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The Rhodesian Ridgeback Dog
The Standard Rhodesian Ridgeback
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a large, well-muscled, athletic dog with a short reddish coat and that characteristic ridge of reverse hair along his back. Devoted and affectionate to his family, he is standoffish with strangers. In general appearance he is a stylish, balanced, and dignified dog with clean lines and a confident air. Males are 25-27 inches tall and weigh about 85 pounds; bitches are slightly smaller at 24-26 inches tall and 70 pounds. The Rhodesian Ridgeback head has a well-defined stop between muzzle and skull; high-set ears with rounded tips that fold over and lie close to the head; a long, powerful muzzle; and round, bright eyes that are fairly wide-set. The jaws are straight and strong, and the teeth have a scissors bite. The Rhodesian Ridgeback body has a strong, clean neck, a deep chest, and moderately well-sprung ribs with a sturdy back, sloping shoulders, and muscular, slightly-arched loins. Powerful, heavy-boned legs; tight, arched feet; and a smooth, tapered tail complete a picture of vigor and grace. The Ridgeback coat is short and sleek and ranges from light wheaten (tan) to red wheaten in color. Slight white markings are permitted on the chest and toes, but excessive white in these spots, on the belly, or above the toes is undesirable. The ridge is a dominant feature of the breed and is required in show dogs. Ridgeless puppies are culled or are placed as pets. The ridge begins immediately behind the shoulders and continues along the back to a point between the hips. The ridge hair runs counter to the rest of the coat and features two whorls directly opposite each other. Dogs with a single whorl or more than two whorls and dogs lacking a ridge are disqualified from the show ring and should not be bred.
Temperament: Rhodesian Ridgeback
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is an active, fun-loving, independent, intelligent dog suitable for like-minded people. Like most intelligent breeds, he is best trained by appealing to his desire to please and his spirit of adventure, not by repetitive, boring exercises. The Ridgeback also needs early socialization so he is accustomed to a variety of people, situations, and other dogs. Puppy kindergarten and basic obedience classes are a must for early understanding and control of this potentially large and powerful dog. As an adult, the Ridgeback generally likes the company of other dogs in the family and tolerates household cats well, but he will protect his territory against strangers, stray dogs, and wandering cats.
Although dogs of the breed are generally good with children, active young dogs may be too boisterous for small children, and active young children could be too boisterous for young puppies. The best course of action is to supervise kids and pets to avoid accidental injuries.
A mature Ridgeback can be quite mellow; although he enjoys romps in the park, games in the back yard, and training in lure-coursing and agility, he also takes great pleasure in a nap on the couch.
Health and Daily Care
The Rhodesian Ridgeback needs little grooming as he is short-coated and clean. Daily exercise is necessary, along with a balanced, nutritious diet, and some low-key training to teach and maintain good manners. Like most dog breeds, the Ridgeback has some genetic health problems, including hip and elbow dysplasia, cataracts, thyroid malfunctions, and dermoid sinus. Thyroid, joint dysplasia, and eye disease can be detected through screening processes, so it is important to ask a breeder for certifications that the litter parents had healthy joints and eyes and normal thyroid readings. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals conducts tests for joint disease and thyroid and the Canine Eye Registry Foundation does the eye tests. Dermoid sinus is an opening (sinus) into the skin along the ridge on the dog’s back that can get infected. This abnormality was originally thought to be peculiar to Ridgebacks, but it has also been found in Boxers and Shih Tzus. Surgical removal is possible, but since this is a genetic abnormality, dogs with dermoid sinus should not be bred. The average Rhodesian Ridgeback life span is 10-12 years, but many live to be older than 12. Fitness and long life are enhanced by vigilant owners who make sure the dogs visit a veterinary clinic for regular checkups and whenever else health questions arise.
Finding a Ridgeback puppy
With fewer than 550 litters spread throughout the US in a given year, Ridgeback puppies are not easy to find. However, their relative lack of popularity compared to Labrador Retrievers (more than 43,000 litters in 1999) makes sure that people who think they want one of these handsome, intelligent, and watchful companions will have plenty of time do their homework. The Rhodesian Ridgeback is not a dog for the weak-willed or slipshod pet owner. His strength of will and body can be difficult to deal with unless an owner is committed to obedience training and providing the dog with mind and body stimulation. As with other large, protective dogs, adding a Ridgeback to the family is not to be done lightly.
The Ridgeback's distinguishing feature is the ridge of hair along its back running in the opposite direction to the rest of its coat. 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. 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). Ridgebacks are typically muscular and have a light wheaten to red wheaten coat, which should be short, dense, sleek and glossy in appearance and 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 that excessive black hairs throughout the coat are highly undesirable. White is acceptable on the chest and toes.
Rhodesian Ridgeback History
Ridgebacks have a strong, smooth tail, which is usually carried in a gentle curve backwards. The eyes should be round and should reflect the dog's color—skin pigment, not coat color: dark eyes with a black nose (regardless of coat color), amber eyes with a liver nose. The liver nose is a recessive gene so therefore is not as common as a black nose; some breeders believe the inclusion of livernoses in a breeding program is necessary for maintaining the vibrancy of the coat. The original standard allowed for a variety of coat colors, including brindle and sable. Modern FCI standard calls for light wheaten to red wheaten. The deeper red wheaten is often favored by judges, many of whom do not appreciate the fact that light wheatens, and, for that matter, livernoses, are equally acceptable under all Ridgeback standards. The issue of white in this breed is controversial; in general, American breeders are more tolerant of excess white. The only disqualification in the AKC standard for this breed is ridgelessness.
The breed's long history dates back to early in the 18th 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, resistant 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 and muscular 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 Cornelius Van Rooyen of Plumtree, Rhodesia. The history of the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed is disputed. What is commonly accepted is that Van Rooyen used two ridged, rough-coated bitches from the Swellendam district brought to him by the Rev. Charles Helm in 1879. Van Rooyen crossed these bitches with members of his pack, noting that their ridged progeny excelled at lion hunting.
Great Dane, Bloodhound, and Deerhound
It is likely that the Great Dane, Bloodhound and Deerhound also contributed to the gene pool along the way. The Breed Standard is loosely based on that of an enlarged Dalmatian and 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 were sent out in packs of two or more to wear down a lion by taunting and goading it into confusion. Hunters discovered that Ridgebacks would corner or "bay" the lion while the human hunters stepped in for the final kill. (The poor accuracy of the rifles of this time in history required close proximity to the beast.) The dogs worked in revolving groups to keep the lion occupied until the hunter arrived; the dogs themselves did not kill lions, but somehow over the years this fable began and still persists. Female Ridgebacks were often used more than males, as the females tended to be more agile. When not used for hunting, these dogs were family companions, guardians of the family and property, and cattle drovers.
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