History....

The ancestery of the Rhodesian Ridgeback is rooted in the obscurity of the past centuries.  The first ridged dogs were found in Egypt around 3000 BC, as shown from carvings and paintings in tombs.  These dogs were both drop and prick-eared, painted chasing game with clearly defined ridges. 

The Rhodesian Ridgeback as a formally defined breed is relatively new as it only dates back only to the early 1920's.  Since the birth of the Ridgeback as a recognised breed, much has been said and much has been speculated on, regarding the origin of the dog and is the cause of much continual debate still today.

If we establish that the birthplace of today's Ridgeback is the Southern African area, we can start the search for its origins with the original inhabitants of that region, the San people.  Little is known about their early history, except that they were hunting and gathering tribes,

Later another tribe, the Khoikhoi, intruded on the Sans.  They brought with them sheep and other domestic animals, but excavations suggests neither of the tribes had domesticated dogs during this time. So how did they become linked with the 'Hottentot' dog, where did these dogs come from?

We know that canines did co-exist in pre-historic days, but weren't domesticated.  At that time the only canine with a similar chromosome to todays dog was the mysterious Lycaon pictus or Cape Hunting Dog.  Its believed that this dog was a most skilled hunter, with a strict social structure.  Is the famous 'Hottentot hunting dog', which we read about but so far have been unable to trace, somehow directly related to the Cape Hunting Dog? Or does the Rhodesian Ridgebacks ancestory relate to nomadic southern migration from Egypt?

The first white men to see ridged dogs were the Portuguese, who landed in South Africa in 1487.  The Portuguese named the local tribes people Hottentots, although they refered to themselves as KhoiKhoi.  These locals built kraals to keep their cattle safe at night and according to legends the kraals were guarded mostly by ridged dogs. Which were refered to as 'Hottentot Dogs'.

The KhoiKhoi made war with the Portuguese during 1510 killing the whole garrison. These people and their dogs remained undisturbed until 1591 when trading relations resumed.  Foreigners did not arrive on-mass until 1795.

During this time the Khoikhoi people became increasingly used as farm labourers and were accompanied by both ridged, and occassionaly ridgeless dogs.  These dog made such an impression on the farmers with their fearless guarding and hunting abilities, that it is believed the farmers used many of the breeds they brought with them to crossbreed with the Khoikhoi's dogs.

The most famous men associated with this breed were Rev. Charles Helm and Corneilius Von Rooyen, a hunter and adventurer.  It is believed Helm owned two bitches called Powder and Lorna, whom were thought to be greyhounds.  Von Rooyen was so taken with Helms bitches, that it is believed he bred some of his own Khoikhoi hunting dogs with them.

It is unknown, and an area of great debate, if the KhoiKhoi hunting dogs used by Von Rooyen with Helm's bitches had ridges.  However, it has been well documented that the offspring of this pairing were ridged. Von Rooyen continued selecting his hunting dogs based on the presence of the ridge, and these dogs became ledgendary and were in great demand.  Many kennels sprung from Von Rooyen's dogs which were some of the founders of the breed which we know and love today.

For a long time Rhodesian Ridgebacks were refered to mainly as Von Rooyen's dogs.  In Rhodesia during 1922, a keen group of people, inspired by tales of hunters such as Von Rooyen, gathered to discuss creating a breed out of the indigenous dogs.  It was decided that these dogs would be red-wheaten, agile, proud, strong, upstanding and of course have a ridge of hair along their backs.  This standard was presented to the Kennel Union of South Africa in 1922 and after revision was accepted in 1926, the Rhodesian Ridgeback became a recognised breed.