Rhodesian Ridgeback: Dog Breed Information, Facts and Pictures

Lifespan: 10 – 12 years
Temperament: Strong Willed, Mischievous, Loyal, Dignified, Sensitive, Intelligent
Weight: Female: 29–34 kg, Male: 36–41 kg
Height: Female: 61–66 cm, Male: 63–69 cm
Colors: Red Wheaten, Light Wheaten, Wheaten
Origin: Rhodesia, Zimbabwe

The Rhodesian Ridgeback has a very reliable and loving character. He is neither shy nor aggressive and is characterized by unconditional loyalty to his caregiver. His intelligence makes him a very adaptable and attentive dog. Despite his character, he is not suitable as a first dog for beginners. Instead, he needs a dog-experienced owner who guides him with empathy and expertise, consistently educating him and helping him to optimal development.

Out of place is inappropriate hardness, which can lead to unwilling behavior and aggressiveness in these sensitive dogs. A Rhodesian Ridgeback barks very little and not without a reason. He is also told that he has a sixth sense, with which he attentively follows the events around him, even during periods of rest, and thus is an excellent guardian.

In colonial times, the Rhodesian Ridgeback was used by colonial rulers to hunt lions and other big game. His job was to keep the hunted animals in one place until the hunters arrived. Today, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is no longer reduced to the task of the hunting dog, especially since this dog breed in Germany is not recognized as a hunting dog. It is equally important for track and welding work and is also used as a mantrailer or rescue dog.

Properly handled, the Rhodesian Ridgeback develops an enormous commitment and will to work through its close ties to its people. However, this breed of dog is also suitable as a family dog if the puppy is given enough opportunity to engage with children and get used to dealing with them.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is descended from the original African dog and comes from ancient breeds of the former Cape Colony, a colony in what is now South Africa, which was first a Dutch and later a British colony. Maybe also the Hottentottenhund influenced the Rhodesian Ridgeback. In southern Africa, the Rhodesian Ridgeback was used mainly by big game hunters as a drooling dog, where today's breed in Germany and also in Europe is not a designated hunting breed more.

The most striking and characteristic feature of this breed is the so-called "Ridge", the hair comb along the spine, in which the coat grows in the opposite direction of the normal hair growth and is clearly visible in the puppy. In fact, the Ridge is actually a medical conspicuity, namely a mild form of "open back". But the Ridge decided for a long time about the fate of puppies, which determined, according to the until 2008 valid breeding order of the British breed club, that without Ridge born puppies are unsuitable for the breeding and therefore must be killed. Since a BBC documentary on the British Racial Club policy in 2008, it no longer exists. In Germany, healthy animals are generally not allowed to be killed.