Bred in South Africa at the start of the 20th century, this hound is probably one of the most daring hounds that you will encounter. The initial idea was to obtain a lean, strong, muscular dog with enough grace to win a pageant but enough strength and willpower to keep a fully grown adult lion at bay until the master delivers the killing blow. This was exactly what they got, and more.
Nicknamed “the lion dog”, the Rhodesian Ridgeback has been, and still is, building an impressive and outstanding heritage both in South Africa and in other parts of the world.
Breed Characteristics
| Dog Breed Group: | Hounds |
| Height: | 2feet |
| Weight: | 70-85 lbs. |
| Life Span: | 10-12 years |
The main way of recognizing a Rhodesian Ridgeback is by its muscular body and its iconic short golden coat. It is an appealing and attractive dog breed; however it is so in a subtle way, allowing you to appreciate its beauty without getting distracted by it.
Moving on from its aesthetics, we need to keep in mind that this dog does not go by on its looks alone. This dog is smart and adaptable, and even though the breed itself was developed at the start of the 20th century for hunting reasons, this dog has seen a lot of action outside the hunting grounds as well.
Rhodesian Ridgebacks have played a significant role in the huge civil war that shook South Africa down to its core, they helped carry correspondence through the zones that were at war with each other, their loyalty and their courage served them well as they were both willing and able to stand up to groups of heavily armed guerilla fighters in order to defend their families, and they managed to do so successfully.
It’s safe to say that this is not your average hunting dog, but rather looks, courage, loyalty and focus wrapped into a nice four legged canine package.
It’s not all fun and roses with this dog breed though. The Rhodesian ridgeback is not exactly easy to train because of its pure stubbornness and the fact that he or she will simply downright not listen to anything or anyone that is not the master.
It should also be said that this is not exactly the perfect dog for life in an apartment.
Just by looking at its muscles and the shape of the body that this dog is rocking, you will see that individuals from this dog breed require quite a bit of daily exercise and quite some attention in the physical department.
Conclusion
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is probably one of the best dogs out there. It has a history stretching right through some of the bloodiest and harshest conflicts in the world, in which this dog has made a difference several times.
Mother nature was more than generous with this breed, giving it a solid frame, incredible stamina, a metric ton of endurance, a trainload of bravery, and the speed and agility which allow the dog to not only cover an unfathomable amount of ground, but also outrun wild horses and stand toe to toe with the kings of the jungle, the lions, and hold them back while their masters take the shot.
It was nicknamed “The African Lion Dog”, it was and it is still being referred to as “The Navy Seals of dog breeds”, and make no mistake about it, this dog will go to hell and back, then back again for you because of the loyalty, faithfulness and outstanding level of devotion that it possesses for its master.
