History of the Rhodesian Ridgeback

The dog that came out of the heat

By Annemarie Schmidt-Pfister

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is the only dog from southern Africa. According to the regulations of the FCI, the breed is divided into group 6 of the hounds. The KUSA (Kennel Union South Africa) and ZKC (Zimbabwe Kennel Club) standard is registered with the FCI under number 146.

The lineage of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
The Rhodesian Ridgeback, which looks so powerful and elegant today, is the descendant of much less handsome dogs, which mastered a life in close connection with nature as companions of the Khoi San (formerly called Hottentots). From the 17th century, when Portuguese seafarers were the first whites to land on the southern tip of Africa, there are reports of "ugly Hottentot dogs with hair growing backwards on their backs" that "looked more like jackals than dogs, but were extremely useful and loyal to their own lords and showed wild courage in front of lions".

A proven watchdog and hunting helper
As a result, the white settlers brought a working dog with them, which was a result of crossing these native "Hottentot dogs" with the dogs introduced by the settlers and usually had a crest on the back - this "ridge", consisting of longer hair growing in the opposite direction, became a trademark. These so-called "Boer" dogs (farm dogs) proved themselves not only as guardians of the farms and herds, but also as hunting helpers in the bush. Only the strongest and most capable could survive in the hot, dry climate and in the harsh confrontation with a wild, untamed nature - in humans and dogs!

The birth of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
When in Rhodesia at that time the big game hunter Cornelis van Rooyen borrowed two of these ridge-bearing dogs from his friend, the missionary Charles Helm, which he had brought with him from the Cape, the hour of birth of today's Rhodesian Ridgebacks struck, so to speak: those from matings with van Rooyen's own dogs originating "Van Rooyen Lion Dogs" proved to be excellent hunting dogs and were sought after by farmers and hunters. They were used in small "packs" of mostly two to four dogs, and their task was to track down leopards and lions, but also other large game such as antelopes or buffalo, and to distract them or "hold them" until the hunter got the shot . The "Lion Dogs" not only had to have stamina, but above all they had to be quick and agile in order to avoid the paws of the lion - if they weren't, they didn't have a long life expectancy!

To this day, the Rhodesian Ridgeback has retained this cautious "walking distance" to which it often owes its life and which has nothing to do with fear.

In 1922, Francis R. Barnes founded a breeding club for the "Lion Dogs" or "Pronkrugs", as the dogs were sometimes called, in Bulawayo. Following the example of the Dalmatians, he developed a standard that was internationally recognized in 1926. More and more Rhodesian Ridgebacks - as the breed was officially called from then on - were registered in the club's studbooks and spread throughout South and East Africa. And not only there: in the entourage of returning Europeans, the Rhodesian Ridgeback also came to Europe in the 1940s and 1950s, where the dog with the strange dorsal crest first caused a stir in England and then also in Switzerland, Germany, Holland and Scandinavia and always did found more followers.

Adaptation and temperament of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
In the beginning it was still difficult to place puppies, but that has changed in the meantime. Today the Rhodesian Ridgeback is highly valued as a hunting and guard dog, but above all as a sports companion and family companion dog in Europe, North America and Australia, and friends of the breed often wait quite a long time for a puppy. Although a dog that "came out of the warmth", the Rhodesian Ridgeback has adapted remarkably well to the different conditions of other climates. Despite the hardships of life during the pioneering days in Africa and the harsh selection that took place at the time, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is by no means the tough guy he sometimes appears to be or is portrayed by those who represent the breed  not knowing. He's not a "slave hunter" nor does he fit the colonial-era "white hunter" cliché who poses boastfully with their hunting trophies.

On the contrary, deep down, the Ridgeback is a "sensitive" who responds to harsh, unfair treatment with refusal and needs a loving, albeit firm hand. The sensitive dog “thinks” and is often stubborn when given nonsensical commands – he doesn’t like obeying dead bodies and he is in no way suitable for protection work! On the other hand, he loves sporting challenges that are appropriate to his species, such as track work, coursing, mantrailing or agility, and he has a natural protective instinct that you can count on in any dangerous situation -  the famous "droplet of lion's blood" that is said to flow in his veins. If the Rhodesian Ridgeback sees the sense of an action that is asked of him, he will always go through fire for his human!