My husband and I have our hearts set on getting a Rhodesian Ridgeback; pretty much all we've read has said they make great pets. My only concern is that it will be a good dog to have around my 3 girls. Does anyone have kids as well as this kind of dog? and could you share your experience?|||They can be but it depends on your family and the particular dog.
Ridgebacks need vigorous daily exercise and plenty of mental stimulation to be happy. They are large dogs that have whippy tails that can knock small kids over or hurt them. They can be bouncy and energetic especially when young. As with any dog, with early socialisation and training they can be well behaved around kids.
Are you an active family? Do you spend a large amount of time at home or somewhere that the dog could accompany you? Are your children dog savvy, do they understand and obey directions about handling animals? Are you willing to train/continue the training of a dog? Do you and/or your husband have any large dog experience? If the answer is "no" to any of these questions then I would suggest that a ridgeback is not the right dog for you, in fact, maybe any dog would be too much for you.
If the answer is "yes" to all these questions then why not consider adopting a ridge or ridgeback x from a shelter or breed rescue. Sometimes a friendly adult dog can be found that has grown up with kids and is already tried and tested. This can be a lot easier than risking making mistake with a pup, dependent on your experience. Of course, when getting an adult dog you would need to get as much history on it as possible and spend as much time with it (with your kids) as you can before making a decision.
I have owned two ridgebacks, they differed greatly in personality with one being quite shy and cuddly and the other being very outgoing and almost hyperactive. Both were big strong dogs that were a handful as adolescents but with training and socialisation were lovely around children. Without training and socialisation i think both dogs would have been an absolute disaster with kids!
The bottom line is that ANY breed can make a great pet, it depends on the individual dog and on the training and socialisation opportunities that it is given.|||http://www.akc.org/breeds/rhodesian_ridgeback/|||they are very pretty dogs, but are a little more to handle than say a lab which is very family friendly. naturally they tend to be more aggressive.but like ANY dog, its up to the owners (pack leaders) to properly care for the dog and ensure it knows its boundaries.|||I work at an animal hospital, %26amp; we have a family with at least 3 girls that have a Rhodesian. She has a really good temperament, so I would say yes.|||I prefer big dogs with kids. As long as the dogs well trainned, as 3year old could be bowled overe by such a large pup. They need to be trainned not to jump, early on.
Temperament: The Ridgeback is dignified, trustworthy, loyal, intelligent and makes a great family pet. It is extremely protective of its immediate family and has a streak of independence 鈥?probably left over from its hunting background. Ridgebacks are very good with children, especially when raised with them. However young Ridgebacks can be too rambunctious for small children and toddlers. Ridgebacks are wary of strangers and also other animals and must be thoroughly socialized and obedience trained while a puppy. This training should be continued through adolescence and even into adulthood to minimize any aggressive tendencies. This dog breed is too large and too strong to not be thoroughly obedience trained. Because the Ridgeback is so intelligent and somewhat independent, training can be difficult and needs to be re-enforced often. This breed is very confidant and will test members of the family to try and find his place in the family hierarchy. Overall the Ridgeback makes a wonderful companion and family dog as long as you let him know you are in charge. Ridgeback鈥檚 don鈥檛 bark much but make great watchdogs. Ridgebacks do best with experienced dog owners|||They are okay dogs but if ur girls would play with them like some type of u know toy...cause even teenagers do that dogs get pssed...thing is the walking part ull have a hard time with that id start out with a german if not why not try a chow chow or pomeranian?
u shld just get a chow chow....u know why their just stubby and they loved getting toyed with..socialation and all..theyre not mean....at all i have one at my neighbors yard my friend also has 1 near her we got like 16 chow chow owners in my area......that i know off.....They're not viscious at all its just that a long time ago people took care of them irresponsivley and gave it a bad rep...Rhodesian is okay..U must walk them much though...There legs will get weak if not..|||try border collies, australian shepherds, dalmatians, and maybe the Rhodesian ridge backs but do some research just to make sure|||I would say that if you and your husband have never had a dog before, this is not the breed to start with. They are aggressive; they're LION HUNTERS. They can be great pets, but they are very self confident, and they are, like most hounds, independently minded and not too motivated to please their owners. Loyal, yes; protective, yes; obedient: not.
For a first dog, pick a retriever:
Newfoundland
Labrador Retriever
Golden Retriever
Curly-Coated Retriever
Flat-Coated Retriever
Standard Poodle
Irish Water Spaniel
Portuguese Water Dog
American Water Spaniel
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
I left the Chesapeake Bay Retriever out on purpose; they're harder than these others, again, not great choices for first-time dog owners. These others, listed, are merry dogs who delight in pleasing their people, will retrieve till they drop (which kids love), and rarely get aggressive. They will bark to warn you of strangers, but are more likely to show a burglar to the refrigerator than do any protecting. There are always exceptions, but that's what the breeds are, in general.|||If you plan on lion-hunting with your family/kids a Ridgeback is PERFECT! If not it can be a tough breed unless you do have some training experience.
How old are your kids?
How active is your family?
Do you plan to get a dog and get into some form of dog sport? (Agility,obedience,conformation,tracking etc. There are many!)
With kids and without planning to spend every weekend doing "dog-stuff" I'd look for a more laid-back breed. Since you're looking at a rather large dog - and certainly a very strong dog - I'd make sure I visited more than one family(!) which has this breed and ask them a LOT of question. But ONE family is not enough,you need more than ONE opinion..
You might think this sound silly,but what about adopting a Greyhound?
You avoid months of chewing and potty-training. You can pick an adult dog with a personality and temperament that fit you and the family.
They're very clean dogs... (Matters more to some than others...)
They've been bred from healthy dogs and fed a proper diet since little. (This matters as if you do adopt a dog from a HS/ASPCA you have no idea how it grew up. How it was fed. If it was ever socialized and/or around other dogs. Etc...)
With a Greyhound you get a dog that look large,but is mainly just tall - not heavy. Nothing like the freight-train-like 75lb 1year old puppy racing through your living-room... Greyhounds are more like "45 mile/hr couch-potatoes". They're quiet in the house. They rarely bark. (Criminals are criminals because they're stupid. If they were not stupid they'd not be criminals. And stupid people very rarely know which big/tall dog might be a true house-defender and which ones are not.
Kinda' important as Greyhounds are NOT the best guard-dogs. I've got Deerhounds which are very similar to Greyhounds,just much more expensive,often difficult to find and are slightly larger and with a tad more hair... But the rest is basically the same dog. They lay around when inside. Walk nicely on a leash but will hunt (%26amp; possibly kill..) anything that moves quickly %26amp; has fur,so I keep them leashed when on walks. They're beautiful. Seem to "think" more than other breeds and are very far from the muddy freight-train running around which is how and what a Ridgeback will be from they're 6 to about 18-24 months old. (I'm not big on the two!! years of "still developing brain" thing...)
And with adopting a Greyhound you can pick the right one.
The one you love the looks of. The one the kids love. The one who actually likes kids... (Not all dogs do,even if growing up together. This is the truth but few will actually tell you..)
Or I'd go for a larger breed spaniel.
Always happy dogs. Springer spaniels never seem to have a bad day. But - you would have to do the puppy-thing... (Which "grow old" really fast. Much faster than the dog sadly...)
Or a Boxer if "someone"... in the family wants %26amp; insist on a "tougher" dog.
No matter what you get,DO NOT!!! BUY FROM A STORE!!
Find a good breeder. Go to a few dog-shows. Talk to people. And remember if the dog at the show has a coat - it's very! unlikely yours will look just like that as it takes a LOT!! of time to groom a dog to show-looks. (Just check out the Bouvier des Flandres - the most amazing,smart and THINKING! dog. But look at the coat!
AND it'll need just as much training and experience as the Ridgeback! But at least the Bouvier will remember what he's learned... Not so with Ridgeback)
Good luck.
I guess you have some more reading and visiting to do.
Let us know what you end up with, And why...|||my Uncle had a great dane x ridgeback for about 5 years, then he had kids and she adapted straight away - she was so patient with them, never bowled them over, even though she was 10 times the size of them! really depends on how you introduce the dog to your kids.|||It's best for you to pack up your girls and go visit an ethical breeder. Ridgebacks as pups can use small children as chew toys. Many breeders also won't sell to families with small children unless they meet you and watch how you handle your children with their pups.
I sold 2 pups to 2 families with 4 yr old boys. But they had to come to my house and pass my oldest dog's test. He will not tolerate poorly behaved children.
then I had a family come with 5 boys, and they were so wild, I couldn't imagine selling a pup to them, knowing that mom had her hands full with the human pups.
Ridgebacks as adults are very protective of their children. All the work happens when they are puppies. They do not like to be put into the backyard alone, though. Unless you are wanting a house companion I would not choose a Ridgeback.
My daughter was 9 when I got my first RR, but she has a very aggressive personality, and the pups didn't bother her at all. She grew up with working police k-9s and was used to their dominant personality.
They play rough as well, and if your girls are quiet or sensitive or shy, you would have to be there to intervene, because a Ridgeback will take advantage of anyone who has a 'soft' type personality.
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