Rhodesian Ridgeback

AKC Group: Hound

Club: Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States, Inc.

Corresponding Secretary : Ross Jones
Address: 2008 Dorothy St Ne, Albuquerque, NM , 87112-3224
Website: www.rrcus.org
Email: rossbod@abq-nm.com
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

The Ridgeback represents a strong, muscular and active dog, symmetrical and balanced in outline. A mature Ridgeback is a handsome, upstanding and athletic dog, capable of great endurance with a fair (good) amount of speed. Of even, dignified temperament, the Ridgeback is devoted and affectionate to his master, reserved with strangers. The peculiarity of this breed is the ridge on the back. The ridge must be regarded as the characteristic feature of the breed.

Size:

A mature Ridgeback should be symmetrical in outline, slightly longer than tall but well balanced. Dogs--25 to 27 inches in height; Bitches--24 to 26 inches in height. Desirable weight: Dogs--85 pounds; Bitches--70 pounds.

Coat:

Should be short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance but neither woolly nor silky.

Temperament:

Dignified and even tempered. Reserved with strangers.

History:

The Rhodesian Ridgeback, sometimes referred to as the African Lion Hound, is a native of South Africa bred by the Boer farmers to fill their specific need for a serviceable hunting dog in the wilds.

Immigrants to South Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries brought with them Danes, Mastiffs, Greyhounds, Bloodhounds, Terriers and other breeds. In 1707, European immigration was closed for one hundred years, and the native dogs played an important part in the development and ultimate character of the Ridgeback.

The Hottentots, a native race living in range of these early settlers, had a hunting dog that was half-wild with a ridge on his back formed by the hair growing forward. There was interbreeding between these dogs and those of the settlers, this crossbreeding, in due course, established the foundation stock of our present day Ridgeback. Of necessity, the Boer farmer developed by selective breeding, a distinct breed of the African Veldt-the Ridgeback.

In 1877 Rev. Helm introduced two Ridgebacks into Rhodesia where big game hunters found them outstanding in the sport of hunting lions on horseback. They raised and bred these dogs with an appreciation for their exceptional hunting qualities, the ridge on their back becoming a unique trademark. In 1922, a group of Rhodesian breeders set up a standard for Ridgebacks, which has remained virtually unchanged ever since.

Some outstanding specimens were imported to the United States in 1950 and the breed was admitted to registration by the AKC in 1955.