Anyone got a Rhodesian Ridgeback

[LittleTownOfBethanysHen]

Hi. I am wondering about RB' and how they are in this country - indoors and with DC's. DD is 9 and DS 7. They are quite little. I have read conflicting info so I am hoping to get views of people with experience.

I am a SAHM so time for walks and it wouldn't spend much time alone. We do go to France a couple of times a year skiing/beach hols. Dog would come with. It would also be a rescue dog. I grew up with varying dog breeds but not a RB.

Am I mad for considering it?

My rescue dog is a RRB and staffy cross according to our vet. We got her when she was two. RRB and staffy sounds like a recipe from hell right? She's an absolute love. She's now 12 (quite old for her type).

She's never met a person she didn't adore, or a dog she could stand. We are experienced dog owners and had to be quite strong with her when she was young, she would try to bully us into doing what she wanted.

I have no experience of "pure" RRBs, but I would have been a bit apprehensive of having my dear girl around young children. Because she was very strong and wilful, she's needed strong people around her to help her understand that she didn't rule this particular roost.

So, no, I wouldn't recommend RRBs for you.

But there are as many differences between breeds as there are among people, so who knows? You may find the perfect RRB for your family

The breed club has good information about the breed here, it's all worth a read even though some is aimed specifically at puppy buyers. The breed club also run their own welfare scheme, the RR Welfare Trust.

They're lovely dogs but not necessarily the easiest to own. They're large and can be pretty boisterous (not always a great combination with small children), they need quite a lot of exercise and can be very highly prey driven.

Have you met many? If not I'd recommend going along to some shows and meeting as many as possible as well as chatting to their owners about the breed. If you're able to get to Crufts (March next year at the NEC in Birmingham) there's a Discover Dogs event there so you can meet examples of pretty much every KC recognised breed and chat with breed enthusiasts. It's a great way of researching breeds you're potentially interested in owning.

Not got one, but have met 2 who were absolutely magnificent. Great temperaments. Massive though.

Personally they aren't a breed I would consider. The ones I know are both aloof and not very sociable. One is also very wary and nervous. There is a breeder not far from me who I have trained with and she does not describe them as typical family dogs and they do need experienced homes. They tend to be strong willed and not as eager to please as other breeds.

The best thing to do is contact a breeder, visit the dogs and see what they are like for yourself and go from there

Triomic didn't know about the Discover Dogs at Crufts. That sounds ideal - thanks.

TBH I think I am being unrealistic about RRB. I've only personal experience of one and he was a childhood friends dog. He was a big softie. I'm from Zimbabwe so think I may be looking for a link to home.

Thanks to everyone who has responded.

Yes, I've got one. My children are 9 &5 , he's the best dog we've ever had. Excellent with the kids, other dogs, off lead, in the house, I honestly can't fault him, he's affectionate, beautiful and obedient.

He's big, yes, and strong, but so well behaved.

Have you had large breeds before? I'm sure if you're rescuing, they'll match you with a suitable dog, that you can get to know.

My FIL has a RRB.
She is a brilliant dog. Very good with the kids and pets.
I would consider one after dealing with her for the past seven years.

Our family dog is a rhodie crossed with lab. Her mother was "well bread" and came over from Ireland and was adopted out straight away, about a week later the owners came downstairs to a litter of 3 puppies. The other 2 were boys and looked distinctly Rottweiler-ish. Ours however looked like a little terrier cross.

Well she grew and grew and grew, we were approached by a couple walking their rhodie and they told us about the breed and the vet confirmed that's what she was crossed with, she's got the heckles and colouring as well - she's a beautiful, mild mannered, sweet and caring dog. She'll be 12 in April and she still runs round like a pupp when we take her on the fields. She has recently started to struggle with her hips when she's been lying down for a while and she is prone to the fatty lumps that a lot of dogs get.

But I can honestly say she is the most amazing, affectionate and wonderful dog to ever have walked the planet, easy to train, excellent recall and she is happy to lounge around on the couch in the winter. She will never be replaced.

Completely agree with Blackfellpony.
Family member has 3.
Energetic, aloof and can be hard work.

😖 they're lovely!

I have a RR male 9 month old puppy. He is lovely, so easy to train as the breed is quite intelligent, toilet trained in a week only ever had couple of wees in the house. We crated him which I think is important so he had his own space. It's also Very important you socialise them as it is with any dog I guess. The only problem with mine is that he goes up to every dog wanting to play, which does intimidate some people due to his size but he's not got a nasty bone in his body.

The only thing you have to watch with Ridgies is dominance. This needs to be nipped in the bud ASAP. They need to know who is boss, e.g he sits and waits for his meal once I have put it down and when I say he can eat he will, no begging allowed at table etc. they are big strong dogs so you can't afford to let them take the mick with you.

He is great with kids but as i mentioned they are a large breed and can be intimidating especially to a small child. The males grow bigger than the females.

Cost wise they are not cheap! Factor in insurance which is expensive for this breed - I pay £70 per month (and you do need it as if anything goes wrong it is very expensive). I also feed grain free at £63 per bag which is expensive tho you can shop around. Extra large beds are needed as are coats etc. just giving you an idea of how much more they can cost to say a smaller breed.

But I would not be without my gorgeous boy he's the light of my life :-)

Oh and more importantly they need plenty of exercise - not just short walks around the block - this breed can run for miles !

Hadn't realised insurance would be so expensive. I paid half that for me and my horse!

I've known two RB crosses, and would be wary of ever getting a RB cross as a result. One was very neurotic and quite aggressive (could not be taken to the vet, could not be near other dogs), and the other is a nice dog temperament wise, but very badly put together - weak pasterns and cow hocks.

I say this because you mention rescue, and quite often the dogs in rescue are crosses.

I'm not well up on the pure-bred ones, though.

My mum had a rb X mastiff , he was a fantastic dog , lovely temperament , great with kids ( mine were small when we had him) and was also the best singing dog I've ever heard .

OP - It's with Pet Plan and I shopped around! My vet recommended them.

Coming to the conversation very late - probably too late - but I have a 4-year-old RR. She is a fantastic dog who has achieved her Kennel Club Gold citizen award (miracle frankly) but she has taken a LOT of effort and training and she still has her talk to the paw moments when she is a mardy cow towards other dogs (oh, and during her one season before she was spayed, old ladies - the more sweet and benign looking the more she hated them). I think RR are the best breed in the world but they are not easy dogs and I wouldn't recommend them as "first time" dogs unless you have had a lot of experience with dogs and are slightly dog-obsessed. I know dozens of RR and their owners and I don't know a single owner who would say much different. I also think that looking to rescue a RR - unless you have a lot of experience with the breed - is not a good idea. Many RRs in need of rehoming are in rescues because they have been become too much of a handful for their original owners (usually because the original owner was not prepared to put in the hours in training/walking them etc) - so most rescue centres are quite picky about where the dogs go onto. They don't want them coming back a couple of weeks later.

Doom and gloom all over. That said, if you are prepared to put in the time and the effort, you won't want for a better friend for you or your kids.