Rhodesian Ridgeback Dogs

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a breed of dog from Southern Africa. The breed originated in Rhodesia where the first breed standard was written in 1922 and the Parent club formed by Frederick Barnes in Bulawayo. Also known as the "African Lion Hound" or "African Lion Dog" because of their unique ability to harass a lion and keep it at bay while awaiting their master to make the kill.

Appearance

The Ridgeback's general appearance is of a handsome, strong, muscular and active dog, symmetrical in outline, capable of great endurance with a fair (good) amount of speed. The mature dog is handsome and upstanding. The Ridgeback's distinguishing feature is the ridge of hair along its back running in the opposite direction to the rest of its coat. The ridge must be regarded as the escutcheon of the breed. It consists of a fan-like area formed by two whorls of hair (called "crowns") and tapers from immediately behind the shoulders, down to the level of the hips. The ridge is derived from the ridged hunting dog of the Khoikhoi (literally, "men of men"; native South African people, referred to by the Europeans as Hottentots).

Some Ridgebacks are born without ridges, and until recently, most ridgeless puppies were culled, or euthanized, at birth. Today, many breeders opt instead to spay and neuter these offspring to ensure they will not be bred.

Male Ridgebacks should be 25-27 inches (63-69 cm) at the withers and weigh approximately 85 lb (36.5 kg FCI Standard), females 24-26 inches (61-66 cm) and approximately 70 lb (32 kg). They are typically muscular and have a light wheaten to red wheaten coat which should be short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance but neither woolly nor silky. The presence of black guard hairs or ticking is not addressed in the AKC standard, although the elaboration of the AKC standard notes the amount of black or dark brown in the coat should not be excessive. The FCI Standard states - excessive black hairs throughout the coat are highly undesirable.White is acceptable on the chest and toes.
 

[ Examples of Ridgebacks' Ridges. ]

Ridgebacks have a strong, smooth tail, which is usually carried in a gentle curve upwards. The eyes should be round and should reflect the coat color—dark in a black muzzle, amber with a brown nose. The brown or liver nose is a recessive gene and is therefore not as common as a black nose.

The original standard allowed for a variety of coat colors, including brindle and sable. Today, all shades of wheaten are permitted. While the deeper red are often favored by pet owners, the lighter wheaten is just as correct. Color variants such as brindles, black-and-tans and blue dilutes appear occasionally but not commonly and are disqualifications for the show ring. White on the feet and chest are common.

[ Rhodesian relaxing ]

Temperament
They are loyal, intelligent, and gentle for the right owners, but it is a breed requiring training and dedication and not a breed to leave outside in kennel or yard. They were traditionally hunters, guardians, and companions.

These dogs can show aggression towards other dogs

 

Health
Health conditions known to affect this breed are cataracts, cancer, and hip dysplasia. Average lifespan is from 9-11 years, but they have been known to live to nearly 16 years though this is very rare.

Dermoid sinus is a congenital condition that is known to affect this breed.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States maintains a web site devoted to the breed's health issues and ongoing research at www.rhodesianridgebackhealth.org.
 

[ Ridgeback at 8 months. ]

History

The breed's long history dates back to early in the 17th century when the first European settlers found with the Khoisan tribes a domesticated dog with the hair on his spine being turned forward. Later, to fill specific needs of the big game hunters of the late 19th century for a serviceable hunting dog, tough, resistent to disease, intelligent enough to avoid crocodiles and snakes, with tick repellent smooth coat, tight paw pads to protect against thorns and rough terrain, brave enough to face a lion or any other big game, but fast enough to stay out of harm's way of horns, claws and teeth. The main person behind this development was Cornelious Van Royeen of Plumtree, Rhodesia.

The Breed Standard is based on that of the Dalmation & was first registered by the South African Kennel Club SAKU (now KUSA) in 1924. At that time KUSA was the only Kennel Club in the territory. The breed was first admitted into the American Kennel Club in 1955 as a member of the Hound Group.

As hunters, Ridgebacks in packs of 2 to 5 kept a lion at bay while the hunters came to kill it. The dogs worked in revolving groups to keep the lion occupied until the hunter arrived; the dogs themselves did not usually kill lions, but there are stories of pairs of them being able to kill smaller/young lions, and the breed was often used to kill smaller, unwanted animals around Southern African farms. Female Ridgebacks were often used more than males as the females tended to be more agile. When not used for hunting the dogs were beloved family pets, guardians of the property and able herders.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rhodesian Ridgeback".