Rhodesion Ridgeback - anyone with experience of this breed? General Chat

I guess you have to be careful from which breeder you get your dog from or as to how you socialise them as the ones we have met in Norwich have not been sociable but very nervy dogs.

One of them had a growl at Parker who is very good with other dogs. One we met at a dog show and the owner advised the judge not to touch him as he wasn't happy with being touched by strangers (and he still won reserve best in show!).

However I have met Kerries who are not sociable and guess what their dam/sire was also unsociable so not really surprising is it!

A lot of people also mistake their aloof nature around strangers as shyness or nervousness but this really isnt the case

Joanna Pyke

http://www.rozelridge.co.uk

What lovely dogs!
I assumed for some reason that you had bought one from Imbali as there quite close to you I think

Oops sorry I've just re-read what you've put, that wasn't aimed at you I agree that bad breeding can result in a whole list of problems!

Ooooo.... I just looked up the website. Yes they are very close to me. People I had meet on walks had mentioned to me about someone who has a numebr of ridgebacks in the area, and who breeds, but I didn't know who it was.

She's a top breeder and more interested in temperaments than anything else which is what you want to look for when getting an RR. We got our second dog from her and his temperaments fantastic! She's a useful person to know as she's very helpful and knowledgeable, wether you got a pup from her or not!

We own a male RR and love him to pieces! We also children around the same age as what you mentioned. Each dog is different, but our RR only tolerates kids messing with him so much before he growls. However, I see this as a teaching moment for my kids on how to respect a dog’s space and read their body language. Other than that he has shown zero agression and is a great watchdog. He actually will go room to room checking on his whole ‘pack’ which is us humans. He is 120lb. and is so attached to us. I know RR are supposed to be super active but our guy does fine with a mile walk 3 x week. We have another dog and a large yard so they play too. He is a real lounge lizard most of the day though.

Hi April, welcome to Breedia. The thread you have posted on is eight years old. We do have more recent RR threads, but I thought I should warn you not to expect any response on this one.
I agree that Ridgebacks are a lovely breed. I often sit with them round the hound rings, and find them very calm. We seriously considered buying a Ridgeback back in the 70's, but had a baby, and temperaments were not as reliable in those days.