View Full Version : Ming the Rhodesian?
I'm the first to say that trying to sort out breed in a mix can be a fruitless effort. But for grins I went looking at Ridgeback sites and stumbled on this.
the first is a Ridgeback
the second is Yao Ming
Sure, dogs can look alike, but those two pics were just too eerily similar for me. Down to the expression on the face which I see all the time on him. I really did a double-take on that one. And look at the size of those paws!
There were many other pictures that showed traits that I see in Ming, though obviously his Shar Pei wrinkles and stocky-ish build are not Ridgeback traits. They have some wrinkles, just not as many.
We'll never know for sure. But it's fun to theorize and to find pics of other dogs that look so much like him was a trip.
Doberman's
12-12-2006, 07:56 PM
Does he have a ridge on his back ? They do look similar in the pics. :):)
check these out! Attached thumbnail is Ming of course.
http://www.rhodesian-ridgeback-photo.org/showphoto.php/photo/3441
No... no ridge. I don't know if the ridge is a recessive trait. If so, than it could easily be absent in a mix. I've asked about it. If anyone here knows, please say so.
Sabledog
12-12-2006, 09:05 PM
pure rhodesians do not all have the ridge, but they must have the ridge to qualify for show and it must be a certail length and MUST have the whorls even, but not all pure rhodesians have their ridge. My heart is set on one and one day i WILL have one, my female is part rhodesian but she is on the small side
I'll have to look more into their personalities because if Ming is any indicator, they have my vote.
of course, hubby wants a GSD so... since I "won" with getting Ming, I have to give the guy a break and let him get his GSD eventually. :)
since pure Rhodesians do not necessarily have the ridge, then that says it's not a dominant trait (or at least, not wholely so).
If you put the thumbnail above in one window and open the link to the Rhodesian picture and put them side-by-side, it seems virtually undeniable to me. Other than the ridge, his coat is identical, his ears, etc. Only his nose is a bit short of course. And he has more skin due to the Shar Pei input. He has those blond patches just behind each shoulder.
Do Rhodesians have any reputation re: their mouth? Ming is extremely gentle and likes to mouth affectionately (I know, I know).
Also, his coat is strange. It isn't oily at all (in fact, a tad dry and requires Linatone in his diet) but it is very hard to get wet. I was thinking this was due to the rumor of having Lab in his parentage but wondering if there is a similar thing with RR's? It's not really an undercoat, but at the same time he's, like MommyLisa said, "Water resistant." Trying to get him soaked enough to actually shampoo him is a challenge. Just slides off like water on bird feathers. It's a bit coarse, but not as much as purebred Shar Peis.
Sabledog
12-13-2006, 10:28 AM
theres alot about rhodesians that people dont know, as they arent at the top of the list for most popular breed, they are considered sight hounds, originaly bred to hunt lions in a pack so these dogs are very pack oriented and get along well with other dogs (with good socialization of course) they are laid back and reserved at home, but when working outside very energetic and playful, they make great agility dogs and exellent family pets as they were bred to be around a whole village of people and are wonderful with kids and people, they do tend to stand on guard with strangers but quickly warm up, they do have a tendancy to be very large couch potatoes, and to give lots of kisses!!! average size for them is females around 70-80 lbs and males at 100-120 lbs they come in several colors, tan, red, dark red, blonde, wheaton, and my fav red wheaton, all are allowed, some white on the chest and feet but it should not be overly marked, white that goes from the top of the chest to the bottom of the chest is acceptable but itf it runs onto the stomach or underside or is overly large make it a disqualification , white tipped or all white feet are normal for the breed, hope this helps a bit.. i know my ridgebacks.
marked, white that goes from the top of the chest to the bottom of the chest is acceptable but itf it runs onto the stomach or underside or is overly large make it a disqualification , white tipped or all white feet are normal for the breed, hope this helps a bit.. i know my ridgebacks.
thanks much. Very interesting info. Ming has a little bitty cowlick on his chest that is very blond but not quite white. one foot is white-tipped. Of course, that doesn't make him a RR but it's cute. :)
I've been interested in Ridgebacks since my early teens when I saw one in an World Book Encyclopedia. A few years ago my dad worked for a fellow who had Ridgebacks on his ranch. Dad said they "owned" the couches in the house and he really thought they were great dogs. I never got to go and see them (promises, promises!) but wish I had. Dad was offered a pup at one point. Dang! At the time I wasn't in a position to have a dog (could barely handle my first husband and a toddler) but I was disappointed dad didn't take him up on the idea.
Despite all the interest, I've never really studied them other than I had read that they were bred to bay lions. Gotta be pretty big and intimidating for that - pack or otherwise.
Ridgie Lover
01-29-2007, 05:09 AM
Hey,
I like the pics! Very definately got a bit of Ridgie in him! I have had Rhodesian Ridgebacks all my life, and seen alot of RR mixes too. Ming's beautiful, prob mixed with something smaller & stockier, his head is much shorter & makes it look wider. But rest of his conformation rings true to type.
Bless him.
kinko
01-30-2007, 08:21 PM
...maybe staffie+rr then, ridge lover?
I did get an email response some time back from a Texas RR breeder who was most helpful. She felt it was a possibility but of course, there's no way to know. I'm doubtful about Staffie though anything is possible (some have suggested Mastiff but I personally don't see it - his face is much "finer".) Mom is Shar Pei but believed to be a Shar Pei mix. She could just be a poor example of a CSP (poor confirmation if judging by the breed standard) but again, we don't know for sure. Dad was fence jumper - the owners of mom thought it was a Lab and he may have some Lab in him but I don't think it's the dominant breed from Dad's side. He sure has some RR looks to him. And he's extremely agile for such a big lug.
ah well, like I said. it's fun to speculate.
kinko
01-31-2007, 09:12 AM
his mom must've been a sher pei mix because my papa has one and its wrinkley...and smells. your dog isnt wrinkley (i leave you to judge smell) lol
oh he's wrinkly - just not as much. Momma had more wrinkles than he does for sure. No smell. If anything, and I may be a biased Mommy, he has a wonderful smell. It's musky but not stinky. And his coat is not coarse and short like the Shar Peis I've met. A lot of Shar Peis have skin problems (as do Dalmatians) and this is probably the cause of the smell, not a direct genetic thing but a genetic predisposition to skin problems like staph and yeast growth.
he has the straight and somewhat stiff hairs but their only a little stiffer than Bayta's were (Dalmatian) but what's odd is that he also has this fur that is super fine and slightly wavy and very soft. It's hard to pick off your clothes. You only notice it when it ends up on your black pants or shirt! I don't know where that comes from. He's hard as heck to wet down for a bath but his coat isn't oily that I can tell.
Where you really see his wrinkles is his neck and dewlap but I don't have any good pics of that. He's got a big, floppy, blond dewlap
Here's one of my favorite pics because it shows his skin all sagging around his backside. :) Yes, I do call him wrinklyb*tt.
I'm trying to find pics of mum. I *had* them but think I accidentally deleted them so I'm bugging MommyLisa again. :P
Here's his Sis, Asia. She looks more like him. His other sis looks more like mum. You can see Asia has a large dewlap and the wrinkles around her neck are more obvious.
Mom and other sis have the shorter, rounder nose of the Shar Pei, a stronger "mask" like Shar Peis and Mastiffs have, and much smaller, higher ears.
kinko
01-31-2007, 02:43 PM
Asia looks like an RR, most definetly.
Ridgie Lover
01-31-2007, 06:06 PM
My boy weighs 10stone but can run rings round the most agile dogs, amazing coz you'd expect them to be clumsier (they grow out of that :) ). Definately possibility of RR, not all pure RRs have a ridge as it is an autosommal recessive genome. Many RR crosses do have a ridge, no telling. The RR is designed to be well balanced & to not be excessive in bone or traits, for it's original working purpose they are fast & agile & with lots of stamina.
If the mum was a shar pei (poss mix) that would account for head type variation. If it is an RR mix, he will probably have inherited alot of the temperament too - stubborn, laid back, confident, self-assured, sociable, sense of humour, selective hearing, greedy, knows how to relax as well as how to hunt down the cyclist ;0) :D
How old is he? Whatever mix he is enjoy him, he's gorgeous and deserves your love that you obviously lavish on him! lol X
Ridgie Lover
01-31-2007, 06:11 PM
Ha HA! Just seen pic of his sis Asia - Ridgie!!! Looks like fuller smaller version of my last bitch RR Tiki.
Asia's head type & muzzle are very dainty & defined stop as they would be in a female RR. In RR's there is a significant difference in size & physical characteristics, I like that. She's very pretty. Check out Zejak Rhodesian Ridgeback site or Imbali, Diamondridge, Skypinda RR sites for pics. ;0)
My boy weighs 10stone but can run rings round the most agile dogs,(snippage) If it is an RR mix, he will probably have inherited alot of the temperament too - stubborn, laid back, confident, self-assured, sociable, sense of humour, selective hearing, greedy, knows how to relax as well as how to hunt down the cyclist ;0) :D
How old is he? Whatever mix he is enjoy him, he's gorgeous and deserves your love that you obviously lavish on him! lol X
He's 15 months now. We think at least 90lbs. He's not due to see the doc until March I think so we'll know his weight for sure then. But he was 84 last time I took him in (November) and I know he's gotten taller and put on some weight since then. But he's not overweight. Just bulky.
It's going to be very hard to judge the temperament. His puppyhood was pretty rough. We know he was badly neglected and believe he was at the very least, loudly yelled at and tossed out on his ear a few times. He may have been hit. He was one deep scar on his leg. One of his sisters had multiple scars on her head. Hard to know if that was just neglect though. Imagine a momma dog and 10 or so puppies in a crate for the first several weeks of their life - in winter (albeit Houston winter.) So confidence is a funny thing for him. When he's with us outside, very much so. But if someone comes in the house, he's skittish. Probably feels trapped and unable to react if something bad happens. On walks he's Mister Confident though. I don't think his blindness impacts his personality a lot since it's been there since birth or nearly so. He's very agile and at the same time VERY laid back. I think you clued in on that picture of him sprawled on his couch. :)
He's definitely a momma's boy. He loves Daddy and goes nuts when daddy comes home in the evening. But he's with Momkat all day and so we do have a good bond. I'm going to add a link here to him playing in the back yard and you'll get an idea of his speed and altheticism despite his bulk.
Keep in mind he's blind. No shadows, nothing visual gets to his brain. Just smell and sound and the "mapping" he has built of our yard to compensate.
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t67/kcattx/th_circling.jpg (http://s157.photobucket.com/albums/t67/kcattx/?action=view¤t=circling.flv)
Oh - and he's a bit over 26" at the withers. - last I checked (1 month ago?)