"Rhodesian Ridgebacks may stop passers-by but a liver nosed Ridgeback stops the trafic"

As Mrs. Ann Woodrow of Mirengo Kennels (GB) puts it in her book - Rhodesian Ridgeback - "With regard to character, they tend to be rather self-opinionated clowns, and vastly entertaining in their ways. They are nobody´s fool, and usually have their views on what is important. Their value in bloodlines is in maintaining richeness and clarity of coat colour, quality and texture".

Mrs. Laurie Venter of Glenaholm Kennels (SA) says in her article published 1984 on - Colour in the Rhodesian Ridgeback - "Most the liver nosed dogs I have know have been exceptionally intelligent and alert. They seem to have keen awareness of their owners and are very watchful".

The inheritance of brown/liver gene in RRs

The gene for brown/liver nose is recessive. This means that both the sire and the dam have to carry the brown/liver gene for it to appear in the puppies. Mathematically approximately 25 % of puppies born worldwide are brown/liver nosed.

BB = dominant black
Bb= black with brown recessive
bb = brown/liver nosed

Chart likeliness´ are based upon hundreds of occurances and should not be taken as absolutes.

1. Dominant black to black (BB x BB)
* neither of the parents carries the brown/liver gene no brown/liver puppies can result from the combination

2. Dominant black to black with brown/liver recessive (BB x Bb)
* only one parent carries the brown/liver gene, no brown/liver puppies will result but approximately 50% of the litter will carry the brown/liver gene

3. Dominant black to liver (BB x bb)
* only one parent carries the brown/liver gene, no brown/liver puppies will result but ALL the puppies carry the brown/liver gene

4. Black with brown/liver recessive to black with brown/liver recessive (Bb x Bb)
* both parents carry the brown/liver gene, approximately 25 % of the litter will be dominant black, approximately 50 % will carry the brown/liver gene and approximately 25 % will be brown/liver nosed.

5. Black with brown/liver recessive to brown/liver (Bb x bb)
* both parents carry the brown/liver gene, of the litter approximately 50 % will carry the brown/liver gene recessive and approximately 50 % will be brown/liver

6. Brown/liver to brown/liver (bb x bb)
* both parents are brown/liver nosed and therefore ALL the puppies of the litter will be brown/liver nosed (It is thought by some that breeding a brown/liver nose to another brown/liver nose would result in weakened pigmentation but there is no evidence of such and when thinking of e.g. the Pharao Hound breeding, why would there be)

"Every Rhodesian Ridgeback enthusiast should have one liver -
It´s quite an experience!"
~Ann Woodrow~