Rhodesian Ridgeback Puppies: Adopt or Buy?

Should you adopt or buy a Rhodesian Ridgeback?

It depends on whether it has to be a puppy. Purebred Ridgeback puppies rarely reach general rescue, so if you want an eight-week-old Ridgeback with known parents and checked for dermoid sinus, a registered breeder is the realistic route. If what you want is the dog (the calm dignity at home, the athlete outdoors), an adult Ridgeback or Ridgeback cross from a rescue comes with a known size, temperament and set of manners, which matters in a dog this big and strong.

The RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase suggests the RSPCA or a reputable rescue first, and if you go to a breeder, making sure they are registered, visiting where the puppies were born and meeting the parents. Our guide to adopting a dog in Australia covers the rescue process step by step.

Reference only, not quotes. Figures read on 11 November 2026 from the club, breeder and rescue pages named; prices and fees change, so check with them.

How much is a Ridgeback puppy from a registered breeder?

Two state clubs publish a guide. The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Victoria's FAQ says the cost of a puppy is determined by the individual breeders and that “the current price range may vary between $3000 to $5000”. The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of WA says prices for puppies from registered breeders with health-tested parents vary and that on average you would be looking at anywhere between $1,500 and $2,500 in WA. Neither page is dated; we read both on 11 November 2026.

We also read the websites of 19 Australian Ridgeback breeders in November 2026. One member breeder (membership of Dogs Australia through its state body and of its state Ridgeback club shown on its own site) published $3,000 (November 2026) for a pet-quality puppy on the limited register (not for breeding). One breeder is not a range, so treat it as a single example. The rest did not publish a price, or showed only a price from an earlier year, which we leave out, as we do prices on listing sites. Ask several breeders what they charge and what it includes.

Reference only, not quotes. Breeders and rescues set their own prices and change them, so check with them. Rescue fees usually include desexing, microchipping, vaccinations and a vet check. The dog cost calculator covers the first year after the price tag.

What is dermoid sinus, and why does every litter need checking?

A dermoid sinus is a narrow, tube-like structure that, in the words of the National Rhodesian Ridgeback Council, can “penetrate from the skin surface to varying depths downward into the muscles and towards the spinal cord.” Sinuses sit in the midline of the neck and the croup (lower back), and a puppy can have more than one. The council grades them into four types, the most serious of which reaches the spinal cord between the vertebrae.

The council says responsible breeders check for a sinus as soon as possible after birth and keep checking, often asking other experienced breeders to check as well. If a sinus is found before it becomes infected, it can be removed surgically with a good chance of no further complications, and the council notes that many breeders now have the operation done at 8 to 9 weeks and home the puppy as a pet. Ask any breeder how and when the litter was checked.

The ridge and the sinus are linked. A 2007 study in Nature Genetics found that the ridge in Rhodesian and Thai Ridgebacks is caused by a dominant mutation, a duplication involving three fibroblast growth factor (FGF) genes, that also predisposes dogs to dermoid sinus. The picture is not fully settled: a 2022 German study of 12,700 puppies found a dermoid sinus prevalence of 2.53% and concluded that the ridge locus was unlikely to determine whether a sinus appears. In Australia, the council's 2006 breed survey put the rate at 4.7%, down from 6.7% in 1996, and the council's dermoid sinus page says the incidence across the breed in Australia is not known.

This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice. If you own a Ridgeback with a lump or discharge along the midline of the neck or back, see your vet. Our Ridgeback health guide covers what this means once you own one.

What happens to ridgeless puppies?

Some purebred Ridgeback puppies are born without a ridge. A 2006 study estimated the frequency at 5.6% in the Swedish population, and the National Rhodesian Ridgeback Council's 2006 Australian survey reported 6.8%. Because the Dogs Australia standard calls the ridge “the escutcheon of the breed”, a ridgeless puppy cannot be shown or bred from under club rules, but apart from its back it is the same dog.

Australian club codes set out what breeders should do. The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Victoria's code says members recognise that ridgeless pups are not in the standard and undertake to desex them before they leave the breeder, and the Queensland club's code requires a desexing contract and the Limited Register for puppies with faults such as no ridge. Under the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Great Britain's code of ethics, members agree that “no healthy puppy will be culled”, and ridgeless puppies should be rehomed with a contract to desex them. If you are offered a ridgeless puppy, ask about its desexing terms and its health checks like any other.

Which health tests should a Ridgeback breeder show you?

The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club Inc in NSW lists the basic tests as hip and elbow scoring (AVA scored or PennHIP), degenerative myelopathy (DM) and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), and says dermoid sinus is the most common issue. Its buyer questions also include a vet check of the puppy for entropion (inturned eyelids) and heart murmurs.

Sources: Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of South Australia, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Victoria, Queensland club code of ethics, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of WA, read 11 November 2026. This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

JME has a known cause: a 2017 study in PNAS identified a recessive deletion in the DIRAS1 gene, with onset between 6 weeks and 18 months, which is why a DNA test exists. Because it is recessive, two healthy carrier parents can produce an affected puppy, so ask for both parents' results rather than one.

What do Ridgebacks in rescue look like?

Mostly adults and crosses. Across the rescues, shelters and council pounds we aggregate, purebred Ridgebacks are listed only now and then, and Ridgeback crosses appear more often. A cross may or may not have a ridge, and its size and temperament can lean towards either parent, so the rescue's notes on the individual dog matter more than the label. An alert on the Ridgeback breed page catches new listings.

The breed clubs are the other route. The Queensland club, the South Australian club and the WA club each publish a rescue or rehoming page, and the National Rhodesian Ridgeback Council lists rescue contacts by state. Ask the club in your state whether it has dogs needing homes and how its process works.

An adult from rescue comes with what a puppy cannot tell you: how it behaves with strangers, other dogs and cats, and whether it has the chase instinct the Ridgeback was bred with. Our Ridgeback exercise and prey drive guide covers living with that.

How do Ridgeback puppy scams work?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites and fake social media and marketplace profiles to sell popular breeds and pets that do not exist. Its advice: view the pet in person, ask for a video call with the breeder if you cannot visit, check the breeder is legitimate and accredited, and compare prices, because a very cheap pet is likely a scam.

Ridgeback versions of the pattern:

• A borrowed membership number. Dogs Victoria warns that scammers use the membership numbers of legitimate breeders, often lifted from other websites. Check the number on the official register yourself.
• A deposit before you meet anyone. Dogs NSW lists asking for deposits before you have met the breeder as a scammer tactic.
• No word on dermoid sinus. A genuine Ridgeback breeder checks every puppy. A seller who cannot say how the litter was checked is not following club practice, even if the puppy is real.
• No breeder number. NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT each require an identifying number in puppy ads. Look it up on the official register, not through a link the seller sends.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the full state-by-state table of breeder numbers and what to do if you have already paid.

When is a registered breeder the better choice?

Rescue is not right for everyone. A registered breeder makes sense if you want a puppy you can raise from eight weeks, with hip and elbow scored and DNA tested parents and a documented dermoid check, if you want to show or lure-course, or if you have watched the rescue listings for months and no adult has suited your home.

If you go that way, check the breeder properly:

1. Registration. Check the membership number with Dogs Australia or your state body, and your state's breeder number on the official register.
2. A club check. The Victorian club's breeders list and the other state clubs can point you to member breeders who follow their code of ethics.
3. Health results for both parents: hips, elbows, DM and JME, plus any cardiac testing.
4. The dermoid check, and the vet check for entropion and heart murmurs.
5. A written contract covering register type, desexing, health problems and whether the breeder will take the dog back.

Is a Rhodesian Ridgeback the right dog for you?

The Dogs Australia breed standard describes a “strong, muscular, agile and active dog” capable of great endurance with a fair amount of speed, with a temperament that is “dignified, intelligent, aloof with strangers, but showing no aggression or shyness.” Dogs stand 63 to 69 cm with a desirable weight of 36.5 kg; bitches 61 to 66 cm and 32 kg. Be honest about four things.

• Size and strength. A large, strong dog that pulls is a problem for anyone who cannot hold it, so lead training starts on day one.
• Exercise. This is an endurance hound. The dog exercise calculator helps you plan daily exercise.
• Strangers. Aloof is in the standard. A Ridgeback needs plenty of calm socialisation as a puppy, and the Victorian club recommends obedience school so dogs can be socialised with other dogs.
• Commitment. The Queensland club describes a Ridgeback as a companion for the next 10 to 12 years.

Not sure it fits? The what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check each take a few minutes.

Find a Ridgeback near you

Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Ridgeback crosses listed by rescues, by city:

• Ridgebacks for adoption in Sydney
• Ridgebacks for adoption in Melbourne
• Ridgebacks for adoption in Brisbane
• Ridgebacks for adoption in Perth
• Ridgebacks for adoption in Adelaide

Local guides to adopting a Ridgeback, with the rescues that serve each city: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide.

Open to another large dog? See the large dogs in Sydney and in Melbourne, and our guides to German Shorthaired Pointer, Bull Terrier and Koolie puppies.