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Rhodesian Ridgeback Pitbull Mix: Everything You Need To Know

If you love dogs, but your preferences are big dogs, with muscular aspects, agile and fast, and that shows a great demeanor, that is also sweet, docile, read, intelligent and calm and that you can use in several functions, what you need is a Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback.

In this article we will tell you many interesting things about this majestic breed of canine, you will realize how strong they are for various weather conditions, and the great advantages they can give you as a companion and guardian, knowing all its benefits, surely this will be the friend you want to have.


What two breeds make up a Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback?

What two breeds make up a Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback?
What two breeds make up a Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback?

This breed of dog is originally from South Africa, from the area known as Rhodesia, currently, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the settlers who came to South Africa in the sixteenth century, to carry out safari activities, experienced a crossing of a breed of dog called Khoikhoi which raised some nomads in southwest Africa, called the Hottentot tribe, with European breed dogs such as greyhounds and terriers.

The original idea of crossbreeding was to maintain a characteristic crest, the specimens with this quality were those that showed a natural instinct as good hunters, and possessed excellent gifts for speed, agility, and showed an excellent temperament.

In addition to these qualities, the injection of the blood of the Khoikhoi dog from the natives of this area provided the resulting dogs with efficient resistance to local pests, such as the tsetse fly which represented dangerous parasites for these animals.

And the boldness to walk on the intricate and thick African roads, full of predators that posed a danger to their existence.

In the end, they achieved, as a result, a breed of dog that apart from the impeccable hunting skills, possessed an ability to develop very high speeds, and presented a calm and very docile dog quality, which offered many facilities for its domestication and training.

Expert Tip: The Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback was finally recognized as a breed by 1955 by the FCI and the AKC and by 1996 a definitive breed standard was approved, using templates based on other breeds, such as Bull Terriers, Great Danes, and Dalmatians.


Physical Characteristics of the Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback

Physical Characteristics of the Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback
Physical Characteristics of the Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback

This kind of Rhodesian Ridgeback is a large dog with a unique demeanor, very elegant and extremely agile, the main feature that stands out is formed by a peculiar crest.

This is almost invisible and runs along his back, and is formed because the hair in this area of the body grows in a way contrary to the rest of the hair, starting behind his shoulders and reaching the part where the hips begin.

A detail that identifies him is formed by the formation of two crowns in the form of a spiral, which is observed opposite each other.

Physically it is a dog with an athletic and robust shape, with a symmetrical silhouette, where its strong and resistant musculature stands out and with a disposition of the body that gives it amazing agility, with long and strong hind legs, with a very stylized body with large pectorals, powerful straight front legs.

And somewhat shorter than the hind legs, showing a good bone structure where the elbows are very close to the body, and a fine and stylized abdomen.

A powerful and stout neck is attached to the head showing broad, drooping ears, a thick face with a pronounced muzzle, and round eyes, the tail has a strong appearance at its root and its volume decreases towards the tip, where it is observed a soft curvature upwards and does not curl over the tail itself.


Size

A male Rhodesian Ridgeback can reach heights ranging from the end of its legs to the height of the withers between 60 cm and 70 cm and can weigh from 30 kg to 40 kg while a female of the species can be a little smaller and can reach heights ranging from 60 to 65 cm and can weigh between 30 and 39 kg.


Color

Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback Appearance
Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback Appearance

The coat of a Rhodesian Ridgeback is short, very dense, and of smooth and shiny aspect, it is not a woolly or silky coat, the color of the coat has tonalities between corn, wheaten and tends to be reddish or yellow ocher.

Which tends to be more brownish towards the torso and ears, in some cases, the coat of the front part of the chest tends to lighter tonalities being able to reach up to white.


Coat

The dense and straight coat of these dogs is a characteristic of short-coated animals that are adapted to warm climates, however, the Rhodesian Ridgeback adapts easily to different types of climate, care should be increased if they are kept in freezing climates, especially with puppies, as they should be protected from the intense cold.


Grooming

The Rhodesian Ridgeback breed is very easy to care for in many aspects, and it is a dog for which maintenance does not require large costs like other species, their care is very simple, these animals are not like other dogs that for long periods of the year are shedding hair, the Ridgeback rarely shed hair.

Expert Tip: For the care of their teeth you can use toothpaste recommended by veterinarians, within the techniques to groom them efficiently, you should clean their ears, and cut their nails as often as the growth of these merits, as you can see.

These cares for your dog are not stressful activities, nor present major difficulties.


Brushing

The coat of this breed of dogs does not require complicated procedures, the hair is very close to the body, short, very healthy, and firm, so brushing is very easy to do and the docility of these dogs allows it without inconveniences, it should be done at least once a week.


Bathing

As for the bath, it should be done when there is the need, if the climate is very warm it can be weekly, but if you have in colder climates this frequency for the bath should be higher, being able to be once a month, these dogs do not give off bad odors and are very resistant to parasites, so on that side, there are fewer worries.

Use adequate soaps and shampoos, recommended by veterinarians, that do not cause irritations to the dog’s skin, the resistance to fleas and ticks that these dogs genetically present, avoids having to use products that can cause irritations.


Do Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgebacks bark?

Do Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgebacks bark?
Do Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgebacks bark?

There are publications on studies about dogs that bark less, these investigations are based on the needs of people who live in apartments, or small residential complexes, where the exaggerated noises affect the norms of coexistence of the communities.

According to the results, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is one of the dogs that bark less, so it is an ideal companion as a pet for people who live in those places.

These considerations do not mean that these dogs do not bark, all dogs without exception bark, and it is a natural instinct it is like speech is for people, but the barking of the Rhodesian Ridgeback is not something disturbing, and it all depends on the way it has been bred.

By nature, these dogs have a hunting instinct, and this makes them stealthy and quiet, so the exaggerated barking is not among its characteristics, this breed of dogs only tends to bark when they feel danger or are threatened it is an animal that feels a great attachment to those who care for him.

So if he feels that his masters are at risk or in danger he will act in their defense. It is a very active dog that if it feels alone it will behave in an inadequate way. It is advisable to keep it active, exercising it with walks so that it drains its energy.

In case he has to share with other animals, he should be educated, because he is a hunting dog he could get confused and not understand that the other pets are his companions, but when he is educated and trained he is a noble and calm dog that can live with other animals and with all the members of the family.

In this way, this is a dog of great discretion, that barks only and exclusively when situations require attention at the moment.


How much does a Rhodesian Ridgeback cost?

The prices of this breed of dogs are not at all cheap, which further affects the thesis that they are animals of great quality and characteristics.

According to stores specializing in sales of puppies, a Rhodesian Ridgeback breeding can range between $650 and $800 while if they acquire to take them home with their respective vaccines, with food bag, with health certificate, blankets with the scent of the mother, and AKC registration can range between $2,000 and $2,500.


Are Ridgeback dogs aggressive?

Are Ridgeback dogs aggressive?
Are Ridgeback dogs aggressive?

The Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback are extremely tolerant and can be counted on to alert you to the presence of intruders in the house, they are reserved with people they do not know, and are neither shy nor aggressive, and enjoy being with other dogs.

Expert Tip: Their behavior is family, they are docile and show great affection, they always try to be close and in contact with their owners, they also show signs of independence and are very intelligent.

The success achieved with them will depend largely on the training and education that is given to them during their development stage, it must be firm, and constant although hard, they have a lot of energy that must be learned to channel.


Life Expectancy of a Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback

They are very healthy dogs, because of how agile and strong they are, they usually have life spans that can be between 12 and 15 years, of course, this is a condition that will depend on the care that the dog will have during its existence.


Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback Health

Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback Health
Pitbull Rhodesian Ridgeback Health

Due to the extreme conditions of the place where they originate, this breed of dogs created a great resistance that has made them exaggeratedly healthy animals that present a great resistance to diseases and illnesses, but they are not immune to everything.

Throughout the time that this breed has been in existence, a variety of diseases have been detected that have been common in them, these being the following.


Cancer

There are several types of cancer that affect Ridgebacks among them are mast cell tumors, fortunately, this disease is treatable in dogs and can be surgically removed.


Cataracts

This canine eye disease attacks this breed, causing opacity of the crystalline lens, and breaking its tissues, it is detected by observing a spot of a bluish-white over the eye.


Degenerative myelopathy

It is a degenerative disease that causes paralysis and is incurable, it directly affects the spinal cord, fortunately, it occurs in very rare cases.


Dermoid sinus

This is a tunnel-shaped opening between the spinal column and the skin of the animal, it is treated by surgery.


Dysplasia of the hip and elbow

The owners of these canines have frequently reported the appearance of these conditions, in both cases the tissues of the bone mass are altered, causing inflammations that degenerate into osteoarthrosis.


Entropion

With this disease, the dog’s eyelids turn towards the inner part of the eye producing a rubbing on the cornea, which irritates the eyeball causing conjunctivitis and laceration, causing great discomfort to the animal and if it is not treated in time it can lose its vision.


Gastric torsion

This breed of dog is very prone to present gastric inflammations, which cause great pain in the area and can cause death. Symptoms of this disease include constant drooling, pale gums, lip licking, and attitudes that reflect pain. In most cases of this disease, surgery is required to place a technique known as stomach tack.


Hypothyroidism

The thyroid gland does not work properly and does not generate the thyroid hormone in an adequate way.


Progressive retinal atrophy

It originates in the back part of the eye and affects the photoreceptors of the retina, as they do not receive an adequate blood flow, this condition can become blindness if not treated.


Conclusion

This is a breed of dog that is spectacular as a pet, however, it is not a companion for everyone, it takes time to dedicate to it because although its maintenance does not require a lot of time, they are animals that cannot stand to be alone, and they are strong animals, of great corpulence that require knowledge to control them.

In spite of everything they are great friends and are pets that have a great presence, they are slender and very sociable. Because of their strength and hunting instinct they should not be left alone in the care of children, it can happen that unintentionally, the dog may cause harm to the infant by unexpected pulls if it sees a cat or any other small animal.

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About Grace Hocker

Hi, my name is Grace and I am a pet lover. Ever since 5 years old, I've owned some sort of pet from Bearded Dragons to Rabbits. I have dedicated my life to helping pets, and am here to help you get the best for your pet!