Highly subjective by Linda Wolden

This information is meant for those of you who wonder what these dogs might be like, and have no one to ask in person. If you want objective information this is NOT the right place. This is my personal findings and impression after owning three quite different dogs and knowing numerous others. For objective information see breed standard and breed information on the various Ridgeback Clubs web sites, some of them are listed under LINKS.

Rhodesian Ridgeback is a rather small dog breed, which, at least in Norway, results in a lot of rumors going both in favor and disfavor of our dogs. When I first decided on buying a Ridgeback, I did it in spite of several warnings from other well meaning dog owners. None of them had Ridgebacks, of course, but they all knew some horrendous examples and wanted to help me.

Well, much good it did me - now I have three... I fell in love with the beauty and elegance of the first RR I saw, and also their slightly aloof behavior. I wanted a rather big dog which didn't bark too much, a running companion and a reliable friend. To me Rhodesian Ridgeback was the answer. What I see now, six years later, is the great variation among the breed. There unfortunately exists some dogs that are nervous and have a hard time adjusting to our society. However a Ridgeback should NEVER be nervous - this is a big character fault on those who are. It is true that some Ridgebacks are a handful to raise, but as long as they have solid nerves they will end up as good family dogs. Their stubbornness and personality is really an asset which make you love them even more.

In spite of great variation my impression is that most Ridgebacks are

Handsome
..no need to comment on that one..?
 
 

Stubborn
A true Ridgeback have quite strong opinions on lots of things. If they don't understand the purpose of a command, they will be very reluctant to obey. A good example is if you teach your RR to lie down. This is not difficult, they normally learn faster than the average dog. After more exercise you might even be lucky enough to have a Ridgeback who is very fast at this command; pooofh! down when you tell him or her to lie. BUT: if this is a true RR, the challenge begins when you want the dog to obey if the ground is cold, wet or uncomfortable in any way. Normal procedure would be something like this: You command the dog: Lie down! Your Ridgeback looks back at you with great surprise - WHAT??!!? They give you the benefit of the doubt and stay in their original position - convinced that this MUST be a mistake one way or the other. If you repeat the command, they might try another tactic; giving you the disappointed and hurt look,- ears back on their head. If they are very well trained they might even put one foot forward as if they are on their way down, and then give you another look saying "really Mum - look at this wet grass, surely you cannot want me to lay down here?!"  To get a really obedient Ridgeback for competition, you have to be the must patient and motivating person in the world, and it will help you a lot if you are as stubborn, or, if possible, even more stubborn than your dog. Training obedience is fun anyway, and you would learn a lot about your Ridgeback if you gave it a try! Just don't start out measuring the results with border collies or german shepherds...

Reliable
Your Ridgeback will protect you with his own life if necessary. Don't let his or hers friendly behavior towards strangers fool you - if you need protection they will know - and they will be there for you.

Relaxed
Inside your house most Ridgebacks prefer spending their time in various relaxing positions. Remember that the beautiful little puppy will grow up to be a large dog, so don't play to much with the puppy inside. It is very nice to have a dog who is able to relax when nothing happens, and most RR's have a natural talent for doing so...
 
 

Active
Outside the house your dog can be a crazy maniac,- running like wild if possible. My opinion is that a Ridgeback should have the possibility to run freely as often as possible. It is a large dog with lots of muscles and energy, and it is almost impossible to give him enough exercise if you keep him in a leash.

Hungry
Well, there are exceptions to this rule, but normally a Ridgeback love food and would do almost anything to deserve some extra treats. Don't keep food in places where the puppy can find it when your not watching - food thieves are very common among this breed. Bitches in season cannot be trusted either...!

Sensitive
Yes, this large and fearless looking dog is actually very sensitive. If you get angry and yell they will get really really sad, and try almost everything to make you happy again. With  this in mind, training your Ridgeback requires lots of patience, because if your dog gets hurt, you will probably have to spend some time making him happy again before you can go back to train whatever you were trying to learn him. My experience is that if you manage to be consequent and stay calm, the dog will earn fast. If you loose your temper you have to go back several steps and start over again!

Many RR's are also sensitive towards other people, and might react with suspiciousness on strange behavior etc. They read all kinds of signals and might react on people who are afraid of dogs. Normally they will stay away from both people and other dogs if they "read" their signals as not friendly.

Quiet
A true RR doesn't bark much - some almost not at all. You might hear their "voice" when playing, and, as the dog grows older, you will probably jump in your chair when the youngster for the first time decides to to "inform" you about some exciting noises. The guardian bark is very powerful, but normally a couple of barks is all they feel is necessary to wake you up and then they let you take care of the rest. Don't ever encourage them to guard - if you really get scared they will blow the ears of the intruder without any exercise in advance! My dogs bark a couple of times when we get visitors - then they start screaming of excitement as they are waiting for the company to enter the front door...

Lazy
There are lots of variations among the breed, but most Ridgebacks LOVE to curl up in the sofa (!) or bed and just relax, preferably in a warm place. You can hear their content murmuring telling they are really enjoying life - in the slow lane!
 
 

Smart
A Ridgeback is smarter than most dogs - at least you can choose to look at it that way... Their sensitivity towards us allows them to read us and our body language, and if you are playing together with  your dog you will soon feel he understands almost everything you try to communicate. However, since they ARE really smart - they will not always obey..! This is especially annoying when training obedience - if the dog doesn't understand why you want him to do the exercise, he will most likely NOT do it. And, as mentioned above, definitely not if it is uncomfortable in any way! As irritating as this might be, you will soon find it charming and look at it as a big part of your dogs personality.

Best friends
When you get to know your Ridgeback you have the best friend you can possibly hope for! You are guaranteed a happy tail welcoming you home every day. It doesn't matter what mood your in - your Ridgeback is your greatest fan no matter what! And even if you might come home to a mess due to your four legged friend's spare time hobbies - you will love this dog. Guaranteed! (That is if your not scared off by what you've read..!)
 

Good luck in finding your true Ridgeback companion!