Hi, needing a bit more advice. as some of you may remember i have a young rhodesian ridgeback male, who absolutely loves other dogs. just wants to play with them all day long. he can be a bit of a pest to older dogs and doesnt really listen to them when they tell him off, he simply leaps out of their way and jumps straight back in seconds later in a game.
at work this week he ended up crossing the wrong dog, a trailhound who he has played with in the past, was playing well with him, then the other dog started getting a bit grouchy, and had a grumble or two at him, my dog promptly leapt out of his way then straight back in, this happened a few times and then the other dog got hold of my boys neck and started tearing in. i was so shocked. my poor boy just started yelping and crying and tried deperately to get away absolutely no retaliation on his part bless, the other dog wouldnt let go, after about 30seconds managed to get them apart, and my boy legged it, tail between legs, called on him and he came back very worried looking. i checked him over, was surprisingly ok, just some hair pulled out and a few teeth scores along side. put both dogs back on lead and walked back. after work, got him out his kennel and we passed the other dog, who immediately growled and put hackles up. my boy starts wagging his tail/general bum area in excitement and wants to play!!?! why cant he learn??
im at my wits end over his play with other dogs, i love that hes so friendly with them, but hes too friendly and doesnt take a telling, hes now a year old, and he has improved since a puppy, no longer launches at other dogs, does have a sniff first then launches. honestly, its an improvement!
anybody else have experience of a dog like him? ive spoken to breeder and several other people in breed who have advised that a lot of the ridgeback males can be like this and he should hopefully grow out of it.

Well at least hes being friendly, I think the leave command is needed here and to be firm with him. Teaching him that this behaviour is unacceptable and that if he wants to play/sniff he must be calm about it. Try keeping him on the lead with a halti for extra control, try walking with a friend and thier dog. Upon greeting when he starts up. say leave and walk him away and carry this on until he has calmed abit, then start walking with yourself and your friend between the dogs yours on your left, theirs on their right. Then walk along nicely until he is calm, with firm tone, relaxed and assertive (ceaser coming out lol) rewarding him when needed. Once calm let them both off lead and try keep him near by, if he starts to go wacky. Put him straight back on the lead, with only speaking to re-call him and walk on until he is calm again he will learn by assosciation that he needs to be calm and repeat this as many times as needed. Bringing him back and letting him go.

Hope you can make sense of all that

Louise

hello, i understand what you mean, i have a 5 yr old gsd that has always been mad keen on other dogs, when he got to about a year and very large i realised i had a problem and since then have had to curtail his meetings with other dogs as otherwise he is all over them, trying to be the boss but also wanting to rough play.hes never done anything worse than paws on back, noise, barging etc but given his size it could be alarming to other dogs and owners. on lead with halti he understands that its not going to happen and is no problem but sometimes a dog will approach him instigating play and i dont have time to get him on lead. even now his instinct is no different to when he was a pup its just that he is better trained and no quite so full of it now.
i have never mastered controling him fully in the face of a dog running up to us, my fault i know, he is my first dog, and people say he has been a hard one.
i tell myself "at least hes friendly" but it doesnt help when you still have to try and avoid other dogs does it! with his mates(dogs) hes pretty good, but a new dog! everytime i have to watch him.
no help to you except  at least you know youre not alone!!
the best thing i found, was "leave it"  before he has a chance to get too excited and have treats, that works most of the time ,but not as i say if a dog approaches him, then all is lost!
it has got easier but i do think its his high spirits and only old age will cure him, i hope you have more luck with yours. x

thanks for replies. morgan - you have described my boy to a tee. he also plays very rough, due to his size i think, paws everywhere, jumping around, loves playing chases and generally just running around daft. and like you i find his size and general madness around other dogs is alarming to owners, so generally i put him on a lead when i spot people, as he will run a fair distance to see another dog. i cant really let him off with small dogs, he just squashes them, plays the same way with big and small.
he knows his "leave" command, however, he simply does not lsiten when another dog appears, he is totally fixated by it, and i really struggle to get his attention back to me, even if on lead, he just keeps his eye on it, and starts wagging his entire bum, sometimes barking in total excitement.
if he spots a person and starts running up to them i can shout leave and he will, but not with a dog. i really dont know what to do. away from other dogs he is surprisingly obedient. knows plenty of commands and off lea sticks close by, with a very good recall. i take him to training classes weekly and ringcraft and he is at regular shows, is better on lead unless another dog comes to play with him then he jumps about like a mad thing.
he doesnt try to be boss as such, if anything the opposite as proved at work this week, when it all kicked off he just tried to get away from the other dog, but once all over, then back to fun!
its so frustrating, and like you i think, well at least hes friendly, i would have a major problem if he was aggressive due to his size, but i also know that its not good enough and i need to have more control, just dont know how :(

Ive a cocker who loves everyone, he's been bitten twice and still goes up with his bum wagging his body, he has learnt to run really fast though......

Hi Suz

Unfortunately he is being a typical male Ridgie (I know this doesn't help) my boy went through it, he's 3 now and has matured nicely!  You're doing the right things, with males they do know how to push the boundaries and can be a bit dense when it comes to other dogs.  Mine was bitten by another dog which required veterinary treatment and it was following this incident he started calming down, albeit slowly.  Just keep doing what you're doing and don't lose hope, I used long lines and became very good at spotting other dogs far away in the distance as mine would run to go and play as well.

He is still very young, despite his size (I know it can be difficult for people to believe it when you say he's really still a puppy!).  The only difference with my boy following his bite incident was his behaviour changed to some dogs and he can tell them off quite strongly - which again can be really alarming.  I'm not saying this will happen to your fella but it is something to watch out for!  If you want to PM me please feel free as you'll find the majority of male ridgeback owners have gone through this issue.

If you avoid interactions with other dogs he will be even more keen to be with them, and be very frustrated.  He woudl be rather strange if he didn't want to be aroudn his own kind and it shows that he is mentally well adjusted that he craves interactions with others of his own species.

A good way is to get him on lead and then ask the other dogs owner to ask if a greeting or game would be welcome.

If greetings can occur whilst he is under control he should be calmer once allowed to play.

It does help if there are plenty of willing playmates around where you walk, and I suppose if you have a medium size breed there is more choice and fewer dogs that can be hurt by yours if they get too playful.

This is where training classes are great where you can introduce your dog to tinnies lying down and teach gently.  I often have mien commando crawling in order to have an appropriate game on lead with very small dogs.

i am glad he enjoys being with his own kind, makes a difference after previously owning a GSD who really didnt like other dogs, i just worry he enjoys it too much!
I generally have him on a lead now to introduce him, if i see a strange dog in the distance i call him back and put him on, otherwise its see ya later!

i also take him to work where the other nurses bring their dogs in, he has around 15 other dogs to play with on a daily basis (not all at once! we stagger lunches) ranging from a cairn terrier to a large lab, inc the hound which bit him! everyone at work knows him and are happy to allow their dogs to play as they know hes a big daftie, its the rest of the world thats the issue :(

i take him to training classes once a week, and have done do since 11 weeks old, where he attended puppy school, for 2 sessions, beginner and older puppy. i also take him to ringcraft every few weeks and 1-2 shows a month so he has plenty of opportunities to say hello to other dogs.

on a more positive note, i walked him today with another Ridgie, a young male who is a few months older than him, they are show buddies and have been walked together several times. this was the first in a few months, and i would say he was slightly calmer, after the initial 10 mad minutes at start they happily trotted alongside one another for remainder of walk. met a malamute who he had a play with for few minutes then happily came back to me!

suppose its all perserverance!! thanks to everyone who replied.

Please be aware that owners should be given a choice over whether your dog plays with theirs. too many times i've been at the park when a big dog is jumping over my on lead spitz with the owners shouting 'don't worry hes only playing' he maybe but my dog invariably is not happy, thats how many people end up with dogs that are dog agressive. It only takes one incident to ruin a socialised dog. So until he has a reliable recall especially in the presence of other dogs please keep him on a lead.
JMO
Angela

i do keep him on a lead angela as ive said above. and i realise that not all other dogs will be tolerant of him, which is why im asking for advice. i have owned a dog in the past who isnt as happy with other dogs so i realise how annoying it is, and how difficult it can be.

if i see a strange dog in the distance i call him back and put him on I wasnt having a go honest :-) but this statement worried me, I had an owner say exactly this when his boxer who had run about 300m away from him to reach mine (he got there about five mins after his dog! bit out of breath) hence my comment on reliable recall, you did say yourself if you were to not see another dog soon enough he would be off, we don't have 360 degree vision.

i dont have 360 degree vision but i am careful where i let him off. my work own a large estate with lawns, woodland and a river running through it where i let him off as i know all of the staff and dogs and they are happy to let him play with their dogs, and im lucky where i live, its rural and i have access within a minute to a large area of farmland and moor type ground where i let him off. the ground is flat and i can see for a good bit around, so have plenty of warning.
if i walk him in a heavily dog populated area hes on lead at all times, just incase, for example public parks. i very rarely get caught out, cant remember last time it happened because im so vigilant, i have to be. his recall is almost perfect when no dogs around, as he knows he always gets a treat when he comes back, and i dont know how to strengthen it when dogs are around. he has improved since a puppy, so im hoping as he gets older he will get better. he is only a year old, was his birthday on friday there :)

Hi Suz1985,
Nice to hear your boy is growing, and developing into a quite normal young RR male ;-)

To me, as before when you've described your boy,he comes across as rather well behaved. He's friendly, he's got an OK recall, and he means no harm with his boisterous ways.
RR is a breed that actually "grows up". He will in a year or so, start to calm down, and gradually loose interest in other dogs. This will maybe also mean that he'll be less friendly towards other males, but as long as he's not unfriendly, it's OK and normal.

Our breed isn't the easiest to own, you'll have to "earn" the dog you finally get. When young, Ridgebacks will put their owners through a lot, but believe me, it's definitely worth it!
Good luck,
Karen

thanks karen. it does make me feel better to hear from people who have been here and came out the other side!
im very pleased you think of him as being rather well behaved, when i think about it, he is really, apart from this wee blip (and there could be worse problems!) in the house he is the sweetest boy, a total mummies boy, is like my shadow, likes to be involved in everything im doing, or just lying curled up on couch beside me. he does really well in his training classes, and is a lot more intelligent than he lets on at first! amazing what he can learn/do when i have a piece of hotdog in my hand!
and when i have him out hes very attentive, runs ahead, but then will come back to make sure im still coming, keeps half an eye on me at all times and has a great recall. hes full of fun, and everything is a great big adventure, hes never had a down day!!

thats the thing suz you have to remember all the super things about your dog and not focus on the one isssue that is not exactly perfect, i know ive done it and after 5 years i have now got it in perspective!  you are going about things the right way in my opinion and have a great friend, enjoy him. x

My dog would get very exited at people and occasionally other dogs, he would leap around like a comple maniac (he's always on a lead/longline due to his size though). By using treats as a distraction/lure to keep him sat calmly before he had a chance to get exited really has worked. He occasionally still gets excited by people, but I can leave him out on his long-line now without him being a loony when other dogs are about :)
It seemed, for a while, that I would never be able to control him, but he really makes me proud 99% of the time when he's out now :) I'm so pleased with his progress as he's only just approaching 17 months old and still very much in the 'kevin stage'.
Using a halti helped brilliantly, because I could controll his head if he started jumping around and that way get him to listen to 'sit' :)

i use the dogmatic for him when hes walking on lead, and its great, works very well, can walk through busy park or show area with it and hes good as gold. i do practice lead walk without it in quiet areas so hes not always just walked on it, and hes great, but its a godsend for busy places!