Rhodesian Ridgeback

Warm-climate trail runners should look hard at the Rhodesian Ridgeback. It was developed in southern Africa to track lions and hold them at bay, and its short, sleek coat copes with summer heat better than the double-coated herders and the husky further down this list. Be realistic about two things. It is an independent thinker with hound-like focus, so recall takes patient work. And it is a big, slow-maturing dog of around 32 to 36 kg, so long runs wait until it is fully grown. Ask breeders about hip scores and dermoid sinus, a known congenital condition in the breed.