THE RIDGE

The hallmark of the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed is the ridge which runs down the dog's spine from just below the shoulders to the hip bone.  The ridge is a strip of fur that grows in the opposite direction from the rest of the coat.  In the close up of the ridge to the left you can see the fur growing in two directions quite clearly.   A Ridgeback's ridge is ALWAYS there -- from birth on.  Ridges do not grow in over time nor are they only present when the dog is excited or otherwise stimulated.  When the fur along a dog's back sticks up when the dog is excited or aggressive, those are called "hackles" and every breed of dog has them.  It's tougher to see in longer coated dogs but they are there in every breed. 

RIDGE VARIETIES

A "correct" ridge begins at the shoulders and has two evenly-sized whorls, also called crowns, and continues down to the hip bone.  You can see a good example of two even crowns in the close up above left.

Sometimes dogs get extra whorls -- these dogs are not "show-quality" but they still make great pets. 

BORN WITH THEIR RIDGE

These Ridgeback puppies are not even 24 hours old.  You can see that they were born with their ridge(s).

THIS PICTURE SHOULD BE  ANOTHER PUPPY PICTURE (MAYBE SLIGHTLY OLDER PUPPY) THAT SHOWS THE RIDGE.

RIDGED MIXES

The black dogs pictured here are ridged Ridgeback mixes.  You can clearly see the line of fur, with two crowns at the top, running from the shoulders to the hip bone. 

We need another ridged mix photo here.

HACKLES

The photo on the right is a photo of a Ridgeback -- but you cannot see this dog's ridge at all in this photo.  What you see in this photo is this dog's HACKLES.  The raised hair along his neck and shoulders and near his tail is not a ridge. The photo to the left of the two Ridgebacks playing illustrates the difference between the ridge and hackles.  In this photo you can clearly see the dog's ridge but both above and below the ridge this dog's hackles are raised. 

DORSAL STRIPE.

The dog pictured to the left does not have a ridge and is not part Ridgeback.  Many people believe that a darker strip of fur along the spine is a dog's ridge.  This is actually a very common coloration found among many animals (most commonly, horses) and it is called a DORSAL STRIPE.  This darker strip of fur is NOT a ridge.  The red dog (right) also has a dorsal stripe.  This particular dog is a purebred Boxer, not a ridgeless Ridgeback. 

HERE EXPLAIN OTHER RIDGES THAT OCCUR:  OCCIPITAL RIDGES (FOUND IN GREYHOUNDS AND DOBERMAN) AND NOSE RIDGES

MORE ON HACKLES

The black dog to the left has his hackles raised. 

The black dog on the ridge is ridged Ridgeback mix.

HERE I NEED A PICTURE OF A BLACK OR RED DOG WITH HACKLES UP -- NO RIDGE.