Breed Info
Breed History
The Rhodesian ridgeback breed traces back to a hunting dog that was a companion animal to the Khoikhoi nomadic tribe of Africa. The Khoikhoi, called Hottentots by the Boers1 were pastoral, but customarily moved and reestablished their site. Over a thousand years, the Khoikhoi moved south through Tanzania, Zambia, and Rhodesia (currently Zimbabwe) to the Cape Peninsula. “The Hottentots travelled with their hump-backed Zebu cattle, their fat-tailed Sor sheep, and their ridged hunting dogs.”2 In 1652, the Dutch established a refueling station on the Cape of Good Hope, and it was then that the Dutch and Khoikhoi tribe intersected. The Dutch had brought along their dogs as well, and the South African result of this early breeding between the Khoikhoi ridged dogs and some European sporting breeds was “the Boer Honde which was the forerunner of the present-day Rhodesian Ridgeback.”3
The ontology of the modern-day Rhodesian ridgeback arises from the colonization of the Cape of Good Hope and Southern Africa. Initially, the Khoikhoi were laborers for the Boers, and likely their ridged dogs came to the farms. According to legend, the Khoikhoi’s ridged dogs showed fearlessness and hunting prowess compared to the plain dogs when tasked with chasing off lions and leopards4. The inter-breeding and resulting Boer Honde was used to guard the farmlands “in the 1850s when the Boers received independence in their Oranje and Transvaal Free States.”5
The next historical event in the development of the ridgeback breed came in the 1870s when the missionary Charles Helm brought two female dogs from the Cape to Hope Fountain Mission in Rhodesia. Cornelis van Rooyen was a visitor at the Mission. Impressed by the Cape dogs’ physique and guarding abilities, Rooyen arranged breeding with his hunting dogs. Descriptions differ regarding whether Helm’s two females had ridges or if the ridges appeared when bred to Rooyen’s dogs. A farmer and known hunter of big game, Rooyen selectively bred “for the next thirty-five years to produce a dog with the natural ability to bay lions.”6
In 1922, a small group of interested individuals met at the farm of Frances Barnes in Bulawayo in present-day Zimbabwe. Barnes was explicitly interested in Gundogs and had founded the Salisbury Kennel Club between 1898 and 19007. He purchased his first ridged dog in 1915, whose lineage traced to “Ridgebacks from van Rooyen. Barnes later bought another Ridgeback, a bitch called ‘Judy’, and this was the start of the famous Eskdale Ridgebacks. Barnes became increasingly aware of the need for a Breed Standard, as he was constantly coming across Ridgebacks of different size, coat, and colour.”8 The group formed the Rhodesian Ridgeback (Lion Dog) Club, and the breed standard aligned closely to the Dalmatian standard. The South African Kennel Union officially recognized the Rhodesian ridgeback breed in 1924, and the first dogs were registered. The breed gained popularity in Africa as a combined guard and hunting dog, and international recognition led to the first exports of Rhodesian ridgebacks9.
United States soldiers returning from the regions of South Africa during and after World War II brought a significant number of Rhodesian ridgebacks home to North America. Early kennels took form, and Bill O’Brien organized the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of America in the early nineteen fifties to gain breed recognition by the American Kennel Club (AKC).[x] In 1955, the AKC recognized the Rhodesian ridgeback as the 112th acknowledged breed and placed the breed in the Hound category. Ridgeback lineage from this time on is recorded via the AKC. Jay Hyman established the Rollings kennel in Baltimore in 1959. “Rollings Ridgebacks soon became well known in the show ring, and they have been influential in many of the present-day kennels such as Oakhurst, Kwetu, Rifrug, Turoka, Kimani, Calico Ridge, Applegarth and Mount Ridge.”[xi] Membership with the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States[xii] (RRCUS) has shown a steady increase over time. The club remains influential in guiding education, the breed standard, and ethics today.
1. Stig G. Carlson, The Rhodesian Ridgeback Today (New York, New York: Ringpress Books, 1999), 14. The Boers were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers of the Cape area in Africa.
2. Peter Nicholson and Janet Parker, The Complete Rhodesian Ridgeback, (New York, New York: Howell Book House, 1991), 9.
3. Nicholson and Parker, 13.
4. Ann Chamberlain, Rhodesian Ridgeback: A Comprehensive Guide to Owning and Caring for your Dog, (Allenhurst, New Jersey: Kennel Club Books, LLC, 2005), 11-12.
5. Carlson, 14.
6. Nicholson and Parker, 13.
7. Nicholson and Parker, 13.
8. Nicholson and Parker, 13.
9. Nicholson and Parker, 14.
10. Nicholson and Parker, 17.
11. Nicholson and Parker, 18.
12. Nicholson and Parker, 18. RRCUS was formed in 1958 and merged with the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of America in 1959 to form one club.
Who and what are Rhodesian ridgebacks in the United States today? They are rarely baying lions, leopards, and wild boars after tracking them from their (master’s) property borders. They are not living in a nomadic sympioetic relationship with people, as their ridged ancestors did with the Khoikhoi. In the present-day United States, ridgebacks are primarily domestic companion animals. Some are shown in AKC conformation or compete in agility, lure coursing trials, or scent work. Many take hikes with their owners and long walks in cities, play at dog parks and beaches, or enjoy romps in their backyards. They are hounds who adore a nap in the sunshine after sufficient exercise and mental stimulation.
Ridgeback breed books will advise against a ridgeback for a first-time dog owner or the faint of heart. The ridgeback tends to have a high prey drive, will guard naturally, is often aloof with strangers, adoring to its family members, and is patient with children. In her book The Rhodesian Ridgeback Puppy, breeder Denise Flaim describes them this way:
But the ridgeback understands that there are strangers, and there are friends, and even among friends there are gradations of intimacy. In this way, he is no different from you or me. He does not treat everyone with the same exuberance. If you have a history with him, if he has grown to love you, you will be greeted more effusively than someone he’s known for only five minutes. It’s this discretion and intelligence that we so value in the breed. That’s not to say that a stranger is met with hostility: again, indifference is the word.[i]
[i] Denise Flaim, Your Rhodesian Ridgeback Puppy, (Sea Cliff, New York: Revodana Publishing, 2015), 69.
The Ridgeback Today
The ridgeback possesses an independent intelligence and is therefore not a biddable dog. Firm but fair handling, training, and exercise is essential for health and well-being.
The breed standard keeps the Rhodesian ridgeback aligned with its origins as a hunting dog while allowing it to fill the role of a companion animal to people with various lifestyles. When together with other ridgebacks, individuals will naturally work as a pack, possibly to bay an unsuspecting canine at the public play space by circling and darting out of reach.
Training is Essential
Rhodesian Ridgebacks into the 21st Century
Owners and breeders of Rhodesian ridgeback dogs hold a plurality of worldviews, with the dogs providing the common threads. People debate commercial kibble versus raw feeding, food and environmental allergies, vaccinations, the timing of spay/neuter, proper fencing, nail trimming and lack thereof, ideal weight and conditioning, behavioral issues, and reputable breeding. One platform for discussion is the RRCUS Facebook public group with 18K+ members, where moderators keep the learning and discussion reasonably friendly in tone.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States (RRCUS) is an example, in my observation, of an organization that attempts to integrate the epistemology of the worldviews of its members. The club values the traditional wisdom of its elder members, many of whom are breeders with extensive experience with the breed. The club has a Code of Ethics which members are required to follow. Within the Code of Ethics are the modern paradigm’s scientific advances in health and genetic testing. RRCUS requires hip and elbow screenings clear of hip and elbow dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) or Penn Hip evaluation before breeding. Additional tests recommended for Rhodesian ridgeback breeding stock include a complete thyroid panel, cardiac certification, OFA Companion Animal Eye Registry certification (CAER), and autosomal recessive genetic disease testing, including degenerative myelopathy (DM), juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), and Early Onset Adult Deafness (EOAD).[i] Progressive values are reflected in the guidelines for care, nutrition, and end of life. Breeders are responsible for the progeny of their dogs with a return to breeder clause in purchase contracts and agreement to assist in placement if the dog is surrendered to rescue. Important to the future of the breed are also conduct guidelines for treatment of each other and newcomers to the breed.
While traditional breeders know their lines and have long tested for hips and elbow health, fewer of these long-time contributors remain. The additional recommended tests and OFA database allow a “modernized” method of communication via technology previously provided by direct spoken and written dialogue. The mechanized methods of modernism can undermine traditional achievements such as group cohesiveness and unified goals, which allowed collaboration towards the standard and American Kennel Club (AKC) recognition in the past. Breed ethics are in place but not always followed by breeders who do not have the long-term vision of the breed driving their decision-making. These opportunity-driven breeders appeal instead to pet buyers who do not realize the complexities of reputable breeding. There are certainly breeders who act ethically and reputably who choose not to participate in club membership. RRCUS membership is not required to participate in AKC events. Thereby ridgeback owners also come together through dog sporting events. The AKC has a Code of Sportsmanship for participants and a Code of Ethics for Registered Handlers. Rhodesian ridgeback enthusiasts recognize that human conduct and trained dogs are essential for the Rhodesian ridgeback dog breed to remain a welcome and respected breed in U.S. cities and states.
The RRCUS, AKC, and OFA are the specific structures and institutions of society that have the most influence on the past, present, and future of Rhodesian ridgeback dogs in the U.S. The national breed club, RRCUS, is recognized and respected by the numerous state clubs, and the AKC holds the registration records for all U.S. Rhodesian ridgeback purebreds. Dog show superintendents are the organizers of the numerous sporting events which link back to the AKC for recordkeeping, education, ethics, promoting the sport of purebred dogs, and breeding for type and function. The ontology of ridgebacks illustrates how the breed evolved toward its current standard. The epistemology illustrates how historical worldviews have influenced responsible breeding practices and ethics. Rhodesian ridgebacks are a relatively unrestricted breed in the United States. Implementation of the RRCUS Code of Ethics is emphasized in order to maintain the upstanding perception that the breed benefits from today.
[i] Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the Unites States, “Code of Ethics,” retrieved on May 10, 2021. http://rrcus.org/pdf/RRCUS_Code_of_Ethics.pdf