Anyone own or know about Rhodesian Ridgebacks (dog)?

In My Humble Opinion
21

I’m glad to see that Ridgebacks are ok around kids, because we had a neighbor whose Ridgeback wanted to tear us to pieces. The owner told us a boy had hit it over the head with a baseball bat and that was why it hated children. Until reading this thread, I always wondered if the boy hit it because it was going to rip him to shreds, or because the boy was a little a$$hole. I guess I know now.

It was an intimidating dog, but not the most intimidating. I once lived near a large German Shephard whose felon owner had trained it to threaten anything that moved. That dog was worse.

However, a boy also hit me over the head with a baseball bat. I didn’t even tear him to pieces, let alone generalize it to everything under 5 foot in height. Perhaps the same traits that make the Ridgeback so loyal also make it an unforgiving enemy?

22

I had a Ridgeback as a kid. Wonderful dog. Simply the sweetest animal I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. If the dog is brought up right, it will be a loyal, lovable and enjoyable pet. Our dog was the runt of his litter and because he was so small, the other puppies didn’t give him room to nurse. The owner of the pups carried him around in a Snugli and fed him from a bottle. The result was a 120 pound dog that would love you to death if he could. He never barked once in his 11 years. He was very protective but not to the point of being aggressive, although I’m sure he would have taken off an attacker’s head if someone had actually threatened our family.

The only bad things I can say about him is the begging for food, hating to be wet (my dad had to lift this giant dog into the bathtub. Not an easy feat), occasionally nosing through the trash, and the shedding. Minor things though.

I would recommend a Ridgeback to anyone, provided they can put the time into training him properly and taking him for walks regularly. If you can do that, you’ll have a fab pet.

I miss my baby now!

23

A friend of mine has a RR, which is his world. To quote him, “Who needs a human mate when they’ve got a dog?” He brought it to North America from Zimbabwe, the small Southern African country that was called Rhodesia till 1980. Which brings me to my point.

Since most people in that country prefer to forget the country’s former name (except when it comes to blaming someone else for the country’s woes, but that’s another story), I found it surprising that there were few PC-driven calls for the dogs to be called Zimbabwean Ridgebacks.

Does anyone know anything more about this? Other than sociohistoric reasons that make the name change impossible, is the problem simply that there isn’t any word beginning with Z that could replace the word Ridgeback? I’m not calling for a name change or anything, just curious to know if anyone ever did.

Is this akin to the situation with Siamese cats or Pekinese?

24

I have read that the original breed name was “South African Lion Dog,” and it was originally bred in SA for work/protection/police work. It could be used to bay lions, ie, keep them at bay while its owner lined up a shot, but would not be expected to attack and kill a lion.

I think the popularity spread to Rhodesia from SA.

In the US, the AKC classifies the RR as a sighthound. Sighthounds are considered risky to have off-lead because off-lead is their natural state and they revert to coursing (prey-chasing) behavior when the opportunity presents itself.

25

I have issues with dogs that bite, and even more issues with the owners that think it’s just a “little idiosyncracy that he has”. The poster who said this:

better have good insurance, as well as a great attorney. Once a dog bites, it’s not a matter of IF he will bite again, it’s WHEN. Some friends have two RR, they have been “highly trained”, but are still ticking timebombs. Oh, things are just fine unless kids are in the neighborhood, or the UPS driver comes by, or friends try to shake hands with someone.

I love dogs, and will always have at least one, but will not have an aggressive breed. As sweet as she is, my 6 year old mutt still has teeth, and you don’t always know what is going through their heads. If she ever bit ANYONE, she’d be in the car being driven to the vet for the big blue shot immediately.

Yes, I’ve been bitten by a friend’s dog, and this dog also bit their babysitter, AND one of their children’s friends. Oh, but it was their puppy-wuppy… It died of “natural causes” while being boarded - if you ask me, it was a “mercy killing”.

Sorry for the rant.

26

I was seriously considering a Ridgie for my first dog, but ended up getting a Norwegian Elkhound instead since I wasn’t sure I could handle a dog the size of a Ridgie for my first. Despite the fact that they look nothing alike, they share a fair amount of temperament traits according to what I’d read. I was all set as a Ridgie for my next dog - I was planning on getting one from rescue - but then I met some retired racing greyhounds and have pretty much decided that’s going to be my next dog. But I still have a fondness for Ridges.

JohnBckWLD, I hope you are seeing a good animal behaviorist about the biting. It’s not clear from context if these were things done as a puppy or an adult dog. If my dog bit anyone unprovoked, after a trip to the vet to make sure there was nothing physically wrong, the next one would be to a behaviorist. If the biting repeated, as difficult as it woudl be, the dog would be put down.

27

A quick not about “leash behavior” vs. “off-leash behavior”-

Most working dogs, when leashed, believe that they are “working” (out with you, excercising you, taking care of you, etc). They will be much less indulgent of other animals or suspicious people, becuase they are protecting you.

Off leash, they are usually much more relaxed, as seen with bark park behavior.

Don’t expect your dog to act the same way on-leash and off-leash. The dog sees those two scenarios very differently.

Our Newfs are always working when they are on-leash, and very different dogs off-leash. It takes an aware, trained owner to handle them, but that it is also due to their size and intelligence.

28

One more owner checking in.

Ours is also a rescue dog. Believed to be a 50-50 RR and Rottweiler. 100lbs, almost 2 years old.

Leo is very loyal and really needs to know where we are at all times. When my wife went on a 5-day trip recently, he spent every night moving from the couch to the front windows waiting for her to come home.

He has a very happy disposition, despite being abused and abandoned as a puppy.

He loves playing. And he is a big dog that does play roughly. Especially with other dogs. We were asked to not bring him back to the Doggy Day Care place, because he was a little too rough and intimidating to some of the smaller dogs. One beagle in particular responded by biting him, to which Leo also responded by biting. SInce a bite by Leo could be potentially lethal or maiming, this was not going to work for them.

He has never bitten a person intentionally. He has bitten me during play, but instantly relaxes his grip. He has not broken skin.

He needs lots of exercise. Long walks and play time.

Unlike some others listed above, Leo likes water and rain, but not baths.

He eats a lot, and does beg at the table, but does not attempt to steal food.

His world absolutely revolves around me and my wife, so he really wants to be with us and to please us. We have been able to use this for training.

The comment about establishing dominance as the Alpha is entirely true.

That’s all I can think of right now.

29

I have had one. His name was Merlin. He was very strong but gental and tolerant. I remember once going to spank my son for some reason. Merlin grabed my wrist and would not allow any harm to come to my son. He did not hurt me. He held all of the qualities that a dog should.

I do recall that they can have hip displacement. My need to be aprt of your life. Large amounts of food and out the other end.

If I lived where I could I would get another. The best dog ever!!!

Oh yeah they were raised to hunt loins./

30

Paperbackwriter - I live in Southeastern Connecticut with my wife, and we have a full blooded RR. He too loves the water and the rain. We - my wife and I - had to establish early who the dominant couple are. I’m a rather big guy, 6’1" lean 220, Grissholm listens to me at all times. We are currently training him to only be in certain rooms. He is not allowed in the kitchen ever. He doesn’t go in the living room either. Mainly because he doesn’t like TV.

The Odd thing about our RR is he can amuse himself for hours in the back yard. He never wanders off, but sometimes I notice large holes dug next to rock and such. He’s definitely a digger. But when I call him, he comes barreling out of the woods in less than a few seconds.

31

Phlosphr, we are up in the Hartford area. I’m about the same size as you. Once he understood the “pack structure”, he was great.
We have tried to let his personality determine his behavior, within limits. An approach that I picked up from reading Elizabeth Marshall Thomas’s books. He is not a working dog, and our only reason for having him around is as a companion, so we let him do more than many others would. But Rhodies make a great companion, as you’ve also discovered.

32

I had a RR as a child. His name was Hanibal and he was smarter than many people I’ve known. He was very gentle, loving and well behaved. BUT… if he saw a cat he was uncontrolable. He went through the screen door of my parents’ house several times - which came out of my allowance! He also loved to ride in cars and would jump in wagging his tail and “smiling” if anyone had a car door open. Neighbors, strangers, ANYONE. The local dog-catcher got to know him so well that he’d drive to our street, just open the truck door and call Hanibal’s name. They’d double the fine each time we had to go bail him out - which also came out of my allowance! It was worth every penny.

33

To Tomcat:

You will not be disappointed with choosing to be owned by an RR. I have two myself and was previously primarily a cat person. I still have two house lions that I would not trade for the world and my RR’s love them dearly along with my IG (Italian Greyhound).

As to the other posters and to Tomcat as well, a ridgeback is not for everyone, they have to understand where they are in the Pack and yes they are very Pack oriented. They have to be trained in obedience in order to be a respectable member of society, people and dog socialization is crucial as an unsocialized RR is a danger to society. They will however, be a very loyal and trusting companion to you.

They were not bred to fight or hunt lions, they were bred to hold the wild african game at bay since the hunters of those days had to get really close in order to shoot at the game. They were the only breed who could successfully bay a lion and of course there are stories of them fighting them and living which would not be that far fetched.

My RR’s play rough with each other but are very gentle with my house lions and my IG. They are very social and absolutely adore children, although I do not have any myself.

To Tomcat: I would definately make sure that you get one from a reputable breeder, there are many out there that have questionable temperments or health. I would suggest starting with the Ridgeback Rescue; Barbara Sawyer Brown is the coordinator and also a very respected breeder, they will be able to help you locate a puppy. They are rather expensive, even the pet quality ones. Be prepared to fill out questionaires, have people visit your home, be interrogated. If this does not happen do not buy from that breeder, reputable RR owners are very protective of their children and I would not be surprised if they do not insist on being listed as a co-owner. If you do not plan on showing the pup expect it to be sold on a spay/neuter contract. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

34

To Tomcat:

You will not be disappointed with choosing to be owned by an RR. I have two myself and was previously primarily a cat person. I still have two house lions that I would not trade for the world and my RR’s love them dearly along with my IG (Italian Greyhound).

As to the other posters and to Tomcat as well, a ridgeback is not for everyone, they have to understand where they are in the Pack and yes they are very Pack oriented. They have to be trained in obedience in order to be a respectable member of society, people and dog socialization is crucial as an unsocialized RR is a danger to society. They will however, be a very loyal and trusting companion to you.

They were not bred to fight or hunt lions, they were bred to hold the wild african game at bay since the hunters of those days had to get really close in order to shoot at the game. They were the only breed who could successfully bay a lion and of course there are stories of them fighting them and living which would not be that far fetched.

My RR’s play rough with each other but are very gentle with my house lions and my IG. They are very social and absolutely adore children, although I do not have any myself.

To Tomcat: I would definately make sure that you get one from a reputable breeder, there are many out there that have questionable temperments or health. I would suggest starting with the Ridgeback Rescue; Barbara Sawyer Brown is the coordinator and also a very respected breeder, they will be able to help you locate a puppy. They are rather expensive, even the pet quality ones. Be prepared to fill out questionaires, have people visit your home, be interrogated. If this does not happen do not buy from that breeder, reputable RR owners are very protective of their children and I would not be surprised if they do not insist on being listed as a co-owner. If you do not plan on showing the pup expect it to be sold on a spay/neuter contract. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

35

The one Ridgeback that I met was a wonderful animal…but, when we got out a basketball and started shooting some hoops in the driveway, it was like having Shaq out there! The dog, obviously having a great time, went after the ball without mercy. Trying to get a rebound was nearly impossible against that mass of solid muscle!