Large, muscular dogs, Rhodesian ridgebacks trace their ancestry to southern Africa, and it includes hunting dogs, guard dogs and semi-domesticated tribal dogs. The ridgeback is notorious for two things: first, as an athletic lion-hunting dog that could chase down and keep lions at bay until hunters showed up to make the kill, and second for the ridge of hair on their back that runs counter to the rest of the dog’s hair.
With roots that begin in present-day South Africa and Rhodesia, the ridgeback descends from semi-domesticated hunting dogs of the Khoikhoi people. These dogs possessed a line of hair that ran against the direction of the rest of their hair, creating a “ridge” along their backs. These fierce dogs were noted for their guarding abilities. Dutch settlers eventually brought European dogs with them – including greyhounds, bloodhounds and great Danes – which were bred with these indigenous dogs of South Africa. This crossing resulted in the Boer hunting dog, which continued to possess the ridge of hair along its back, and which was eventually taken to neighboring Rhodesia, where it was bred with other hunting dogs. The results of these pairing established the foundation for the ridgebacks – athletic ...