Rhodesian Ridgeback: A Perfect Choice for a Canine Companion

3. The Rhodesian Ridgeback breed has roots in Africa

The foundation dogs for the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed are the African Khoikhoi hunting dogs. Archaeologists discovered tomb drawings dating back to 4000 BCE depicting dogs with a ridge of fur along their spine. Many people believe the dogs in the drawings are descendants of the Khoikhoi dogs. Dutch settlers arriving on African shores bred these dogs with their Mastiffs, terriers, and other breeds. Big-game hunter Cornelius van Rooyen bred the modern Ridgeback in the 1800s. He needed a dog with the size and courage to track down and hold a lion at bay and enough stamina to run alongside hunters mounted on horseback all day. He incorporated Greyhound-like dogs into his lines of ridged-back Khoikhoi hunting dogs and created a new breed he called Van Rooyen’s Lion Hounds. In 1922, a group created a standard for the breed and renamed it “Rhodesian Ridgeback.”