Seeking general advice on the breed.(Abit vague I know)
Keen to hear from other ridgeback owners especially first timers, Blyde is nearly 5 months old and quite a handful at times and he's still only little aahh! How do I get though this and still be sane?!!!

Can anyone help at all? I have no experience of Ridgebacks I'm afraid :)

Melody

ive got a rhodiseian pup and shes only 4 months but gee shes a handful! shes really quite difficult to train and wags her tail when she's in trouble! its like having a rebelious teenager. sometimes i cant stand her, yet other times she the most gorgeous thing in the world. ive borrowed Sirius Puppy Training from the library coz i cant take it anymore. i find rhodesians respond really well to lure training ie: uding food to lure it into the pose or desired result. ive also got the problem of her wanting to sit in my lap to go to sleep. its becoming a problem coz shes getting bigger!!

>ive also got the problem of her wanting to sit in my lap to go to sleep<

AHHHHHHHH my GSD did that for the first time tonight....and she's 16 months old !!!!! My legs are suffering now, but we enjoyed every second of it. I was sitting on the floor mind, as shes not allowed on the settee!!!

Ridgebacks can be quite strong and stubborn so you need to be firm with your handling and make sure that your pup knows his boundaries and is familiar with the ground rules that you lay down.
Keep him well socialised and take him with you into crowds and busy places so he gets used to people being around him. Socialise him with as many friendly dogs as you can as well. You'll reap the benefits later on when you have a big dog that you can take anywhere with confidence.
They are wonderful dogs and very loyal. I bet you'll have lots of fun. They are notoriously lazy dogs and their stubborn side can make them difficult to train at times but stick with it and be consistent. They can be prone to greediness so food reward based training often works better than others.
Enjoy your dog - they aren't puppies for long enough :)
Lara x

They were originally bred as tracking dogs. Following Lions and holding them at bay until hunters arrived. In recent years they have been "sized down" a bit from the 130lbs they were.

Unfortunately I am in the position of having to rehome my Ridgeback as he does not get on with my eldest Labrador to the point of being dangerous to my small son, however he is absolutely fine with the other 2 labs. He was my fathers but came to me when father died. We had another one when I was small (6 years old) whom I used to show.

They are fantastic dogs, loyal, energetic, fun to be around, and very "family aware". They make superb house dogs however you MUST be very strict about who is boss, and what the rules are. Still, I think they are easier than Labradors.

Plenty of Love, Cuddles, walkies and training and you will have a fantastic dog. Be aware of the natural tendency to chase anything that runs, and ensure you do stock proofing. I find the best way to excercise him is to ride out with him following.

Also watch for the ability to rest the head on the work surface and remove meat from plates as it is being carved.