COMPOUND
Rhodesian Ridgebacks
Compound Rhodesian Ridgebacks
TEMPERAMENT, HEALTH, VERSATILITY.
Temperament, Health, Performance, and Preservation
FOCUSING ON MENTALLY & PHYSICALLY SOUND DOGS FOR COMPANIONSHIP OR PERFORMANCE
Primary Focus
Sound Temperament
Primary Focus
Sound Temperament
Homes with children should be highly concerned about where they acquire a dog and if the dog's parents are temperamentally sound. I encourage people with families to seek out dogs from parents that have been temperament tested. Studies have shown that temperament is mostly inherited and only somewhat formed by the environment. All pet dogs should have a solid mind. This affords them the ability to be thrown into any environment or situation and easily adapt without excess stress. This includes kids sporting events, birthday parties, trips to the park, hiking trips, walks in the city, fire engines flying past you, or any other place that you would plan to take your dog. Dogs with a poor temperament often have anxiety issues, are destructive, and their "issues" may lead to other behavioral problems. Living with a dog that is temperamentally unsound is not for the inexperienced and they should most certainly not live with children.
Secondary Focus
Overall Health and Vitality
Secondary Focus
Overall Health and Vitality
Many breeders are doing minimal testing or turn a blind eye to things like thyroid disease or allergies. The responsibility for these types of things (mainly cost) is then passed on to new owners. Thyroid disease is more than "just a pill twice a day". My goal is to prevent that from occurring in the first place. Rhodesian Ridgebacks should be tested for Hip Displaysia, Elbow Displaysia, Thyroid Disease, Congenital Eye Problems, Congenital Heart Problems, Degenerative Myelopathy, Early Onset Adult Deafness, and holter tested for Inherited Ventricular Arrhythmia. Dogs are not perfect and occasionally genetics allow things to sneak through. But by purchasing a dog from health-tested parents, the chance of your dog developing a congenital condition is considerably less.
Long Term Goals
Conformation & Performance
Long Term Goals
Conformation & Performance
A Rhodesian Ridgeback is an athletic breed. The sport of showing dogs is not a beauty contest, it is the evaluation of breeding stock. Correct conformation for a Ridgeback is essential because it ensures the animal has the capability to move efficiently, and correctly, and the potential to run fast to be competitive or work. A dog with poor conformation is more likely to get injured. A conformationally poor animal will physically break down faster over time and suffer joint or ligament problems as they age. Ridgebacks love to run and play hard. A dog who is active in performance or who has a job will have a much more fulfilled life than one that does not. This function ties directly back to conformation and structure. Structural weaknesses lead to pain and suffering. No one wants a dog to be in pain due to poor conformation.
Keagan X Wick Litter
I started in the breed in 2004, began competing in performance in 2005/6, then went on to pursue conformation in 2007. I bred my first litter in 2016 under the kennel name Semper Fidelis Rhodesian Ridgebacks. After some life changes in 2020, and changing the direction of where I wanted to go with the breed, I decided to change my kennel name and relocate geographically. I have been a member in good standing of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States (RRCUS) since 2007, and have served on the board of directors of both the Northeastern Maryland Kennel Club (NEMKC), and the Chesapeake Bay Area Rhodesian Ridgeback Club (CBARRC). I am currently serving as Vice President for CBARRC and am active in the club. I believe In the whole dog and that proving dogs either in the show ring or in performance is essential to the preservation and protection of the breed.
My dogs are proven either in the show ring (conformation) or on the field (lure coursing) or both. I strongly believe in preserving a breed by presenting it to a panel of peers (judges) to be evaluated as breeding stock prior to being bred. Individuals who do not prove their dogs either in performance or conformation, are not familiar with the pitfalls of breeding an unproven dog who may or may not meet the written breed standard (and may be a conformational or temperamental disaster).
We do not condone slapping two separate breeds together to make up the newest "breed" or "doodle" of the week. If you want a mixed breed dog, there are plenty in the shelter bred by irresponsible people and dumped by irresponsible owners.
Who We Are
HISTORY
Who We Are
HISTORY
