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Original poster

rhodesian ridgeback puppy arrives today..advice for training family!

33 replies

sinisterisland · 17/03/2012 07:42

hi, i'm very excited our puppy arrives today. 11 wks female, no name yet so suggestions welcome too!
i have 2 dc aged 2.5 and 4.5, the youngest has been nervous of dogs since a large german shepard growled and barked at her a year ago which is why we have opted for a puppy rather than a rescue dog.
also we have 2 staff who work in our home who say they don't like/ are scared of dogs..and also a cat with 4 kittens
so firstly, i have had dogs before - 2 staffies, ex-H took them :( :(

i have put a lot of thought into a suitable breed for our family and home. and have read a lot about rhodesian ridgebacks requiring a more vigorous training.

i'd like advice please on how to be sure that we start off correctly, so that the people in the house can gain confidence in the dog and vice versa

OP posts:
Original poster
sinisterisland · 17/03/2012 12:24

helloo, any dog knowledgeable people out there??

OP posts:
MiseryBusiness · 17/03/2012 12:54

It's slightly worrying that your DD and two people who work in your home do not like dogs or are scared of them.

I dont have much experience first hand with Ridgebacks. My friend has one and she is lovely.

To be honest the only thing you can do is the same as any other puppy owner. Make sure you have all the accessories that you'll need.

Crate, Bowls, Bed/Blankets, toys (kongs etc), Food, you get the picture.
You need to start as you mean to go on with regard to sofas beds and upstairs. Put stair gates up. Book in for any jabs the pup will need, although at her age I should think she's had them.

Puppy training needs to start from day one. I'm sure with patience your DD will come around to loving the dog in time.

The adults though will need to get used to having a dog around. If they truly have a dog phobia, this will be very hard for that person to overcome.

I dont know what to suggest really. I'm sure you've already done lots of research on the breed and how much exercise is appropriate etc.

Will you be at home all day with the puppy?

If you'd like some recommended reading on raising a puppy I'd be happy to point you in the direction of some good one.

Someone with better knowledge of your breed may have some better advice.

Hope it all works out well.

Piffle · 17/03/2012 13:00

I have 3 RR's and have found them a fantastic breed I have 3 kids 18,9 and 4 though when we got our first the kids were 15,6 and 1
I thoroughly advise crate training for starters,
also where did your pup come from, is it socialised at all because this is the priority, RR's need lots of socialisation....
Feel free to ask anything though :)

GetOrfMoiiLand · 17/03/2012 13:02

Crikey, it seems a bit unfair on the cat with the kittens. You will have to make sure the cat and kittens are in a very secure place where the puppy can't get at them (I know of a horrible story where 4 cats were mauled to death by a puppy).

A friend had a ridgeback, it was a lovely dog but it was like a puppy and it was about 6 years old!

IAmSherlocked · 17/03/2012 13:03

It is good that you have experience of dogs, because from my understanding, this is not a breed for the novice owner (they were bred to hunt lions...) - apparently, they are strong-willed and need you to be the dominant pack leader. Lots and lots of mental and physical stimulation too otherwise they become bored and destructive!

Piffle · 17/03/2012 13:05

dominance is a bad idea, you do not dominate an RR you lose it forever, you earn it's trust and respect by being firm fair and consistent

SwivellingDicksTidyWife · 17/03/2012 13:12

You have a child and 2 staff who are nervous of dogs, plus a cat with kittens

So you have chosen a massive dog, a puppy who will likely be nippy to start with because all puppies are. Rather than choosing an older dog who's temperament has been thoroughly assessed.

My advice would be to look for a good trainer/behaviourist and an enough lot of luck. Hmm

IAmSherlocked · 17/03/2012 13:14

Being firm, fair and consistent is not mutually exclusive with being the pack leader. That is what all canines understand - the idea of the pack - doesn't matter what breed they are. Would be nice to think they respond like human beings but unfortunately they don't, and if you are not filling the alpha role, then the dog will - given the family set-up the OP describes, that could have rather unfortunate consequences.

Piffle · 17/03/2012 13:37

I am referring to a dominance as a term I think - I do not like it
I am certainly in charge in my house, my children all manage the 3 dogs perfectly as well, even the 4 yr old, none of this was achieved with dominance per se but with reward based training and firm boundaries. One of mine works as my daughters informal guide dog

None of mine have been nippy, or mouthy, or very destructive but I do know of others who have very destructive RR's so that is luck I think :)
Do you know the breeding OP? You might you have a relative of mine :)

MiseryBusiness · 17/03/2012 14:14

Please ignore any advice on dominance or being a pack leader, it is utter tosh and will do your puppy more harm than good.

IAmSherlocked · 17/03/2012 15:52
Hmm
IAmSherlocked · 17/03/2012 16:01

Utter tosh if you're Paris Hilton or the Osbornes, perhaps, and carry your ickle wickle cutie pie puppy round in your handbag before popping into the beauty salon to get its nails don because you actually believe it's a little furry human.

But not otherwise.

MiseryBusiness · 17/03/2012 16:03

Pack Theory and the dominance theory has been pretty much totally discredited over the years and is not relevent to domestic dogs.

Not decent dog trainer will teach this kind of method, in fact OP if you are interested in training make sure they ADPT registered

MiseryBusiness · 17/03/2012 16:03

Also, have no idea what Paris Hilton has to do with it Hmm

HugADalek · 17/03/2012 16:09

I adore Rhodesian ridgebacks, we looked after a girl called Lucy years back and she had the sweetest nature ever. She was a huge chunk of a dog.

Original poster
sinisterisland · 17/03/2012 19:25

wow, i didn't expect so many replies! thanks

piffle puppy is only 10 weeks but quite large i actually haven't done any reading on crate training, just had to google it now
i'm in africa, the puppy has spent past 2 weeks at a vets compound, i know she was with a brother and sister so not entirely alone. she was born on a farm. i work from home so the crate training would be do-able if only it were possible to buy the necessary stuff. at the moment we have the box she was transported in which is fairly large but she will outgrow very quickly..at the moment she is sleeping on a blanket in the corner of the room!

i think youngest dd will be fine judging by her attitude to dog today and the male staff member, i am more worried about our nanny but i'm hoping to convince her of the need for the dog to respect her from a young age. the most worrying aspect as i experienced with my staffies is that people here literally freak out at the sight of a dog and this panics the dog which then reacts in aggressive behaviour. so i'm keen to try to do everything correctly and limit the chances of encouraging an uncontrollable dog as this will literally be fatal for a dog in this environment

my friend took a RR in december and they are already having problems, the man of the house is constantly trying to assert himself as the dominant pack leader slapping and shouting at him but their RR is constantly bouncing off all the furniture, their kids, chewing the whole house and driving them crazy. so it has made me worry a little that this breed needs more training

i really had few problems with my staffies, lots of love and stern glare when they were stepping out of line was enough but they are a very people dependant breed.

i really would appreciate tried and tested advice on crate training, etc

thanks

OP posts:
Piffle · 17/03/2012 20:58

Can you get tea tree oil?
Really useful deterrent, used to dab on the kids so that pup didn't get in the habit of bugging the kids...

AllergicToNutters · 17/03/2012 22:28

sinisterisland - you don;t sound very prepared - I hope you can manage !Hmm. Your neighbour slaps and shouts at his dog SadHmm. Please don't follow his example. Good luck with your puppy.

Original poster
sinisterisland · 18/03/2012 06:59

piffle thanks for the tea tree oil tip will try it today. puppy appears to have very nice temperament. a real sweetie.
how did you crate train yours? we already had a poo and 2 wees in the house this morning, after walking about the garden for ages. TBH my staffies were already toilet trained and spent more time outdoors, whereas in this house the dog needs to go down a few stairs to the garden and is still keeping by my side today

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WinkyWinkola · 18/03/2012 07:21

Our puppy (black lab) often goes into garden with us and then promptly does his poop and wee once back in the house. I keep him outside with me for another ten minutes until I see him deliver the goods and then slather him with praise. He's getting it now. Slowly slowly.

He needs constant supervision around my 3 dcs as he was jumpy and nippy. He's starting to understand 3 weeks later that this behaviour is unacceptable. I tell him "Down" and pet and stroke him lots when he does this. As do the dcs. I just won't let them get giddy together. They romp in the garden but as soon as it gets to nipping stage then it's stopped for a bit.

He has been taught to sit whenever someone new or a visitor arrives and that is how he can expect to be greeted. I dont like digs jumping up to greet. That should help with your nervous staff.

That's all I've managed to get through so far. He starts more formal puppy training tomorrow.

Oh and I have taken him to see a few adult dogs who seemed to be very good at keeping him in his puppy place. Apparently letting him hang with other puppies only encourages bonkers behaviour.

So, I've found getting desirable behaviour is a long haul but if you're consistent and kind and affectionate then it slowly emerges.

Fingers crossed.

Original poster
sinisterisland · 18/03/2012 07:43

thankyou WinkyWinkola
this is precisely what i want to avoid, the jumping and nipping which makes non-dog lovers nervous and ultimately could make the dog difficult to manage when larger.
i've found the tea tree oil and i'm reading up on the crate training.
any advice for cats? our cat has 4 kittens i'm hoping to find homes for soon. the dog doesn't appear to be aggressive towards them but did eat their food.. should i just leave them to get used to each other or keep the puppy away from them as much as possible? we have a very big garden with lots of trees etc so i was hoping each animal could find it's own space Hmm

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AllergicToNutters · 18/03/2012 08:17

I would definitely keep the dog away from the kittens and mother cat. My friend had a young JRT pup who she trusted implicitly and it killed every one of the kittens when it snuck into the room set aside for the cat and her litter. She would have sworn blind that he could be trusted. SadSadSad

batsintheroof · 18/03/2012 09:49

Yes please ignore all the alpha dog dominance crap. That thinking is 10 years out of date and DANGEROUS. Clicker training is your best bet, you can train any dog very easily and quickly- it's amazing how fast it works.

Socialisation, socialisation socialisation- with dogs, children, bikes, cars, anything new that may spook the dog when it's older if it hasn't been introduced at a young age.

AllergicToNutters · 19/03/2012 22:15

how is it going with the ridgeback pup sinisterisland

Original poster
sinisterisland · 21/03/2012 11:58

hi again,
well the puppy is such a sweetie and very happy here but i do not have a suitable crate to train her in so there are constant poodles and poos around the house.
i really would appreciate advice on how to housetrain her.
we have a garden but access is down 10 steps, puppy will only stay in the garden with me so i stay with her until she wees/poos but she does in the house the moment she wakes up and any other time she feels too..
the family are doing quite well
but another question how should i teach puppy not jump up on kids and nip them constantly?
i start trying to calmly sit puppy down but hysteria erupts very quickly..lot of jumping nipping and squealing dc's

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