I have written this document because I have received some questions from some breeders (news and not so news) about my “blue puppies”.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a mix between different breeds and due to this, in its origins, we had different colours apart from wheaten, for example, brindle, blue, big white marks in chest and legs (“socks”). There are documents, pictures and paints and also a film where these colours can be seen.

1944 RR Illustration in the National Geographic magazine

Film about RR in 1935

When the standard was established, it was decided to accept only the wheaten colour, so the other colours were retired from breeding. But these genes are still on the breed so from time to time they pop-up with the breeder astonishment.

The blue in the Ridgeback comes from the “blue dilute gen”. You can read more information about this in http://www.rhodesian-ridgeback-pedigree.org/articles-informations/breeding-and-genetics/color-dilutions-in-rhodesian-ridgebacks.html

The blue puppies in the Ridgeback are born grey or golden-silver and blue eyes. But as they grow they become brown with silver shadows and the colour of the eyes is grey-green or honey.

They are unique, wonderful and really special. They are also true Ridgebacks, but they can’t be breed or shown due to the colour. But it’s the same as if we had puppies with too much white or black in their coat, incorrect ridges or ridgeless, kinked tails or incorrect bites.

My two puppies have been the first ones in Spain as far as I know. Maybe we have had more but due to ignorance they have been put to sleep or hidden.

These two puppies have given something to talk about in the net thanks to the new technologies (Facebook).  A lot of people have met for the first time with this new topic or others have just seen it again.
But the “blue puppies” aren’t new in the breed, they have appeared all over the world, Europe, USA, Africa, South America, Australia… and not only today but since the origin of the breed.

What to do in this situation? First we can make the genetic test to see if our male/female is carrier or not of the blue dilute gen (DD or Dd). As I know, you can only do it in a German University and really lately in a Swiss University, it’s very easy and cheap. Once we know that our male/female is carrier, we have to breed only with a male/female that is not carrier. You must know that in a litter of blues you can also have carriers (Dd) and free puppies (DD).

There are some other odd colours in the Ridgeback and you can take a look in the website of Sandra Fikes (Kalahari RR in USA)  from whom I have learnt a lot.

Website with the relationship between genetics and colours http://rrcolors.net/

Also in the group of Facebook - Rhodesian Ridgeback History

Here you are some examples that you can find in these websites.

Black wheaten RR

Black marks in a red wheaten puppy

And the most stunning colour Black and Tan! Just lovely!