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Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Thread starter Jon Lester
- Start date
Folks in the family have had them and still do. They're an absolute handful, need lots of training and daily exercise, and can be pretty territorial. You can't let them rise above their place in the pack. Once they understand boundaries they're pretty good, but I'd think twice about having them around small kids.
They need to be fenced and secured they will roam. And they need about 20 miles worth of running a day. Absolute fearless defenders. I would seriously think about your commitment to all the above. If your good with it you'll be very pleased with the choice if not I would consider other options. good Luck
Okay, our son and I have been researching these dogs. Plan on keeping the dog indoors, knowing we need to install an invisible fence or fence in a large area on our property for outside time. Our youngest is our almost 8 y/o daughter and just three inches shy of 5', so not small. I know they need exercise and socialization which will not be problem. I work from our home, and we will exercise him daily.
We had a lab for 9 years and lost him to an unknown cause 6 years ago which was very hard for all of us, and we recently started looking at other breeds. The Ridgeback is a beautiful breed.
We had a lab for 9 years and lost him to an unknown cause 6 years ago which was very hard for all of us, and we recently started looking at other breeds. The Ridgeback is a beautiful breed.
Great family dogs. They are loyal and have incredible personality. Mine is just over a year and a half and maxed out at 75lbs, which is the female average. Males will go up to 120lbs. They love to be around their masters and will follow you everywhere. Friendly and love to play with people and other dogs. Don't like to be outside much on their own unless they have company and are pretty much house dogs wanting to see where you are at in the house. Be careful of where you buy from, there are some really bad puppy mills breeding ridgebacks with genetic issues, which will certainly be a problem. You won't regret a Ridgeback. Took me a year to convince my wife we should get one and she keeps thanking me for talking her into it..
Found a breeder in South Carolina (Wood's Farm) and talked with her quite a bit. Also talked to Pawpatchridges in TX. We are going with the SC breeder since it's closer to us.......a 4-hour drive for pickup. Jon gave in. 
Ours is a great dog. They need to run everyday or the inside of your house will get trashed though... She is a great guard dog as well, and I always love to see that spineline of hair stand tall when my neighbor brings out their little lap dogs...
The descriptions are accurate. Males will dominate if not reprimanded, but will protect to the death and challenge anything that comes in the yard (animal wise). They are a great judge of "character" when someone new comes around, being somewhat aloof, yet non aggressive... unless.
They can run for miles and are great pack hunters. They are the Navy Seals of the dog world.
They can run for miles and are great pack hunters. They are the Navy Seals of the dog world.
A Male Todd
We battled Hip Displasia with a string of Walker Bear Hounds we used to run, Its a sad condition.
We battled Hip Displasia with a string of Walker Bear Hounds we used to run, Its a sad condition.
Had a Ridgeback, female, she was awesome.
Smart, protective, she didn't wander but they definitely need plenty of exercise. She was a great judge of character and had no issue with children.
Plus they don't bark, heck I don't think she even knew how, the sound was more comical than dog like. But she did grumble when she didn't like something or someone so you knew. I think she lived about 10 years.
Smart, protective, she didn't wander but they definitely need plenty of exercise. She was a great judge of character and had no issue with children.
Plus they don't bark, heck I don't think she even knew how, the sound was more comical than dog like. But she did grumble when she didn't like something or someone so you knew. I think she lived about 10 years.
Those dogs hunt Lions (granted in packs), your 8yo daughter is not "big" in the scope of their mind FWIW I have two Siberian Huskies and can tell you from seeing a RR just the other day at the park that (most) owners version of "exersize" will be nothing for these dogs (unless you are a serious runner but even then on leash is not the same)
Chances are IF you get a female it will choose sides between you or your daughter. It happens in some cases, again, YMMV.
Chances are IF you get a female it will choose sides between you or your daughter. It happens in some cases, again, YMMV.
I value the input, but I guess my point was more that she isn't a 2 y/o who would be pulling at the tail or otherwise agitating the dog. As for size, the breeder said none of her dogs were under 90 pounds, and we are getting a male.
Since we are getting him as a pup, I know socialization with the entire family is important, as well as training. With our oldest going back to college in a few weeks, I do have concerns about her interaction with the pup since she won't be here as often. I certainly appreciate all the feedback, and any and all advice is welcome.
Since we are getting him as a pup, I know socialization with the entire family is important, as well as training. With our oldest going back to college in a few weeks, I do have concerns about her interaction with the pup since she won't be here as often. I certainly appreciate all the feedback, and any and all advice is welcome.
An invisible fence will be nothing to the prey drive of a Ridgeback. Even a regular fence may not be enough....better be tall, well constructed...ie not gaps at the bottom, and you better get their physical and mental exercise out.
Great dogs for great owners/trainers....if you are not....they are not for you!
Great dogs for great owners/trainers....if you are not....they are not for you!
Fantastic dogs that need to run and want to hunt. I know of folks that have had them with kids and loved them. I also know of one that would tear your hand off if you touched "his truck". He belonged to a trapper and was nasty,....all in the raising,....most of the time!
Ridgebacks are a very rare breed, and I believe all the cons of owning one in this thread are the reasons. I have owned Dobermans all my life. They are roughly 70#. I too live in a subdivision and my 1/4acre is plenty of room to get a good workout. I have 4 kids ranging from -4 months to 10 years. My dobes would die for the kids. Since the first day we brought the newborns home they take over the role of top security for the child. They don't shed much, are one of the most intelligent breeds, and will rid front porch of any unwanted guest before you even know they are there. Since going out on my own, I have owned 4. The first female was 10 when she passed and the male was 14! Get one less than 80# if you want longevity out of them. The bigger dogs unfortunately don't make it as long.
Tried to respond to your message, however it wont allow me to and keeps saying that it does not recognize the username.. drop another with email and I will send message
I regularly dog sat for a large male. The owner was a WWII B24 bomber pilot and he named the dog Ike. Ike was incredible. He was alert, powerful and intelligent. So was George, the owner, he was still fly his high-performance Mooney at age 84 - without glasses. Both were pretty damn rambunctious at times. I miss them both, but have great memories.
I have a buddy with one. for exercise sometimes he literally has the dog on a leash pull him on a bicycle a few miles when he or his wife doesn't feel like running.
Female ridgeback.. one of the nicest dogs you could ever meet and more of a couch potatoe after some exercise unless something / someone new comes around, then its showoff time.
Female ridgeback.. one of the nicest dogs you could ever meet and more of a couch potatoe after some exercise unless something / someone new comes around, then its showoff time.
My RR's came from Alicia Mohr-Hanna of Kimani Kennels in NJ. She has been a breeder, owner and handler for over 50 years as well as the President of the R.R.C.U.S. Inc. I would highly recommend you give her a call to discuss the breed and any potential breeders.
Kimani Kennels
Kimani Kennels
If it's the wife that's dead-set on getting this breed, make sure she agrees to the exercise regimen! My friend had several; 2 were given to him by people who thought they wanted this breed, but soon found out it was too much. My friend is non-stop energy, so it matched well, but he absolutley never ran any dogs out of gas. He would have one haul him for miles while he rode skateboard. Everything I've read here is accurate, but I would emphasize the need to run, and they can be a little stubborn, as in while finding their place in the pack. If you don't get them their work, they will find it for you, in the form of digging, breaking fence and going for a run, etc. Very powerful, too; my friend is 6'5" 240, he was pulled all over, even dragged a few times. I still laugh about that!
I worked with a guy who had a male and a female. He got a call one day saying that someone had shot his dog. When he finally found out where, it was several miles from his house and had busted through a fence designed to hold him in to get there. The dog had smelled a small breed female in heat and was trying to tear into a enclosure to get at her. The small dogs owner had to shoot him as he was big and being aggressive. The RR lived for a few hours until my coworker showed up to get him. No hard feelings over the shoot as he would have done the same if it had been someone else s dog acting that way in his yard. Moral of the story-that electric fence isn't even going to be a thought if he gets going.
That being said, starting with a young puppy in a good household, any dog can be a good dog
That being said, starting with a young puppy in a good household, any dog can be a good dog
I have 2 Rhodesian Ridgebacks, the male is about 110 pounds and the female is about 85 pounds
They just had their first litter of puppies that all went to great new homes, it was a ton of work, but very rewarding.
I think Rhodesian Ridgebacks are a somewhat misunderstood breed.
They are large active dogs, and will take almost as much exercise as you can give them, but are fine with a 2 to 4 mile walk / jog once a day if that is all you can do & they are very happy to lay around the house like couch potatoes afterwards. They really do enjoy being able to sprint at full speed when they can.
If you raise them in a household, they are excellent around people and very friendly with children. My dogs are very friendly to people we meet out walking & don't have any problems with kids walking up to them to pet them. They will bark and warn you / get your attention if anyone / thing is coming towards your property they are not familiar with, but once they sense from you all is okay, they are very well behaved.
They are very intelligent and pick up on what you like and don't like very quickly & are very easy to train as long as you are consistent & are not a wimp.
They love as much attention and love as they can get and enjoy being petted endlessly & will tend to follow you all around the house and curl up beside you as you work on the computer etc.
One of the biggest advantages of them is that they hardly shed, so your house stays nice and clean. They do well in moderate heat, but do need to be indoors a lot of the time during winter.
They are not a dog breed for someone who wants to keep them chained up outside. They want to be part of your family and around you as much as possible, the ideal setting for them is to be indoors with free access to a yard. They love to sleep with you if you let them, both my adults normally sleep in bed with me & the puppies very quickly start trying to cuddle up with you when you go to sleep. They are ideal for someone who really loves being with the dogs and playing with them and giving them lots of attention.
You can spend tons of crazy money on them, but you don't have to. If you are concerned, see if the breeder has X-rays of the parents hips & if they have done the 2 genetic tests (one for hips / one for eyes). You can also if needed just have the main genetic tests done on the puppy themselves & you can have your vet check them out.
Usually in every litter there is one that doesn't have a complete or perfect ridge and you can usually get them much cheaper & they are perfectly good for a pet / companion.
One note is that if you want your dogs to be big, keep them all intact and natural. On average you will get about 10% bigger with a 15% bigger head on the males and the females will be a bit more assertive and active. They tend to hit a growth spurt around the 1 year mark and it can be around a year and a half before they get as big as they will.
They just had their first litter of puppies that all went to great new homes, it was a ton of work, but very rewarding.
I think Rhodesian Ridgebacks are a somewhat misunderstood breed.
They are large active dogs, and will take almost as much exercise as you can give them, but are fine with a 2 to 4 mile walk / jog once a day if that is all you can do & they are very happy to lay around the house like couch potatoes afterwards. They really do enjoy being able to sprint at full speed when they can.
If you raise them in a household, they are excellent around people and very friendly with children. My dogs are very friendly to people we meet out walking & don't have any problems with kids walking up to them to pet them. They will bark and warn you / get your attention if anyone / thing is coming towards your property they are not familiar with, but once they sense from you all is okay, they are very well behaved.
They are very intelligent and pick up on what you like and don't like very quickly & are very easy to train as long as you are consistent & are not a wimp.
They love as much attention and love as they can get and enjoy being petted endlessly & will tend to follow you all around the house and curl up beside you as you work on the computer etc.
One of the biggest advantages of them is that they hardly shed, so your house stays nice and clean. They do well in moderate heat, but do need to be indoors a lot of the time during winter.
They are not a dog breed for someone who wants to keep them chained up outside. They want to be part of your family and around you as much as possible, the ideal setting for them is to be indoors with free access to a yard. They love to sleep with you if you let them, both my adults normally sleep in bed with me & the puppies very quickly start trying to cuddle up with you when you go to sleep. They are ideal for someone who really loves being with the dogs and playing with them and giving them lots of attention.
You can spend tons of crazy money on them, but you don't have to. If you are concerned, see if the breeder has X-rays of the parents hips & if they have done the 2 genetic tests (one for hips / one for eyes). You can also if needed just have the main genetic tests done on the puppy themselves & you can have your vet check them out.
Usually in every litter there is one that doesn't have a complete or perfect ridge and you can usually get them much cheaper & they are perfectly good for a pet / companion.
One note is that if you want your dogs to be big, keep them all intact and natural. On average you will get about 10% bigger with a 15% bigger head on the males and the females will be a bit more assertive and active. They tend to hit a growth spurt around the 1 year mark and it can be around a year and a half before they get as big as they will.
That is such a load of garbage, Sounds like the excuses given by people that kick in doors and shoot dogs for barking at them. (But then get mad if you show one of their dogs who they train to attack people that Humans are the masters).
I may be fairly biased as I tend to like my dogs more than most people but there was probably no need to harm his dog at all if the guy had any balls & a bit of brains. A blanket properly employed would have taken care of the situation, for that matter a good rope or a manly sized broom, or a garden hose.
My coworker was they type of guy who would have "handled" the situation if he felt there had been any wrongdoing on the shooters part. He didnt, but was sad the dog died obviously. He did say they were awesome dogs and were great around families.
A good way to excercise and build up a dog like that is get a roading harness rig that attaches to 4 wheeler or utv and hook him in harness. That's what I did with my pointer birddogs. I had as many as 15 at one time and was a very good way to run the exuberance out of them. Doesn't take to long either.
Dermoid sinus, it's a condition that is genetically passed on. Tube that runs along the spine and can some times be too close to the surface of the skin. Pores clog up with dirt, hair, oils and cause a swelling or ulcer that can be painful. Have the breeder explain it along with having a vet check for it. Don't breed if this condition is present.
we had one pawned off on us when i was really young. it had a bad attitude and would growl and smile at my little sister who at the time was only about 2 or 3, so we didnt have the dog for very long. im assuming it was neglected pretty bad before we got it, im sure it would have been fine had it been trained properly and got the exercise it needed.
My grandparent have five, which made me want one. I got one from the ridgeback shelter in San Antonio that was 5 years old and had been abused. One day it snapped and bit a friends 9 month old baby on the head. It was the most protective and obedient dog I've ever seen though, I just couldn't train her past away. I want to get one as a pup so it grows up with my girls.
Don't pick one out based on looks, sit down and let a pup pick YOU. It's the only way to go with RR's and it will bond with you for life. The bad part is their short life span.
Don't pick one out based on looks, sit down and let a pup pick YOU. It's the only way to go with RR's and it will bond with you for life. The bad part is their short life span.
Easier than a Fila! Nice of you to do some research first. Seems too many people get a large dog with a working background without figuring out before hand if it's what will really fit for their family.
With our first Fila we had to go through a written questionnaires and three interviews. And at each stage we were warned to not buy the dog, it will be a nightmare, can't have people over to the house anymore, have to sleep inside, will destroy your home, probably can't be adopted out once they bond to you, etc. Very glad I had a high-drive Schutzhund bred GSD first, but it was still not enough preparation as the mentality is totally different. Not to say that a Ridgeback is going to be anything like that!
I just agree that a good breeder can be very helpful in helping you decide if a dog is right for you.
I knew a lady who bred ridgebacks and would love to have one, BUT-
they are probably one of the highest energy dogs, ever.
I recently read a story of a couple who had one. Now both of them competed in triathlons and marathons and regularly take the dog on their runs. They try to burn his energy off, but it never works. Even after hours of running, the dog is still fresh.
I just don't have the time and energy to devote to a ridgeback.
they are probably one of the highest energy dogs, ever.
I recently read a story of a couple who had one. Now both of them competed in triathlons and marathons and regularly take the dog on their runs. They try to burn his energy off, but it never works. Even after hours of running, the dog is still fresh.
I just don't have the time and energy to devote to a ridgeback.
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Years ago I had a 1/2 black Lab, 1/2 Rhodesian Ridgeback female, and she was the sweetest dog I have ever had. Got the best of both breeds, and could she run like the wind. Would take her to an open, grassy area where folks play lots of soccer on weekends, and let her just run. Always came when called, and was great with my son, who was born when she was 10 or so. Absolutely one of the best dogs I've ever had. And, one of the smartest.
- Nov 3, 2010
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Johns post is 9 years old, but good luck. A friend hade on and it had a really nice tempermant...
A couple quick questions,
Do you put any restrictions on full registration of the dogs or require specific naming?
Do you promptly process the registration paperwork or do you have any delays or other requirements after the delivery before the paperwork is processed?
Do you put any restrictions on being able to breed the dogs if so desired?
Are you able to ship air freight, (I understand that for this litter it won't be possible as air freight won't be an option for probably 3 months due to the weather), or it it local pickup only?
I didn't notice a listing of the price, what price are you getting on the male and the female ones?
I'm probably not ready for one with this litter, but may be interested in getting one on your next litter.
Thanks.
I always thought that if I got a dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback or a pair of Dobermans would be what I'd want.
But I have attack cats. So there ya go.
But they are at the top of my 'Cool Dog' list.
If only they could point grouse...
Cheers,
Sirhr
But I have attack cats. So there ya go.
But they are at the top of my 'Cool Dog' list.
If only they could point grouse...
Cheers,
Sirhr
Having had both, I'd always pick Ridgebacks over Dobermans for an animal that you will have around the house or out hunting.
For some reason I haven't ever seen the Ridgebacks get all that excited about birds, even when they are like walking around on the ground nearby.
Anything furry that runs or makes noise however is game on.
I had a friend who bred and showed them. They require A LOT of training and can be quite dangerous if not handled correctly. They also require a job, they need mental stimulation. That being said they are damn fine dogs
No they don't, and they are not even remotely dangerous unless trained that way. I currently have a 14 month old purebred and a senior RR/pit bull mix. They are very smart, easily trained, and are just as happy lounging on the couch as they are working. A friend has had them for 20 years and they are the same way for him.
Border Collies, Australian Shephards, and herding breeds are the ones that constantly need something to do. German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois are harder to train and in my experience can be more dangerous than Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
We had a family friend with 2 Ridgebacks and he hunted Mtn Lion with them. They are fearless dogs.
I would love to move to the mountains, get a couple and hunt lion. Great dogs!! they were friendly as hell and knew when it was time to go to work.
I would love to move to the mountains, get a couple and hunt lion. Great dogs!! they were friendly as hell and knew when it was time to go to work.
Yep, exactly.
They are also very smart, even when they get upset.
One time an older teenage son of one of my friends was alone with the dogs in the house and decided to be tormenting the female. The male dog got pissed and was going to put a stop to it, so the male dog jumped up, stood on his back legs and pinned the teen's shoulders against the wall with his front legs, looked him in the eyes and barked good and loud in his face to tell him to stop. And the teen stopped and all was good and nobody was hurt.
Apparently, some deodorants, specifically female ones have some sex hormones in it, as one cheapskate friend was wearing female deodorant that he bought at the dollar store and man my male dog wanted to make some sweet love to the guy's armpit, which isn't funny when the dog is like as big as the person, but you know simply walk over, gently push him away and walk with him back to another room and all is good.
