Base colour
Light wheaten to red wheaten
- A little white on the chest and toes, but excessive white hairs here, on belly, or above toes are
Permissible
- A dark muzzle and ears
Undesirable
- Excessive black hairs throughout the coat
Large, muscular, and athletic hound with a distinctive ridge of hair running along its back, originally bred to hunt lions in Africa. Known for their dignified, even-tempered nature and loyal disposition.
Developed in Southern Africa by crossing native ridged Khoikhoi dogs with European breeds like Mastiffs and Greyhounds. Bred by farmers and hunters for tracking and holding big game, notably lions, at bay. Recognized by South African Kennel Union in the 1920s.
“Dignified, intelligent, aloof with strangers, but showing no aggression or shyness”
Quoted from FCI standard n°146. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard; Wielaender et al. 2017, PNAS. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
What a judge marks the Rhodesian Ridgeback down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour and size. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Should be short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance, but neither woolly nor silky
Base colour
Light wheaten to red wheaten
Permissible
Undesirable
Shortened from FCI standard n°146 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health.
Height at the withers (cm)
The same scale for every breed: no source defines size categories by height.
Weight (kg)
Size categories by adult weight, from Montoya et al. 2023.
The standard's words
“Height at the withers: Males: 63 cm to 69 cm Females: 61cm to 66 cm Weight: Males: 36,5 kg Females: 32 kg”
Quoted from FCI standard n°146.
An adult's measurements, per the standard. It does not say how big this puppy will be. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Rhodesian Ridgeback in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
3 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
A progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs that starts as hind-leg weakness and ends in paralysis; there is no treatment. This is one of the five breeds in which the study that found the SOD1 variant linked two copies to the disease, and roughly one in ten of 323 Ridgebacks in a recent screen carried at least one copy — but not every dog with two copies develops the disease.
What to ask for
Degenerative myelopathy (SOD1) DNA test result, on both parents
A progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs that starts as hind-leg weakness and ends in paralysis; there is no treatment. This is one of the five breeds in which the study that found the SOD1 variant linked two copies to the disease, and roughly one in ten of 323 Ridgebacks in a recent screen carried at least one copy — but not every dog with two copies develops the disease.
What to ask for
Degenerative myelopathy (SOD1) DNA test result, on both parents
Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
A hearing loss described in this breed in dogs that are born hearing: it can show from four months old but usually appears within the first one to two years, and all 23 affected Ridgebacks studied became deaf in both ears. Affected dogs look no different from others — it is not the deafness linked to white coat. It is recessive. It has been found in Ridgebacks in North America, Europe and Africa, but no published screen says how common it is.
What to ask for
Early onset adult deafness (EPS8L2, Rhodesian Ridgeback type) DNA test result, on both parents
A hearing loss described in this breed in dogs that are born hearing: it can show from four months old but usually appears within the first one to two years, and all 23 affected Ridgebacks studied became deaf in both ears. Affected dogs look no different from others — it is not the deafness linked to white coat. It is recessive. It has been found in Ridgebacks in North America, Europe and Africa, but no published screen says how common it is.
What to ask for
Early onset adult deafness (EPS8L2, Rhodesian Ridgeback type) DNA test result, on both parents
Found in roughly one in a hundred to one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened.
An inherited epilepsy described in this breed: between six weeks and eighteen months old, affected dogs start having frequent sudden muscle twitches, mostly while lying relaxed, and flickering or sudden light can set them off; about a third go on to have full generalised seizures, and brief staring spells (absence seizures) have also been recorded. It is recessive. When it was described, about one in seven of 498 Ridgebacks from 13 countries carried it; a later screen of 323 Ridgebacks found roughly one in 46.
What to ask for
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (DIRAS1, Rhodesian Ridgeback type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited epilepsy described in this breed: between six weeks and eighteen months old, affected dogs start having frequent sudden muscle twitches, mostly while lying relaxed, and flickering or sudden light can set them off; about a third go on to have full generalised seizures, and brief staring spells (absence seizures) have also been recorded. It is recessive. When it was described, about one in seven of 498 Ridgebacks from 13 countries carried it; a later screen of 323 Ridgebacks found roughly one in 46.
What to ask for
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (DIRAS1, Rhodesian Ridgeback type) DNA test result, on both parents
Median survival 12.0 years
95% confidence interval 11.9–12.2 years, from 883 recorded deaths among 2,097 dogs
Mortality hazard 1 (0.94, 1.07) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.