Deep Red Ridgebacks

[AliCap]

I would have been OK with dark red but..... IT IS A FASHION now!! And it is a shame! Here in Russia (for example) 90% puppy buyers want to get a DARK puppy without white and with good ridge.. It is ALL that they want to get... Only color and ridge.. Because of this I am almost in the position of hating this DARK coloring... And I would like to add that when I got my first RR girl I wanted, what a stupid person I was then..!, to get the color and ridge... Now I don't pay much attention to cosmetic points..

Nana

As usual, Nana has hit the nail on the head.  Mahogany is "trendy".  Breeders are going to extremes to get the darkest reds they can, and in my humble opinion, they are sacrificing important structural characteristics of this breed to get that trendy color.  It is common to see dogs so dark that they are no longer red at at, but dark brown.  I saw a dog this summer who was so dark red it was nearly purple . . . . PURPLE!   

If you want mahogany, go for an Irish Setter, not a ridgeback.

Alice

[sarah yates]

Hi All,

i know i'm coming into this a bit late in the game, but i have a dark red wheaten. Kinga is out of the old Sarula lines and from what i've been told these lines originated in Zim. his hair is banded (agouti gene) and he is definitely wheaten (not mahogany). he has kept the definition around the lips and eyes, but his eye color doesn't harmonize with his coat. he has a bit of white on his chest and no black, and some of his nails are brown rather than black. i actually think there must be livernose in his line somewhere.

oddly enough, Kinga is NOT popular at the dog shows, but he's very popular among people who aren't familiar with the 'correct' color scheme (they also love his eyes). Since his personality is so laid back almost anyone can approach him and give him some love, they really like that to, and Kinga eats it up with a spoon. He melts into the bush as well, though he becomes easier to see as it gets drier here. in Zim i think he'd blend in to the scrub just fine. i'm not so sure their purpose in hunting is to blend exactly, the wheaten coat might be more of a heat tolerance thing.

sarah