour, which is also extremely doubtful, since the test has existed for a long time and has never been statistically revealed.

Allele kbr - (Brindle) – absent in the breed

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The ky allele is a recessive allele of the locus that does not prevent the manifestation of the A-locus alleles

The probable detection of alleles a, kbr and e will rather indicate the crossbreeding and fusion of dogs of other breeds.

The ky-allele is a recessive allele of the locus that does not prevent the manifestation of the A-locus alleles. Present in wild, sable, black-backed and tan dogs. Hypostatic in relation to a pair of alleles a/a.

At this locus, the K-allele completely dominates over the kbr and ky-alleles.

K > kbr > ky

Locus B (Black/Brown).

Major alleles of the locus • Allele B • Allele b (bc, bd, bs) Allele B - provides the formation of black eumel­ anin. This allele has in the gene pool dogs of all colors except brown and fawn with a pink nose.

Allele b - contributes to the formation of a brown pigment. For its formation, the presence of a pair of recessive bb genes is necessary.

Locus B (Black/Brown).

Until relatively recently, only these two alleles have been described in dogs. At the same time, in animals of many species, for example, mice, guin­ ea pigs, cats, this locus is described as a series of

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Allele b // Livers – b/b // Allele bc // Allele bs // Allele bd

multiple alleles. Biochemical studies of recent years confirm the presence of several brown alleles in dogs - bc, bs, bd. These alleles provide different shades of brown. It is almost impossible to talk about the order of their dominance over each other. It is also impossible to talk about any kind of breed affiliation of these alleles, there are no exten­ sive studies on this topic, and phenotypically, their carriers also differ little from each other.

Allele B completely dominates over all alleles b, that is, the syn­ thesis of black pheomelanin completely suppresses the syn­ thesis of brown, i.e. black colour completely dominates brown.

B > b (bc, bs, bd) B>b (bc, bs, bd) locus B is responsible for the colour of the nose and eyelids, as well as the colour of the darkening in the case of a “sable” dog.

In breeds where the KB and kbr-alleles are present, the B-locus is responsible for the color of the nose, eyelids, claws, and coat of the dog. In our breeds with ky/ky-alleles, lo­ cus-B is responsible for the co­ lour of the nose and eyelids, as well as the colour of the darken­ ing in the case of a “sable” dog.

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White spotting

The extent of depigmentation zones may depend on a number of alleles.

A series of multiple alleles of the S locus includes the following genes that cause spotting of vary­ ing degrees: Allele S - solid colour.

Allele si - small white areas in the primary centers of depigmentation, the so-called “Irish spotting”. sp-allele is piebald, in which up to 30% of the body is white, such a dog is no longer called pie­ bald, but spotted. sW-allele is an extreme degree of spotting, when small dark areas remain in the pigment centers.

There is incomplete dominance between si, sp, sW, but S completely dominates all of these al­ leles. In Rhodesian Ridgebacks, only Irish spotting is allowed, which is mildly expressed.

Molecular genetic analysis confirms the presence of different alleles at this locus, but there is no way to visually identify them. In addition to different alleles of the S locus, the development of white spotting is influenced by numerous modifier genes.

Here are dogs with varying degrees of whiteness. Unfortunately, while tests cannot reveal different alleles of inheritance of white spotting, breeders are left to use the old-fashioned method - selection of pairs.

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White spotting is quite common in Ridgebacks and has a very wide variability. A genetically spot­ ted dog may be solid with a few white hairs on the chest or be almost white with a small dark spot at the end of the ear. Several recessive genes from a series of multiple alleles related to the S locus cause white spotting. These genes cause depig­ mentation, or, in other words, a break in pigmen­ tation in different parts of the dog’s body.

Colour anomalies not related to colour loci: Snow nose and Dudley nose - the nose of a dog is black or brown in colour, hav­ ing lightening, sometimes full, to pink of varying degrees of intensity and different areas. Snow nose is seasonal and is asso­ ciated with a seasonal lack of an enzyme that affects the synthesis of melanin.

Dudley nose has a permanent character, when external conditions change, pig­ mentation is not restored. That is, in order to understand the difference between a snow and Dudley nose, we look out the window and at the thermometer. Cold?

Snow nose. Warm? Dudley nose.

And also, the Ridgeback can have prob­ lems such as vitiligo, mosaicism and chi­ merism. But this is a completely different story, which has nothing to do with the genetics of colours.

Vitiligo* is a violation of the production of melanin, and as a result, discoloration in the skin, coat, claws, and iris of the eyes.

A chimera* is an organism resulting from the fusion of two or more zygotes. That is, black spots on a red dog may be cells of littermates that have merged into one or­ ganism at an early stage of development.

Mosaic* is a mutation in the cells and tis­ sues of one organism. For example, most merle dogs are mosaics. Or, like a Ridge­ back, a spontaneous mutation.

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Chimerism or mosaicism is in front of us, it can only be established for sure by test­ ing different cells.

Snow nose and Dudley Snow nose is seasonal and Dudley nose has a permanent character.

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Mosaic

Vitiligo

Mosaic and Сhimera

Mosaic and Сhimera

The basic colour formulas for a Ridgeback that does not carry a non-standard colour:

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• • • •

Ay/Ay E/E B/B D/D ky/ky si/si - black-nosed dog without a mask Ay/Ay E/E b/b D/D ky/ky si/si – liver dog without mask Ay/Ay Em/Em(E) B/B D/D ky/ky si/si – masked black-nosed dog Ay/Ay Em/Em(E) b/b D/D ky/ky si/si – liver dog with mask

Ay/Ay E/E B/B D/D ky/ky si/si – black-nosed dog without a mask

Ay/Ay E/E b/b D/D ky/ky si/si – liver dog without mask

Ay/Ay Em/Em(E) B/B D/D ky/ky si/si – masked black-nosed dog

Ay/Ay Em/Em(E) b/b D/D ky/ky si/si – liver dog with mask

The colour genetics of the Ridgeback are one of the simplest and most predictable.

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But how wide and beautiful the palette of red wheaten in the Ridgeback is, as the Ridgeback itself is just as beautiful and multifaceted!

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BREED

WR I T T E N BY B A R B A R A T U R P I N , OF COURSE RHODESIAN RIDGEBACKS, CANADA

PRESERVING THE TRUE WHEATEN RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK

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A Breeder’s Perspective on Colour and Function

I

t was about 25 years ago now, that I was showing my foundation female, Diva (Wun­ drunhr Airborne Of Course) in the USA. Al­ though I’m from Canada, Diva was bred in the USA by Bonnie Norris of Whyndrunhr RRs. A breeder approached me at that show and said, “Ohhhh look, a true wheaten!” She fussed over Diva’s colour, and I admit to feeling a little pride over her colour--one that would blend into a field of mature wheat, as called for in our stan­ dard.

Beautiful, and correct, as that colour was, it was also an ill-placed curse. You see, a trend had al­ ready started in favour of darker and darker Rho­ desian Ridgebacks. The slippery slope was well underway. And now, mahogany dogs are so com­ mon that some believe it to be correct.

In 2016 I was invited to speak at the World Con­ gress in Sweden (and I apologize for speaking too fast!). Part of my presentation included a seg­ ment on colour. It wasn’t especially well received by some. And yet, I still bang my little drum about colour. There is no breed standard in any country that allows for mahogany/dark red in our breed.

It is a fad colour that has been popularized and should be judged accordingly.

Recently, some puppies from Croatia caught my attention. Two girls, in particular, exhibit a light wheaten shade that we rarely see anymore. It has become so elusive, in fact, that the uninformed la­ bel it as incorrect. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Function first, yes? If we subscribe to this think­ ing, then we must look at how colour affects function. Here in Canada, we don’t have the same climate as Southern Africa, but our summers can get quite hot, topping out into the 40s. Having dogs of different shades of wheaten has given me an opportunity to put the colours to the test. On those very hot days, the light wheatens stay cool to the touch, while the darker dogs are hot to the touch and suffer the effects of the heat to a much greater degree. Our progenitors had it right when they excluded heat-absorbing colours.

And yet, the dark red or mahogany dog contin­ ues to get a pass in the ring. One case in point: I was showing Jack (The Black Pearl Of Course) and his son Mojo (Scene Stealer Of Course) to a certain judge. Mojo was in a class with the male that paced (incorrect movement where the legs of one side move together, as opposed to the legs meeting in the middle like a pair of scissors)

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Those of us who are preserving true and light wheatens see this all the time. And as long as judges continue to reward dark red and mahogany, breeders will continue to breed for it.

I’m reminded of an interesting story out of the USA. A very well known professional handler en­ tered a black and tan (purebred) RR in a show. Of course it caused quite a stir. But, I like the point that it made. Ridgebacks do come in black and tan, tri colour, brindle and blue fawns, but they are not correct for our standard.

If mahoganies and dark reds are permissible to judges, then we should allow all of the colours, and not just make exceptions for a colour because it’s “pretty”.

In Canada and the USA it’s not uncommon to see light wheat­ ens, but we just don’t see a lot of them in Europe.

Two years ago, I was approached

by Dorothy McGoldrick who was looking for a new girl to add to her program. I had just bred a litter out of Mojo and one of my girls. There was a very nice pup­ py that I thought Dorothy would like. After many emails back and forth, facetiming looking at the different girls in the litter, it was decided that Maple would be going to Belgium. I asked Doro­ thy if she was worried about her colour. Dorothy was prepared for what was to come. Interest­ ingly, Maple qualified for Crufts at ten months of age. We were thrilled.

It takes courage to continue to present light dogs when the dark fad persists. I agree, dark red is pretty. So is black and tan, blue fawn, and brindle. But, we have a standard for good rea­ sons. Colour should either be immaterial or something to which we adhere.

Recently two girl puppies in Croatia caught my eye. They were absolutely stunning and of a light shade that we so rare­ ly see. I commented to the one of their breeders Maja Kljaic, on the colour and how nice it was to see this colour being preserved.

Little did I know that those com­ ments would lead me to collabi­ rate with her on this article.

Maple CH Villagedogs Great Catch Of Course, owner Dorothy McGoldrick

In our conversations, she shared that some feel that light wheat­ en is an incorrect colour. Is this really where we’ve ended up?

That our foundational colour is

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continually. Mojo moved like a dream. The judge gave the dog four chances to come out of his pacing, and eventually awarded him the win over Mojo. Mojo was a lighter wheaten dog, and moderate in stature, but a worthy dog, in my opinion. After being dumped by a judge who clearly prefered the dark red competitor, I briefly contemplated not showing Jack, who was the darkest dog I’d ever bred. Mojo was stronger than Jack in some areas, so I thought, this judge won’t like Jack. Well she went on to give him Best of Breed and second in the hound group. It was a very bittersweet win, as she clearly was just judging according to her colour preference and not to the standard.

less prefered and even catego­ rized as unacceptable? Oh dear!

A couple of years ago there was some local gossip about a han­ dler who was showing an RR of incorrect colour. I happened to know the breeder, but had not yet seen the dog. I was very curi­ ous to see what this dog might look like. And then I forgot about it, until I saw him in person at a show one day. I stopped dead in my tracks. This dog outmoved every dog in the ring. He’s was beautifully built with lovely, sol­ id bone, and wonderful angles.

As soon as he was back at the handler’s set up I went over and said, “Who is this? I’m going to breed to him.” Well, it turns out it was this dog that people were complaining about. No wonder, he was such a superior spec­ imen and his colour was one of the few things others could fault.

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I did go on to use the dog and recommended him to two oth­ er breeders who also used him.

All three of us got wonderful re­ sults, including this male who, despite his less favoured colour, obtained his championship eas­ ily in Canada.

We are lucky to live in an era where we have access to so much information. In my re­ search journeys, I discovered a Life Magazine from January 23rd, 1956. I still have a copy of it somewhere, but it is accessible online. The article featured our beloved breed, and I was partic­ ularly interested in the colour.

Not a single dark dog in the ar­ ticle.

Life Magazine from January 23rd, 1956: Kennel Club recognizes, for first time in a decade, a new breed of dog: the rough and ready Rhodesian ridgeback

So, why does any of this matter?

There are two reasons. First­ ly, our standard calls for, but a blind eye is routinely cast on it.

Secondly, the darker the dog, the less functional in heat. Oh yes, I’ve heard all of the argu­ ments claiming the dark dogs are correct and why. To date, the only valid reason for breeding this colour is because the judg­ es reward it and pet buyers pre­ fer it.

One popular argument sug­ gests that as long as the hair is banded, then the colour is ac­

These dogs are clearly light wheaten. Even actor Errol Flynn’s early imports to the US reflected the light wheaten colour.

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GCHB The Golden Buzzer Of Course “frozen semen available in Europe”

Puff the Magic Wyndragon

ceptable. Then, shouldn’t it be equally true for any colour, as long as the individual hairs are banded.

Surely not.

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Today, I know I run the risk of losing if I show a light wheaten dog, regardless of their quality. Judges who turn a blind eye to our standard and give in­ ferior dark dogs the nod over well-built light dogs will no longer get my money. It really is the only thing that we have left to show judges that we insist on our dogs being judged to our standard.

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When Lela Treščec my breeding partner and founder of Neomele kennel and I published our first photos of recent litter, breeders from coun­ tries familiar to light-wheaten Ridgebacks wrote to us with enthusiasm, but there were also breed­ ers who asked if they were dilution puppies, if the colour was the standard; that they have bull mas­ tiff and sloughi colour and suggested that our puppies are not up to standard.

Yes, unfortunately it seems that we have gone very far from the roots of the breed and from the standard that clearly says – “from light wheaten to red wheaten”. If people from the breed do not recognize the color that is in the standard, how can we expect all around judges, or wider audi­ ence, to recognize light wheaten representatives of the breed .

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ALL RIDGEBACKS ARE WONDERFUL, NO MATTER THE SHADE OF WHEATEN, AS LONG AS THE COLOUR FITS THE STANDARD

While showing my beautiful mid-wheaten male (Mohaget’s Major Maddox), who was always al­ most the lightest dog in the show ring, I had prob­ lem many times with all around judges because they were uncertain if his colour was in standard.

Even if he was maybe the best representative in the ring at that time, he ended up second placed behind super dark dogs with huge construction­ al faults, or even worse, behind dogs which dark colour was out of standard. That was never a case with breed specialist judges. They all know stan­ dard colour shades, but still….we have to show our dogs on national and international shows, not only at specialities and clubshows. Consequent­ ly, it is important that light wheatens become fa­ miliar to everyone. On one occasion, an all around judge told me: “You have an exceptional dog, but I have a problem with his color”. I answered him: “His color is standard”. The judge replied, “I like dark ones”.

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This is reality and it is really sad that we have start­ ed to lose light wheatens because the “dark” fash­ ion. This fad is already dictating how some Rho­ desian Ridgebacks are bred. We are now seeing non standard colours like chocolate and mahog­ any into the breed because some judges award that.

Lela and I decided to keep our wheaten girl Kala (Khaleesi Komainu Neomele) not only because she is beautiful and at the moment extremely promising puppy, but also because we want to give our best to contribute to the breed by show­ ing her. Her sister has gone to a kennel in Switzer­ land and will also attend dogshows. We are aware that we will probably encounter the misunder­ standing of certain judges and wrong decisions due to lack of knowledge of Ridgeback standard color. Regardless, we will give lot of effort to pres­ ent to the judge, after the show, the whole spec­ trum colors that we have in the breed, if needed (even this article). It is also our desire to help ed­ ucate a wider audience that is not familiar with light wheaten Ridgebacks and that we also have beautiful blond representatives in the breed.

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by Barbara Turpin Of Course Rhodesian Ridgebacks

LESSONS LEARNED FROM A LIFETIME OF WHELPING

Hello World!

Whelping Bed Blankets and Rags Surgical Scissors Raspberry Leaf Tea Blue Cohosh The Concoction!

A Flashlight and a Towel Wheelbarrow Denning Slow Goers Wait. Weight?

What a Let Down!

Sub Q A Tube, a Bottle, a Teat - Which is Best?

Mastitis Room Temperature Liquid Calcium Pyometra Mucus Plug Ear Temperature Do the Shuffle!

Stepping In Whelping Book

HELLO WORLD! Time stood still. I was huddled next to our Whip­ pet, Ember, who was delivering puppies in the 1960s. My father explained patiently and quietly what was happening. He told me about the sack, getting puppies breathing, and making sure they were nursing. A lot has changed since then, and a lot has stayed the same.

I learned both beautiful and hard lessons about whelping when I was a young child. My favourite room in the house was the dog room, especially when there were puppies around. Hour upon hour I sat with, slept, and interacted with the puppies and mother. In that regard, very little has changed.

Mentally preparing for puppies is almost as im­ portant as being physically ready, with all the latest and greatest supports. Some people’s whelping rooms are better equipped than some vet’s offic­ es, but remember, Man and Dog have been doing this together for tens of thousands of years.

I have mentored many breeders in whelping, and it is one of my greatest joys and an honour that I don’t take for granted. Recently I was at a dog show and there was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who was a past “client.” I crouched down, flung wide my arms, and called, “Ally!” She molested me with vigour and great wiggling. You see, she and I shared in a prehistoric ritual that has created an interspecies bond, solidifying the man-dog relationship.

Imagine those cave dwellers, women and men, so much like us, during whelping. I like to try and pic­ ture myself in front of a fire, shadows dancing on the walls, the sound of mother dog panting, and a savoury brew bubbling over the fire, throwing off puffs of aromatic steam.

I wonder if that cave-dwelling woman relied on some of the same herbal remedies I use today?

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PREPARING FOR A LITTER

I wonder if she used blue cohosh, raspberry leaf, arnica or yarrow. Did she employ massage tech­ niques to comfort her companion and cohort until both were in a state of mind that brought about feelings of peace and trust? I like to think that she, or he, did.

Breeders have approximately eight weeks, from the time of breeding, to really prepare for a litter.

Over the years, I’ve started my whelping process about a week prior to the delivery date. Getting mom settled in the whelping room and bed helps her to develop comfort with the newness of the sit­ uation. This is especially true for first time mothers.

Waiting until the last minute can cause mother to be uncertain about where she should be and what she should be doing. By taking those 3-7 days pri­ or, and just sitting in the room and/or the whelping bed, you can settle mother into a routine that you don’t need to disrupt once puppies come.

This practice of setting up well in advance assures that everything is in its place, so that there is less to do and find once puppies start coming.

Every litter is different. Every dam is different. Not everything goes according to plan, but here are some things I do, and items I use, to prepare for most eventualities.

WHELPING BED

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How I envy, good-naturedly, the big, fancy whelp­ ing bed with a kennel name emblazoned on the inner wall. I love that. But it doesn’t currently work for me. I still find that a kiddie pool is ideal. Here’s why. I can easily move it myself. I can bleach it be­ tween litters, and it lasts for many litters. It is easy to store, even in rafters. And if it gets ruined, it is not a pricey item to replace.

Since I spend the first two weeks at the new litter’s side, there is no need for pig rails. I always wonder if pig rails create a false sense of security, as they will do nothing to help a puppy that isn’t under their safety. Some Rhodesian Ridgebacks mothers are not always careful, and pups can fall victim to inju­ ry or suffocation from any location in the whelping bed.

BLANKETS AND RAGS I’ve heard of a litter of 22 Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies, though litters typically are around ten.

That means at least ten rough rags and at least five blankets or bedding, including one “ripping blanket.”

Having rough rags, such as small towels, can save you a trip to the vet. I’ve assisted in many deliveries where a rough rag, gently placed on an append­ age protruding from the birth canal, was suffi­ cient in getting a stuck puppy out. Assuring that no parts are in a bad position (such as front feet forward and head back), grasp the foot or feet with the rough rag while mom is contracting. Don’t

pull, just hold so pup doesn’t go back in. On the next contraction, gently move side to side, mov­ ing approximately five centimetres to the left and right of centre, and very lightly apply pulling pres­ sure (don’t pull hard) during that contraction.

When the contractions stop, just hold the puppy.

After several times of doing this, most pups will make their way through.

I set out about four rags at a time on the brim of the pool or wall of the whelping pen. Having them ready to go is especially helpful if you have two pups that come very close together. I generally only use a rag once, and then it goes in the wash.

Clean and dry bedding makes everyone feel better.

All rags and bedding are washed mildly, some­ times just with borax and a touch of bleach. Never ever use fabric softener on rags or bedding with puppies During pre-labour many RR moms love to shred bedding. This activity aids in contractions and helps to get mom ready to deliver. I usually put a thicker blanket on the bottom for comfort, and then an old blanket on top for them to shred.

Sometimes, I even use my own nails to scratch the blanket to help trigger a shredding response in mom. This can be done well before pups are born

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There are over-the-counter blood stops, and some people also like to use Silver Nitrate. This works rel­ atively well but will stain your hands a dark brown.

SURGICAL SCISSORS I’m sure it goes without saying that all equipment should be sterilized before use. I like rubbing al­ cohol in those pump containers for cleaning be­ tween puppies.

You might only use surgical scissors once during a whelping, but I always have them on hand.

RASPBERRY LEAF TEA Uterine interia happens when the uterus runs out of steam. There are many remedies, medi­ cines, and surgeries (c-section) that can deal with this problem, but I like to use natural remedies as much as possible. I grow my own raspberries, so I dry the leaves, then grind, and store them.

and helps accustom mom to the whelping space.

I usually have a stack of ten or so blankets ready to go so that I don’t have to wait for a load of laundry to finish before more pups start coming.

Regularly washing and replacing the blankets can reduce the risk of the puppies catching a cold, and also helps maintain the hygiene and comfort of the mother.

Oh, these lovely little biting things! A puppy can bleed out in minutes if mom has taken a cord off too short. I use any one of three methods to stop the bleeding. Even if pup is not breathing, stop that bleed first, then work on resuscitation after.

Clamp the hemostat about halfway between the bleed and the body of the puppy. Trim off any ex­ cesses on the outside of the hemostat--not on the side closest to pup--with surgical scissors.

After about ten seconds, remove the hemostat.

The bleeding should have stopped by then, but if it hasn’t stopped, try one of these two methods. One is to use unwaxed dental floss, even thread, and tie off the cord. Another is to take a dry rag, place it over the bleed, and then pinch hard on the outside of the rag. This will help to crush the end and stop the bleeding.

Do not give uterine support prior to first pup be­ ing born, forcing premature placenta detachment.

If this occurs, pups can bleed out before making it out of the womb and birth canal. Once first pup has arrived, you can offer raspberry leaf tea in wa­ ter or in the whelping concoction. Just a few ta­ blespoons will give nice support. Store the steeped tea in the fridge. For the preppers out there, you can make the tea well in advance and pour into ice cube trays and freeze it. Use one cube per serving or in water dish.

I have never used oxytocin but know that others have. The risk of fatalities is much higher with this drug, when other options may work just as well, and without the risk. Keep in mind, we produce oxytocin through skin-to-skin contact. That means that by stroking mom’s belly, oxytocin is released naturally.

I spend a large portion of my time in the whelping bed doing this. This is also very comforting to both mom and midwife.

BLUE COHOSH Traditionally known here in Canada as “papoose root,” it is a well-known labour support. Some­ times, I will start off uterine support with Blue Co­ hosh after first puppy instead of the Raspberry Leaf tea. Then, once all pups have arrived, continue with the raspberry leaf tea to help support the uterus, reduce any associated pain, and help to expel extra debris from the uterus and birth canal.

Scientifically known as Caulophyllum thalictroides, it should not be confused with Black Cohosh.

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If all else fails, use a blood stop. I love yarrow (Ach­ illea Millefolium) for this as it quickly clots blood, and it is a natural remedy, so it won’t be harmful to mom if ingested.

THE CONCOCTION!

A FLASHLIGHT AND A TOWEL

During that week prior to whelping, I take small containers that can be frozen and make up several single serving sizes of my whelping concoction.

Many females like to wait until the wee hours of the night to deliver babies. For this reason, have a flashlight, towel, and leash at the ready. I’ve had more than one puppy decide to arrive in the dead of night, in the yard.

Use equal parts of pumpkin to yoghurt. Mix well.

Add in a small amount of hemp oil, raspberry leaf tea, fennel tea and arnica tea. You may need to of­ fer it several times before mom takes it. For espe­ cially finicky mothers, you may need to add some browned meat, not fish, to the concoction.

The pumpkin and yoghurt will help to normal­ ize the gut and prevent diarrhoea that can occur from eating placentas, etc. I have always allowed my girls to perform this function. Sometimes they will vomit them up, so be prepared with a pail next to the whelping bed to be on the safe side. Quickly remove any vomit and remove from the room so that mom doesn’t go back to it to try and eat it.

Hemp oil has restorative or healing properties. No more than a teaspoon per concoction if your dog is not accustomed to it. For those that are on daily doses of hemp oil, you can continue with one ta­ blespoon per concoction.

Fennel must be one of my favourite herbs for dogs, especially for whelping mothers. Imagine having delivered ten puppies, post labour pains, and then gas to top it all off! Fennel is so soothing to the in­ testinal tract, and it cuts gas. It can also cut gas in puppies, which can be fatal. As an extra bonus, fen­ nel can also aid in milk production.

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Arnica tea is used both internally and externally.

Only use small amounts internally during labour then no more but do use cooled arnica tea to clean mom’s hind end regularly. This will help mom to heal and feel better. Sometimes, I will even just take a clean rag, absorb the arnica tea, wring out excess moisture, and simply rest it up against her vulva.

In the event of this happening, quickly wrap the puppy in a towel and return both the mother and puppy to the whelping bed. If required, help with the clean-up process.

Leashing your female is essential, as some females will run off and try to find a place outside to whelp puppies. If you don’t want to be crawling around on your stomach at 3:00 am, a leash is the answer.

WHEELBARROW Poor positioning of a puppy can hamper the pro­ gression of delivery. Taking mom for a walk (with towel, leash, and flashlight) can help to reposition some puppies. In other cases, I’ve relied on the Wheelbarrow method.

A couple of years ago I was at the home of Kirsi Lar­ java (Ridgefolk RRs), helping with the whelping of her Norfolk Terrier and we were chatting about this method. We’d both learned about it from a popu­ lar whelping group here. As Kirsi tells the story, a certain member misunderstood the instructions and was running her full-term pregnant female up and down the hallway, with her butt lifted in the air, for twenty minutes! We had a good chuckle over that. So, that’s how not to do the method.

The Wheelbarrow method simply means lifting the rear up off the ground and doing a gentle stretch. You can hold the position for a couple of minutes, and then release. Don’t be afraid to re­ peat it.

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Sometimes, despite our best ef­ forts, puppies cannot be resus­ citated. Be prepared to remove puppy and have a small box, or something similar, where you can place puppy outside of the room. If you are taking puppy in for necropsy, store it in the freez­ er until you can get to your ani­ mal health unit.

Wheelbarrow method

I’ve found this method works well. Just remember to also watch for any signs of distress in case there is another reason that labour has stalled out.

DENNING Some new moms don’t like the feeling of openness and you may need to set up ex-pens around the whelping bed with blankets or sheets draped over the pens and across the top to help mimic a den.

Some females can stall their labour until this is done. So, if you have a labour that isn’t progressing, and everything else is in order, consider making a den for the mom. It’s actually very interesting to see how quickly things progress once this is done, if this is the issue affecting the process.

SLOW GOERS Some puppies take time to get breathing. During these times a lot of decisions need to be made all at the same time. In these situations, it’s nice to have an extra person nearby. I’m generally the person do­ ing the resuscitation, so the other person takes over the whelping and I will work on the puppy.

Clearing the airway is the first order of business (Unless the puppy has an umbilical bleed as well. In that case, tie off the bleed first).

Drag your clean, dry rag down the muzzle and across the nose and mouth, pulling away any external mucus. Listen. Put pup’s nose to your ear. Is there a crackling sound, but pup is breathing? Start vig­ orous chest rubbing for about ten seconds. Listen again.

Pup may need to be swung; mucus may need to be drawn from the sinuses. Sometimes mother dogs will desperately try to take these pups from you to get them going, so you may need to leave the room with the puppy, or you may wish to let mom try, with cau­

With new moms especially, they can become frantic if you try to leave the room with their puppy.

Even if it is deceased. In this sce­ nario, take a dirty rag and wrap it around the last living pup born. Take a clean rag and wrap it around the deceased puppy.

Hold them to both next to your chest, then give the living puppy in the soiled rag to the mom and hand the deceased pup to your helper, secretly, or quickly step outside the room and place pup in a safe area where other dogs won’t disturb it.

WAIT. WEIGHT? The very best tool we have at our disposal for determining a pup’s progress is a scale. Pups should be weighed at least once per day until all pups are gaining reg­ ularly. This usually happens in about a week, sometimes less.

For pups not gaining, discharg­ ing milk from the nose, and still raspy sounding in their breath­ ing, be sure to check for a cleft palate. If you have been giving folic acid regularly, chances of midline defects, such as der­ moid sinus and cleft palates, are greatly reduced.

Reminder: if pups are gassy, in­ crease fennel tea to mom to help reduce gas in puppies.

In addition to tracking the pup­ pies’ weights, their rate of gain or loss is also monitored and re­

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tion. RR moms can sometimes try too hard and end up injur­ ing puppies. Be vigilant, playing close attention to the manner­ isms of the mom. Don’t be sur­ prised if mom drops pup from a height. This can get a pup going, if there is not too much mucus in the lungs and sinuses. Generally, though, I don’t allow them to do this.

corded. This practice enables the identification of any puppies that may be experiencing difficulties at an early stage.The entire litter will typically drop weight the first day. That is normal. Don’t panic.

But after two or three days if gains are not happen­ ing, it’s time to look for underlying issues.

WHAT A LET DOWN! If you have a puppy that’s struggling, never put them on to nurse if let down has not occurred.

Sometimes, well-meaning novices will place a weak puppy on mom by itself. This is the worst thing that can be done for the puppy. After the co­ lostrum is finished being produced, mother’s milk comes in. But it is not available to the puppies until “let down” has occurred.

Milk is brought down by the kneading and pulling action you see from puppies. During the knead­ ing phase, no milk is produced. This action burns a lot of calories in puppies, and for weak puppies, it could mark the beginning of the end.

Let your big pups bring down the milk. When let down occurs, the difference is very stark. The pups will lock their forelegs, pull back their heads, tails erect, and gulping sounds occur. This is the time to put that weak puppy on a good nipple. I usually use the second from the back.

As soon as pups start kneading again, take the weak puppy off. Don’t let them burn more calories that they need to.

SUB Q

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Dehydration can be a puppy’s worst enemy. Reg­ ularly check your pups’ hydration levels by tenting their skin. If it pops back to normal relatively quick­ ly, hydration is sufficient. If the skin stays in a peak, like a tent, then they are dehydrated and in need of immediate support.

Administering subcutaneous fluids is a procedure that most experienced breeders know how to do. If you are not comfortable or experienced doing this, consider bringing in a doggy midwife or taking the affected puppy to a vet.

There are many videos available online if you would like to learn. Consider practicing on one of your adult dogs before trying to do it with a puppy.

A TUBE, A BOTTLE, A TEAT - WHICH IS BEST? Just as in human babies, puppies’ best source of calories and nutrition is from their mother. Things can happen and sometimes support is needed.

I’ve done both tube and bottle feeding successful­ ly, though I prefer the bottle for a couple of reasons.

One reason is that there is less chance of infection or injury. Another is that the pup still must work

a little, so it will gain strength and muscles that won’t develop with tube feeding.

As much as possible, try to get puppy back on mom as soon as you can. This will give your pup its best chance going forward.

MASTITIS I try to drill in to all my proteges that if your moth­ er dog develops mastitis, get them to the vet yesterday. Mastitis can have catastrophic effects, even causing death. I’m comfortable doing a lot of home treatments, but this is not one of them.

Mastitis can go necrotic very quickly, eating through flesh and leaving huge, gaping wounds, so learn to look for the signs and treat it as early as possible.

A couple of years ago, one of my girls was shivering hard a few days after her puppies were born. Weird, I thought. She looked miserable. I immediately checked all her mammaries and sure enough, I found a hot one.

I immediately start stripping out (manually ex­ pressing out the milk/infection) the affected mam­ mary. This is the first thing to do. Then wash with mild soap and water then remove all soap residue by rinsing and wringing your rag regularly.

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Draw a line around the infected area with a non-toxic marker. If the infection exceeds that cir­ cle, off to the vet you go for antibiotics. This is not the time for heroics and home remedies. This is a very serious condition that needs to be halted as soon as possible.

The infection may not be visible to start with, so checking manually is important. If the skin has no change in colour, you’ve caught it early, but contin­ ue to check it regularly. If the area turns dark red, that is a big danger warning. The next step, if you do not treat your female with antibiotics, is you will start to see a black area. That is necrosis and you’ve left it too long. Get to the vet immediately or risk a huge vet bill and possibly the loss of your female.

a normal room temp of 20 C. Perhaps even more importantly, avoid drafts. Cold air rushing in that is constantly shifting the room temperature can put pups at risk. Keep visitors to an absolute minimum for the first three days, avoiding opening and closing the whelping room door. If necessary, roll a large towel and place in front of any door that may be allowing cold air in.

There are various ways to warm a room or whelp­ ing bed. I have a small electric fireplace in the whelping room. Usually, it is sufficient for keeping the room warm, but a couple of alternatives are to place a heating pad or electric blanket underneath your whelping bed. Make sure it does not entirely cover the whelping area as pups will need a place to move to if the temperature gets too warm.

ROOM TEMPERATURE

Another passive way to heat the space is to take a clean, used jug of some sort, fill with hot water and place one or more inside the whelping bed. Cold pups will gravitate to it, and hot pups will move away. By observing how they react to the heat, you can determine if the room is too hot, too cold, or just right.

For the first three days, consider dressing for the beach. The whelping room should be about 25.5 degrees Celsius, or 78 degrees Fahrenheit. I drop it gradually over the next week or two and bring it to

I also use large detergent jugs with hot water placed outside, usually in an area where they like to sleep, with the puppies when they start going outside. They have a place to go to warm up if they need to.

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Do not remove puppies from nursing on the af­ fected mammary. It must be drained of infection regularly and will not harm the puppy. However, I will typically choose two or three of the strongest puppies to help and let the smaller ones nurse on unaffected nipples.

LIQUID CALCIUM For females hit hard with uterine inertia, some people like to use liquid calcium. I have only used it once, but would, with caution, use it again.

One of the hardest decisions you will face as a breeder is whether, or not, to take your female in for a c-section. Some people do these routinely, but I like to give the mom the opportunity to do it on her own, provided that neither mom nor pups are in distress.

Because I have limited experience with this sup­ plement, I recommend doing your own research if you wish to add it to your list of whelping items.

PYOMETRA

DO THE SHUFFLE! As more pups are born, the risk of getting stepped on increases. Some breeders use a separate box or container to move puppies into. I’ve found, with our breed, the moms don’t really like that. They want to see puppies and if they can’t see them, they can become frantic and halt contractions.

Instead, I make a big cirlce with my arms and when the next pup is about to be born, I encircle the de­ livered puppies and draw them away from mom, so they don’t get stepped on. As soon as that new pup is out, all the other puppies go back to mom.

Becoming familiar with normal birthing smells can help in early detection of pyo. Check mom’s temperature and discharge regularly. Fever and stinky discharge earn your girl a trip to the vet. But how about doing everything to prevent it to begin with?

This is much faster than moving pups in and out and helps to keep mom calmer.

Knock on wood, I have not had a mom come down with pyo, either my own or the dogs of others whom I’ve assisted.

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Still use a physical thermometer to get an accurate read if you think something is going amiss, but for those quick checks, use the ear flap method. This can help you to catch conditions such as pyometra and mastitis before they take hold.

One of the main reasons I provide so much uter­ ine support is to help prevent pyometra, or uterine infection. “Pyo”, for short, can claim an unspayed bitch at any time, but they are especially prone to it after breeding or whelping.

Raspberry leaf tea seems like such an innocuous remedy, but it is one of the most reliable treat­ ments for uterine health. Keep that tea coming for the next couple of weeks post-delivery.

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Practice this technique on your other dogs to fa­ miliarize yourself with what a normal temperature feels like.

A gross name, for a gross thing, at the beginning of a beautiful experience. The mucus plug is the official barrier between gestating puppies and the outside world. It is thick, whitish, and translucent.

During pregnancy, small amounts of mucus can be expelled. These small amounts are nothing to worry about. Pre-labour moves to labour when that plug comes out.

This step can be missed, but don’t worry, there are other signs of labour, such as robust panting.

EAR TEMPERATURE I am constantly checking temperature manually.

The quick technique I use is the ear flap tempera­ ture check. Flip over mom’s ear and put your inner wrist on the inside of the ear leather. A dog’s body temperature is just slightly higher than ours.

If the ear feels very hot or very cold, time to start checking for a source.

STEPPING IN I really enjoy watching other breeds deliver pup­ pies. I end up helping a lot with the Ridgebacks because they generally have big litters and are sometimes not particularly graceful with puppies.

One of my Whippet breeder friends laughs about how she just sits there and her females do all the work. Some breeds are like that.

Some of my girls can be quite dramatic, and right­ fully so, during the first couple of puppies. Some­ times I hold them as they push against my shoul­ der with their chest, crying out as the first puppy is born. This is normal, though not all dogs do it. Just be prepared that it could happen and don’t panic when it does.

I do open the sack, if not already open, once they are born and wipe clear the face. Mom will be cleaning away afterbirth, etc., hopefully. Keep a close eye on the umbilical cord. Don’t let mom take it off too short. If she’s not interested in cutting the cord, you will have to do it using the hemostat method that I described earlier.

Rub puppy with clean, dry rag to help clear lungs and start the drying process.

You can help the pup latch on to a nipple, but in most cases, they can do it better themselves.

Try to weigh and record birth information as soon as possible after delivery.

Reminder, if you have a puppy that is not breath­ ing and it has an umbilical bleed, stop the bleed­ ing first, then work on reviving the puppy.

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WHELPING BOOK

This notation section is very helpful if any future problems develop. I will note things such as slow start, strong start, raspy noises, listlessness, etc.

I have several blank pages in the binder where I can start taking notes. I usually start note taking from the time I get mom situated in whelping

As you can see, there are many things to know when whelping. You won’t use every skill in every litter, but it helps to be prepared.

Happy whelping to friends far and wide. May all your litters exceed your expectations!

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I have a binder for every litter I’ve bred. Every pup­ py has its own birth page where I record their birth number, time of birth, weight, colour, number of dew claws (I can get rears and sometimes double rears), pattern of white on chest, and other nota­ tions.

room. This is helpful when you have multiple fe­ males that each have their own idiosyncrasies. For example, a female I co-owned with a US breeder had pre labour that lasted for days! Because this was noted, there wasn’t a panic on her next litter when she had another drawn out pre-labour.

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55

WR IT T EN BY ANDREW H. BRACE

DO BREEDERS OR JUDGES CHANGE BREEDS?

I

have been following with interest a thread on Facebook which has been discussing the changes that are going on within a breed as regards basic shape and balance, and there have been some interesting observa­ tions put forward. It has been interesting to see how many contributors clearly lie any blame at the foot of the breeder whereas others see the judges as the guilty party. So who is responsible for changing a breed?

If we restrict our discussion to breeders who are involved with a breed for the sheer pleasure of liv­ ing with it and subsequently competing with it in the conformation ring, they first become attract­ ed to a breed because of its physical appearance and its character. They will in most cases start off as a one-dog owner/exhibitor and only in time do they drift into breeding. Few set off with the spe­ cific aim of becoming a prolific dog breeder.

The responsible route is of course to first research the breed and then begin attending dog shows where they will see excellent examples of their chosen breed. The more exposure they have to dog shows, the more dogs they will see from dif­ ferent breeders and bloodlines and it may well be, even in their formative years, that they are drawn to a particular look or style and discover that the dogs that appeal to them may well have breeding in common. Obviously the breeder who is pro­ ducing the dogs they admire will be the first port

of call. They will probably initially be looking for an attractive companion that they may well consid­ er showing; some will want a male as they have no desire to breed whereas others may prefer a bitch as they have already considered the possi­ bility of breeding a litter. Given that their chosen breeder is both ethical and responsible, they will give them all the advice they need, make them aware of the availability of a suitable puppy and subsequently provide solid after-sales care and guidance.

Given that they rear and train their puppy in ac­ cordance with the breeder’s instructions the new owner will find themselves with a potential show dog on their hands and may wish to dip their toe into the water. They may meet with immediate success at some level or they may be disappoint­

Fashions come and go and breeds do change. This is evolution.

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THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG

The breed is changing.

It takes a very strong-minded breeder to deliberately breed a litter, expecting the result to be correct if not “fashionable”.

ed as their young hopeful appears to fall short of the demands of the show ring. At this point some exhibitors will fall by the wayside but those who have been “bitten by bug” will stick with it, even if it means waiting until a superior specimen be­ comes available for them to continue showing with greater success.

Many of these exhibitors will eventually become breeders. So do breeders consciously aim pro­ duce what is winning in the show ring, or what appeals to their own eye? Can there be a differ­ ence?

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Fashions come and go and breeds do change.

This is evolution. Some of the changes may be considered for the better, especially where there is a health and welfare aspect, but others can be deemed to be negative changes especially if they fall into the context of exaggeration. We have all seen breeds that have become shorter and short­ er in back, more and more angulated behind, get longer and longer necks and so on, often ignoring the requirement of moderation called for in the respective breed standard.

If we take a hypothetical example of a breed that should be well ribbed-back but short coupled, with moderate angulation and whose outline is by design off-square, the basic shape is entirely function-related. The conformation allows free movement that has reach, drive and scope and is essentially parallel out and back.

Then one day a dog appears in the ring that is ultra-compact due to a shortness of rib but as smart as paint. It has instant eye-appeal and the judges love it. It wins and wins and so many breeders flock to use it. Within a very short space of time more and more dogs appear in the ring that have a somewhat different outline from the ideal. They are short-backed with firm backlines but their construction is such that their out-andback action suffers, with forelegs being thrown every which way to avoid the rear legs but they maintain their all-of-a-piece smartness on the go-around and they win like crazy.

We now come to a situation where judges are fre­ quently faced with classes where the majority of dogs presented are of this smart, compact type but occasionally there will be dogs in the same class of correct breed proportions yet they look like the “odd man out”. Of course judging is not just about putting dogs up or down based on one solitary aspect, but given that the correctly pro­ portioned animal is of equal merit elsewhere to those of the “new look” they should be recognised accordingly. However as many of our judges are not specialists in all the breeds they judge there is always the danger that they will assume that the majority will be correct. This is where deep knowl­ edge and skill is required of a judge.

Judges can only judge what is put in front of them and we have all been in a situation where we have awarded BOB to a dog that is simply that – best of the breed entry in our opinion – yet are all too aware that the dog could be improved in this area or that.

One of my most memorable experiences was interviewing the famous American all-rounder Anne Rogers Clark when she hammered home her thoughts on “the drag of a breed”, by which she meant a fault that had crept into a breed and was becoming so common that it was almost becoming accepted. Annie stressed that when judging such a breed she always felt that it was the judge’s responsibility to be tough on those dogs who displayed “the drag” and reward as highly as possible those that did not. Only then will exhibitors stop and think and consider which way their breed is going.

Breeders who breed for the show ring want to win. They are aware of the style of dog that is tak­ ing top honours but do they actually stop and ask themselves if the winning dogs are always correct? It takes a very strong-minded breeder to deliberately breed a litter, expecting the result to be correct if not “fashionable”. Their hope must be that they will come up against enough judg­ es who recognise their efforts and reward them accordingly even though they may be in the mi­ nority. At the end of the day most breeders breed dogs that appeal to THEM; what happens in the show ring is a bonus.

Sometimes it can be very worthwhile to dig out old books on our breed and study some of the iconic dogs of the past. They may not be as “fan­ cy” as some of their descendants but were they more faithful to the breed standard as regards ba­ sic shape and conformation? The conclusion can sometimes come as quite a shock.

So when we see somewhat offbeat dogs winning, who is to blame? The judge or the breeder? What came first … the chicken or the egg?

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ACUPUNCTURE AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

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HOW CAN ACUPUNCTURE AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE HELP ANIMALS

Maja Turk, DVM Veterinary acupuncturist (SIAV)

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Acupuncture is the most recognised method of the ancient medicine.

Acupuncture is recognized for the treat­ ment of many ilnesses by the WHO in humans and is gaining importance in the western part of the world for treat­ ment of pain and chronic diseases in animals as well. Besides acupuncture, functional gymnastics, food therapy and herbs, manual therapies and moxi­ bustion are all methods which are often combined in a successful treatment of our furry patients.

In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) different methods of treatment are often combined in a holistic approach. The individual is understood as a »whole« - we often refer to it as a »microcosmos«, who is part of the enviroment - the »macrocos­ mos«. This concept is very far from the »western« medicine approach, where we have specialists almost for every organ or tissue in the body and they get taken in consideration separately. In or­ der to make this a bit more clear, let me explain the main concepts of TCM.

HEALTH MEANS BALANCE. Consequently, illness is the result of the loss of balance, when the energy of the life force, called shortly Qi (pronounced »Chi«) is disrupted or blocked. Qi flows 24 hours a day within the paths we call meridians or channels. You have proba­ bly heard about the 12 main meridians which are named after the organs: Bladder, Stomach, Liver etc., but actually there are many more of them – they interconnect like a net throughout the body so the Qi can reach each and every cell. The dis­ ruption of the circulation of Qi can be a conse­ quence of external or internal factors and means that the energy is in excess or deficient in the concerned part of the body. The aim of the treat­ ment in TCM is getting the flow back in balance.

Organ systems not just organs We are used to talk about liver, spleen, bladder etc. But in TCM as everything is connected it would be more appropriate to speak about Liv­ er system, which also includes: gallbladder, eyes, tendons, nails, anger and agressive behaviour.

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L

et’s go back to 1700 b.c., ancient China. That’s the period of the first known written testimonies about healing with acupuncture. Testi­ monies about the use of acupuncture in animals date to some 1000 years later, and the first species it was used on was the horse.

The physical and psychic sphere are connected Each of the main organs is connected with a feel­ ing: Kidney – fear, Liver – anger, Heart – joy, Spleen – pensivness, Lungs – sadness. A long term stress will inevitably sooner or later cause physical prob­ lems and physical issues will have an emotional impact.

The main advantage of the TCM is prevention In our enviroment we are used to seek treatment only when symptoms arise. With conventional meds we treat the symptom. Though a specific and uninvasive diagnostic procedure we are in TCM able to detect the imbalances BEFORE the actual symptoms show up. So we are able to work in their prevention.

THE USE OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE IN DOGS

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The therapeutic approach in TCM consists in dif­ ferent methods. The choice of the method de­ pends on the gravity of the imbalance, and we can use one or more of them contemporarily. We start with the therapies where we are not even touching the patient e.g. gymnastics, food thera­ py and herbs. In more significant imbalances we use methods like manual therapy, moxibustion and acupuncture.

Functional gymnastics or more simply put – ther­ apy with movement is especially helpful in get­ ting the Qi flow smoothly. You have probably heard of Qi gong and Tai chi. Well, we can’t re­ ally apply those to animals, but we can do some stretching exercises using treats. Walks with free running and sniffing, swimming, walking on dif­ ferent surfaces or performing tricks can all be beneficial in maintaing balance. The key is not to overwork, but everyday regular movement and having fun is an excellent choice.

A long term positive effect of acupuncture ther­ apies is heavily supported by a good nutrition. In the »West« we are used to talk about the correct balance between proteins, minerals, fats and so on. In TCM we mostly talk about food energet­ ics. It is not about calories, but again, in restoring and keeping balance. Every food item has its own »temperature«, »colour«, »taste« and tendency to support one or more organs. Fresh, local and food which is in season, plus variety are the main guidelines in a healthy nutrition.

When the imbalance gets more pronounced, in­ troducing phytotherapy – herb treatment is ben­ eficial. Herb treatment in TCM is used in line with the diagnostic findings and in a holistic approach.

The ancient herbal formulas are composed of more ingredients, and each of them has a specif­ ic role, the Chinese call »Ruler«, »Minister«, »Coun­ cellor« and »Ambassador«.

Another method very well accepted by our dogs is the manual therapy. Tui-na massage improves activity, health and resistance to the invasion of the pathologic factors by massaging certain me­ ridians and acupuncture points. The local circula­ tion is improved and resulting in its anti-inflam­ matory and pain-relieving action. The japanese version of the massage is called Shiatsu (Shi – fin­ ger, atsu - pressure) and can also be performed on animals.

A pleasant stimulation of the acupuncture points with a warm stick made of mugwort (Artemisia sp.) plant is a method which can be performed at home by the owner. The mugwort stick burns slowly and emits warmth which is very beneficial in treating chronic conditions, which get worse with cold or damp weather. Besides point stim­

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ulation, the warmth helps with local vasodialata­ tion and consequently with pain relief. Moxibus­ tion is mainly used in winter, although most of the Ridgebacks would probably be happy with this additional warm treatment sessions all year round.

location. In the west we tend to name the acu­ puncture points with the abbreviated name of the meridian and a number. There are around 365 acupuncture points. It is very interesting, that a large number of the coincides with trigger points points which are used in physiotherapy.

The next method is undoubtly also the most known: acupuncture. Acupuncture consists in gently putting very thin and flexible needles into certain areas of the body, called acupuncture points. The first needles in the b.c. times were made of quartz, jade or bones. With the discovery of the metals, iron and copper needles came in use. Nowdays we use sterilised stainless steel nee­ dles for single use.

An acupuncture session lasts around 20-25 min­ utes. We usually tend to do the first treatments not too far apart (4-5 days and then once a week) and when the effect is reached, the sessions can be gradually spaced apart to monthly sessions or less often.

Each acupuncture point has its Chinese name, which mostly depicts what is it used for or its

I often get asked, how do dogs tolerate needles?

Does the therapy hurt? Well, I can reassure you, that most of them don`t even react when the needle is placed – why would they? The diame­ ter of the needle is only a quarter of the millime­

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MODERN TREATMENT METHODS WERE DEVELOPED IN THE »WEST« Asia sure is the cradle ob TCM. However, an im­ portant development of this ancient medicine happend in Europe and North America. Lots of studies are performed to prove the efficacy of acupuncture and other TCM methods according to our standards. This is a bit of a challenge, since it is very difficult to standardize acupuncture treatments for a certain disease (e.g. arthritis). The choice of the points in acupuncture which gives the best results is always individual and unique.

It changes from session to session according to the response of the patient and general protocols usually tend not to give the best results.

New, non invasive methods are gaining value in present days. Laser acupuncture uses a laser beam to stimulate the acupuncture points. This method is very gentle, painless and quick. I tend to use it with unruly dogs and cats and always give the choice to the owner, whether he prefers me to use needles or laser. Cromoacupuncture uses a light beam of different wavelenghts to stimulate the acupuncture points.

WHAT DOES THE »ACUPUNCTURE VISIT« LOOK LIKE? Before we start »sticking the needles« in the dog, a treatment plan is made, following a thorough evaluation and examination of the patient. The diagnostic procedure is completely non invasive and gentle. It consists of an extensive chat with the owner for a deep anamnesys. Meanwhile I ob­ serve the dog, how he moves, relates to the envi­ roment and the people, I am attentive at any par­ ticular smells or sounds. The observation of the tongue is one of the important parts of the TCM exams. I sometimes ask owners to show me or send me pictures of the tongue in advance in or­ der to minimise stress during the visit. Next phase is the palpation of the diagnostic points and the pulse. By putting all of the observations together, we determine the Chinese diagnosis (usually re­ ferred to as syndrome(s) and this is then the base of the treatment plan.

WHEN CAN ACUPUNCTURE BE USED We can use acupuncture and other TCM meth­ ods with every disease. Remember, that this was the only medicine avilable for millenia in Asia – if it wouldn`t be effective, the Asians wouldn`t have survived till today, right?

Because of the specific and strange terminology based on the Taoist philosophy and holistic ap­ proach, TCM is frequently misunderstood or even laughed at. However, TCM is a medical approach, which uses precise clinical algorithms to deter­ mine diagnosis and treatment strategy. It has a major advantage in prevention and in chronic diseases and can be used as a stand alone meth­ od of treatment or as a supportive care in order to reduce the use of drugs and their side effect.

The latter is called the integrative approach and is in my opinion a great option – why wouldn`t we use the best of both worlds in the care of our furry companions?

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ter, this is 10-times thinner than the usual needle used for application of drugs. Some dogs fall even asleep during sessions as acupuncture has a re­ laxing effect on the central nervous system which lasts for a shorter or longer period even after the session has ended.

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Wri tte n by L i s a

Reece,

USING NATURAL SOLUTIONS TO COMBAT ALLERGIES Does your dog suffer from allergies? You are not alone!

Unfortunately, it’s becoming more and more common.

So, what exactly are allergies?

Allergies are the response you see from the body when it can’t pro­ cess certain allergens it comes into contact with. These allergens can come from seasonal changes, the environment, food, or other toxins. They often present through the skin, respiratory system and/ or digestive system.

When the immune system is weakened or compromised it makes it easier for inflammation and disease to set in and for allergic re­ sponses to flare. A healthy immune system will identify potentially harmful pathogens, like bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites and work to eliminate them before they become a risk. A weak immune system cannot fight them off, leading to inflammation, which leads to disease and allergic reactions.

Over 70% of the immune system resides in the gut, so gut health is paramount in reducing allergic reactions. A healthy gut means healthy skin.

There are certain medications that offer relief from the allergy symptoms, but they don’t address the actual problem causing the reaction and can make it worse as they suppress the immune system to stop the inflammatory response, which then leaves your dog more susceptible to infections, inflammatory disease and even exacerbate cancer.

Instead, it is better to use natural solutions to help balance the gut health, boost the immune system and heal the skin.

A great place to start is with their diet. Less processed food equals less inflammation. Offer fresh foods with a good amount of fibre to aid digestion. Its also recommended to add a probiotic, like kefir, daily to your dog’s food to help the gut flora, and digestive enzymes to help break down the food and make it easier to digest. Omega 3 oil can also be beneficial, as well as bone broth.

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Cer tif ied Animal Aromath erapy Specialist , Canin e Aromath erapy.

Exercise also plays a vital role in keeping your dogs immune system healthy and functioning well. Ex­ cess fat can cause an increase in hormones which puts pressure on the immune system, effectively weakening it, so fat burning exercise is vital for a healthy immune system.

Another natural solution that can be beneficial for bringing the gut flora and the immune system back into balance is essential oils. Certain essen­ tial oils have been shown to help promote healthy inflammatory responses, protect against seasonal threats, support the immune system, and protect against environmental threats. They can also help to ease current allergy symptoms as well as help­ ing to prevent future ones.

By using them topically, diffusing, and in some cases, giving them internally, essential oils can re­ ally be of benefit to your dog if they are suffering from allergies.

The combination of Lavender, Lemon and Pep­ permint is great for easing allergy symptoms due to their antihistamine, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. This combination is per­ fect to diffuse when there’s extra pollen in the air and seasonal threats are high. It can also be used diluted on the skin where rashes occur or where there may be an insect bite or sting. Given oral­ ly, they can help to relieve allergic reactions like hives.

Essential oils like Clove, Oregano, Copaiba, Frank­ incense, Lavender, Rose, Geranium, Turmeric and Cardamom have been shown to support the im­ mune system as they are packed with antimicro­ bial, antiviral, antibacterial and antioxidant prop­ erties that help maintain balance in the immune system. These can be given internally in wet food or diluted and applied down the spine and be­ tween the paw pads on the back feet.

Helichrysum EO and 5 drops Geranium EO. Mix ingredients together well and apply a small amount to the affected area up to 4 times per day, as needed.

It is also essential to avoid using toxic chemicals on and around your dog as much as possible as they play a huge role in destroying your dogs gut health and immune system and prevention is al­ ways the best route to take! Go natural where you can, starting with your household cleaners and flea and tick meds. The less they are exposed to the better.

Remember, heal the gut, you heal the skin!

For more information on this topic feel free to fol­ low me on Instagram or Facebook. You can find me at Canine Aromatherapy. I am always happy to answer questions about dogs and their health!

Until next time, Happy oiling!

SOOTHE RASHES AND ITCHY SKIN • • • • • •

60ml Aloe Vera Gel 10 drops Lavender EO 5 drops Copaiba EO 5 drops Myrrh EO 5 drops Helichrysum EO 5 drops Geranium EO

Mix ingredients together well and apply a small amount to the affected area up to 4 times per day, as needed.

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To soothe rashes and itchy skin you can make and use my itchy skin solution.

Use Aloe Vera Gel as a base. If you don’t have Aloe Vera Gel you can use fractionated coconut oil in­ stead.

To 60ml Aloe Vera Gel add 10 drops Lavender EO, 5 drops Copaiba EO, 5 drops Myrrh EO, 5 drops Homepage www.caninearomatherapy.com Instagram canine.aromatherapy Facebook caninearomatherapy

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If you are looking for more recipes for natural alternatives to the products mentioned above, you can find most of them on my Instagram or Facebook page @ caninearomatherapy Please Note: I only recommend doTERRA essential oils as I can vouch for their purity, safety and efficiency. All recipes are made with doTERRA oils in mind. Please be mindful that synthetic or adulterated oils may not be safe for your dog.

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W R ITTEN BY H E L L E L A U R I D S E N

THE JOURNEY OF A BREEDER How a Chance Encounter 25 Years Ago Led to a Dream Litter Today

E

very (almost) time a litter is born, a breed­ er has made a decision about which male to use. Often the decision is a mix of exte­ rior attributes (including show wins), ped­ igree and relation to the bitch, health, character and of course availability.

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The various decision points differ in value for the individual breeder, and where some focus pre­ dominantly on one of the attributes like show titles, another might solely look at what is close – but most value at least some of these decision points. And - as I know well from my own breed­ ing, the value you put on each point varies over time – you might not make the same type of choice for your 10th litter as you made for your first.

Misango - aka Apalachee Umqolo of Pronkberg.

For me, the planning of a litter is probably the most exciting thing of being a breeder and as I remember it, the planning of the very first litter was the most nerve wracking of all.

In 1997 I had started looking for a suitable male for my first litter out of my gorgeous Zimbabwean Sarula Fufuru, and when I received an invitation to join the celebrations for the breed standards 75th anniversary showing Harare, it was an oppor­ tunity too good to miss.

In the Ridgeback EU Magazine issue 8 Sandra Pi­ scedda, Italy, writes about the anniversary show held by the Parent Club in Zimbabwe. As you can tell from Sandra’s article, it was an amazing day and the Parent Club had succeeded in getting some marvelous dogs from all over Southern Af­

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Misango - aka Apalachee Umqolo of Pronkberg. rica to attend and there was so much to look at and to learn.

However, despite my attempts of looking equally at all the dogs present, I quickly fell in love with a gorgeous 6 years old Rhode­ sian Ridgeback male – Misan­ go - aka Apalachee Umqolo of Pronkberg. Not only did he embody all my visions of the Breed Standard: “well balanced, strong, muscular, agile and ac­ tive 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 tenden­ cy towards massiveness”, but his joy of being with his owner, Marié Potgieter shone through the entire show, and it was clear that he was also a beloved pet (with bed and sofa rights – not common in Africa in those days) and a true gentleman with a happy friendly demeanor.

Kukie - aka Lewanika Kubuheha

Judge Jack Selby quite agreed and made Misango win not just BOS, but also awarded him Best Gait and Best Ridge in show.

In her second article in issue 9 Sandra writes about the Histor­ ical tour with an amazing group

Misango - aka Apalachee Umqolo of Pronkberg

Kukie - aka Lewanika Kubuheha

of people thrown together by their love of and in­ terest in the Rhodesian Ridgeback – some hav­ ing loved and worked for the breed for decades, others like me, being relatively new to the breed.

However, two of the participants on the first leg of that trip only get a fleeting mention, but Misan­ go was with us, as was Sarula Gwiza, travelling in style – albeit slowly in a dog trailer – and making us all laugh by his happy jumps during the breaks.

Now we are waiting, the insemination has been successful and fingers are crossed for some won­ derful pups. One thing is for sure: they will be hap­ py and even tempered and true chips off the old block.

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I just knew I would love to use him in my breeding program, not for the first litter – but…….

25 years have passed, Misango’s first European litters in the late 90’s showed that he apparently carried a, at the time unknown, gene for epilepsy.

With no DNA tests available, I shelved my hopes of ever using him and life went on.

Now the test for JME is easily available and with my bitches being clear I could go back into lines hitherto deemed too risky. But I didn’t do much about it, it was such a long time ago and talks with his owner Marié Potgieter made it clear that his semen had probably been lost at some point.

But – just before Christmas 2022 Sandra and I met up again, and over a few glasses of red wine we talked of hopes and dreams as breeders do whenever they meet. Suddenly Sandra men­ tioned that she still had some straws from back then at her veterinarians, maybe they were still vi­ able? Now a frantic scramble to find all the nec­ essary paperwork began, European requirements have changed significantly since the semen was collected in South Africa in 1997 – but fortunately Marié still had Misango’s rabies inoculation certif­ icate, as well as all the other papers needed for TRACES to ship the straws from Italy to Denmark.

Another thing I still carry with me from my early years is the advice from Marianne Gellin of ken­ nel Ikimba already an experienced breeder: Only a few puppies have the quality to become show puppies, and even a show dog only spends a frac­ tion of its time at shows, therefore make sure that what you breed is suited for family life in health and temperament.

What is it that makes you fall in love with a par­ ticular dog? During the weeks I spent in Zimba­ bwe I met some of the most illustrious people in the breed and their gorgeous Ridgebacks. The dogs I was introduced to were beautiful spec­ imens and true representatives of the African lines. Strong, built for endurance with intelligent eyes and calloused paws, used to the hot harsh soil of the country. But only one of them stayed in my heart.

25 years later this dream is coming true – if all goes well. And this litter will really show the en­ during and strong human friendship and trust we as breeders can build with each other over decades. A friend originally imported the straws from South Africa to Finland, another brought the remainder from Finland to Italy and now, with the help from my wonderful vet, puppies are on their way.

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And it is official, Easter Monday (10.4.2023) six little Kukie x Misango puppies were born. All healthy and with correct ridges. Science is amazing- it is 25 years since the semen was tapped in South Africa and made it’s way to Europe, first Finland then to Italy with the very last straws to be used in Den­ mark.

Apalachee Umqolo

Lewanika Kubuheha

of Pronkberg

Kukie

Misango

born 2017

born 1991

More information and photos you can see at www.lewanika.dk

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LITTER

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AN INTERVIEW WITH A JUDGE Greetings from Australia

PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS. I grew up in South Africa, where my parents had Whippets and Great Danes. I started going to dog shows at an early age, participating in Ju­ nior Showmanship classes. My first priority at that stage was horses, being very involved with eques­ trian events and going on to get my junior repre­ sentative colours in two states for show jumping and eventing.

After marriage, we acquired our first Ridgeback in late 1982 and have not been without one since.

She was Aust. & SAF Ch Komkhulu Nkazimlo (Judy) whom we got from the Late Norah Ber­ tenshaw and Heather Lane of Komkhulu Kennels in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Judy was firstly a family pet as we wanted our children to grow up with dogs. We were talked into showing her at the local shows and that started a phenomenal success story. Judy won her first Best Exhibit in Group at nine months old and went on to win a number of Best In Groups and an opposite sex in Show in South Africa before we emigrated to Aus­ tralia in 1986 with Judy joining us after spending time in the UK in quarantine.

WHEN DID YOUR LOVE OF DOGS BEGIN? PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR PAST AND PRESENT DOGS. My love for dogs is genetic! My mother is crazy about animals as a whole and instilled that in me.

My very first week in kindergarten, a small black Schipperke came walking into my classroom and sat down beside my desk. The teacher tried to shoo the dog out and she got into trouble from

me for doing so. The dog stayed with me to the end of the day and I proceeded to take her home.

We then spent the rest of the day trying to find her home in a very small village – nobody claimed her. That night she produced a litter of puppies in my mum’s wardrobe. She lived the rest of her life with us (16 years) I have bred sparingly over the years, choosing to breed when I want something to show rather than just to produce puppies. I have bred some 15 litters and from these have produced some forty champions including two Supreme Champions, multiple Grand Champions, seven separate All Breed Best in Show winners and multiple Special­ ty Best in Show, National RU Best in Show, Spe­ cialty Challenge and Reserve Challenge winners as well as multiple Best Head, Best Ridge and Best Gait winners.

I have also owned and shown Bedlington Terriers and Long Haired Dachshunds to their champion­ ship titles

HOW DID YOU GET INTRODUCED TO THIS BREED? I was introduced to the breed at dog shows in Durban, South Africa. I clearly remember meeting Laurie Venter of Glenaholm Kennels at my first show at that venue and falling head over heels in love with the breed then. She had a lovely male who was so affectionate and I think I may have pestered her all day by hanging around playing with the dog. When first married, my husband was not convinced that we should even have a dog and I had said to one of mum’s friends “how do I convince him that we/I NEED a dog.” Her re­ ply was “come around for a BBQ and let the dog do the talking!” Which we did soon after and the rest is history.

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SUE TEMLETT

WHEN DID YOU START WITH JUDGE CAREER AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO BECOME A JUDGE? PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR JUDGE’S CARRIER AND YOUR HIGHLIGHTS. Judging began in 2000 which was something I wanted to do in South Africa but leaving when we did put a hold on that. In Australia, they have criteria that you need to achieve before allowing you to proceed. The requirement at that time was to have bred 3 litters and 2 Champions. As I have never been a prolific breeder, this took time.

I achieved the champions in the first litter in Aus­ tralia with 4 becoming champions with another 4 in the second litter.

I have judged only twice at Specialty level and twice at championship show level in Australia.

This year will be the ultimate highlight for me as I have been invited to judge two specialty shows in Australia and the crowning event is to judge the South African Rhodesian Ridgeback Club special­ ty in August.

DID YOU EVER HAVE A MENTOR? ARE YOU MENTORING NEW COMERS?

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I did have a mentor in Nora Bertenshaw, who painstakingly spent hours on the phone teaching me her beliefs and to this day, I still hear her voice in my head explaining things. How lucky was I! She passed away only 2 years after I met her and I often wish she had been around for longer for me to pick her brains more. When we got to Aus­ tralia, I was lucky enough to have Harry Spira, an all- breed judge advise and help me.

As for mentoring newcomers, I try where possible to assist, but there is a mentality of “we know it all”. However, I see mistakes being made that with mentoring would not happen. In co-operation with a fellow breeder/judge we put together the training material for aspiring judges in the NSW judges training scheme and pre-Covid I present­ ed the lecture to the aspirants.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE TYPE? Type: this is a hard one! For me, it’s getting a similar outline with good movement and tem­ perament and a male that looks masculine and a female that looks feminine without losing sub­ stance.

IS THERE SOMETHING WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE

IN THE BREED? Having not yet judged overseas, this is a diffi­ cult question to answer, getting back to Austra­ lia, overall balance and croups as well as poor heads and fronts for me is a problem and I find that there is a lack of substance creeping in to the breed. Unfortunately, here they don’t put the work in that Europe do on training and teaching their dog’s manners and it shows in the ring.

EVERY BREED HAS SOME COMMON PROBLEMS. WHICH IS THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM IN RR? Poor top lines and poor fronts is my biggest is­ sue that I see looking at photos from around the world. A lot of upright pasterns too. I would like to see more effort here.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT OF WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE A JUDGE OF THE BREED TO BE AWARE? Temperament and overall soundness. I see them rewarding mediocrity far too often.

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HOW HAS THE DOG SCENE CHANGED OVER THE LAST DECADES? Gosh this is a subject that is getting a LOT of at­ tention in Australia at present. Our numbers are falling VERY quickly. In a matter of let’s say the last 8-10 years, our numbers have dwindled to very poor numbers. When I came to Australia at the bigger shows (Sydney Royal, Spring Fair, North of the Harbour KC and Dalwood Children’s Charity) Ridgeback numbers ranged between 75 – 120, now those shows are either non-existent or they have numbers so poor that they can no longer af­ ford to have international panels; Ridgebacks be­ ing 4-8, if you’re lucky 12. This is very sad. We feel there are too many shows on at once - some with­ in 200KM of each other which then puts pressure on both shows to draw their entry.

WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU ADMIRE MOST IN A JUDGE? Gentleness with the dogs. I like to see their hands tell a story.

WHAT CHARACTERISTICS MAKE A GOOD JUDGE IN YOUR OPINION? Confidence and ring command and being brave enough to stand up and reward quality over pop­ ularity.

WHAT DIFFERENCES DO YOU SEE IN THE JUDGES TODAY AS OPPOSED TO THOSE IN THE BEGINNING OF YOUR CAREER? The ‘Old school’ judges would judge the dogs on their merits, today its lack of confidence and re­ ward friends.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AS A JUDGE? For me it was actually a mistake I made the very

HAVE BREED STANDARDS CHANGED VERY MUCH SINCE YOU BEGAN YOUR JUDGING CAREER? DO YOU SEE ANY DIFFERENCE IN RR OF TODAY COMPARED TO RR OF 10 YEARS AGO? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES YOU SEE? I don’t think so. They may have had some subtle changes in perception, the written word no. For me seeing dogs via Facebook and one visit to the world dog show, they are so much better now than say 30 years ago when the internet start­ ed. (Some countries really scared me with where they were going with their dogs, but they seem to have improved remarkably in that regard).

WHAT IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO RR TODAY? I would think that it is trying to change the stan­ dard to allow different colours or even ridgeless dogs to be exhibited.

IT’S INEVITABLE THAT BREEDS WILL EVOLVE AND CHANGE SOMEWHAT AS NEW

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first specialty I judged. This young puppy came into the ring, it was a very poor quality puppy and I gave it first in its class before making sure there was a bitch of the same age to compete for the in show award, there was not and I was and will be forever embarrassed that I did not say no to that award. This taught me a very big lesson in being stricter.

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GENERATIONS OF BREEDERS TAKE CHARGE. HOW CAN THE ESSENCE - OR TRUE BREED TYPE - BE MAINTAINED? I believe that by the newcomers actually respect­ ing their elders and ASKING them to share their knowledge even just a little, maybe even advice on which stud dog would be most suitable for their bitch, rather than using whatever is in their backyard.

WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT SINGLE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO ALL SERIOUS YOUNG BREEDERS? My advice is probably the same as previous ques­ tion. ASK, learn the standard, understand it and try to apply it to your own dogs with brutal hones­ ty. Know where you need to focus your attention and do not be scared to ask the meanest nastiest person to use their dog for breeding. The worst thing that could happen is they say no. How­ ever, if they are there for the betterment of the

breed and they know this will improve the breed, then they should never say no. This question can lead to the best outcome for your bitch and for the breed. Sadly, I see too much of friends using friends’ dogs at stud without regards for the qual­ ity outcome, this in turn leads to mediocrity. I see a lot of this.

Thank You for this opportunity to share my views of our wonderful Breed with you.

INFO Name Sue Temlett Country Australia Affix Nkazimlo Email nkazimlo@bigpond.com suetemlett@icloud.com

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SHAWDI BREEDER

85 RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE Buddha (C.I.B NORD UCH DK UCH LV CH Roseridge Royal Rock)

Hello everyone, When I received the request to write for the magazine, I initial­ ly thought, “no way”! I struggle with writing, especially in En­ glish, but I will give it a try. My name is Mari Levänen, and I live in Surahammar, Sweden, with my partner Robert, our two sons Albin and Elliott, and five Rho­ desian Ridgebacks. I work in the industry as a machine operator and own a kennel named Shaw­ di, which means joy. I believe that dogs bring us the most happiness, even if they also bring grey hairs.

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I fell in love with dogs at a young age but couldn’t have one un­ til I moved out of my mother’s house in 1997. My first purchase was a mixed-breed female which I named Heidi. In 1999, I took over a mixed-breed male named Go­ liat from my big brother, who had difficulties being alone and needed training. Although I succeeded in training him, he chewed up a lot of things along the way. When I met Robert in 2001, he had a White German Shepherd named Spencer, so we had three dogs at home.

In 2004, we went to Västerås to watch a dog show, where I saw Rhodesian Ridgebacks in the ring and fell in love with them.

I said to myself, “When we have one dog left at home, I’m going to get a Rhodesian Ridgeback.”

In 2005, both Spencer and Heidi passed away due to illness, but I found a good kennel with the help of a friend and came into contact with Sonja and Ken­ nel Roseridge. That’s how RLD N Roseridge Rustubus (Azlan) came into our lives. He was the best dog ever, and he and Goliat were such good friends.

We had two German Pinschers for a while, but that didn’t work out so well. In 2012, I contacted Sonja again, and Buddha (C.I.B NORD UCH DK UCH LV CH Roseridge Royal Rock) came to us. One of his pictures is my ken­ nel logo today. Over the years, I’ve tried many things with my dogs and I am interested in ev­ erything related to dogs. So, I got curious about breeding and par­ ticipated in two breeder educa­

Azlan (RLD N Roseridge Rustubus

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Buddha (C.I.B NORD UCH DK UCH LV CH Roseridge Royal Rock)

In 2015, it was time for a Rhode­ sian Ridgeback bitch to join our family, and Ariel (NORD UCH Mankoya’s Keen Kate By Gam­ bo) arrived. I was thrilled because we hadn’t had a girl in the house since Heidi. However, when it was time for puppy plans, fate had other plans, and Ariel was unable to have puppies. It broke my heart, but the most import­ ant thing was that she was do­ ing well. So, I had to find anoth­ er bitch, and Olga (SE VCH The Lionforce’s Yonita Of Melody) came to us from my friend Per­ nilla’s upcoming litter. Only a few months later, Risto (SE VCH SE UCH FI UCH DK UCH DK JW-19 NO JW-19 NORD JW-19 Vackra Vilda Rinzai), a son of Buddha, also moved in with us. I couldn’t resist him, so now we had four Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

In 2020, I began planning for a lit­ ter of puppies. Olga had already undergone all the necessary health tests and a Behavior and Personality Assessment (BPH), but finding a suitable male was no easy feat. Several people suggested using Buddha, but I hesitated for a long time be­ fore ultimately deciding to go for it. Lucky for me, my friend Sari agreed to help me with the breeding process.

Years prior, I had decided on a theme for my litters: song ti­ tles. As a lover of music, I felt there were endless great titles to choose from. On March 14th, 2021, the A-litter arrived. Out of 14 puppies, four were stillborn, leaving six boys and four girls.

Little Miss Pink caught my eye right away, and I decided to keep her, naming her Helmi (Shaw­ di Are You Gonna Go My Way).

With five RR now in the house, I couldn’t help but feel like the crazy dog lady (LOL).

Ariel (NORD UCH Mankoya’s Keen Kate By Gambo)

When the puppies turned six months old, I organized a ken­ nel activity for their new owners.

With the help of my friend Pe­ tra, a trained physiotherapist for dogs, the puppy owners learned how to prevent injuries and re­ ceived training tips. They even

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tion programs. The first was with Viljas Hundskola, and the second was with SKK.

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Olga (SE VCH The Lionforce’s Yonita Of Melody)

Risto (SE VCH SE UCH FI UCH DK UCH DK JW-19 NO JW-19 NORD JW-19 Vackra Vilda Rinzai)

had a chance to swim in a pool, leaving all the puppies happily ex­ hausted. Nine out of ten puppies from the A- litter have since under­ gone HD and ED x-rays with approved results, while eight out of ten have completed a BPH. By the end of 2021, I was planning for the B-litter and looking for a suitable male. After seeing two promising males in Finland, my friend Sari and I attended a dog show to study them in person. I was initially hesitant about one male because he hadn’t been tested for EOAD (Early Onset Adult Deafness), and Olga is a carrier. However, luck was on my side, and the owners agreed to have him tested. The male, Rommi (C.I.B FI UCH EE UCH LV UCH LT UCH CZ CH BALT CH Barden Of Pressburgers’ Paws), was deemed free of EOAD, and I

obtained permission to use him from Tuija (Kennel Malozi) and Päivi (Kennel Feanor’s).

In August, after attending the Swedish Specialty Show BISS-22, my son and I traveled to Finland to meet Rommi. I was nervous about Olga’s approval, but as soon as she met him, “love was in the air.” Now, we had to wait and see if the journey had borne fruit.

On October 8th, 2022, the B-litter

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Helmi (Shawdi Are You Gonna Go My Way)

was born, and once again, Sari was my co-”midwife.” Out of 11 puppies, two were stillborn, leav­ ing five females and four males.

Everyone asked if I planned on keeping one of the puppies, which confirmed that I am, in­ deed, a crazy dog lady. But with five RR already at home, I decid­ ed to ask my brother’s partner, Nathalie, if she wanted to take one on breeding terms. She agreed, and I chose Miss Yellow, Ima (Shawdi Bigger Than The Universe), who often visits our home and fits in well with the pack

Ima (Shawdi Bigger Than The Universe),

Kennel Shawdi has had “only” two litters, so we don’t have as many stories as many oth­ er breeders. However, I have learned a lot, both good and bad, and I’m looking forward to learn­ ing even more. In 2023, I have set goals for some of my dogs that I want to achieve, but I keep them to myself so as not to jinx them.

At the end of March, we will have a puppy activity for the B-litter at Petras Hundfys again because why change a winning concept?

I want to end by thanking all my puppy buyers for taking such good care of “my” babies and my family and friends for believing in and supporting me.

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INFO Name Mari Levänen Country Sweden Affix Shawdi email marilevanen@hotmail.com www www.shawdi.se

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Photo Meri Fox

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DOLCEBAY BREEDER

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My name is Nea Boman, and I live in southern Finland with my Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Ba­ varian Mountain Scenthound.

In the summertime, we spend our time at our summerhouse, which is located on an island where the dogs run free in the woods, play on our sandy beach, and swim in the sea. It is ideal life for a dog, and they are allowed to fulfill their own purposes of guarding and hunting. I am a young, passionate breeder who has been breeding two different breeds since 2018. Raising two different breeds has been very instructive.

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I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing horses, and I’m grateful for all the incredible experiences that have come my way. But as much as I loved rid­ ing, I knew that it was time for me to move on to new challeng­ es. And so, I made the difficult decision to sell my top horse - a beautiful gelding Rigoletto that had been with me for years. It was a tough choice, but I knew it was the right one and I was happy that Rigoletto became a school master for a junior rider.

After selling my horse, I took some time to think about what I wanted to do next. And that’s when I realized I wanted to build a career around animals. And so, I decided to pursue a career as a veterinary nurse. It was a big

Photo Meri Fox

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As some of you may know, I’ve had an incredible journey as a dressage rider over the years.

In 2009, I was a member in the Finnish Young Rider Dressage Team and we traveled around Europe for competitions, win­ ning the Nordic Baltic Cham­ pionship Team Bronze in Den­ mark and participating in the European Championship in The Netherlands. I lived in Germany with my horse, training with a well-known dressage family, the Koschels.

shift, but I loved every moment of my training. Learning about an­ imal health and care was fascinating, and I knew that I had found my calling.

That wasn’t enough for me - I wanted to do more so I started breed­ ing dogs. It was something that always had interested me, and I was excited to finally have the time and resources to pursue it. Breeding became my interest, and I was lucky my first Bavarian and Rho­ desian Ridgeback were both suitable for breeding. Breeding dogs has been incredibly rewarding and there’s nothing as beautiful as seeing a litter of healthy and happy puppies. That is where I’m at now - a former dressage rider turned into a veterinary nurse and a dog breeder.

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Photo Kati Ketonen

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DolceBay Jivunia Ya Manjano

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACKS & BAVARIAN MOUNTAIN SCENTHOUNDS As a vet nurse, I’ve had the opportunity to work with all sorts of different breeds. Each one is unique, with its own set of strengths and chal­ lenges. There was something about the Rhode­ sian Ridgebacks and Bavarian Mountain Hounds that really caught my eye. Maybe it was their dis­ tinctive appearance, or their loyal personalities.

Whatever it was, I found myself drawn to these breeds in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. I started doing more research on these breeds and learning everything I could about their history, temperament, and care requirements. The more I learned, the more I became convinced that I wanted to work with these breeds more closely.

That’s when I decided to start breeding Bavarian Mountain Hounds and Rhodesian Ridgebacks myself. It’s been an incredible journey so far, full of highs and lows, but I wouldn’t trade it for any­ thing. There’s something special about being able to bring new puppies into the world and watch them grow and develop under your care.

Breeding these two amazing breeds has been an especially rewarding experience. So that’s my story - how my work as a veterinary nurse led me to discover my passion for Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Bavarian Mountain Hounds.

MENTORSHIP AND SUPPORT IN DOG BREEDING Along my journey, I’ve learned that having a men­ tor is essential - someone who guides, teaches, and supports you when you need it the most. For me, that person is Livia Lakotová, the breeder of my foundation bitch, Primrose Lakota Löwen­ schwanz. Livia is an incredible breeder with years of experience, and I was fortunate to have her as a mentor when I was just starting out. She was always there to answer my questions, offer advice, and provide support when things got tough. Her guidance was extremely valuable, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. However, it’s not only about having a specific mentor - it’s also im­ portant to have a community of breeder friends to turn to for support. These are the people who understand the unique challenges and joys of dog breeding, and who can offer advice and en­ couragement along the way. I’m grateful to have a network of breeder friends who I can rely on when I need some alternative advice and optional perspective. My breeder network has helped me through difficult times and celebrated with me during the successes.

Photo Iveta Vaivare

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Photos Carita Nyqvist

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Manjano

DolceBay Kuimba Ya Jabali

CHALLENGES AS A NEW YOUNG BREEDER Breeding Rhodesian Ridgebacks is a complex and rewarding task that comes with its own set of challenges, especially for new breeders. As a passionate Rhodesian Ridgeback breeder, I have learned that genetics and heredity play a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of these magnifi­ cent dogs. I find one of the most significant goals

as a breeder to balance the need for desirable physical traits with the importance of breeding healthy dogs. While health documents are cer­ tainly important, they are only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to breeding healthy and happy dogs. As a new breeder, I am committed to taking a more holistic approach to breeding Rhodesian Ridgebacks. I believe that it is essential to consider all aspects of a dog’s health and well­ being, including mental and emotional factors.

I carefully select breeding pairs based on their temperament, health history, and conformation,

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Photos Carita Nyqvist

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Photo Meri Fox

DolceBay Kuimba Ya Jabali

DolceBay Upendo Ya Bahati

Photo Carita Nyqvist DolceBay Wimbo Ya Jabali

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and I work closely with new owners to ensure they provide the best possible home for their new companion.

I find breeding both challenging and rewarding.

For me continually educating myself is very im­ portant as well as staying up to date on the lat­ est research and best practices in dog breeding.

As a summary, breeding Rhodesian Ridgebacks is not an easy task, but it is one that I am deeply committed to. Every puppy I breed brings me joy and a sense of pride in knowing that I am help­ ing to continue the legacy of this amazing breed.

With each litter, I strive to learn more, improve my breeding programme, and provide my puppies with the best possible start in life.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share my pas­ sion for this breed with fellow breeders and look forward to continuing to learn more and grow as a breeder.

INFO Name Nea Boman Country Finland

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Affix DolceBay www www.dolcebay.com email nea@boman.com

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COLKERIRIN BREEDER

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Hello my name is Kim Hodge. I am the breeder behind the COLKERIRIN Rhodesian Ridgebacks kennel. The name comes from my four founda­ tion Rhodesian Ridgebacks; Colby, Keira, Indie and Rio. In March 2011 I moved to my native UK from the USA where my kennel was then known as Blue Sky Ridgebacks, unable to register that name in the UK due to it being an existing Affix to a different kennel, Colkeririn was born.

I will start with thanking you for this lovely oppor­ tunity to share the story behind my kennel and to state that mine is a small kennel producing lit­ ters only once every 2-3 years. To date with each carefully planned litter I have been blessed with a choice of puppy to keep and continue my ken­ nel with. I admire many long-standing influential kennels who produce beautiful consistent dogs, for I know the time and dedication it takes to own and run my small kennel. With accepting this in­ vitation to tell my story it is my hope to be able to share my passion about the responsibility of breeding which should never be taken lightly and to hopefully assist a young breeder with some de­ cisions they face.

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To date I have bred 4 litters and co-bred 2 litters.

I had a seven-year foundation of experience in the breed and a strong breeding programme vi­ sion when I decided to start breeding, and I al­ ways know where I want to go with my breeding programme 2 breedings out. I am rarely impul­ sive and don’t take any decision to breed lightly.

The responsibility of bringing life into the world is something I give great consideration to; for my bitch, the stud dog, his owners, the breeders in the pedigree, the carefully vetted new owners and ultimately the breed itself. I encourage every new breeder to think long and hard of these responsi­ bilities and the impact breeding has on the future of our breed. I have always been reminded we are custodians of the breed, and it is our responsibility to treat it with respect and to ultimately strive to leave it in a better place.

ranking bitch in conformation in the USA in 2010 and in the UK in 2011 and 2012, I never bred from.

The Colkeririn foundation four were close in age and good friends their entire lives. Never a cross moment passed between them, they exercised in public with other dogs displaying good man­ ners at work, rest and play. They all had exemplary temperaments, and even though two were Amer­ ican and two were British bred, the two girls I bred on from, one from each continent, had a strong similarity in shape and structure. Colby and Indie were related through their grandsires; Colby’s fa­ ther was sired by Am Ch. Rajataru Dbltake Baraka ROM and Indie’s dam was sired by Baraka’s litter brother, Am Ch. Rajataru Dbltake Sir Rufus ROM. Both dogs producing in excess of 10 Champion offspring, gaining them both with the US suffix of ROM - standing for Register of Merit.

I enjoyed seven wonderful years in the USA gain­ ing experience and knowledge from some of the country’s top breeders. I sat on the Board of Direc­ tors for the Arizona Rhodesian Ridgeback Club for several years as well as the Board for a Lure Cours­ ing club. Through some of the best handlers in the world I was shown good movement and “getting it” early impacted my onwards journey - it made me think about structure and what lies underneath to allow some dogs to quite happily trot around and others to have something special. I was lucky to go to a show training school where diagrams were of­ ten handed out. Our trainers expected students to understand how dogs were built and to understand the importance of construction, so we were tested regularly on the points of a dog. A solid foundation into the world of pure bred dogs was taking shape.

Keira was bred in Ireland, carrying Eilack lines through both her sire and dam which took her pedigree quickly back to the Southern African kennels of Pronkberg, Sarula and Glenaholm. Rio, although one of my foundation four, and a top

When I moved to the UK I quickly established a place in the show scene. I joined the Breed Clubs abiding by their Codes of Ethics which had funda­ mental similarities to those I’d known in the USA. My dogs had all been health tested in the USA

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through the Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) which is a recognised certifying body in the UK. Getting to see the UK dogs in close quarters I observed differences in outline between the red wheaten shorter-coupled dogs predominantly from the north of England kennels and the larger boned, longer cast wheaten dogs predominant­ ly from the south. The majority of kennels were producing consistent excellent quality dogs, but all in all, I found it to be a surprisingly mixed bag.

Some temperaments were sharper than those I’d known in the USA and at the time there were reg­ ularly high rears and straight stifles in the show ring.

It brought into focus the structure and temper­ aments of my own dogs - and their uniqueness in the UK having top US kennels behind them.

By this time I had honoured contracts to the four breeders behind my dogs, had solid breed experi­ ence behind me and having enjoyed top ranking results in conformation in the USA, Mexico and the UK with dogs boasting Champion titles and excellent health test results, I felt it was a good time to take the next big step into breeding.

It was an obvious match of mating Colby to Kei­ ra for their beautiful movement, their exception­ al temperaments, their good moderate size with good bone and proportions and their compatible health test results, but it was a complete and utter outcross so thus a gamble on what the outcome might be.

I’d read that there is often a need to be bold when breeding, so I decided to jump off the cliff and simply hope that Keira’s magnificent topline and stronger croup would be dominant over Colby’s steeper croup - which was the one structural fault I hoped would be minimised. Two successful matings and 63 days later 8 puppies were born; 4 boys, 4 girls, all ridged, minimal white markings, 4 wheaten (Colby) 4 red wheaten (Keira). I did get excess crowns and one puppy had a kink, but oth­ erwise there were no significant problems such as cleft pallets or dermoid sinus. As the puppies grew Keira’s topline and croup were evident, but otherwise Colby had strongly stamped the litter.

I was blessed with a correctly marked, perfect­ ly ridged, red wheaten bitch puppy who I called Verde, after the beautiful Verde River in Arizona, where her daddy was born and bred. Beautiful

Verde is still with me today and enjoys her special veteran years keeping busy around the farm.

The next part of my breeding plan happened two years lat­ er in 2013 when I selected a UK Champion who I had long admired with excellent move­ ment, beautiful construction and exceptional health test re­ sults to be partnered with US bred Indie. Although I wasn’t breeding to Keira, his pedigree complimented hers very well.

(Can you see where my plan is going?) As I have mentioned previously Indie and Colby had littermate brothers behind them - and now two dogs on this continent with compli­ mentary pedigrees were to make up a breeding plan of two outcross US/UK litters.

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From Indie’s litter I hoped for a male who would eventually be suitable for Verde who was now 2 years old. The litter produced 8 boys and 3 girls. I decided on a handsome puppy who I called Kamba. He grew into a magnif­ icent red wheaten boy - he won the Reserve Dog Challenge Cer­ tificate at the tender age of 20 months under Gill Lawless (Faa­ hac) in 2015 - a well boned up­ standing male with the sweet­ est gentlest temperament.

Once he passed his health tests with flying colours the next part of the breeding programme came to be. Kamba was mated to Verde.

They were quite literally de­ signed for each other. This was the mating I set out to do bringing both UK/US breedings together. In all honesty I could have written a script for Disney about them - they loved each other every single day, so the mating at home was the easi­ est in the world. I barely needed to be there! Two months later, Verde produced 12 gorgeous puppies in a record 6 hours 50 minutes, again some had extra crowns, and this time I did get ridgeless, but the puppies were all happy and healthy.

I knew from here I had to keep a girl and the litter blessed me with 8 girls and 4 boys. I had several choices but decided on

a red wheaten girl who showed such wonderful independence from an early age. The last born of all the females, I called her Seré - meaning 8 in the language of Shona. She was the ultimate blend of her two foundation grandmothers Keira and Indie and displayed the strength of character of her grandfather Colby. She was also blessed with the good looks of her sire Kamba and the fun and busy mind of her dam Verde. To this day I see her grandmothers in her looks, character and movement. I can’t ignore the bright and sunny temperament of Colby which is also ever-present! Her registered name Colkeririn Face To The Sun encapsulates all I had focussed on with my initial breeding plan - keep focussed on the light in front and the shadows will fall behind.

Seré became a UK Champion in quick order. She bears the titles of Junior Warrant and Show Certificate of Merit. She was also one of the “Super Ten” finalists from the National Junior Warrant Contest and had the honour of attending the competition final in the big arena on THE green carpet at Crufts 2018.

Seré has been awarded six Challenge Certificates in the UK from some of Europe’s most notable Hound Specialists and Breed Spe­

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cialist Judges. She proved the vision I had back in 2011 was a good one and she’s done me and all the breeders’ names she carries in her pedigree proud.

In her I have maintained the fluid easy action of movement and the kind, fun and loyal tem­ perament I set out to repro­ duce. Whilst it’s easy for me to write about her many qualities, I thought I’d let a collection of critiques from some of her re­ spected judges over the years do the talking: OB (13, 3) 1 Hodge’s Colkeririn Face To The Sun JW ShCM. A lovely typey bitch for whom I overlooked for her desire to dance when moved. Settled, she presented such balance and poise - all together and of one - that she could not be passed over in a very strong class. Super outline, balanced angulation, low hocks, well muscled. I was delighted to award her first CC. Hector Heathcote - SWKA 2018 Open Bitch ( 12)(2 )

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Hodge’s Colkeririn Face To Face JW SHCM Loved the femininity and overall balance of this bitch.

Typical head with dark ex­ pressive eyes, good reach of neck, good front, bone and feet, nice depth of brisket, strong hindquarters, moves effortlessly around the ring keeping her lovely top line, kept going better every time she moved. CC. Ann Ingram Midland Coun­ ties 2018 OB (9, 5) 1 Hodge’s Ch Colkeririn Face To The Sun. CC, BOB. Totally feminine but func­ tional. Great presence both standing and moving. Well matched front and rear as­ semblies with pleasing bone and muscle tone. Plenty of heart room, correct topline and strong loin. Presented a balanced picture when standing and moving. A very good example of the breed. SWKA 2019 - Vikki Cook

OB (7,2) 1st: HODGE Mrs K Colkeririn Face To The Sun JW Sh.CM – Pretty feminine head, nice long crested reach of neck flowing into a good lay of shoulder, good depth of chest with a good infill and well ribbed back, good length of body with a good topline, strong over the loin, good turn of stifle with well let down hocks, moved soundly with a lovely profile gait, true coming and going.

Sharon Rossiter - Bournemouth 2019 With Seré made up as a UK Champion, her time had come to be mated. Three years previously I had the pleasure of handling a won­

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derful puppy boy called Ashten imported to the UK from Kennel Ul­ wazi in Norway. He had a look of my Kamba about him, but was not directly related. He did, however, carry similar lines to my beautiful Grand Champion Rio who I had never bred, but I had researched the dogs in her pedigree, so knew a lot of what was there. He spent time with my dogs throughout his puppy show career and he and Seré grew to be friends. Ashten was shown lightly through his juve­ nile years but at his first time out in Limit, he won the class and thus his UK Stud Book Number under breed specialist Marjon Franke from The Netherlands. He is a wonderful dog with the best of tem­ peraments and is currently working with Junior Handler Charlotte Freudenreich in the Young Kennel Club programme.

From the first time I saw Ashten I saw the most generous length and return of upper arm, beautiful depth of chest and good length of ribbing together with his ample rear angles. Adding his strength of head and quality of bone, he immediately struck me as a poten­ tial for Seré - I didn’t want to lose anything in Seré, and length and return of upper arm is a crucial asset to hold on to, so his qualities perfectly matched what I wanted to move forward with.

Ashten was mated to Seré in early April 2020 - luckily by this time he had moved in with my pack and was now living full time with us, which is just as well, as the pandemic would have restricted me from travelling to mate Seré. In early June Seré whelped a truly beautiful litter of 8. Again, wanting a girl, I had the choice of 4 beautiful puppy girls, two of whom were the spitting image of their mother, but one girl held my attention throughout the first 8 weeks of their lives. I could see she had a slightly longer muzzle than her mother, the rear angles were a cert from her father and that length of upper arm definitely present. Not only that, I could see her movement was something special, even at that young age, she had a great reach and good strength from behind.

Confirmed as my keeper, I named her Colkeririn The Sun Runhr - taking the Sun from her mother and the Run from Ashten’s reg­ istered name. The Kennel Club in the UK have strict rules about not using existing registered affixes within names, and Sun Run­

ner was rejected spelt in that format so I went back through the pedigree and settled on Sun Runhr - with a nod towards the Wyndrunhr kennel in the USA who produced some fabulous moving dogs - and in particular a favourite Am Ch Wyndrunhr High Veldt Vader, JC who sits back in both Colby and Indie’s pedigrees.

I’m not a fan of flooding the show ring with puppies from the same litter. I was always taught to evaluate the litter and pick the best male and best fe­ male to move forward with. Skye and her brother Erik (Colkeririn Run To The Sun) owned, loved and handled by Jo Chesshire in the South of England, are the two I selected for the show ring.

Due to the pandemic they missed their puppy class careers and as a young dog who had a limited socialisation Skye took a little longer to settle in the show ring. However, with the help of some expert tuition, plenty of patience and positive reinforce­ ment she started to shine and at their last championship show of 2022 Erik and Skye were award­ ed their UK Stud Book Numbers

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giving them life time qualifica­ tions to Crufts by amazingly winning their respective Limit Dog and Limit Bitch classes at the same show - South Wales Kennel Association under Breed Specialist Nick Boyd. Now with them just coming into full ma­ turity, the future looks to be ex­ citing for them both!

That day at South Wales Ken­ nel Association I truly saw the thorough contribution Seré has made in the breed. It’s great to look back at my initial vision and see it come to fruition in this way.

THE FUTURE Skye now holds the baton for the future and I have exciting breeding options waiting in the wings. Her hip and elbow tests resulted in an excellent full set of zeros across the board, and with the remaining mandato­ ry health tests already clear by parentage, demonstrating best

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practice she will get her own set of certificates before she is bred.

Although this article might read like a smooth sailing ship on the calmest of waters, with all the planning and meticulous detail there is involved in breeding having come to fruition in my first litters, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes there is luck and other times it escapes you.

To get to the point of a 2nd gen­ eration home bred champion with Seré was a dream and I re­ ally did want to take a 2nd litter from Seré. With her already hav­ ing had a litter and me having a good idea of her heat cycle and timings for ovulation, my plan was to have a mating from fro­ zen semen back to the pedigree from the USA tying back to the top dogs behind Colby and In­ die.

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So, with Skye a 3rd genera­ tion Colkeririn bred Rhodesian Ridgeback, I know where I’m going next, I know what I need and I know what I like, but nev­ er wanting to tempt fate I shall leave the Colkeririn future plans right there. Hopefully I will be able to write an article in the fu­ ture picking up from this point!

other helped enormously and we worked well to­ gether, but we were both so aware how precious the semen of a dog who has passed is. With the shipment ready to roll I downloaded the tracking app and felt like I travelled every mile through each check point, through every airport, on every road mile, until the magical and incredibly reliev­ ing ting on my phone that the semen had arrived at the UK facility and had been signed for. Now Mother Nature could take over.

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The day of insemination arrived and even with one of the UKs top specialists managing the insemi­ nation, it wasn’t to be. Seré stood as long as she could for the endoscope but it wasn’t straightfor­ ward and it turned out she did not have an easy cervix for inseminating artificially. There were no puppies as a result. The luck was not on our side.

One of the hardest parts of a failed mating as any breeder will know is letting down the hope­ ful carefully selected owners who I’d spent many hours over Skype, meeting at the farm and on messenger with. In the UK we have several breed clubs who all have puppy lists, and the network of responsible breeders is good and most are happy to recommend upcoming litters from likeminded breeders, so with other well planned imminent litters elsewhere, the pain of letting families down was somewhat short lived. Many lovely families though have pledged to stay with me for my next litter, which is such a great feeling.

I searched long and hard and scoured the OFA health test results for a suitable dog carrying the pedigree I wanted to dial back into. I found a match - a dog I had known, a dog who took my breath away when he moved, a dog who had the health test results I strive for and a dog who luckily his breeder had the foresight to collect and store semen from. The post thaw motility was excellent and above all the wonderful breeders agreed to my enquiry. Thus the stress of importing semen began.

The importation of frozen semen is a delicate and time critical operation. If you are going to do it make sure you have a good plan and a back up. If anyone reading this is planning a litter by frozen semen, get a good team in place; the facility stor­ ing the semen, the facility shipping the semen and the receiving centre who will import it, store it and likely handle the insemination - often all three centres will know how each other and will work well together - not only in the delicate handling of frozen semen, but it helps with the shipments of tanks back and forth - get this wrong and it could be very expensive! Give yourself as much time as possible to get the semen in place in your native country because there are many hurdles that can unexpectedly present themselves.

It was an exciting but excruciatingly stressful time for the breeder in the USA and I. Knowing each

My next steps are planned and all things well Colkeririn Rhodesian Ridgebacks will be around for some time to come. Thank you for your time in reading this article. Hopefully my story has pro­ vided some guidance for anyone thinking about breeding. Here’s an overview of what has been handed down to me, and what I’ve learnt along the way: • Have a vision and a plan • Breed responsibly and for the betterment of the breed • Know the strengths of your breeding stock • Study potential sires with the breed standard in mind • Move forward with good health test results • Have a good foundation of breed experience • Learn from more experienced breeders, breed clubs and fanciers • Work with breed clubs and other breeders to build a list of potential new owners • Interview people to make sure they are worthy of one of your dogs and will provide a good, stable home for a Rhodesian Ridgeback Always remember how lucky you are to be part of our beautiful unique and resplendent breed.

Treat it with respect.

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INFO Name Kim Hodge Country United Kingdom Affix Colkeririn www www.colkeririnrhodesianridgebacks.com email colkeririnridgebacks@gmail.com

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Written by Deák Andrea, Papp Viktória

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACKS IN HUNGARY MEET THE RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK CLUB HUNGARY The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Hungary is only 6 years old, but the breed has been present in the country for much longer.

The first Rhodesian Ridgebacks were introduced in Hungary in the early 90s. The beginning of the Hungarian breeding can be dated back to this period, when only a few kennels were present with the breed. From the beginning of the 2000’s there was some develop­ ment, more and more registered breeders started their work in the country. It can be said that the first Ridgebacks bred in Hungary can still be found nowadays in some of the Hungarian lines. At that time, the Rhodesian Ridgeback still did not have its own breed or­ ganization, and over the years it was registered in several clubs and sections.

Around 2014-2015, the cynological world in Hungary was hit by very difficult years, which also affected the registration of the Rhode­ sian Ridgeback, among many other breeds. There was a growing demand for the foundation of an independent, autonomous Rho­ desian Ridgeback breed club, which led to a dialogue between the breeders and owners and Hungarian Kennel Club (MEOESZ). As a result of long discussions and joint work, the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Hungary Association (RRCH) was officially established on 16 June 2016. Soon after the establishment of the club, the breeding started to develop dynamically. We attribute this to a number of factors; the spread of health and genetic screening, the enthusias­ tic attitude of the domestic Ridgeback community, the outreach of breeders to other countries and finally the rapid evolvement of social media.

The RRCH currently has 45 members and 11 kennels.

WHAT DOES THE RRCH DO FOR THE BREED? The RRCH was established to support the work of local breeders in line with the FCI breed standard, to provide them with professional assistance and to create a community space for Ridgeback owners to experience quality dog life, whether it be through sport, work or just sharing experiences.

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Ph otos by m embers of th e club

It’s primary and most important task was to create a Breeding Code that would protect the Hungarian breeding stock for the future. It was amended several times before it reached its final content and form. The document regulates the conditions for breeding and introduced com­ pulsory and recommended health screening for hereditary diseases that has affected the popula­ tion in several cases. The information on breeding stock, litter born and the registration procedure has also been laid down.

In addition to the above, the RRCH maintains the book of the breeding stock, keeps various statis­ tics and also has a general advisory role. There are many enquiries from breeders, owners and pro­ spective owners about lifestyle, nutrition, health problems and breed characteristics, to which the Club’s representatives try to respond and guide to the best of their ability.

The RRCH, in cooperation with MEOESZ, issues FCI pedigrees. It is also possible to obtain a socalled premium pedigree, which is given to pup­ pies whose parents have champion titles and the obligatory or additionally recommended health check-ups. To date, 22 litters have been registered and 200 puppies have received pedigrees.

Beside the administrative role, another major area of RRCH’s activity is the organisation of events, in­ cluding exhibitions. The first own club exhibition took place 1 year after the RRCH was founded, in 2017, Franz Zimmermann was judging at this show. Already at that time, several foreign exhib­ itors participated in our event and a good num­ ber of national exhibitors represented our Asso­ ciation. In 2018 we were able to invite Orit Nevo, in 2019 John Sigve Berg, in 2021 Timmy U. Ralfe and in 2022 Karin van Klaveren as judges for our club shows. In addition, four Specialty shows have been organised, with judges Kari Jarvinen in 2018, Lajos Holovitz in 2019, Boris Chapiro in 2021 and Leos Jancik in 2023. We are currently preparing the VI. Club Show in June, where we are looking forward to welcoming Ridgeback owners from neighbouring countries as well as local exhibitors.

The judge of the show will be Tomislav Trninic.

As a recognised breed club, it is also entitled to or­ ganise breed exams. Since the foundation of the club, 29 breeding licenses have been issued and the 6 breed exams planned for this year indicate an increase in the number of breeding stock.

As the above shows, we always try to invite a judge who is a breeder and/or familiar with the Rhode­ sian ridgeback, who can give a descriptive judg­ ing evaluation, to help the breeders’ and owners’ work for the future.

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As a new service, representatives of the Breeding Committee carry out litter inspections not only for beginners but also for club members who have been breeding for several years, as the detection of dermoid sinus affecting the variety is not an easy task for those who have not yet encountered this disorder. The litter inspection is carried out when the puppies are 6 weeks old and the results are officially recorded.

2019. Judge: John S. Berg BOB: Celeste Crystal Energy of Africa - Jana Masarikova BOS: Muhabura Princely Eriq of Hungary - Milotay Melinda

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2021.Judge: Timmy U. Ralfe BOB: Ndoki Highlander - Stefanie Radke BOS: Millindir Aim High Tanzanite - Milotay Melinda

2022. Judge: Karin v. Klaveren BOB: Ele Tori Jamali Nadira - Milotay Melinda BOS: Erebos Arte Cassari - Karin Ohrablova

RRCH also organises lectures and seminars on breeding, health and functionality. The first such event took place in 2018, with guest speaker Orit Nevo. The seminar was a great success. Due to the years of the Covid pandemic, the RRCH’s planned programmes were cancelled thus the next workshop took place in 2022. At this event, participants were able to listen to lectures by sev­ eral renowned local veterinarians and researchers on genetic screening, dysplasia, dermoid sinus and allergies.

On the eve of this year’s club exhibition, we will be holding the third seminar, for which we have invited Tomislav Trninic to speak about the char­ acteristic and future of the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

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In connection with the education role, the RRCH is extremely proud of its own publication of a gap filling bestseller book. Timmy U. Ralfe, author of the highly successful book Ridgeback Revealed, has given permission for her book to be published in Hungarian by RRCH under the title “Ridgeback Nagyító Alatt” (“Ridgeback Under the Magnifying Glass”). Krisztina Ferenc did the translation. The book quickly became popular with local Ridge­ back breeders, owners and it is also recommend­ ed for judges who are interested in our breed.

Annual Charity Walk

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ANNUAL CHARITY WALK This annual community-build­ ing charity walk, known as the “pack walk”, began before RRCH was formed in 2014. Since 2017, RRCH has been organising this day. These walks bring together Ridgeback people from all over the country and the fun-filled walk includes games and quiz­ zes. Since this is a charity event, the donations are handed over directly to our partner, the Rho­ desian Ridgeback Rescue Hun­ gary.

In December 2022, the Club was given the opportunity to present at the 1st RR Virtual Global Gathering online conference, organised

by Orit Nevo. This was a great opportunity for a relatively new and small breed club, and hopefully there will be a continuation of this event.

The Club put a great emphasis on promoting the importance of quality time with dogs, lifestyle and sport, and strives to lead by ex­ ample. It does this by organising sporting days and by promoting dog companion events. In 2018, the club organised a Club Day to offer the opportunity to try lure coursing and racing on the grey­ hound track. This became so popular among Ridgeback people that more and more dogs started to attend training sessions, then we had competitions and soon afterwards it became possible to compete as a Ridgeback division. Several Rhodesian Ridgebacks obtained a racing license and achieved great results in this field.

In addition to competitions, some members of the RRCH are now practising mantrailing, more and more Ridgebacks have obedi­ ence (BH) exams, and also have representatives in canicross and agility.

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“BEST DOG OF THE YEAR” Since 2017, the Club has been recognising the Hungarian member dogs that have performed outstandingly at shows and sporting competitions. From this year onwards, a new category has been introduced, the Hiking Dog of the Year, mainly for hobby owners, to encourage an active lifestyle with regular and quality time with their dogs. The owner-dog pairs that collect the most kilometers during hiking will also be rewarded.

You can read more about the RRCH “Hall of Fame” in the next pages.

INFO Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Hungary Ferencsik J u 5.

H-8230, Balatonfüred, Hungary

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Email info@rrclubhungary.hu www www.rrclubhungary.hu Facebook Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Hungary

VISION The RRCH’s long-term vision is to develop and maintain a more active club life and put the Club on the map of the Rhodesian Ridgeback world. Thus, the Club has set the following objectives: The primary goal is to increase the number of members and to provide different activities not only to breeders, but also to the hobby owners. In the field of sports, the RRCH is open to cooperate with dog schools and sport clubs, where members can enjoy their favourite pas­ time with their dogs in an or­ ganised environment.

The Club also will continue to provide the members with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and offer a range of education alternatives in the future. The preservation of a healthy temperament is of par­ amount importance in the life of the club, and the aim is to organise more events and cam­ paigns to this end.

As it was clearly visible on the past events, more and more exhibitors are interested in our club shows from different coun­ tries. Therefore, the RRCH is open to cooperate with foreign Ridgeback breed clubs in the future.

Although the RRCH is a relative­ ly new and small organization in the heart of Europe, its enthu­ siastic and dedicated manage­ ment welcomes all interested people to join.

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Best Adult Male

Best Junior Female

2017 - Afrikan Makwangwala Abubakar Jelani To

2019 - Kishima Absolutely Flawless Thora

(breeder: S. Krokhmal, owner: Jevgenija Jedlicska)

(breeder: Deák Andrea, owner: Deák Andrea)

2018 - Afrikan Makwangwala Abubakar Jelani To

2020 - Gamma The Hopeful Star

(breeder: S. Krokhmal, owner: Jevgenija Jedlicska)

(breeder: Fülöp Orsolya Kitti, owner: Fülöp Orsolya Kitti)

2019 - Mawanda Moon Bross Zion

2021 - Millindir Aim High Tanzanite

(breeder: Kobzos Gábor, owner: Orczi Virág)

(breeder: Milotay Melinda, owner: Milotay Melinda)

2020 - Mawanda Moon Bross Zion

2022 – Chobe Orumba Fadzai

(breeder: Kobzos Gábor, owner: Orczi Virág)

(breeder: Tábori József, owner: Tábori József)

2021 - Mawanda Moon Bross Zion (breeder: Kobzos Gábor, owner: Orczi Virág)

2022 – Avuzaani H1 Hummer (breeder: Szórádi Anita, owner: Ferenc Krisztina)

Best Adult Female 2017 - Muhabura Princely Sophie of Hungary (breeder: Papp Viktória, owner: Deák Andrea)

Best Veteran Male 2020 – Bukavu-Bawu Gamba (breeder: Acsay Lajos, owner: Deák Andrea)

Best Veteran Female 2018 - Bulawayo Baobab E-Saavik (breeder: Kertész Melinda, owner: Papp Viktória)

2018 – Saimon’s Pride HoneyBee

Best Puppy Female

(breeder: Oksana Serova, owner: Tábori József)

2021 - Incredible Art Elderflower

2019 – Saimon’s Pride HoneyBee (breeder: Oksana Serova, owner: Tábori József)

2020 - Camisha Arte Cassari (breeder: Zuzana Likierova, owner: Fülöp Orsolya Kitti)

2021 - Gamma The Hopeful Star (breeder: Fülöp Orsolya Kitti, owner: Fülöp Orsolya Kitti)

Best Junior Male 2018 Muhabura Fox River Bred (breeder: Papp Viktória, owner: Papp Viktória)

2020 - Altait The Hopeful Star (breeder: Fülöp Orsolya Kitti, owner: Dr. Bakó Krisztina)

2021 - Millindir Aim High Benitoite (breeder: Milotay Melinda, owner: Milotay Melinda)

(breeder: Arina Tarasova, owner: Orczi Virág)

2022 - Kishima Cosmic Elara-Moon (breeder: Deák Andrea, owner: Deák Andrea)

Best Minor Puppy Female 2021 - Beatrice The Hopeful Star (breeder: Fülöp Orsolya Kitti, owner: Orczi Virág-Tóth Tamás)

2022 - Kishima Cosmic Elara-Moon

(breeder: Deák Andrea, owner: Deák Andrea)

Best Sport Dog 2019 – Muhabura Fox River Bred (breeder: Papp Viktória, owner: Papp Viktória)

2020 - Afrikan Makwangwala Abubakar Jelani To (breeder: S. Krokhmal, owner: Jevgenija Jedlicska)

2021 – First Division Around The World Savanna (breeder: Szilágyi Glória, owner: Bede Péter)

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

“HALL OF FAME”

W R ITTEN BY C H L O É B O U Y G E S OF LIL’ TOFFEE / ÉLEVAGE DE RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK

TRUFFLE TRACKING

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THE STORY OF A TRUFFLE TRACKING RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK

T

he Rhodesian Ridgeback is an extraordi­ nary dog, we all know it! This breed has many capabilities, but sadly we develop only very few of them.

Today, I’m taking you to truffle hunting with our dear friend the Rhodesian Ridgeback. In France, this exercise is called “cavage”, and it is specifically carried out in the southwest of France but also in the southeast. Indeed, these regions are known to be great producers of this extraordinary mush­ room that is the truffle.

There are several ways to find this mushroom, ei­ ther with the help of pigs, truffle flies or dogs. As a rule, it is often small terriers or Lagotto breeds that are most commonly used in this exercise.

There are several methods to teach the dog to search for truffles, some use truffle oil that they put on the mother’s teats when the babies are small, others feed some to their dogs so they de­ velop a taste for it.

As for me, I used play-based learning and odor discrimination.

Thanks to a frozen truffle that I use for training purposes, I was able to introduce my dogs to this odor. I then make them work with it on a regular basis.

First, by simply making them smell the odor and as soon as they show some interest, I give them a treat This exercise needs to be repeated on a regular basis and once they understood that in­

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Once this skill is acquired, we hide the object containing the truffle in more and more unusual places. Then we bury the object in the ground, and each time the dog indicates where the truffle is, we praise him and we give a reward.

The last step is for another person to hide the truffle so I have no idea where it is and therefore cannot influence my dog.

When the dog has mastered every level of exercises, we are ready to try the adventure on a larger scale. At the pick of the season, we go to an area of truffle trees and go truffle hunting for real.

It’s always a moment of pure joy and pride when your dog, the one you have trained but also the one you have learned and discovered everything with, succeeds in finding his first truffle.

Next challenge : how to teach your Rhodesian Ridgeback to cook truffle!

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dicating an interest equals a rewarded, we increased the difficulty by hiding bits of truffle in some objects. The dog must choose the item containing the truffle. When found, another reward and so on.

W R ITTEN BY S E B A S T I E N S E D A N O

MADIBA THE STORY OF A BLOOD TRACKING RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK When your passion for dogs leads you to the Rhodesian Ridgeback

I

have been hunting since I was a child, so I decided it was time for me to approach this activity from a different angle by training a scent hound to recover wounded game. I first tried specialised breeds, but I was not pleased by their temperament nor their morphotype.

My research led me to the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club de France website where I discovered that as part of the Natural Abilities Test (TAN in French), there was a blood trail exercise.

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Not knowing the breed, I decided to contact some breeders to see if what I was looking for could be

found in a Rhodesian Ridgeback but also to learn more about the breed all together. I wanted a dog with an excellent sense of smell but also appropri­ ate to the standard.

3 years ago, I met Laura, a young, passionate breeder, with whom I was able to exchange thoughts about my project. She is familiar with the hunting world and explained to me that the Rhodesian Ridgeback can be a precious partner but a challenging one too, as he has a strong per­ sonality and demonstrates free will. Only a fair and close relationship will enable me to work with my dog.

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MADIBA quickly found his place with each member of the fam­ ily and in our hearts. From day one we took him with us every­ where, he is very sociable.

A unique relationship quickly developed between the two of us based on trust, respect and a lot of time shared together. Very quickly we were able to start his training as a hunter tracker and as a super family dog.

MADIBA BLOOD HOUND. On 27th March 2022, MADIBA and I successfully attained 3rd place at the multi-breeds test for wounded game recovery in very difficult conditions. This test was organised by the AR­ GGB Association under the Ken­ nel Club judgement.

This test is very similar to the TAN. The first round is the stead­ ying of the dog under gunshot.

The second round is an artificial blood trail (with boar or deer blood) of 1000m minimum, 20h of waiting time, 3 x 90° an­ gles, 3 pauses (this is where the wounded animal made a pause, and the dog must mark it).

27th March was the culmination of regular training work and the step forward to real work.

I started training my dog at 2.5 months old and this was done at a frequency of one artificial track every 2 to 3 weeks. At the beginning just with the skin of the animal drawn for 100m, adding the blood soon after.

Very quickly I stopped using the skin and kept only the blood.

Then it is very simple: the exer­ cise gets more complicated by dragging the skin over a longer distance or by letting the scent sit longer. The most important step is when the trail is first done the day before and that the training starts the next morning (the smell sits for 14h). I was very surprised to see my dog follow­

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I had to be patient and final­ ly MADIBA (ZUBAYKA Amani Royal Mention Me I’m Madiba) joined our family in January 2021.

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ing such trail at 10 months old. I cannot say if it is typically RR as he is my first RR so I will say that MADIBA has extraordinary ol­ factory qualities combined with an intelligent understanding of the situation and a special rela­ tionship with me. It has always been a pleasure to meet up with him for training sessions and he has approached the learning process right up to the event with gaiety and enthusiasm.

We are now fully fledged scent hound handler and scent hound. We are therefore al­ lowed to respond to hunters’ re­ quests. MADIBA first season is coming to an end. We have so far done 40 searches, we have found 9 boars, 4 roe deers and 2 deers.

However, despite my experi­ ence with hunting dogs, I have noticed that the RR requires a different approach and that its owner must be able to question his beliefs if he wants to get his partner involved.

THE FIFTH ELEMENT OF THE FAMILY Today MADIBA is officially a scent hound. But above all he is a fami­ ly dog. We do a lot of activities with him such as canicross and take him everywhere like equestrian competitions etc. We also go to dog shows where we learn more about the breed from other en­ thusiasts. Zubayka Amani Royal Mention Me I’m Madiba won the title of French Junior Winner in 2021.

Finally, I’m going to tell you about a search that was very important to both of us. I think it was after this one that Madiba really under­ stood what he had to do.

We were called to a wounded boar the day before. We met at 10 am, it will be 21 hours since the animal was shot. It’s a boar of about sixty kilos with probably a bullet high in his front leg. The hunter marked the place of the shot and the direction of escape.

Madiba is dropped off on the Anschluss (where the impact took place). He confidently takes the track, and we go 400 metres be­ fore a first fault. I let my companion work to untangle the situa­ tion. The boar has retraced its steps more than 50 metres and has turned 90 degrees in a steep climb.

Madiba is again moving at a good pace but carefully. Another 500 metres are done when he freezes. He raises his head, or rather his nose, towards the thick vegetation in front of him. He marks the boar by barking with a powerful throat.

I don’t see the animal but in a few seconds everything accelerates, a big noise, the brambles rise, the boar has just left. Madiba pulls hard on his long leash ... what to do? I free him from his restraint

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and in a flash see him go in pursuit with the vivacity you know from our herculean Rhodesians.

I can’t hear anything; the two protagonists are already far away. I consult my GPS screen and see that the fiery bloodhound is already 500 metres away, then 700 metres ... I run to catch up with him, stopping to check the distance and the course ... still 750 metres ahead! I can’t close the gap! The GPS informs me by ringing that it has just stopped, it is 500 meters ahead ... it has caught up with the fleeing animal on a large downhill slope that leads to a stream.

I walk forward and soon I hear his powerful voice. I walk as quietly as possible so as not to be spotted by the boar and not to disturb Madiba. There they are... One facing the other, separated by about ten metres. I analyse the scene and I notice that my warrior manag­ es the situation very well. He is cautious, shows great determination and forces the boar to face him with his powerful and determined barking.

Madiba sees me too. I slip in behind him. He is now between my legs and the boar in a stream against the embankment at a good distance for me to put him out of his misery with my rifle.

I fire and it’s all over ... the calm returns ... my “baby” is fine! He goes to see the animal and quickly comes back to me as if seeking com­

fort in this tragic situation for his opponent of the day. The boar weighed not sixty kilos but 83 kilos, had a broken front leg and would have died slowly of a very painful death without our inter­ vention. We did 900 metres of tracking and 3.2 kilometres of chasing.

It was a great moment! I belong to an association called UNUCR (L’Union Nationale pour l’Utilisa­ tion de Chiens de Rouge) whose motto is: “Until the end”, which reflects the moments of com­ plicity spent with Madiba dur­ ing his learning and those al­ ready experienced with him in real life situation.

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W R I T T E N BY L E N K A B E C H OVÁ

WILLIAM

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ONCE UPON A TIME SLUNCE ZAMBEZI

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tations and so happy that it is actually happening, just me with my dog from my own breeding on the green carpet…. this was my dream. I wanted us to perform the best we can, enjoy the Cruft’s show with my friends and make some new friends as well. All that came true.

William was born on October 8th, 2021 with 7 oth­ er brothers and my waiting for a puppy girl was over. As he was growing up, it became clear he will need to stay at home.

William entered the show ring with his elegance, and my nervousness was gone. There were anoth­ er 13 dogs in our junior class. He showed himself so well in both the stack and with movement and our mission was completed. To my surprise that was not all and William was awarded 1st place! I knew we still had to go to the judge table for the appraisal, but the red ribbon was in my hand al­ ready… My brain still didn’t quite understand what just happened. After the appraisal I looked for the faces of my friends outside the ring and went di­ rectly to them. Only after their hugs and congrat­ ulations I realized what has happened. We won!!

William got first place!! My dream came true.

William is a grandson of my unforgettable Ambi (Emma True Angel Slunce Zambezi). This year it is 10 years since her winning the Junior World Win­ ner title at WDS in Budapest.

You can find many well-known names in his ped­ igree: Villagedogs O’Red October, Villagedogs Ka Nani Pele (sister Villagedogs Ka Makana), Villagedogs Hot Topic, Kangelani’s Gentle Thanzi, Elangeni Braveheart Rules, Emma True Angel Slunce Zam­ bezi, and Rex Ventors Trinity.

In 2022, William got a nomination to Cruft’s at one of his shows. At that time, we had not considered yet that we might participate at this prestigious show. However, William has very quickly fulfilled conditions for four junior championships, he was always very happy in the ring and so we got the idea to go to the far away Birmingham.

We had a great time travelling with the perfect group of people from Slovakia. For me, it was the first time travelling through Eurotunnel, the first ride in a car on the left side of the road and most importantly my first Cruft’s. Nervous, full of expec­

Thank you, everyone who has shared this huge moment with me. I will never forget it….

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O

nce Upon a Time Slunce Zambezi .... His name already suggests that our whole story started as a fairy tale. His call name became William, Prince William. At that time, we didn‘t know yet how thematic his name will later become.

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ROXIE

SEARCH AND RESCUE DOG IN TRAINING behind the scenes and interview with trainers

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Valeriia Iurtaeva

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M

y name is Valeriia and I’m Roxie’s han­ dler (11 months old) in the SAR dog team of Banska Bystrica, Slovakia.

HOW DID WE START DOING THIS, AND WHY? When Roxie was 3 months old, her reactions escalated, the socalled fear stages in puppies.

If until 3 months old she loved everyone and everything, then after 3 months old she began to be more careful towards people and other dogs. It’s time for ac­ tive socialization of the puppy.

I was looking for dog training grounds, puppy groups, etc. to teach her how to react and be a friendly dog with a balanced psy­ che. Walking in shop centers, go by bus, walking around the city - in my opinion aren’t sufficient socialization for a puppy, as there is no direct contact with people or acquaintance with dogs.

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Unfortunately, in my city, I did not find what I was looking for.

Then I followed my childhood dream… I always wanted to be a search and rescue dog handler, at the age of 10 my mother gave me her old book from the 90s about rescue dogs and I fell in love.

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I did not know if Roxie would be successful, the main thing for me was that she met strangers and dogs. Communication and positive emotions are very important for a puppy.

most every week, we participated in three search training sessions in the rubble and in abandoned warehouses with real professionals – once in the Czech Republic in October 2022, twice in Poland in September and November 2022. And we are Then I found the search and rescue team of the planning to visit many more.

Slovak Republic in our city and wrote to them with a desire to come to the training. And on August 3, The progress of training is very visible, Roxie is 2022, we arrived with Roxie at her first SAR train­ already looking for people (sometimes of course ing when she was almost 4 months old. And from she gets a little help, if she need it), knows how that moment I was pulled into the SAR dog world to use her nose, in rubble or in the forests/fields.

Of course, the search radius is not as large as with my head... with dogs that are already older and more ex­ I can’t promise that this is everywhere, but in our perienced, but for her age I think it is really very team all the people are very kind and ready to help good. Now I’m teaching her to bark at home at each other. From the first day, I was amazed at how the food, to use it as mark find in the search. Last the coaches treated Roxie, how quickly they set up practice she barked at each helper exactly once, I an individual training plan for her, and how quick­ think it’s a super success for RR. Many Ridgeback ly she learned, and I along with her. After the world owners have asked me how I made her bark at of dog shows, envy and hatred around the ring of all, because this is not typical for our breed... I’ll breeders, I got into the company of like-mind­ be honest - for three days I just barked at her for ed people who don’t care what kind of dog you several hours a day, said the “bark” command and have, whether you create competition for him and just waited for her to give any sound, then rein­ whether your dog is promising at all. No matter forced with a treat and repeated again and again. how new you are and that your dog doesn’t know Now, she barks without command, before every anything, they help you in absolutely everything. feeding and when we play at the walk and I don’t They help you to succeed. give her what she wants, just wait for her to bark Now Roxie is already 11 months old and we train al­ and then I give her a stick/treat/toy.

WHAT IS THE GENERAL TRAINING PLAN AND HOW GRADUALLY DOES THE PUPPY LEARN TO SEARCH? If your dog is not afraid of peo­ ple and is motivated by food/ toys, I don’t see any problems or obstacles in his training and I don’t doubt his prospect of becoming a search and rescue dog.

Roxie was more careful around strangers in the beginning, but her desire to eat won over her fear. ▶ First, at the first trainings, the helper with food simply runs a short distance from the dog, sits down on the ground and invites the dog to come for a treat. This is done several times, rewarding the correct behavior of the dog with the praise of the handler.

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▶ Then the distance gradually increases and reaches such a length that your dog should lose you from his field of vi­ sion. This is done so that the dog searches for long distanc­ es, if the nose leads him to the smell, without fear that he has lost you from sight. ▶ Then the helper hides so that the dog doesn’t see where he hid and simply calls the dog by name / or shows himself to the dog, calling it by name and then runs away.

The task of the dog is to find / catch up with the helper, get a reward, and return to you. ▶ Then the helper hides so that the dog doesn’t see or hear him, at first for small dis­ tances, then those distances increase. The whole training is that the dog has found -> re­ ceived the reward -> returned to you. ▶ Then the dog is taught to bark, some breeds, service and workers, themselves un­ derstand that they need to bark and start barking very

quickly. But some dogs, like Roxie, who do not typically bark at something, require patience and well timed training. Our train­ ers do not advise teaching puppies to bark faster than the dog learns to search correctly. Because then it often happens that the dog starts barking just like that, thereby confusing you that he has found someone. These are fake finds. Or some puppies start barking at any stranger because they think he will give him food.

That is, first - we form the correct behavior, and only then - we move to another step. ▶ Also, when the dog realises that it all has its own sequence, you come up with a command. And you also come up with some kind of ritual by which the dog understands that he is going to work. For some, this is a different collar and leash, which is used only when searching. Someone uses a series of commands, some kind of trick or dance that they do with the dog before the dog goes to search. I haven’t come up with a ritual for Roxie yet, but I’m thinking about it. As a command, we use the word “ishchi” (means “search” in Russian).

There are many ways to train rescue dogs and how they indicate a find. Our trainers will tell you more about this in their interview at the end of the article. There are also several types of rescue dogs. For example, Roxie is a search and rescue dog in training to search for people in the rubble and flat terrain, through the air. At the beginning, my friends or relatives asked me to let Roxie smell

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▶ Disaster dog - work is a vari­ ation of airscent work. It com­ bines the dog’s ability to find a person with special training re­ quired to work in disaster condi­ tions, including collapsed build­ ings, mudslides, earthquakes, and floods. The disaster trained dog and handler spent a lot of time training control of the dog and directional control, so that the handler can send the dog onto rubble piles to perform closer searchers. Both dog and handler undergo extra training for searching on unstable and dangerous surfaces.

their things, run away to hide somewhere and let her find them.

No, this is a different type of rescue dog - dogs that are looking for the trail or things of the missing are called - Trailing/Tracking. Our dogs are working on Airscent/Disaster. What you see in movies and epic scenes when a dog sniffs clothes and runs is Trailing/Track­ ing dogs. In practice, these dogs rarely find a person, because very often the tracks break off or disappear due to weather conditions.

That’s when the Airscent dogs are called, who can continue search­ ing after the tracking dogs. This does not mean that one of us is better, every trained dog is needed and useful. Also, in the search for a ruin, a dog cannot search for a track if the house has collapsed and the person is buried in the ruins. An even more important fact is that often our dogs cannot find a person because he has already died... the smell of a dead person and a living person is very differ­ ent. Dogs that search for corpses are taught using test tubes with human remains, and with different degrees of decomposition. Our dogs don’t do that.

Now that I have explained everything, I will talk about the types of rescue dogs in a little more detail. ▶ Airscent dogs - usually refers to search dogs that use airscenting techniques to search areas. Airscent dogs work with their nose in the air, will ignore ground scent and will follow and locate people by catching the “hot” scent of people on the wind. Airscenting tech­ niques are very effective for covering large areas quickly and can produce high probabilities of detection if conditions are good for

▶ Trailing/tracking dogs - are trained to follow a specific hu­ man scent, which may or may not approximate the path the person took because of factors affecting the dispersal of scent such as wind and temperature.

To start, the dog is started on the trail at the point where the victim was last seen (PLS). Trail­ ing dogs will follow the route of scent deposited on the ground as a person moves through an area. A trained trailing dog can follow the steps of someone who passed by several days ear­ lier, discriminate between it and another’s trail, and follow it over hills and through marshland.

Dogs can even trail people in cars, from the scent that blows out of the window or through the vents of the car.

There are also the following types of rescue dogs: ▶ Cadaver / Human Remains Detection Cadaver or HRD dogs - are used to locate the remains of deceased victims.

Cadaver dogs can locate entire bodies (including those buried or submerged), decomposed bodies, body fragments (in­ cluding blood, tissues, hair, and bones), or skeletal remains; the capability of the dog is depen­ dent upon its training. ▶ Avalanche Dogs - victims that are caught in an avalanche, or even fall into a snow cave or tree well, are nearly impossible

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airscenting. They don’t need a “last seen” starting point, an ar­ ticle to work from or a scent trail, and time is not an issue.

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to find by the naked eye. Ava­ lanche dogs are trained to de­ tect human scent rising up from the snow and dig until they find the victim. Avalanche dogs cov­ er more ground in less time than several human searchers can cover, which explains their importance. ▶ Water Dogs - are trained to pick up scent in the water and alert their handler when they find that scent. Similar to pick­ ing up scent in snow, the scent rises up to the surface in the wa­ ter. Cadaver dogs, also trained as water dogs, can be useful in drowning situations.

WHAT ARE MY GOALS AND WHAT DO I WANT TO ACHIEVE? First of all, I am glad that I found an activity that is both pleasant and useful both for me and for Roxie. I’m glad that Roxie grew up with kind people and their dogs, that she received a huge amount of socialization, which is so necessary for a young dog.

And now next to me is not just a puppy, but a real companion. Of

course, I have no ambitions and super goals, but first of all I want to prepare us to go to the preliminary test (formerly suitability) level V with Roxie by the end of this year. There are two different exams I want to do: Rubble search (RH-T V) and area search (RH-FL V). In these exams obedience and dexterity for level V are also included.

Minimum age for this exam is 15 months.

You can read more in International Trial Rules for Search and Res­ cue Dog Tests of the FCI and IRO. How fate will develop further and whether Roxie will be successful - time will tell. If she becomes a good search and rescue dog and our team will see potential in us - I will be very happy to go to search actions and help people. This is what I always dreamed of.

Thank you for reading my article and I will be glad if it was useful to you.

Best wishes, Valeriia & Roxie.

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Interview with our trainers

HOW DID YOU GET INTO SEARCH AND RESCUE? We’ve always enjoyed working with dogs, and that’s why we were looking for something that would be interesting for both of us and our dog and would also have a practical and meaningful application. So we chose rescue cynology with our first German Shepherd named Sem Invi Gray Wolf Moravia. The training of a search and rescue dog does not end with passing the exam, but lasts throughout the dog’s active life. It is a never-end­ ing work and improvement of both man and dog.

HOW MANY DOGS DO YOU HAVE AND WHICH BREEDS? ALL OF THEM DEDICATED TO SEARCH AND RESCUE? Currently we have 3 dogs, with all of them we are dedicated to search and rescue cynology: • German Shepherd named Black from Kostiviarská – fulfilled the MRT (Mission Readiness Test) international certificate • German Shepherd named Invi from Kostiviarská – completed internal certificate for real deployment • Belgian Malinois named Jolly vom Nilpferdhof – young female in training The main priority of our training is to prepare re­ liable dogs for real deployment, in our conditions primarily for searching in the field (area search), or in the rubble. With our dogs, we actively partic­ ipate in real search and rescue actions.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENT KIND OF SEARCHES? In search and rescue cynology are several special­ izations according to the terrain and according to the type of smell: Searching for any human smell - dogs do not look for a specific human smell, but mark every person in the area:

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NATÁLIA DIŽKOVÁ MICHAL DIŽKA

• Area search – search in the terrain (forest, mountains, meadows, fields, etc.)

• Rubble search – searching in rubble (after an earthquake, fallen buildings, etc.)

• Avalanche search – searching for those buried in an avalanche • Water search – rescue of drowning people Searching for the smell of a specific person based on the odor object: • Mantrailing • Tracking

HOW DO YOU TRAIN TO INDICATE A FIND, AND WHAT OTHER WAYS ARE THERE? Barking alert: The most frequently used way of marking a find is barking. The dog finds the person, starts bark­ ing and stays with the person until the handler ar­ rives. The disadvantage of this method is that the barking of the dog can stress the found person.

Bringsel alert: Another way is to mark the found person as a finder (bringsel). The dog has a bringsel on its collar (it’s some kind of object) and when the dog finds a person, it takes the bringsel in its muzzle and returns to the handler. The dog hands the bringsel to the handler (the dog has it in its muz­ zle the whole time) and then the handler leads the dog to the found person (mostly on a leash).

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Free indication: During the free indication the dog runs back and forth between the dog handler and missing per­ son and leads dog handler to the victim. Dog has to clearly demonstrate a behavioural pattern so that alert behavior is definitely clear – for instance jumping up on dog handler, barking at the dog handler.

Other: A sign to mark a find can also be digging while searching in an avalanche, or in the rubble.

WHAT KIND OF REWARDS DO YOU USE ON THE TRAINING? The training of a search and rescue dog always takes place in a positive way, the dog works with high motivation and joy. It always gets a reward when it finds a missing person. The type of reward depends on the dog’s preference, it is something that pleases the dog and motivates it to work. So, the reward can be a favorite toy, food, but also petting and praise.

ARE THERE BREEDS THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR THIS JOB OR

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Any dog with the desire and motivation to work, who likes people, is suitable for search and res­ cue training. In our organization, we have dogs of various breeds – for example German Shepherds, Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, Flat Coated Re­ triever, Belgian Shepherd Malinois, Rhodesian Ridgeback and also some very smart dogs from the shelters.

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DOES IT ALL DEPEND ON THE OWNER AND HIS EFFORTS?

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OUR OLDY

V A L E R I I A

I U R T A E V A

REDY OLDY

Forever young and beloved gran­ ny Redy.

I can talk about her constantly, there are not enough words to describe how special she is in ev­ erything.

Redy is an incredibly kind dog who loves everything around people, kids, dogs, cats, horses and other animals. She never had a problem with anything. She is very obedient and understand­ ing, with human eyes.

I am very grateful for everything that has happened in my life over these years. She’s not just a dog... she’s a friend, a favorite member of family, my little baby and an angel.

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My history with the Rhodesian Ridgeback started with Redy.

On the eve of my birthday in 2012, when I turned 15, I received a book about dogs, in which I came across a spread in which there were two breeds - on one side the Hungarian Vizsla and on the other the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

For a teenager who is not familiar with either breed, they had prac­ tically no difference for me. But because of the distinctive fea­ ture, the ridge on the back, my choice fell on the RR. My parents forbade me to get a dog, so I se­ cretly looked for puppies on the Internet and came across an an­ nouncement that on April 9, 2012 in the city of Togliatti, Samara re­ gion, Russia, a litter of 11 puppies was born. I immediately wrote to the breeder and reserved her, in secret from my parents. So, I started saving money by work­ ing part-time in the stables. For several months, my parents saw

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how hard I tried and that my desire was strong, then first the heart of my father melted, and then my mother. And so, on July 17, 2012, we went to pick up my bundle of happiness.

As a child I chose the name for her so easily. As she was a very bright red-wheaten color, almost fiery, so I thought to myself – “Well, since she is “red”, it means she will be Redy”. But her name in the documents carries a more semantic meaning - Rayridge Dayo Camariya (which in Swahili language means “joy arrives like the moon”, since she was born af­ ter midnight).

With Redy coming into our house, everything changed. We began to study a lot, go to the shows, go to sport competitions.

We constantly kept in touch with her mom’s (C.I.B. MultiCh Ridge’s Star Zidana Rous) own­ er and shared all the news, she helped me a lot with education, handling and so on. At the end of 2012 we moved from Chelyabinsk to Moscow and there I met the owners of her dad Patrick, known

to everyone as JEW’11 vJWW’11 EJS’11 C.I.B. MultiCh BIS BISS Patrick Die Groot Wenner, who also helped me in everything and supported me.

Redy is one of the few Ridgebacks that passed the obedience exam when she turned one year old with 1st degree (gained 98 out 100 points) with a T-1 temperament test, where she received a lifetime breeding permit. Later she received the champion­ ship certificate in coursing and won many competi­ tions. In 2017, in honor of her, I registered my kennel prefix - REDYLAND, because I want her name to live forever in her ancestors.

In 2018 we moved to live in Slovakia, so Redy contin­ ued to participate in various shows around Europe and by the age of 8 she had gained,to my mind, a huge number of titles: • C.I.B. & MultiCH • CH: Russia, RKF, Macedonia, Bulgaria, El-Salvador, Balcanian countries, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belorussia, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Slovakia • Grand CH: Bulgaria, Belorussia • Candidate CH: Croatia, The Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Italy • Alpen Sieger’17 (CACIB) • Grand Prix Winner’17 (BOS) • Brno Winner’16 (BOB, BIG-1) • Zagreb Winner’16 (BOB, BIG-2) • Holland Cup Winner’16 (BOB) • Belarus Winner’14 (BOS) • Yerevan Winner’14 (BOB, BIG-1)

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• WDS’16 prize winner // EDS’16 class winner // EDS’17 prize winner And we decided to end her career at the age of 10 years, with an incredible win in the veterans class at the RR club show at WDS’21 in the Czech Republic, when on the first day she became Best Veteran of Breed under the judgment of Šárka Štusáková, and on the second day under the judgment of Hanka Pankova was not only Best Veteran, but also Best of Breed out of 170 RR in the catalogue. This wasn’t “just a win” for me, it was a million emotions and tears in my eyes, for which I am very grateful to Han­ ka Pankova and to all the judges for the wonderful words about Redy. Every veteran owner will under­ stand me, how much our oldies mean to us. And when they win – those are very special moments which touch your heart.

Redy also was a mommy twice. The first litter was from a German male Nelson Nyangani Gently and the second time an insemination from an Austra­ lian male Rijestone What A Cheek, she had 11 pup­ pies in both litters. She has always been a caring, kind and very careful mother. From her second lit­ ter, I kept her son Theo and most recently Roxie, her granddaughter (from Redy’s daughter Emma), has joined in our family.

Now she is 11 years old, she is full of vivacity, energy and has a great rest on her retirement with daily walks, hikes and travels. The most important thing for me is that she is healthy. And I hope she will stay with us for many more years.

A few words I want to leave here for her: My dear Redy, I’m infinitely grate­ ful to you for every day full of love that you give to me and everyone around. There is no better dog than you and never will be... And although I know that our time is not endless, I’m grateful to you for every particle of you that I see in your kids, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, in which you will be alive forever...

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We have asked some of our favourite photographers some question with regards to their work, read their stories.

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S EE THROU G H CAMERA LE NS.....

We are thrilled to introduce to you four brilliant photographers, they all have one thing in common....they see your dogs through their camera lens.

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OUR GOLDIES

KLAUDIA KARŁOWICZ AN INTERVIEW

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Poland І Because it’s Now or Never Klaudia Karłowicz І Facebook klaudia.karlowicz, www.nowornever.com.pl

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT BEING A DOG PHOTOGRAPHER AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT? HOW DID YOU FIRST ENTER THE PHOTOGRAPHY WORLD?

On my long path of getting to know photography, dog photography was always around but it was not something I was truly devoted to. It took me a long time to decide that this is what I feel the best and what I want to capture – but since then dogs (and not only them, as I love to work with animals in general) are the main subject of my photography.

Before I became a dog photographer, I was just a girl with a camera – and to be honest I still have those moments when I think about myself that way. But seriously, I guess it is something that runs in my veins. Since I can remember, I have always had a camera around, no matter how old I was.

From classic Kodak cameras with film, across first digital cameras (which belonged to my moth­ er), and through the first Nikon I have held in my hands (which also belonged to her), after which I decided to buy my very own DSLR camera.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER? DID YOU HAVE FORMAL TRAINING? It has been over 15 years since I started with dog photography – everything I have learned since then was on my own, as I never had any formal training.

Mostly – because I never had time for it, but also be­ cause back in time when I was starting, there were almost no classes or webinars about dogs/animal photography. That’s why, most of the skills I have, I got from years of practice – working around the

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WHAT OR WHO GOT YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS? Everything started with one of my dogs – I have always lived with Great Danes, and when we had the first one, I was taking his photos with my small Kodak camera, just for fun. Then with another dog, when I was older everything become more serious. I have entered

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camera with my dogs, or the dogs of my friends. A lot of things I do are a matter of trial and error. Some of the knowledge I got at the be­ ginning was from the breeders who knew more about perfect shots of their dogs than me at the time. Now it’s more a matter of observ­ ing, speaking with other dog photographers, and of course some tu­ torials on the internet as well as articles and books. I’m always learn­ ing and even after so many years in this world I still learn from others, sometimes just by watching.

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the dog world, and the dog show world as well.

WHAT TYPE OF CAMERAS DO YOU SHOOT WITH? WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE LENS AND WHY?

First shows, new people, adven­ tures – there was always some­ thing that needed to be captured.

That’s how I started with creating photo reports from Dog Shows.

The biggest breakthrough came for me in the year 2007. That was a year when thanks to my friends I was able to start my adventures with photography and dogs outside my own country. I have started to travel a lot across Eu­ rope, where I was participating in all kinds of Dog Shows, from the smallest ones, clubs, to Eu­ ropean, World Shows or Crufts.

I have met a lot of breeders and enthusiasts of my breed, thanks to whom I could see how import­ ant it is to have good pictures of the dogs. Photos from the ring or small photo shoots after the judging. Some of them were just collecting their photo memories.

But for most of them, photos were already a very important way to show their dogs on the websites or in adverts (it was the time when Facebook was not as popular as it is today) – as well as to capture the steps of the show career of their dogs.

I’m one for the Nikon team. For some time now I have been using a mirrorless Nikon Z6II (and always in my bag there is my good fullframe, Nikon D750 - as I’m traveling a lot and I always need a backup just in case), but actually I’m thinking about upgrading it. With a lens, I could write a separate story. I have used for years only zoom lenses, especially 70-200, and that’s the lens I use 90% of the time at the dog shows – sometimes there is not enough space for 70mm to use it, but I always manage to make it possible, even if I have to become a gymnast for a while. But for some time now I have been using for my photo shoots prime lenses 50, 85, and 135mm. It took me a long time to get used to them, but now I can’t live without them – the problem is that my backpack is not made out of rubber.

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?

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I guess everywhere – you just have to be open-minded to the world! It’s easy to take a photo – but it’s hard to take THE pho­ to. I have made photo shoots in so many strange places that I’m used to adjusting to any sit­ uation that I’m facing. Not to mention that I feel that most of my favourite photos were taken accidentally. For example, once we were having dinner with my friends and they brought their dog with them, as they needed a few photos of her for an upcom­ ing advert. It was in the middle of the autumn, and there was this little backyard at the restaurant.

The word little is really important here, as we needed photos of the Great Dane. It was raining and it was getting dark, but there it was – this little space on the stairs be­ tween flowers. One perfect mo­ ment of the dog and we ended up with one of my favourite pic­ tures of this particular dog that I have ever made.

This is why I believe that any place, time, or model can be an inspiration.

DO YOU CONSIDER IT A CHALLENGING JOB?

HOW DO YOU GET THE ANIMALS TO STAY AND “POSE” FOR YOU? Yes and No. Yes, because I’m not a patient person, so it would seem that working with animals – where you need lots and lots of patience; is not for me, but on the contrary. For years I have worked with many animals and their owners – and what I could notice is that I definitely prefer to work with pets than with their humans. We get along bet­ ter, not to mention that it is easier for me to show to the dog step by step what I need from him than to explain that to their owner. Also, very often I just take a photo of THIS particular moment – waiting for my model to do something by himself, so the “pose” is rather spon­ taneous.

When I’m taking posed photos and I don’t have a person who knows how to show the dog, then (as I work also as a handler, mostly with Great Danes) I’m often setting a dog in the correct position by myself – and then I just run back to that good spot I found before, to try to catch that position on the photo. It’s of course really hard, as most of the dogs change their position the moment I leave them. And so, here comes another yes for challenges in that job – people. For most photos you need at least 2 persons (I’m not counting myself), so one can hold the dog, while the other one will call and make some funny gestures, and noises to interest the model. Let’s be honest, a dog is still a dog, and always he is keen on taking some photos of him. I’m saying at least two, but also not more than 2-3 persons as if there are too many people on set then it gets harder for anyone around to focus on our work. I really talk a lot, so during the session, I’m always saying to people what and how to correct the dog, according to what I see in my camera.

Another thing is that every dog, every animal is different. It’s like with handling, I never show two dogs in the same way. I always focus on an individual approach, and there is no golden rule for all dogs. It’s the same with photography. Some dogs will stand/sit/lay because they were told to. Another one will never in a million years stop for

a second. So, for each one, I’m trying to find an individual way to work. I have also learned a lot of strange noises over the years – dogs love them, and it really helps to get their attention, but of course, some squeaky toys, plastic bottles, or any other treats are always welcomed.

I love to work with dogs, as I have mentioned before – I get along with them much better than with people. I always feel that they understand me better, plus even at the hardest session I ever had there was always something that made me laugh.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING A FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? AND THE MOST CHALLENGING?

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The time you can spend working with your subject – in my case, with the dogs. Especially pup­ pies, I could spend hours and hours around them – playing, sleeping, eating – there is always something worth capturing, and it’s hard to put the camera away even for a second.

Challenging? As I have men­ tioned before – patience. With­ out it, you should never work with any kind of animal. It’s really easy to get frustrated when the dog does not want to do what we have imagined for the photo – it’s a living creature, and some­ times there is no way you can ex­ plain/show him what you have in mind. Sometimes when I make studio sessions, I take my time.

I could give a lot of examples of when I was sure we will never get any decent photo, and then we had a miracle... As I said – pa­ tience, patience, patience (and time!) are gold.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL SESSION FOR US. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BEHIND THE CAMERA? I work mostly with show dogs, es­ pecially with Great Danes. I have a few different kinds of my ses­

sions. The best is to divide them: Full-time session – when I dedicate all the time and space just for my models; • Studio session – during the years I have managed to complete my own studio equipment. Thanks to that I can bring it anywhere with me. We can work at my home, or at my client’s home. But to be honest these kinds of sessions are not my favourite, as I prefer to work in natural light and environment; • Puppy session – it’s all about the little ones; • Dog Show photo reports and photography; • Mini session during the show.

After years of working as a photographer, I can tell you that I enjoy them all. But the hardest of them all are for sure mini sessions at the dog shows – when you don’t have much time. People and dogs are tired of the show itself, so they want to make quick photos and just go back to the hotel or home. Not to mention, that it is very hard – es­ pecially when you are on a new showground which you don’t know; to find a nice spot for photos. Most of the photos are around cars/ people/other dogs – hard to search for art in them.

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Before the full-time session, I al­ ways speak with owners to get to know, what they actually expect from me. What kind of photos do they need – pose, movement, portrait – maybe some free and funny photos, or photos of joy and happiness, and what I mostly love – emotions. Most of my clients want a little bit of ev­ erything. If so, I start with posed photos, as for most of the dogs, after they have some play and fun they can’t focus anymore on posing. But of course, there are those situations when there is no way for a dog to stand, so we are giving him some time to play first and relax – and after that, we can try once more.

During the session itself, I’m al­ ways thinking about how I see the dog the best. Sometimes the owner prefers to give me free hand to decide what kind of photo will be the best for his dog. For posed/standing photos I’m always trying to wait for that one second when the dog shows 100% of himself. I have my own style, and I want to keep it that way.

After years of “doing it”, I must ad­ mit that my favourite type of ses­

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sions are the dog shows reports.

First of all – because it’s really challenging (and I love a good challenge) to catch a perfect mo­ ment of a dog in the ring because there is no time or way to tell the handler what you want, you just need to always be ready. Photo reports made by me are not only of the dogs in their professional/ classic positions – there are also a lot of headshots or movement shots. But what I love the most are these special moments, full of joy and happiness – my pho­ to motto – emotions. Moments when I can capture the bond between the owner/handler and the dog. Moments from both in­ side and outside the rings. Cap­ tured moments that will stay for us for much, much longer.

WHICH BREED IN YOUR OPINION IS MOST PHOTOGENIC? I have worked with many, but it all depends on what kind of pho­ to you plan to take. For example, if I’m taking photos of sight­ hounds – I prefer to show them in the movement. With smaller breeds, you can expect more funny photos. But the best breed but also a very challenging one

– definitely Great Danes. And why challenging? Well, I have heard for years from other photographers, that they don’t like to work with Great Danes, as this is a very specific breed in itself and it’s really hard to take a good picture. But to be honest, it’s not like any breed is more or less photogenic or easy to work with – for me, everything depends on each model.

IS THERE ANY ONE THING YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN OR PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ASPIRING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? NEVER, EVER give up. Don’t worry that not all of your pictures will be perfect, not all will have this perfect deep, sharp – light! Never limit yourself. It’s better to take a few photos too many. It might take hun­ dreds of photos to get that perfect one for you, the one which will be remembered. Try to always use what you have around and remem­ ber – not every session will be perfect. If you have to take a break from photography – do it, because it’s never good to push yourself too far.

Remember – it doesn’t matter if you have been trained by profession­ als – most of us haven’t.

Use your imagination. Always. Photography has no limits.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS OF YOUR OWN? AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL? It might sound cliché but I adore all of the animals. BUT if I would have to say, then from the ones I could never have at home – it would be the Panda. Sometimes I identify with them a lot. And they always make me laugh.

At this moment I have one Great Dane at home – his name is Łoś (as it’s hard to pronounce by people from abroad, my friends made out of his name something easy for them to say – Washi) which in trans­ lation means – Moose. His pedigree name (also in Polish) is TERAZ ALBO NIGDY, which in translation means – NOW OR NEVER, and I really do believe in that. Because if we don’t try something now, then when?

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MALWINA PRZYSOWA AN INTERVIEW

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Poland І Malwina Przysowa Fotografia Kynologiczna І www.malwinaprzysowa.pl

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT BEING A DOG PHOTOGRAPHER AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT? As a little child I was running around the neigh­ bourhood with my dog, holding a compact cam­ era, taking pictures of every ladybug and bird I saw. I grew up in a small town, hence the first real opportunity to photograph dog models came after moving to Warsaw to study. It was in 2007.

Being an extrovert helped a lot :) Currently my life revolves around photography and improving my skills.

HOW DID YOU FIRST ENTER THE PHOTOGRAPHY WORLD? DID YOU HAVE FORMAL TRAINING?

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER? At first, I practiced taking photos of my friends’ dogs, then gained more experience and confi­ dence during dog shows sessions. At that time, around 2010 there were not that many opportuni­ ties to learn from professionals. Later, when work­ shops and online coaching started to become more available, I managed to learn from masters: Claudio Piccoli, Alicja Zmysłowska or Audrey Bel­ lot. Last year I participated in workshop organized

by Pet Photographers Club in Italy with atten­ dants from all over the world. Meeting people sharing the same passion is self-developing. I am now hosting my own workshops here in Poland.

After all these years I am still learning, as pho­ tography is not just about pressing the shutter. I need to stay up to date with technical advances,

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know how to handle specific dog breeds, and of­ ten manage their owners as well! It’s a never-end­ ing learning experience.

First of all - my own dog. In 2014 I bought my first long dreamed Great Dane who was (and still is!) my very patient model. He calmly lets me prac­ tice new poses, and camera settings allowing me to make multiple adjustments to accommo­ date various outside conditions. In my early days I started with dog shows photo coverages, people started to ask about photo sessions of their dogs, invited me to their houses and that’s how it all started.

WHAT TYPE OF CAMERAS DO YOU SHOOT WITH? WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE LENS AND WHY? I am a Canon lover and user. I had few models be­ fore, but now I work with mirrorless Canon R6 - it is very useful in dog photography due to eye focus and Live View option. I have two fav lenses. First is prime focal length Sigma Art 135mm f/1.8. Whole Sigma Art series is really nice - sharp and fast. I use this lens mostly for artistic portraits with dreamy mood and for action photo shoots. Second one is zoom Canon R 70-200mm f/2.8 which is use­ ful on dog shows and for breed photo sessions. As you can see, I use mostly long focal length lenses however sometimes, for example during indoor photo sessions I use Canon 50mm f/1.8 or Sigma Art 85mm f/1.4

Literally everywhere. Sometimes when I go to the store or walk through parking lot and see nice light, I instantly think how I would pose a dog here. The same situation is when I see random colour, tree, or bench in the park. Every day be­ fore going to bed I check potential locations on Google Maps.

DO YOU CONSIDER IT A CHALLENGING JOB? HOW DO YOU GET THE ANIMALS TO STAY AND “POSE” FOR YOU? I work mainly with show dogs which know how to pose patiently. The most important and helpful of all is the basic command „stay”. I encourage every­ one to teach it to their dogs! It’s not always easy to keep a dog focused on task and attract its atten­ tion. However, there are few methods to help with model’s concentration and motivation. I use my voice, the stranger voice you use the better. It is also worth to utilize a toy or other plaything. This is a good way to guide the dog’s eyes in a specific direction. When the dog’s mouth is open or there is little or no response to sounds, treats and toys, I pretend to throw a stick or treat. Sometimes dog needs just a little more time to get used to new place, somebody crawling with camera in front of it (I mean, myself) and often the owner is stressed.

In such situations we just take our time and go for a walk and try once again in a while.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING A FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER?

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WHAT OR WHO GOT YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS?

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?

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AND THE MOST CHALLENGING? It would be easier to say what is NOT the best part! Every stage of the process is inspiring. It starts from contacting customer, then - if it’s a session for breed­ er - I need to find FCI standard of this breed and find out what is the most crucial for this spe­ cific breed. As a photographer I have opportunity to meet many people sharing same passion as mine, travel around Europe - it’s funny to see old friends on the dog show in, let’s say Czech Re­ public and next weekend to see them on the other side of Eu­ rope. But it’s not only about how much fun the work is. During photo session I am like a ma­ chine - no need to eat or drink.

I’m just running around the lo­ cation to get the most out of it and try each pose I planned. It works for an hour-long session, but during dog shows when I go back to the hotel after few hours of running with heavy camera, I feel exhausted. Final stage - cat­ aloging and editing is my least favourite one.

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My photo sessions start with some earlier preparations. I need to know what client’s needs are - whether they want to do typical breed photo ses­ sion or maybe would like to cap­ ture dog during work, for exam­ ple hunting or maybe just some artistic photo shoots. Then I search for location suitable for client preferences or breed type.

I have some favourite places, but sometimes I need to fit it to weather or other conditions.

I won’t go with chihuahua to a field with high grass or with shy dog to the city centre. When I’m behind camera I need to make sure everything works fine lighting and shadows, back­ ground, and colours and, what’s most important - if the dog (and owner!) are relaxed. My photo session is usually a walk. We are talking, playing with the dog but in the meantime, I’m look­ ing around for the right place to pose the dog.

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DESCRIBE A TYPICAL SESSION FOR US. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BEHIND THE CAMERA?

WHICH BREED IN YOUR OPINION IS MOST PHOTOGENIC? The breed I photograph the most is Great Dane however it isn’t the easiest one. Great Danes are photogenic - if the dog is built correctly. I believe the most photogenic are red­ dish dogs - Vizslas, Irish setters, Rhodesians. As mentioned be­ fore - my photos are warm, so it comes naturally for me to com­ pose red dog with for example brown leaves or sunset.

ARE THERE OTHER DOG PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT INSPIRE OR INFLUENCE YOU? IF NOT, WHO OR WHAT DOES? Of course, there are! I had the opportunity to meet and learn from most of them. Only one left on my bucket list- Anne Geier from Austria. There are so many beautiful accounts on Instagram worth following in search for inspiration!

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IS THERE ANY ONE THING YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN OR PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ASPIRING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? Practice, practice and once again - practice. Do as many photos as you can. Do it during rain, cloudy day and in full sun.

People are now more interested in how to use Photoshop and Lightroom, but it’s not a good way to start. Most importantly learn composition, contrasts, and colours, shooting angles, white balance, and dog’s body language.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS OF YOUR OWN? AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL? I have two of the best models I could imagine. Great Dane, who is turning 9 years old in May, and

his little companion - 3 year old Russian Toy Terrier. They are my favorites ;)

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING? It’s a great honor to be a part of this issue of TheRREuMagazine, thank you for invitation!

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DORA LEVSTEK AN INTERVIEW

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Slovenia І Dora photography І dora.levstek@gmail.com

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT BEING A DOG PHOTOGRAPHER AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT? I’m Dora Levstek and I’m 25 years old. I live in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. Animals were always a part of my life. As a child I had hamsters, fish, tur­ tles, cats but my biggest wish was to have a dog.

In 2011 a very special Saluki boy Atash joined our family and because of him I started with dog pho­ tography. Currently I own two dogs, Atash and Pharaoh hound girl Aruba. Professionaly I’m tak­ ing dog photos for the last 5 years, mostly of show dogs and exhibitions.

HOW DID YOU FIRST ENTER THE PHOTOGRAPHY WORLD? DID YOU HAVE FORMAL TRAINING? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER? I had always enjoyed looking at paintings and pho­ tos. As a child I was drawing everything I saw and

every summer I went to an art camp. Already then my favourite thing to draw were animals. At home we have had so many old albums with milions of pictures which I loved browsing through and lis­ tening to the stories connected to them. When I was old enough my mom bought me a small compact Sony camera which I took everywhere with me. I was always fascinated with macro shots of small animlas like bugs and butterflies or water drops on flowers in the mornings. When I got my first dog I started taking photos of him and saw how photogenic he was. He was the most perfect model - very patient and obedient and would do everything I asked him to. My friends were always complimenting me on my photos and that gave me a lot of drive to continue with photography.

I don’t have any formal training but I did read a few books about photography when I first started. I am lucky to have great friends who are photographers and they helped me in the begining. I got my first DSLR camera in 2011, started taking photos at dog shows around 8 years ago and for the last 5 years I’m doing it professionaly.

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My boy Atash is the reason I start­ ed with dog photography pro­ fessionally. He was never a show dog but as he was very obedient and loved everyone, I lent him to a junior handler, Pia Grm Ur­ bančič, for the national cham­ pionship. At their first show to­ gether they took the first place.

Pia and I became great friends and started visiting dog shows together. At first I was taking show photos just for fun. In 2017 I went to the world dog show in Leipzig where a beautiful Great Dane won Best in Show. I took a photo of her and her handler just at the right time when they an­ nounced the winner and some days later the owner wrote to me if they can use the photo for a very famous USA Magazine.

Needless to say it gave me a lot of motivation to continue with dog show photography.

WHAT TYPE OF CAMERAS DO YOU SHOOT WITH? WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE LENS AND WHY?

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WHAT OR WHO GOT YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS?

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For dog photography I use a mirrorless Nikon Z6ii.

It’s a fast camera which has a great low light prefor­ mance which is needed for indoors dog shows. The lens I use the most is Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8ii be­ cause of it’s versatility and great focus and image quality. I also love my 24-70mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.4 lenses but use them mostly for non dog relat­ ed projects like weddings, couples, product pho­ tography…

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION? I love to travel and I always get inspired when I see beautiful surroundigs and I picture a dog posing on the stairs of a historical bulding, stacked in front of a famous sculpture or just standing on the rock rising out of a lake. I’m always trying to get that special wow effect with a simple stack photo and make it appealing to everyone, also to the ones who

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are not involved in dog showing.

With my photos I want to show the amazing bond people have with their show dogs and all the work they put into them.

DO YOU CONSIDER IT A CHALLENGING JOB? HOW DO YOU GET THE ANIMALS TO STAY AND “POSE” FOR YOU? Show dog photography can be quite challenging as you need to know the breed you have in front of your camera, what advantag­ es you want to show on the dog and what faults you want to hide.

Luckily I love learning about dif­ ferent breeds, their construction, temperament, grooming etc.

Ideally I try to work with at least two more people when taking photos. One holding and placing a dog and the other one calling and making strange noises to get the dog’s attention. A must have accessory is a squeaky toy and delicious treats. Special challenge is working with young dogs and puppies who can’t stay still for a second.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING A FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER?

AND THE MOST CHALLENGING?

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I’m a very open person and I just love meeting new people interested in the same things as me. I work with a lot of long time breeders and I love learn­ ing new things from them, listening to their stories and getting advice about breeding and showing as I’m also showing and planning to breed my Pharaoh hound. And of course… who could say no to dog cuddles at the end of a photosession?!

One of the most challenging things for me is the weather. When I plan my trips abroad weeks or even months before I travel I can not know how the weather will turn out. When you are not at home and not so flexible with time, you have to be very creative to find a way to do your job in all pos­ sible situations.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL SESSION FOR US. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BEHIND THE CAMERA? The most important thing is to listen to the clients and realize their wishes. First we always pick a lo­ cation that will be good for a certain dog. Some dogs hate water, some dogs are not comfortable in a busy city center so the communication part with the owners is one of the most important parts, to be able to have a sucessful photo session. I remind owners to bring dog’s favourite toys, treats and grooming equipment but I always bring my own also as dogs are lot of times more interested in something new rather than their usual stuff.

Dogs don’t have unlimited attention spans so I have to be quick and make a photoshooting fun for them. When we get to the location I let the

owner walk the dog to get comfortable and in the meantime I search for the best places for taking photos. Through the photoshooting I communi­ cate with the owner and guide them to place the dog into desired position.

After the photoshooting I send previews to the owners so they can choose what they like the most but I’m happy to help with choosing the right ones, too.

WHICH BREED IN YOUR OPINION IS MOST PHOTOGENIC? Every breed can be photogenic. I love gracefulness of the Pharaoh hound, goofines of a Standard Poo­ dle, alertness of a Doberman and a sweet face of a Spaniel but if I have to choose one breed I think no one can match the elegance of a Saluki.

I love having all breeds in front of my camera but find it quite challenging to take good photos of a black longcoated breeds as it’s hard to show their personality and facial expressions under all that fluff.

ARE THERE OTHER DOG PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT INSPIRE OR INFLUENCE YOU? IF NOT, WHO OR WHAT DOES? I’m happy to see other photographers’ work and their view on dogs and photography. I gladly scroll through winning photos of photography compet­ itons and read about stories behind them. I have thousands of photos of my own dogs but I find it interesting when they are models in front of some other photographer’s lenses.

Since I started taking photos I have met a lot of

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fellow dog photographers and with many of them I have be­ come great friends. I would like to mention and thank the amaz­ ing Anna Szabo who’s photos are just breathtaking and who I can always count on if I need any professional advice, Klaudia Karlowicz who’s style I just love and is an ‘’official’’ photographer of my dogs at shows abroad and Grzegorz Gebik, Simone Luca and Tommaso Urciuolo who al­ ways capture the right moment.

IS THERE ANY ONE THING YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN OR PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO AN ASPIRING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER? I would suggest to everyone that they find a mentor who can help when things go south. Learn all the features that your camera has to offer, test its limits and test new equipment. While learn­ ing, don’t forget to take photos all the time. Only then you can get better in photography and develop your own style. When I look at my photos from the be­ ginning of my journey as a pho­ tographer, I see a big change in my style and perception.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS OF YOUR OWN? AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL? As mentioned above, I’m the owner of two amazing dogs - 12 years old Saluki Atash and 3 year old Pharaoh Aruba. I love spending time with them and doing different activities such as hiking, SUPing, training agility, competing at dog shows with Aruba and visiting children at hospitals with Atash. Dogs are a big part of my life and I can’t imagine life without them. Hopefully next year I will have a litter with Aruba and one of her puppies will join us on our everyday advantures.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING? Thank you for inviting me to do this interview, I must say it was much harder to write 2000 words then to take 2000 photos. It was my plea­ sure to write this interview for such a great magazine.

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OUR COVER D OG S

T U N A P E N DA N A A D I A AYO & T U N A P E N DA N A E B O N Y M R . P E R F ECT SA M U

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CAN YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOUR COVER DOG FOR OUR READERS?

Ayo is our first Ridgeback. He came to us when we moved into our newly built home.

We have always lived with dogs. German Shepherd Dogs, Cocker Spaniel, Beagle in our parents’ homes. Of course, we wanted one in our own home, so we looked for a family dog, big and with short hair, which is also able to protect family, house and garden. After careful consideration, we decided on a Rhodesian Ridgeback. The next step was to find a breeder not too far from us, so we came to Katja Lisson. Best decision, as we know now. Ayo was chosen for us by her, because our daughter Leonie was a small child and a bit afraid of this huge dog, so we got the gentlest dog from the litter. This also was best decision. After few weeks Katja asked who wants to try to show their dogs. We tried, first time at CACIB Kassel and we won, we tried again and we won, we tried again and we didn´t win. Then we asked why we did not win and we started to train more. That was the beginning of the success. Time went by and we felt that Ayo needs a 4-legged friend. This decision was also not an easy one. We looked for another show dog and of course another family member. And so, we found Samu. Same breeder, same line of course. Another adventure started because he is a completely different in character.

Now after 2 years we see that this was also the best decision. He is the best buddy for us all and we love his special temperament. We are so so happy with these 2 dogs.

WHAT IS HIS/HER BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT? Of course Ayo´s win of BOB Veteran at Crufts this year. We didn‘t expect this and we are still overwhelmed. In the past he won several BOB and Group wins around Europe.

Samu was very succesful last year he won BOB at the RR National Show in Poland, DZRR Speciality with an entry of over 100 RR, he won Best in Group at Komarom CACIB, Hungary and Best in Group 3 at CACIB Bratislava, Slovakia one week later.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT SHOWING? Dog showing is our common family hobby. We are proud to show our beautiful healthy dogs. And we are happy to see how they like to present themselves in the show ring. Of course as a stud dog owner this is important to us.

And it is also an opportunity to travel around Europe, see places we would never see without our dog shows. It is always so nice to meet old friends and to make new friends.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? Breeding exam with Samu is the next big point on our list.

We wish , that we all and our dogs stay healthy and strong, so that we can continue this way.

FACTSHEET Name C.I.B. BISS Crufts Veteran Winner IntMch NatMCh MGrandCh Tunapendana Adia Ayo Name BISS MPuppyCh PuppyGrandCh MJCh MCh GrandCh Tunapendana Ebony Mr. Perfect Samu

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Our two Boys are 8 and 2 years old. They live with us in a little village in the middle of Germany called „The green heart“ Thuringia. They are full family members, but they also have enough space for just being dogs. They are so different in personality. Ayo is the wise man, the sublime, the souvereign, elegantly reserved, but on point if someone needs him. Samu with his 2 years is still a baby in head and behaviour. The big cuddler, he will always be close to his humans even at the dinner table or in bed. He is always first at the door, in the car, on the couch, at the dinner table. But he also needs Ayo to guide him. He has a big talent: he is a singer and talker, always if he wants something or he is bored, he sings and talks loudly. They are like black and white, like ying and yang, and they love each other to the moon and back.

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Umlani

Italy

Switzerland

www.rhodesianridgebackajabu.eu

www.umlani.ch

elisabettag2

Umlani Rhodesian Ridgeback

bettagrande

umlani_rhodesian_ridgeback

Royal African Ridgebacks

Shawdi

Germany

Sweden

www.royal-african-ridgebacks.com

www.shawdi.se

Royal African Ridgebacks

KennelShawdi

royal_african_ridgebacks

kennelshawdi

Nomawethu RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK BREEDERS 186

Kizazi Ajabu RR

Harmakhis Wisdom

Germany

Italy

www.nomawethu.de

www.saraventurelli.it

NomawethuRidgebacks

Rhodesian Ridgeback Harmakhis Wisdom

leaprusnat

rhodesian_harmakhis_wisdom

Imara ya Furaha

Neomele

Switzerland

Croatia

imara-ya-furaha.ch

www.neomele.com

Angela Di Stefano

maja.kljaja, Lela Treščec

ridgebacks_imara_ya_furaha

rhodesian_ridgebacks_neomele

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Ireland

Switzerland

www.hoozridgebacks.com

www.of-muna.ch

hoozridgebacks

Jasmin Hoppe

hoozridgebacks

jasmine_munayakusini

Onyesha

Malozi

Netherlands

Finland

marike.geel@gmail.com

malozirr@gmail.com

Rhodesian Ridgebacks Onyesha

malozirr

/

/

Zawadi N’Zuri

DolceBay

France

Finland

zawadi-nzuri.com

www.dolcebay.com

teamzawadinzuri

DolceBay Kennel

/

dolcebay

Villagedogs

Mbaya-Almasi Ridgebacks

Belgium

Germany

www.villagedogs.be

www.mbaya-almasi-ridgeback.de

Villagedogs RRs

Mbaya-Almasi Ridgebacks

villagedogs

tunapendanaadia

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK BREEDERS

Of Muna Ya Kusini

RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK EU MAGAZINE

Hooz

Khoisan

Austria

Slovenia

www.de-kungara.com

www.khoisan.si

Viktoria De Kungara

kuralt.snezka

viktoria_de_kungara

designbystarr

Ikimba

Of Course

Finland

Canada

marianne.gellin@gmail.com

www.

Marianne Gellin (Ikimba)

ofcourserhodesianridgebacks

/

ofcourseridgebacks

Dear Breeders,

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RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK BREEDERS 188

De Kungara

In the upcoming issue of our magazine, we have 5 open spots for breeder (logo) cover exposure, along with a corresponding data card featuring your information. Alternatively, you may opt for a data card only.

Should you wish to seize this opportunity and feature your breeding in magazine, please do not hesitate to reach out to us through our social media handles or via email at rr.eu.magazine@gmail.com. We would be delighted to provide you with all the necessary information.

Thank you for considering our magazine as a potential avenue for showcasing your kennel. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards, Magazine Team