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Temperament lines are short plate excerpts, not a verdict. Open each plate for the full entry.
- AKC group
Hound
- Size
Medium
- Height
33–38 cm; AKC standard should not exceed 35.6 cm, with >38.1 cm disqualified
- Weight
18.1–29.5 kg (AKC overview); CKC overview 27–31.5 kg; major standards do not set adult weight
- Energy
High
- Energy notes
High: this is a working scent hound, not a sprinting athlete. FCI describes a strong, active dog capable of great endurance in the field and lists a working trial; The Royal Kennel Club calls it a working hound, while AKC recommends regular, moderate exercise.
- Trainability
Moderate
- Coat
A hard, smooth, short, close coat with enough density for difficult weather.
- Origin
France
- Temperament
The core standard temperament is mild and steady: AKC says mild, never sharp or timid and describes extreme devotion, while FCI and The Royal Kennel Club describe a placid, affectionate hound that is never aggressive or timid. The calm surface should not be confused with passivity.
- AKC group
Hound
- Size
Large
- Height
61–69 cm (registry- and sex-specific; AKC dogs ~63.5–68.6 cm / bitches ~61.0–66.0 cm; FCI and Royal Kennel Club males 63–69 cm and females 61–66 cm)
- Weight
~32–38.6 kg (single desirable figures, not ranges: AKC dogs 85 lb / ~38.6 kg and bitches 70 lb / ~31.8 kg; FCI males 36.5 kg and females 32 kg; Royal Kennel Club gives no weight)
- Energy
High
- Energy notes
High. The standards describe a dog built for sustained work: AKC calls the Ridgeback “capable of great endurance with a fair (good) amount of speed” and says that “at the chase, the Ridgeback demonstrates great coursing ability and endurance,” while FCI calls it “strong, muscular, agile and active” and notes it is still used to hunt game in many parts of the world.
- Trainability
Moderate
- Coat
The coat is short and dense, sleek and glossy, “never woolly nor silky” in AKC’s words (FCI and The Royal Kennel Club say “neither woolly nor silky”).
- Origin
Southern Africa (South Africa / Zimbabwe)
- Temperament
AKC sums up the Ridgeback as “dignified and even tempered” and “reserved with strangers,” and adds that it is “devoted and affectionate to his master. ” FCI and The Royal Kennel Club describe a dog that is “dignified, intelligent, aloof with strangers, but showing no aggression or shyness,” and FCI disqualifies aggressive or overly shy dogs.
