Rhodesian Ridgeback Information
- Exercise Needs: High, lower when older
- Typical Health Problems: Few
- Average Life Expectancy: 12-14 years
- Grooming Requirements: Low, short coat without undercoat, possible hypo-allergenic
- Training Difficulty: Middle to hard
- Diet: Needs high quality food when young, can get easily obese when overfed and / or under exercised, especially when older.
- Other: High prey drive, can be difficult with unknown dogs
- Price and Cost: Average puppy price $750, middle to high feeding costs, low grooming costs
Introduction
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is the ideal dog for an experienced dog handler, or one that is willing to learn to be one. It has a great sense of humor, is watchful and barks only when it has a real reason to do so. Attached to its pack, the family, it is a great, big dog that is loving, patient and caring to everybody he considers to be part of the pack, but can be aloof with strangers and even unfriendly with other, unknown dogs. Low grooming requirements and few typical health issues makes it a low maintenance dog; but with a big appetite, not only for dog food, but also for human food and an even bigger appetite for exercise, especially when young.
History
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is no dog for the faint hearted, nor for unexperienced dog owners. Bred in South Africa, and then further developed as a breed, in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), the characteristic ridge (stripe of hair along the spine that grows in the opposite direction of the rest of the backs’ coat) is due to its African inheritance. This breed was creating by crossing the hunting dogs of the local Khoikhoi tribe with large European breeds like the Great Dane and Bloodhounds. And it is a dog that was created to hunt lions. No, not hunting as in killing them, but hunting as in finding them and keeping them occupied until the human hunter arrived and shot them. As one dog against one, or more lions, is a bit unfair, Rhodesian Ridgebacks were used in packs of twenty or more. Today this dog is used as a family and companion dog, as well as as a training partners for athletes, but it is still classified as a hound dog and also still used for hunting.
Appearance
The ridge, that gave it its name, runs along and beside the spine, with the hair running in the opposite direction from the rest of the back, starting behind the shoulders with a width of around two inches and becoming narrower until it ends in the hip region. The ridge is visible at birth and will only change proportionally, never in size or layout. A breeder that says, that the ridge will develop later, is trying to take a potential puppy buyer for a ride. Only dogs and bitches that show the characteristic ridge are allowed by the kennel clubs to be bred, but this doesn’t mean that a ‘Ridgeless Rhodesian Ridgeback’, also called ‘Slickback’, is worthless as a family and companion dog 
As for size, all puppies start out small and adorable, and this dog is no exception with all its cute pup wrinkles, but it will grow up to be a big dog! Typically between 24 and 27 inches high at the shoulder, it weights ideally between 70 and 85lb. As always with dogs, the bitches are slightly smaller than the males.
The coat is short, dense and sheds only a little, there is no undercoat to speak of. The coat colors range from light wheaten to a light reddish brown or red wheaten shade. The breed standard allows for white markings on the toes and on the chest, but any excessive darker hair is discouraged, meaning such a dog is less likely to be bred by a reputable breeder. On the other hand it is perfectly acceptable for the dogs to have a ‘mask’. A darker area of hair, that stretches from the muzzle, over the snout, to just below the eyes, getting increasingly lighter in coloring. The tail should be carried in a light backwards curve and be in a pleasing relation with the dogs overall size. The eyes are round, alert and attentive, with no ‘hanging’ eye lids. Typically the eye color will match the nose color, amber eyes for a liver-colored nose and dark eyes with a darker or black nose; with black noses and dark eyes being more predominant. They are strong dogs, with good muscles and bones and, when not overfed, of athletic appearance.
Temperament
Like all young animals, Rhodesian Ridgebacks puppies are curious, investigative and love to chew. They also come with needle sharp teeth and a blatant ignorance of the value of your furniture and carpets! Crate training is a must with them, unless you can provide a 24h human surveillance. They need early training in puppy schools and / or socialization classes, which should concentrate on methods of positive enforcement such as clicker training and similar. Introducing the puppy early to all sorts of situations, noises and other animals, like cats, will ensure, that it grows up to be a well balanced and well behaved dog that relates well to other dogs, children and pets.
Rhodesian Ridgebacks, as mentioned above, were meant to hunt in packs. This means to keep them happy, you need to give them a pack to belong to – your family and, ideally, other, like-minded dogs. This breed is not good at staying alone for a long time and needs regular interaction with other members of ‘the pack’ to be happy. Whilst it is fine to leave it alone for a few hours, crated or in a well secured backyard, it is not a dog that should be left alone with an automatic feeder and a water source to guard a property. It will not come, when you make a visit, to ‘give its report’, but be bored and try to find something to do, most likely resulting in destroying something you don’t want to have destroyed or in escaping by jumping over the fence, or digging under it.
On the other hand, the good news it, that it makes a great family and companion dog, that will protect you and yours fiercely, should the need arise, and that, until then, will sleep happily on your couch
Training
As already mentioned, this dog is intelligent and strong willed… you might find out that it trains you sooner…so don’t delay in getting around to training him! Special attention has to be given to the fact that it is a pack dog, this means not only that it needs company, but also that it will try to ‘take charge of the pack’ and that means in turn you could run into dominance issues, especially if your Ridgie is male.
Their intelligence means also, they are easily bored from recurring exercises and training, in the end, they were created to do the hunting down, keeping at bay and exhausting the lions completely alone, until the human hunter arrived on horseback to administer the killing bullet. So, repeating the same, boring exercise over and over again, will get you after a short while the ‘I know that already, can we move on look’.
Another problem you might well run into is ‘counter surfing’ and mischief, read, ‘independent thinking’. Whilst a lot of dogs can be trained by putting something bad tasting for them into a bait on the counter, this will not work with this breed, as they have cast iron stomachs! The best thing here is to keep them out of temptations, i.e., out of the kitchen and declare it a ‘forbidden to enter’ area. As for mischief and independent thinking, if the dog gets an adequate amount of exercise like long walks and runs, playtime in the park with other dogs and takes part in agility dog sport, it will ensure that you have a tired dog at home which is happy to be a coach potato rather than a nuisance that opens cupboards to fetch itself a snack.
Digging. Born under the hot, african sun, this breed loves to dig big craters into your lovely, landscaped garden, to rest in the cool earth during the heat of the day – or just out of fun. Either give up your garden, or fence a ‘Ridgebacks only’ part off, no other solution, sorry.
Exercise Needs
As mentioned, regular exercise and training will keep your Rhodesian Ridgeback happy and out of mischief. A Rhodesian Ridgeback exercise needs consist of at least one hour of brisk exercise per day, plus the usual ‘potty walks’. Going two to three times a week on extra long walks or runs will be highly appreciated by your Ridgie. The good news is that the dogs get quieter with age and from year five on onwards will only require moderate exercise.
Grooming Requirements
Here the Rhodesian Ridgeback comes as close to an ideal dog breed as possible The dense, short and firm coat requires only minimal grooming, a brush with a dog glove or a wipe with a wet cloth and you are done! Because they shed so little, they can be also considered as a hypo-allergenic dog breed, depending on the sensitivity of the affected person in question of course.
Common Health Problems
Like many other dogs breed, they can suffer from obesity, bloat, elbow or hip dysplasia, but a more common Rhodesian Ridgeback health problem is called ‘Dermoid Sinus‘, a congenital condition where the skin is connected, via thin tubes, to the spinal tube, because the tissue that develops into the spinal tube, has not separated completely from the tissue that develops into the skin during development of the dog embryo.
Breeders, and puppy owners, should examine the puppy regularly, by passing their fingers gently over the spine, from the head to the tail, trying to feel anything that feels like a soft, spaghetti like formed noodle, just beneath the skin. If found it has to be removed surgically as, left unintended, it would cause a painful death due to infections and abscesses that will ultimately affect the spinal cord and nervous system and kill the animal slowly. The equivalent to this canine conditions in humans is called neural tube defect. Dogs that have been diagnosed with dermoid sinus, should never, under any circumstances, be allowed to breed.
Hypothyroidism, the number one disease that affects Rhodesian Ridgebacks, is the under function of the thyroid gland. Typical symptoms include temperament changes, mood swings, weight gain, lethargy and hair loss. To secure the diagnosis, a blood sample has to be taken by the vet and send to a lab. Thankfully treatment is relatively easy and low cost, but the affected dog should be not allowed to procreate.
Price and Costs
Puppies bought at reputable breeders retail typically from $600 upwards, whilst ridgeless Slickbacks, that make just as good a family and companion dog as a ‘proper’ Ridgeback, can be bought for less. Think also about getting your new, canine friend from a dedicated Rhodesian Ridgeback rescue organization, many Ridgies are waiting there for a new, loving home.
As for maintenance and feeding costs, the latter are the higher, this breed requires a lot of high quality food whilst growing up. On the other hand, grooming costs are pretty close to zero, a brush with a dog glove now and then is all what they need typically.
Other Important Points to Consider
- As hounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks have an exceptional high prey drive. Other pets, like cats, that they know, and know of as belonging to the pack, are safe, after a short time of introduction, the neighbors’ cat might well not be!
- Whilst most well brought up Rhodesian Ridgebacks will be great with children, interaction between young dogs and toddlers will need parental supervision, as play can get rough. This is to protect the toddler from a bouncy dog, as well as the dog from having his ears chewed, or his tail pulled, by the toddler
- Originating in Africa, this breed copes well with the heat, but less well with extremely cold temperatures. If you live in Alaska, better get yourself a Husky, not a Rhodesian Ridgeback.
- Male Rhodesian Ridgebacks, especially, can have difficulties to get along with other, unknown, male dogs they meet during a walk…vigilance is required.
If you are looking for even more information about Rhodesian Ridgebacks, the The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of The United States of America can be found here.
Synonyms, nicknames and common misspellings include: African Lion Dog, African Lion Hound, Ridgie, Rhod Ridgeback, Rodesian Ridgeback, Rodigan Ridgeback, Rodesian, African Ridgeback, African Ridgeback Dog, African Ridgeback Hound, African Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rhodesian Ridgeback Hound and Lionhounds.
Other Articles of Interest
- Obesity in Dogs
- Elbow Dysplasia in Dogs
- Hip Dysplasia in Dogs
Questions:
1) Are rhodesian ridgeback dog get along with other male dogs?
As with any other dog, early training…such as training a Rhodesian to fetch…and the introduction to other animals while they are still puppies will help to socialize them.
2) Do Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs kill cats?
Any dog, without proper training, is liable to kill cats or other smaller animals. As in the previous question, early socializing and training will prevent a Rhodesian Ridgeback…and other dogs…from killing cats and other animals.