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
About the Rhodesian Ridgeback
Origin: South Africa
- Typical life span
- 10-12 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 36-41 kg
- Female
- 29-34 kg
- Height
- Male
- 64-69 cm
- Female
- 61-66 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Scent hounds and related breeds
- Origin
- South Africa
- Also called
- Perro Crestado Rodesiano
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Rhodesian Ridgeback?
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.
Rhodesian Ridgeback history and origins
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.
Rhodesian Ridgeback appearance and size
Males typically weigh 36-41 kg and stand 64-69 cm at the shoulder; females 29-34 kg and 61-66 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- The Rhodesian Ridgeback is still used to hunt game in many parts of the world, but is especially prized as watch-dog and family pet
- Behaviour and temperament
“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.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Rhodesian Ridgeback
What you get with the Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Purpose stated in the standard: “The Rhodesian Ridgeback is still used to hunt game in many parts of the world, but is especially prized as watch-dog and family pet”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Dignified, intelligent, aloof with strangers, but showing no aggression or shyness”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Should be short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance, but neither woolly nor silky”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Rhodesian Ridgeback
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible and undesirable.
Coat
Should be short and dense, sleek and glossy in appearance, but neither woolly nor silky
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
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.
What the standard penalises
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.
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Dogs without ridge
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Rhodesian Ridgeback in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Rhodesian Ridgeback
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Rhodesian Ridgeback on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Rhodesian Ridgeback owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Rhodesian Ridgeback breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.