50 Fun Facts About Rhodesian Ridgeback

In which part of the world was the Rhodesian Ridgeback originally bred?

Its forebears were the ridged hunting dogs of the Khoikhoi, crossed with European breeds by Cape colonists.

What is the breed's most distinctive physical feature?

The ridge is formed by two whorls of hair called crowns and tapers toward the hips.

What is modern-day Rhodesia, where the breed standard was written, called?

The standard was drafted in Bulawayo in 1922.

Which big animal were Ridgebacks famously bred to hunt by baying?

They harassed the lion with quick darting snaps rather than attacking it outright, until the hunter shot it.

What does a Ridgeback do when it "bays" a lion?

The dogs were also used to hunt boar and clear farms of wild pigs and baboons.

Which indigenous people's ridged dogs are the breed's forebears?

Europeans were using the Khoikhoi dogs themselves within 53 years of the first Dutch settlements.

Who drafted the original breed standard in 1922?

Barnes founded the first Rhodesian Ridgeback Club at a Bulawayo Kennel Club show.

The 1922 breed standard was modelled on which other breed's standard?

Barnes borrowed the Dalmatian standard as his template.

Which body approved the 1922 standard in 1927?

Britain's Kennel Club and the AKC did not recognise the breed until the 1950s.

Which big-game hunter developed the breed's foundation stock at Hope Fountain Mission?

He bred dogs for 35 years; his rule was that a good dog was one that survived.

Which missionary brought two ridged bitches to Hope Fountain in 1879?

Helm was also a political adviser to King Lobengula and Bulawayo's postmaster.

What were the names of the two dogs Helm brought to his mission?

Van Rooyen found them brave around lions but too slow and poor-nosed, so he crossed them with European breeds.

Hope Fountain Mission is now part of which city?

The first Rhodesian Ridgeback Club was also founded at a Bulawayo show in 1922.

The hunter's foundation stock bred at Hope Fountain was once known by what name?

He died in Bulawayo in 1915 of malaria, pneumonia and heart failure.

Which extinct fighting breed was heavily used in the early Ridgeback's makeup?

The Cuban Bloodhound was used for dogfighting and guarding.

Genetic analysis places the Ridgeback in the same clade as which breed?

That implies the Dane made the major European contribution to the breed.

What percentage of pre-colonial ancestry does the southern African Ridgeback retain?

The rest came from imported European dogs such as Greyhounds, Mastiffs, Great Danes and Bloodhounds.

What were the Boer hunting dogs that preceded the Ridgeback called in Afrikaans?

The word simply means Boer hound.

Who first showed Rhodesian Ridgebacks in Britain, in 1928?

The breed's British club was not founded until 1952, at Crufts.

How many Ridgebacks did the O'Briens of Arizona bring to the US from South Africa in 1950?

They worked with Margaret Lowthian of California to win AKC recognition.

In which year did the American Kennel Club recognise the breed?

It was placed in the hound group.

In which AKC group is the Rhodesian Ridgeback placed?

Despite its guarding history, the AKC classes it as a hound.

Where was the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Great Britain founded in 1952?

Its aim was to get show judges to recognise a standard for the breed.

What are the two whorls of hair that form the ridge called?

The fan-like ridge tapers from behind the shoulders down to the hips.

Roughly how wide is the ridge at its widest point?

It is believed to derive from a similar ridge on the original African dogs.

About how much does a male Ridgeback weigh under the FCI standard?

Males stand 26 to 29 inches at the withers; females are smaller at about 38 kg.

What colour range does the breed standard call for in the coat?

Excessive white or black hairs are faults, though a dark mask is allowed.

Which two nose colours are permitted in the breed?

Eyes should match: dark with a black nose, amber with a liver one.

What eye colour should a Ridgeback with a brown nose have?

The brown nose comes from a recessive gene and is less common than black.

Where on the body is a little white acceptable under the standard?

Anywhere else, or too much of it, is a fault.

Which of these is another breed with a reverse ridge of fur along the spine?

The Phu Quoc dog of Vietnam and the Kombai of India are ridged too.

The Phu Quoc Ridgeback comes from an island in which country?

Two of them were kept at the Jardin d'Acclimatation in Paris in the 19th century.

How many distinct ridge patterns have been identified in the Thai Ridgeback?

They include needle, feather, arrow, lute, violin, bowling pin, leaf and saddleback.

Research shows the ridge mutation in African and Asian ridgebacks is what?

The finding rejected the old idea of separate mutations arising in Asia and Africa.

How is the Ridgeback typically described around strangers?

A well-tempered Ridgeback will not attack a stranger without reason.

The author of the first standard warned that Ridgebacks "go to pieces" under what?

Despite their athleticism, the breed has a sensitive side and accepts only fair correction.

In what year did researchers identify the genotype responsible for the ridge?

Teams from Swedish universities and the Broad Institute found it together.

What is the only disqualification in the AKC standard for the breed?

Ridgeless pups inherit no copy of the ridge mutation from either parent.

How is the ridge mutation inherited?

About 95% of dogs with one copy of the gene show a ridge.

Which BBC documentary criticised the British club's rule that ridgeless puppies be culled?

The club later changed its code of ethics to say no healthy puppy will be culled.

What congenital neural-tube defect is the breed known for?

It is often likened to a thin spaghetti strand under the skin along the back.

Supplementing which nutrient in the mother's diet reduces the breed's neural-tube defect?

The same vitamin is recommended to reduce neural-tube defects in human pregnancies.

How is a puppy screened for the thin "spaghetti strand" defect under its skin?

Breeder and vet feel the midline from the base of the skull to the tail.

Degenerative myelopathy in the breed is caused by a mutation in which gene?

The same gene is linked to some forms of ALS in humans.

The Ridgeback ranks sixth among breeds for which problem, per the OFA?

Lymphocytic thyroiditis is the overwhelming cause of hypothyroidism in the breed.

What average life expectancy did a UK study find for the breed?

Hip dysplasia and dermoid sinus are its best-known health issues.

Like other deep-chested breeds, the Ridgeback is prone to which potentially fatal condition?

Gastric dilatation volvulus needs immediate veterinary treatment.

Which royal owns a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Khan?

The late actor Patrick Swayze was also famous for his love of the breed.

Which American actor and singer was well known for loving the breed?

The Dirty Dancing star kept Ridgebacks at his ranch.

Roughly how tall was the original Cape hunting dog of the 17th century at the withers?

It was lean but muscular and described by Europeans as fearless.