Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Ridgeback folks,

I am researching my next dog after a very unfortunate tragedy--a couple of months ago my husband and I had to make a terrible decision to put down our mixed-breed rescue because she had a serious biting problem (extreme bites without provocation).

This dog was, apart from being a public safety menace, the best dog I have ever had. She was extremely bright, driven, and an independent thinker. Learning how to train her was very rewarding and I loved her energy. She was, though, my husband's first pet ever. While he became an extremely competent handler to an extremely difficult dog, he was really afraid of her (who can blame him?), and is more gunshy than I am now that the talk has turned to the next dog.

I, of course, am looking for drive, smarts, and independence, and am convinced that a ridgeback is the perfect choice for me. But my husband needs a positive, unscary dog experience next time. And both of us really can't handle any more serious aggression issues. It was so stressful and sad.

That said, two questions:

1. Ridgebacks get mixed reviews in terms of aggression. What's your experience been? We live in a city and have lots of time and space for a dog, but it is all shared time and space. We *need* a dog that will either get along well with or ignore other dogs and people.

2. And is a ridgeback going to be too intense for my husband? The one ridge I know is extremely mellow and sweet, and is not a pushy butt at all. He runs like the wind and is a little manipulative, and is big, but is pretty much a mush. His owner says he was not that difficult to train, but that it was important to be positive and smart about it, and very consistent. Is this dog representative of the breed?

Thanks for your feedback. We are just really interested in not repeating the past, but learning from it.

>>Hello Ridgeback folks,
>>
>>I am researching my next dog after a very unfortunate tragedy--a couple of months ago my husband and I had to make a terrible decision to put down our mixed-breed rescue because she had a serious biting problem (extreme bites without provocation).
>>
>>This dog was, apart from being a public safety menace, the best dog I have ever had. She was extremely bright, driven, and an independent thinker. Learning how to train her was very rewarding and I loved her energy. She was, though, my husband's first pet ever. While he became an extremely competent handler to an extremely difficult dog, he was really afraid of her (who can blame him?), and is more gunshy than I am now that the talk has turned to the next dog.
>>
>>I, of course, am looking for drive, smarts, and independence, and am convinced that a ridgeback is the perfect choice for me. But my husband needs a positive, unscary dog experience next time. And both of us really can't handle any more serious aggression issues. It was so stressful and sad.
>>
>>That said, two questions:
>>
>>1. Ridgebacks get mixed reviews in terms of aggression. What's your experience been? We live in a city and have lots of time and space for a dog, but it is all shared time and space. We *need* a dog that will either get along well with or ignore other dogs and people.
>>
>>2. And is a ridgeback going to be too intense for my husband? The one ridge I know is extremely mellow and sweet, and is not a pushy butt at all. He runs like the wind and is a little manipulative, and is big, but is pretty much a mush. His owner says he was not that difficult to train, but that it was important to be positive and smart about it, and very consistent. Is this dog representative of the breed?
>>
>>Thanks for your feedback. We are just really interested in not repeating the past, but learning from it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

When describing dog qualities, "Independence" usually means a dog who is not that interested in people, or in pleasing them. Not that trainable. Is that really what you are looking for? If you're turned off by pushy and manipulative, it sounds like you don't want a retrieving or herding breed. A dog to live elbow-to-elbow with other dogs in the city if you don't have a private yard for the dog to use to relieve is problematic. I'd be inclined to suggest a sighthound for the husband and the independence, but I'm not sure what you're looking for in training. Hopefully someone with Ridgebacks will reply. Also I hope you will contact Rhodesian Ridgeback rescue and the national breed club. Both will be listed on www.akc.org.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Hi,

I am a pet owner with a 10 yr old RR mix (I didn't know what she was when I adopted her 9 years ago, just that I couldn't leave such a georgous and perfect dog to be put down at the shelter), almost 3 yr old Pharaoh Hound, and a 5 month old RR.

Kayo, the 10yr old, was a HUGE learning curve for me, she's unusually active for an RR (think her mix is dalmation) with the intelligence and chewing capabilities of an RR (yes, she ate all sorts of things). I had no clue about sighthounds or RRs. When I saw an RR for the first time I couldn't believe the resemblance, so I started researching about them. I was relieved to learn that some of these really weird quirks of hers were actually breed characteristics. Kayo is a "love" of a personality, she likes to snuggle an would love to be a lap dog. Agression is something she'd never know how to do.

Do remember that RRs were breed to not only hunt but to also be the family pet and guard dog. While Kayo has no agression in her she is still a great guard dog, if she feels there's a reason to bark - she will. I had to stay in an apt for a bit a few years back (not easy to do with her) but boy was I glad I had her when someone walked onto the back patio in the middle of the night. She jumped out of bed and ran to the door with a few barks and hair raised, had me out of my skin, and whoever it was left so fast all I could see were the foot prints their boots left behind. That's the one and only time she's done that (in 9 years), but it sure makes me feel more secure. I couldn't believe that miss "no agressive bone in her body" actually knew when to get protective.

Our little boy is a bit more on the rough side. Mind you he's just 5 months (equivalent to a gawky pre-teen boy) and is still learning his proper social skills, for example he still tries to jump on some people and wants to play rough with the little puppies in puppy socialization class. Now that I think about it Kayo used to be a little rough in play too, but with a bit of training she learned not to hit me with her teeth when we play. Again, not agression but just big dog playing and learning to use bit inhibition and watch posturing is what I mean.

One bonus with a pup is that you can work with local trainers and the breeder to help develop the proper social skills. For example, our two girls aren't showing that they are going to toughen up on him and tell him "no." If they don't then he'll get to go spend a little time with his breeder who's dogs will help him develop the proper doggy social skills (rather like sending a kid off to camp). We know our guy has the right breeding behind him (I'm very picky about which breeders I'll get a pup from, I want to know the plans behind the pairing for the breeding - including tempermants), now our responsibility is to help him develop properly.

Another option is getting a rescue or a dog that a breeder has back in their care to re-home. I know that both our PH's and RR's breeders both have recently brought back in adult dogs to re-home. These dogs have fully developed their personalities so you'd know exactly what you have and if it's the right fit.

With all this said, IMHO, you'd be best to work through RRCUS to find some local breeders you can meet with and discuss your concerns and questions. No one can help you better then someone who's been in the breed for many years and raised many dogs. If you do decide for a pup be sure to really let the breeder know what you need in the personality of your pup. Then be patient, the right pup will come along. It's amazing to me how these breeders can tell what a pup will grow up like, I think all the pups are wonderful. But through getting to know you and what you need they can really match you up with the right puppy.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Kayo.

-----
tabitha
Kayo, Kahla, and Dante'

cheesy as it sounds,it really depends on the dog,with people,the ridgie and ridgie mix I've had are great with people,even tolerant of younger kids,sometimes they'll chase kids (or so I've heard)but anytime they've chased my cousins it's more of a herding thing(the mix would nip thier ankles to try and get them to move,but no hard biting and no aggression,we simply taught the kids to stand still and ignore her when she did it,she soon got the message),some can be agressive with other dogs,but it's still more of a territorial/protective thing(I'm in the country,so we do get ferel dogs that'll show up and try to fight them for thier food/territory)than say,chasing dogs while your trying to watch them,Pete's killed a pitbull mix before(I was staying at college,and no one was there to see why)but his best canine friend is a chihuahua,having a fenced yard would work,but if any dogs your surrounded by end up being aggressors,and your dog can get to them,you'll have a problem
they can be very easy to train,as they can be very smart dogs,however,if you get a dog thats stubborn in thier teenage phase,they can be a bit harder to train because they can be very smart dogs they won't get agressive with this,but it's more testing limits and seeing exactly what all they can get out of you,some people have said they can end up training and outsmarting thier owners because they'll do this and still act like lovey dovey overgrown lap dogs,the mix has done this with some family members,the purebred has always been mellow and more eager to please,so he never did this
I think it sounds like a good match for your husband,maybe not that far off for you either,if the mellow dog you mention is one your looking into getting,you might not even run into any stubbern streaks

Yeah, thanks for the info so far--this is exactly what I was looking for.

To answer questions, the owner of the one ridge I know is not thinking of giving him up, so that's out of the question... I just wanted to know if he is a good representative of the breed.

And in terms of a dog's "independence", I am straightforwardly talking about how much a dog wants to make its own decisions. I don't think this makes a dog untrainable at all, but it does make for training challenges that I do enjoy. My research and limited in-person knowledge of ridges makes me think that they are very independent dogs, and therefore require a certain consistency and creativity when it comes to training. So far this sounds true, am I missing something?

I am a little worried about one of your dogs killing another dog, and about the protectiveness factor with other dogs in general, and would like to press for more information on this. I live in a large city, and work in a public park. I am looking for a dog that I can take to work with me every day, a dog that I can walk in a city full of other dogs with. I think this is a great lifestyle for a dog--I want a pretty constant companion and have a lot of energy and interest in training and socializing a dog. But I really do need a dog that is not going to bite, kill, or freak out all over other dogs or children.

I understand that a lot of this has to do with socialization and training, but I also want to make sure I set myself up for success. For example, while I really do love pit bulls, I wouldn't own one because they have a tendency toward dog aggression and I work in a park.

I want to hear lots of opinions: do ridges have a similar tendency?

Thanks for your time, folks. Your stories are helping me.

well,due to the fact that the dog gets along with another dog he's neither grown up with,nor would have trouble killing,I think the dog aggression only comes from dogs who start the agression,if thier nice to him,he'll be nice to them type thing,he's never ran after other dogs without being provoked,if your going to walk them,it would be fine if you keep them on the leash,if an encounter with another dog starts getting bad,they can learn you'll take them away from anyone who would provoke them,if there are no other dogs at work that would start fights,then you can slowly introduce them there and try weaning them off the leash,the only dog the male's killed has been a country stray who was likely trying to fight him over food and territory,the female's only played too rough and ignored all but the most obviouse warnings with a small,senior dog who's a bit more delicate than a child(of the two or four legged variety,she's less than a year old)would pick up on,thier not known for being dog aggressive,though they will be protective if provoked,and puppies can be very active and don't always know thier own strenghth,as I've said,both are very good with children,the puppy's been rambunctiouse with the older(9 and 12)kids,she won't bite them(aside from what other breeds do out of herding behavior),but doesn't seem to understand she CAN wear them out,younger kids(a 1 and 2 year old)she doesn't get rough with,but still gets excited seeing them and licks them in the face,runs circles around them,ect.the older male likes kids,but is hitting his senior years,so fetch is about as playful as he gets(otherwise he goes back to sleep,he's getting lazy in his old age),you can easily socialize a puppy to your surroundings,and an older dog would've outgrown being nosy and rough

the main people/dogs you would have to worry about would either be ones who try to attack your pets,or ones who try to attack you,they don't start fights,but were bred to be guard dogs
neither of these came from a breeder(in fact the pups a mix),a breeder would be able to give a very good indication of how a pup would turn out,and any aggression that could potentially show up from thier guarding background would be bred out of the line,meeting the mother(and the father,if he's within driving distance) will give the best indication of the pup,if thier both mellow,you'll have no problem having a pup adjust to the surroundings you want,even then,the risk of problems with other dogs or children would be very low(most city dogs wouldn't have a reason to fight your dog over food/territory,the few problems I've had were from ferel,country dogs,and only with a male who wasn't nuetered at the time and was much younger)
even though I'm saying "my dogs",technically,only the female was given to me,but,since I live at college,they stayed at the same place(hence,the reson the male wasn't nuetered)my girl is now spayed and living with a married couple in a neiborhood,they've had ridgies before in those settings and didn't think there'd be a problem as long as she got excersize,which is important when thier younger,but the couple's last ridgie calmed down after 5 years(they grow very slowly,many don't even reach thier full size until thier 4th year,so the high energy can still be a "puppy thing"and the older male that I still see all the time has become downright lazy since his 8-9th year(he's 11 now)though he can still herd cows if asked,he prefers to sleep on the porch,sun in the driveway,and go for car rides where he usually ends up asleep in the backseat