First of all: it's still nature!
Even if breeding is carried out to the best of our knowledge and belief, not everything can be completely ruled out.
Breed standard
A breed always has a standard (the Rhodesian Ridgeback has the FCI 146 standard,
read here), which should/must be adhered to. A breed standard consists of umpteen points, some with room for manoeuvre, others without. In addition, there is always something "your own taste" or where you want to set your priorities.
In my opinion, it is important to know the good and the less good sides of your dog (in relation to the breed standard). You either recognise this yourself or receive corresponding feedback from the judges at shows.
A so-called kennel blindness ("my dog(s) are perfect and faultless") benefits neither your own breeding nor the breed!
When looking for the right breeding partner, I make sure that the less favourable characteristics of the bitch are not also present in the male dog.
As a Rhodesian Ridgeback specialist judge and exhibitor, I enjoy going to dog shows, I like the atmosphere and meeting up with friends. Nevertheless, this is only one part of the cake - and one of the less important ones at that.
Health
The health of the parents is a very important point and should always be one of the most important in breeding!
Certain examinations such as X-rays and DNA tests help to establish the key points.
As a general rule, affected dogs should only be bred to dogs that are free of health problems!
However, affected does not mean that they are sick dogs! Rather, they are so-called carrier animals or, in the case of X-ray results, dogs with mild signs.
In my opinion, carrier animals should not be taken out of breeding. It is extremely important for the gene pool to maintain the greatest possible diversity of genes. Carrier animals are also not ill! Mated with free dogs, 50% free and 50% carrier puppies are born.
In addition to all these preliminary examinations, it is also important to keep an eye open for further details.
Rhodesian Ridgebacks unfortunately suffer from open ear patches. Especially in winter, the edges of the ears tend to burst open and heal very badly.
It is important to me to make sure that the tips of the ears are clean and undamaged when choosing a suitable breeding partner. There is no guarantee that the puppies will never or only rarely have problems with them! But ignoring the fact and simply accepting that this is just the way it is with Rhodesian Ridgebacks won't help!
I think every Rhodesian Ridgeback owner who knows the subject agrees with me that the open ear tips are sometimes one of the hardest things to deal with.
Allergies and intolerances should also not be underestimated. Nothing is worse than a dog having to be kept on a strict diet for the rest of its life because only a few things are tolerated.
However, it is normal for a dog not to tolerate something!
Character
The character of both parents should be taken into account when breeding. Even if the male dog usually only does his work at stud, his character is also passed on to the puppies to a certain extent.
However, due to all the epigenetics and the rearing of the puppies, the mother dog certainly has a major influence on the moulding.
As Tia herself is not the safest bitch, it is important for me to choose a very confident male for the litter.
Closing words
A perfect pedigree, parents that conform perfectly to the breed standard and several championship titles are all well and good. But we must not forget that our Rhodesian Ridgebacks are first and foremost family members. And health and temperament are much more important to me!
It's better for the dog to live a healthy life and cope well with everyday life - one championship title more or less is relatively irrelevant!
Of course, champion titles do not mean that the focus is not also on health and temperament! However, this should not be the sole criterion.
