Rhodesian ridgeback

[Yeahsurewhatever]

Does anyone have any experience?
Would be interested to hear about your dogs. I'm really keen to get one but would love to know a bit more about the realities of its care.

[Perch]

My aunt has always had at least one on her farm in South Africa going for the last 30 years. Can echo others in super protective of their family and very very loyal and fearless. A few were killed by snakes as they would take them on with no fear. They were never walked as such but had the run of the farmyard, spend most of their time sleeping by the back door unless they heard the slightest noise, sleeps in my aunts bedroom with her at night and alerted them to intruders on more than one occasion. Lovely dogs but I wouldn’t have them in an urban environment.

You need a Golden Retriever! Best dogs ever!

[Vodkacoke1962]

Hi I've had 4,after my first I got another , 2 have past, got 6 year old male Thor and ,Zena my 18 month old female, beautiful dogs , there's no such thing as a bad dog, it's a bad owner, they do all have different personalities like people, Thor is very laid back , Zena is a bit hyper at moment as she's still young , very protective over family , I would defo recommend as an owner , once you have one you wil want another. 🐾🐾❤️❤️

[katmarie]

@bert no that isn't true. The ridge is just a sweep of fur which grows the opposite way.

Just to add that if you are considering getting one, there is a UK ridgeback owners society, who are always happy to give out information, help with how to find reputable breeders etc, and there are several groups on Facebook devoted to the breed too.

[larrygrylls]

A friend of mine had one (in Zim). He was a beautiful dog and very friendly but did not know his own strength. Left me with bruises all down my arm playing as a puppy.

They are real pack animals with a hunting instinct and the lore in Zim is never to allow more than two of them together, except as guard dogs. They are very loyal and protective and, thus, need to be well trained.

They were originally bred to hunt lions and need to be seen in this context,

My friend (who knew the breed well) concurred with the vet above who is unimpressed with the ridge backs in uk. He thought them small and feeble. The gene pool is very small.

[Wallywobbles]

Not much experience but they are the strongest dogs ever met. They whisk their adult owners off their feet. My cocker who is super confident and well socialized felt very threatened. Their teen kids are no way heavy enough to walk him.

[bodiddly]

A good friend of mine has a RR and he is enormous, even for his breed, but he is honestly the softest, most laid back dog going. He is happy to be exercised but just as happy to chill out. Great with children etc. That said, she has put in a lot of time training him. She became friends with the breeder who has given her invaluable advice and they regularly walk together. She doesn't have experience with dogs and he is a family pet that has grown up with my spaniel pup. He is a far, far easier dog to handle than mine!

[Sweetdisposition91]

Hi,
I have two - my boy Kobi I bought at 9 months old and nervous aggressive as my first dog. He is nearly 8 now and tbh he has always been a massive pain in the arse! No amount of training, behaviourists etc has helped although he is now a confident obedient and well socialised dog he has bitten me a fair few times over the years. He is very intelligent but honestly the strangest dog that me and my family have ever known! I’ve considered having him PTS numerous times but tbh can never bring myself to do it and have learnt how to manage him instead.

My girl however Nala, who I got from ridgeback rescue 4 years ago who is now 8 years old is an absolute dream to own! She is highly active and loving but stand offish to strangers.

Once they’ve had their walk they will chill and sleep the whole day, they’re very easy dogs to have indoors. When they were younger they used to get 2 + hours a day exercise, now kobi don’t need as much as nala but she will go out for at least an hour a day.

I would get another one in the future but this time from a puppy so I hopefully won’t endure any of the problems I’ve had with kobi!

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

I love a medium to large dog, thats a bit independant and good with kids and (an important) bonus for DH is that it doesn't shed much. I love that it looks like a 'proper dog'

I'm not one of the MN crowd that usually suggests a greyhound to nearly everyone, but this really does scream greyhound (or possibly lurcher, depending on what it's crossed with) to me.

There's lots in rescue (mostly ex racing or ex coursing - dumped when it's realised they're not much good at it!) so a really wide choice available and you'll be able to find one that likes kids.

[Sweetdisposition91]

Here they are

[MrsMozartMkII]

Beautiful dogs Sweet

[Yeahsurewhatever]

Some really interesting thoughts here, @villain makes a good point about gene pools and picking popular dogs, it's not something I'd thought of before

@wolfiefan an hour is the min I can be sure I'll be able to do daily. Normally more, plus regularly doggy daycare/dog walkers supplementing the time I have. But are there dogs you'd recommend instead?

@gekeos and others who have suggested viszlas - I heard that they're called 'velcro' dogs - how are they with seperation anxiety?

@thevanguardsix and @newyearnewunicorn you both recommended crosses. We're these rescues? My experience of looking for crosses is a bit hit and miss - rescues obviously you have no idea what is going to find its way to them and breeders that obviously can't register the dogs make me nervous with the unknowns and fear of puppy farming!

[Yeahsurewhatever]

@sweet they are gorgeous

[Yeahsurewhatever]

Were not we're*

[ShelleyGill]

I love RB I've had a number of the breed, but the female is more of a issue but the males are more laid back, I was lucky I had a female that was more of the male character and she was the best dog I've ever had, but they are a strong dog that does need alot of trainning, I always think the more you put into something the more you get back.

[Sweetdisposition91]

Also - Hungarian vizslas - my auntie has had 2 and my ex bf had 1 - amazing loving dogs yes they are Velcro dogs but they’re easy to train but sooo hyperactive!

My aunties dog is mental she has a lot more stamina than ridgebacks, they need a lot of exercise but on the whole from my experience a lot easier to train and handle than a ridgie!

[TheVanguardSix]

Our dog was not a rescue.
No. It’s an intentional cross and it tends to work beautifully. I work out of the house and am gone about 5 hours most days. But he gets good walks morning and evening. Velcro dog means ‘affectionate’ more than clingy, in my experience. I think I’d go for a Weimaraner before a vizsla or else I’d go with a lab cross vizsla. Vizslas are wonderful dogs though. Really friendly, in general.

I’m on a Vizslador group on Facebook. You can have a look and ask questions there. Sometimes an owner is moving or can’t manage the dog because of work demands, so they’re looking to rehome. But this is rare. Most of our UK vizsladors are cousins. Our boy is going on 4 and the cross wasn’t popular when we got him. Much more popular now.

[TheVanguardSix]

Vizslas are so smart. The lab cross too! Dead easy to train. Our dog was a total breeze AND he doesn’t have the Labrador food obsession thing. The vizsla cross, in our dog’s case, tempered that food/eat drive, which can be a bit tricky with a pure lab (mostly this is a chocolate lab ‘thing’).

[BorisB]

Hi . So I've had the privilege of ovning and breeding several Ridgebacks ! I've also had many other races before German shepherd, Rottweilers, Staffordshire terrier you name it. My whole life I had dogs , and even trained them for a year when I served in the army. I've also met other Ridgeback owners and they all say the same , nothing comes close !
I've seen people having problems controling their Ridgebacks , and I think it was their fault . And they would probably have had the same problem with other breeds too.
When we had our children we searched for a strong candidate with a goofy character and that's what a Rhodesian Ridgeback is ! Yes they are a bit dominant and demand attention, but if you commit to them in the beginning you have the closest thing to a guardian angel possible. My female was raised from puppy with my two children since they were babies. She was like a caring sister and mother to them all the way . Funny playful and always caring. She loved everyone in our lives , friends, family even other dogs . But she never took eyes of us and our children ! Always just a few steps away in case they needed protection , amazing !
I rescued a grown male when she was 4. and they grew old together . He was a problematic dog , and needed almost a year to adopt to us. She had puppies with him and loved him but she never trusted him. No matter how much he loved us and my boys , she considered him like a stepfather and was always alert.
Nothing comes close to a Ridgeback in my opinion. The love and happiness she gave us is on another level , mainly because they are super intelligent and committed.
Make no mistake, if you are not strong enough this breed will not accept you as the pack leader. But if it does , then you have hit the jackpot ! I have a rescued greyhound now and I love him to bits , but it's miles away from a Ridgeback in every way.
I write this review with tears in my eyes because I can't get over my Badu...
Please look into it and meet owners before you dismiss them. Give yourself a chance to meet this amazing super dog !!!
Any questions please feel free to ask.
Thanks Boris

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

A pointer - the English sort- might suit you. They seem to be more independent and less clingy than some of the HPRs, they look like 'proper dogs' and they have short coats. The ones I have known have all had lovely natures.

Their downside is their tendency to go self-employed and bugger off after a scent. You would want to put in a lot of work on recall when the dog was young.

But if you don't mind the tendency to clinginess and you love that copper coat, go for a Vizsla. They're clever, trainable and a lot of fun.

[Lovemusic33]

I used to look after a female ridgeback, she was pretty well behaved, lived on a farm so had plenty of exercise and access to fields, good recall and a good nose but then one day out of nowhere she turned on one of the other dogs and I thought she was going to kill it. I wouldn’t say they are cuddly family dogs like Labradors. I’m not sure I would chose to own one, they are good guard dogs though and have a very loud bark.

[PuppyMonkey]

My neighbours have an adorable RR - they’re first time dog owners and they’ve coped pretty admirably with him.

He’s two now and a huge big teddy bear most of the time, always asleep in his bed.

We have a golden retriever and they’re doggy best friends, but they do wind each other up a tad and they get carried away with their playing, I worry one of them is going to get injured tbh.

[Wolfiefan]

Most of the dogs here are a no at an hour a day.
You seem to be considering this dog mainly for the look of it. Better to start by considering what you can offer. There are breed selector quizzes to give you an idea.

[MrsPed2016]

We have a 2 year old RR called Lola and I can hand on heart say that she is the best dog in the world. She's smart, gentle, protective, fun and so affectionate. It's very disappointing that a few deem RR's as aggressive, I can't say I've seen that in Lola. She's too scared to cross the cats path if she can help it! I have 3 children 8, 6 and 4 and she adores them. As long as Lola has a good walk a day and plenty to play with at home, she's absolutely no trouble and likes to snooze as much as she can. Prior to lola we owned a Boxer so not massively experienced owners. We took lola to puppy training from the get go and she then advanced through beginners and onto intermediate training. I have loved having Lola from day one and she's fantastic company. I love RR's!

[sweetkitty]

My 6yo RR girl is snoring in bed with me.

Good points:
Low maintenance with coat
Great bark no one with cone with 100 yards of your house
Shadow dog literally cannot pee without her. She thinks she’s a lap dog follows me everywhere, if I’m not in DH becomes mum substitute or one of the DC.
Very loyal with the DC she adores them.
Very lazy after a 1 to 2 hour walk she rarely moves off the couch

Bad points
Big scaredy cat, she barks then runs and hides. Scared of everything. The cats beat her up.
Can be highly strung because she’s scared of everything.
Refuses to walk in the rain
High prey drive, she’s only 6 stone so I can hold her back but once she did catch and kill a squirrel. I was devastated she was dumbfounded didn’t know what to do kept looking at it as if to say get up and run, it’s all about the chase, her favourite thing is chasing squirrels in the woods.
Recall is great apart from squirrels.
Very greedy and food orientated which means east to train. I store her food behind the hoover she’s terrified of the hoover.
She hates other dogs off lead coming running at her and sniffing her, she tries to dodge them but they will get a bark if they are insistent which leads owners to believe she is going to eat their dog! She would rather just mind her own business and just be me and her on walks.

[GeraldineFangedVagine]

My next door neighbour has one and she seems lovely, she’s not fully grown yet but is pretty big. They have two kids and she seems good with them. My greyhound is really scared of her though, saying that she was startled by her own fart earlier so I’m not sure I can go by what she thinks.