Origin of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
The Rhodesian Ridgeback originally comes from South Africa. However, Egyptian and Phoenician records already contain references to dogs with a long, drawn-out whorl of hair on their backs, the so-called ridge.
In 1480, Portuguese travelers to Africa mentioned a small, ugly, hyena-like dog with a strange formation of hair on its back.
In 1505, the reports of these strangely beautiful „dogs of the Hottentots“ intensified and increasingly became the focus of foreign settlers.
In the middle of the 19th century, the Rhodesian Ridgeback became larger in stature through mating with European breeds brought over by white settlers.
In 1924, the „Rhodesian Ridgeback“ breed was recognized by the Kennel Union South Africa (KUSA) and until a few years ago was the only recognized South African dog breed.
In 1974, exactly 50 years after the breed was recognized, the first litter with proven pedigree was born in Germany to breeder Anne Müller, Helvesiek.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback as a family dog
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is very family-oriented. If Ridgebacks are given the necessary respect and devotion by their family, they fit in with the family and are very affectionate to handle.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback urgently needs a close connection to the family in order not to wither away socially and to know who he is there for and who he can and should protect.
Raising Rhodesian Ridgebacks
Our experience is that the Rhodesian Ridgeback has the strong character it is said to have, but can be trained very well. The prerequisite for successfully training a Ridgeback is to spend a lot of time with him and to maintain a clear line in all situations. If the Rhodesian Ridgeback is accepted as a partner, he will do everything for his human. As well as going for walks, our Ridgeback bitches go jogging with us and can also be called off on horseback at any time, even when game is flushed out.
Rhodesian Ridgebacks are very well suited as hunting and rescue dogs and are becoming increasingly popular.