Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 3 year old ridgeback that i adopted from some friends of mine 2 years ago who n turn got him from friends of theirs n so on n so forth... Jake has been through quite a few families as far as i know. I believe him to be purebred... the story that came with him is that a guy in georgia paid about 2 grand for him n found out that he would get too big for an apartment. Which is a stupid mistake! lol Besides the fact the most ridgebacks would be plenty happy in an apartment as long as they had a daily outlet for their energy!

When i first got him he had alot of problems mostly in the fact that all things men scared him silly. He loved most women but when a guy stepped into the picture he would shy away submissively never aggressively. To this day he is very submissive to both dogs and humans. This leaves him with a tendency to be very aloof around people he doesnt know. After two years of working with him he has grown to the point that most guys dont overly scare him but there are some guys that just wont ever be able to get close enough to pet him its weird but i figure its just his doggy sense! lol But mostly he will walk up to just about anyone especially if he thinks there might be food involved.

Also i dont know if its a ridgeback thing or not but he has this horrible sense of humor! lol Or maybe its more of an attitude! Its like he looks at you and knows exactly what ur asking him to do and hes deciding if he really wants to do it or not. He usually does it but takes his time about it and i dont know how im supposed to speed up the process! lol Any suggestions?

So here's my problem... garbage! Everything garbage and food isnt safe from this large monster... though he has the restraint to not take it out of the hands of children, adults as well, no matter how small unless it is offered to him. And as long as im watchin him all i have to say is... "Jake" n he walks away... but when im not in the picture its like he forgets what is rite and wrong! lol And the problem is that most all counter tops and tables are right a nose level for him. He loves to get into the garbage but if im outside its safe but when im in the house n hes outside its game over for the garbage cans. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. Sorry about the long post i could talk about Jake all day long! lol

Well I'm not so sure I can help with your problem but I did enjoy the story so don't be shy... talk about Jake all day! lol Hopefully another Ridgeback owner will happen by to answer your question.
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Bob

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

This sounds like a job for a "remote correction." Savy dogs that know manners when owners are around, but forget them when the owner isn't around need a bit of a reminder that the rules apply 24/7/365. Not so easy with such a large dog. So, I'd set up a for of trap for him where when he shows too much interest in the garbage cans, you can be hiding behind something and douse him with a hose or set off an air horn (whichever you think would be most effective at startling him). You do not want to be associated with this correction at all. The idea is to make him think the garbage did it.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

higher up on the kitchen door because of our larger dogs (good for avoiding little kids, also), using some kind of wire frame. It had a swinging lid, so it was not so exposed to noses. Barring that, I would put the trash can somewhere the dog cannot reach it. Don't forget about the bathroom trash cans, either.
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sue, cheyenne-the American bulldog bully, nehi-her long suffering border collie mix, and charlie-our "basic black, white, and brown dog" who is watching from the bridge.

I have had two RR. I put the house garbage can in a walk in closet. Counter surfing. Never did break either one of them of doing that to this day.

Cheryl