Rhodesian Ridgeback

Rhodesian ridgeback

Black nose Rhodesian ridgeback
Other names	African lion dog African lion hound
Origin	Rhodesia
Traits Weight Male 36 kg (79 lb) Female 32 kg (71 lb) Height Male 63–69 cm (25–27 in) Female 61–66 cm (24–26 in) Coat Short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance Colour Light wheaten to red wheaten. A little white on the chest and toes is permissible, but excessive white hairs here, on belly, or above toes is undesirable. A dark muzzle and ears permissible. Excessive black hairs throughout the coat are highly undesirable
Classification / standards FCI Group 6, Section 3 Related breeds #146 standard AKC Hound Group standard ANKC Group 4 (hounds) standard CKC Group 2 - hounds standard KC (UK) Hound standard NZKC Hounds standard UKC Sighthound & Pariah standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Rhodesian ridgeback is a dog breed developed in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. 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.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback has also previously been known as Van Rooyen's lion dog or 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's arrival to make the kill.

The original breed standard was drafted by F. R. Barnes, in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), in 1922. Based on that of the Dalmatian, the standard was approved by the South African Kennel Union in 1927.

The Khoikhoi people who occupied the Cape Peninsula when the Dutch began trading with the area during the mid 17th century, had a hunting dog which was described as ugly, but noted for its ferocity when acting as a guard dog. This dog measured approximately 18 inches (46 cm) at the withers, with a lean but muscular frame. The ears have been described both as erect and hanging, but the most distinctive feature was the length of hair often growing in the reverse direction along its back. Within 53 years of Dutch settlement in Southern Africa and the origins of the wagon-trekking boers later known as Afrikaaners, who converted vast stretches of wild veldt into farmland, hunted for meat and defended their cattle herds, staff, and homesteads from lion, the Europeans were using these local dogs themselves.