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Rhodesian Ridgebacks
All About the Rhodesian Ridgeback
The Lionhound
The Rhodesian ridgeback is a dog breed developed in Southern Africa. Its European forebears can be traced to the early pioneers of the Cape Colony of southern Africa, who crossed their dogs with the semi-domesticated, ridged hunting dogs of the Khoikhoi.
In the earlier parts of its history, the Rhodesian ridgeback has also been known as Van Rooyen's lion dog, the African lion hound or African lion dog—simba inja in Ndebele, shumba imbwa in Shona—because of its ability to keep a lion at bay while awaiting its master to make the kill.
Personality
Rhodesian ridgebacks are loyal, intelligent, and somewhat aloof to strangers. This is not to be confused with aggression; a ridgeback of proper temperament will be more inclined to ignore, rather than challenge, a stranger. Ridgbacks require positive, reward-based training, good socialization and consistency.
Ridgebacks are strong-willed, intelligent, and many seem to have a penchant for mischief, though loving. They are protective of their owners and families. If trained well, they can be excellent guard dogs. Despite their athletic, sometimes imposing, exterior, the ridgeback has a sensitive side and can be a very loving and sweet family pet.
Training a Rhodesian Ridgeback can be a challenge. They are independent thinkers who also have a tendency to exhibit dominance. They need to be trained with firmness to establish leadership, but never harshness. Strong discipline will cause a Ridgeback to shut down and ignore you completely. 100% consistency is also crucial when training because Ridgebacks will constantly test boundaries, especially in adolescence, and if you bend the rules just once, he'll take that as an invitation to rule the house.
Unique Appearance
The Rhodesian ridgeback's distinguishing feature is the ridge of hair running along its back in the opposite direction from 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. The ridge is usually about 2 inches (5 cm) in width at its widest point. It is believed to originate from the dog used by the original African dog population which had a similar ridge.
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.
A Healthy Breed
The Rhodesian Ridgeback, which has an average lifespan of 10 to 12 years, does not suffer from any serious health conditions. However, it may be prone to minor issues such as elbow dysplasia, canine hip dysplasia (CHD), and hypothyroidism. Deafness and dermoid sinus are also occasionally seen in the breed. To identify some of these issues, a veterinarian may recommend hip, thyroid, elbow, and dermoid sinus tests for the dog.