German Shepherd vs Rhodesian Ridgeback
Side by side
German Shepherd
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Adult weight
Males 36–45.5 kg (79–100 lb); females 30.6–39.5 kg (67–87 lb) (measured in UK vet records, n = 12,146, middle 50%)1
Males 36–41 kg (79–90 lb); females 29–34 kg (64–75 lb) (breed club figure)2
Shedding
Moults most as the seasons change
Sheds through the year
Grooming
No sourced figure
A brush once a week
Exercise
Plenty
Health
Bone cancer (much more likely); Melanoma of the eye or eyelid (much more likely)9
Class
Watchdog
Watchdog
Which suits you
Shedding
Their coats shed differently: the German Shepherd moults most as the seasons change, the Rhodesian Ridgeback sheds through the year.
Temperament
They differ most on independence (German Shepherd: keen to work with you; Rhodesian Ridgeback: decides for itself) and on intelligence (German Shepherd: needs daily brain work; Rhodesian Ridgeback: learns readily, likes games).
Alike
They are much the same size as adults, about 38 kg (84 lb) for the German Shepherd and 35 kg (77 lb) for the Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Alike
Both are rated the same on loyalty: sticks close to its people.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
What they're like
German Shepherd
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Large
The breed is alert, watchful and self-assured, devoted to its own people and reserved with strangers.
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Scent hounds · Large
The Ridgeback is affectionate and gentle with its own people but reserved with strangers, and is generally quiet.
Breed traits
Day to day
German Shepherd
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Differs
Needs daily brain work
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
Needs an experienced owner
With people
German Shepherd
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Differs
Keen to work with you
Decides for itself
Around the home
German Shepherd
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Sensitivity
Differs
Needs a calm, predictable home
Average
Voice
Differs
Barks to alert, then settles
Quiet
Prey drive
Differs
Chases; needs managing
Likely to chase small pets
Puppy growth
Reference curves · both sexes
Summary
Detail
Both grow to much the same adult weight, about 37 kg.
German Shepherd
Rhodesian Ridgeback
More comparisons
Compare the German Shepherd with
Sources
- 1VetCompass UK. Primary-care veterinary records. ↑
- 2American Kennel Club. Rhodesian Ridgeback breed page. ↑
- 3
- 4Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
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- 10Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
- 11Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
- 12American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
- 13
Parts of this page were written by AI ·