Rhodesian Ridgeback?

[Barbara!]

As far as I know, they are not ideal American hunting dogs. They aren't soft mouthed enough for bird, and they are often lost when hunting game in the woods due to the fact that they are silent and only bay when they see their prey... Which means if they don't see their prey, you may lose your dog.

[Pops2]

Originally Posted by Barbara!

As far as I know, they are not ideal American hunting dogs. They aren't soft mouthed enough for bird, and they are often lost when hunting game in the woods due to the fact that they are silent and only bay when they see their prey... Which means if they don't see their prey, you may lose your dog.

nonsense.
1. a great MANY pointers & setters and even retreivers are hardmouth until you correct it, RRs are no different & just as easily corrected
2. LONG before the advent of tracking collars blackmouths & catahoulas & birddogs (ALL silent trackers) were running & catching fur. losing a dog usually involves the dog running game that beelines out of the country. dogs that don't have a track to run usually head back to the truck or stay under foot. also as the RR is not cold nosed like a hound but warm to hot nosed any track they will take is gonna put them on a critter close to you not over in the next county. running silent also means whatever they are tracking doesn't know it's being hunted until the RRs are biting them in the buttm which goes a LONG way toward making the race short. now if they are running coyotes or bobcat that beelines AND knows they are coming, yes they can wind up in the next county. or if for some reason they are soft & won't stop a hog in TX they can wind up in the next county. but most of what they'll get to run will stay within earshot most of the time.
in fact as rural land gets more & more developed hot nosed, silent running dogs are gaining larger & larger followings and open mouth hounds are losing ground ESPECIALLY east of the mississippi river. BMCs, houlas, lacys, lurchers, airedales, JRTs, pats, feists and even RRs (and a variety of crosses like farm collieXbulldog & birddogXbulldog) are all growing in popularity as fur dogs because they run silent & don't take a cold, 3 day old track.

[Lyzelle]

You guys are killing me. And there's no breeders in Italy.

I always thought they were harder dogs than what they seem to be. More aggressive, more temperamental. No idea why, but it's nice to know they are lovebugs and seem to get along very well.

But seriously...killing me. In a cloudy, found new shortest list breed sort of way.

[Barbara!]

Originally Posted by Pops2

nonsense.
1. a great MANY pointers & setters and even retreivers are hardmouth until you correct it, RRs are no different & just as easily corrected
2. LONG before the advent of tracking collars blackmouths & catahoulas & birddogs (ALL silent trackers) were running & catching fur. losing a dog usually involves the dog running game that beelines out of the country. dogs that don't have a track to run usually head back to the truck or stay under foot. also as the RR is not cold nosed like a hound but warm to hot nosed any track they will take is gonna put them on a critter close to you not over in the next county. running silent also means whatever they are tracking doesn't know it's being hunted until the RRs are biting them in the buttm which goes a LONG way toward making the race short. now if they are running coyotes or bobcat that beelines AND knows they are coming, yes they can wind up in the next county. or if for some reason they are soft & won't stop a hog in TX they can wind up in the next county. but most of what they'll get to run will stay within earshot most of the time.
in fact as rural land gets more & more developed hot nosed, silent running dogs are gaining larger & larger followings and open mouth hounds are losing ground ESPECIALLY east of the mississippi river. BMCs, houlas, lacys, lurchers, airedales, JRTs, pats, feists and even RRs (and a variety of crosses like farm collieXbulldog & birddogXbulldog) are all growing in popularity as fur dogs because they run silent & don't take a cold, 3 day old track.

I'm speaking for the breed as a whole and to their standard...what I said is certainly not nonsense.

Are they good for general hunting?

Not in the United States. The Ridgeback has been used successfully in hunting bobcat, mountain lion, bear, fox, squirrel, coyote, deer, wild boar and raccoon in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. There have been reports of Ridgebacks having been train to point upland game and retrieve game and fowl, but their true talents lie in cornering the prey for the hunter to finish off. As a rule, they are silent trailers and only bay once the prey is sighted. For this reason, Ridgebacks are not used alone to hunt deer, fox or raccoon unless they have a bell around their necks for location purposes. They can be hunted with breeds which are more vocal on a trail.
Nowadays, fewer states allow hunting with dogs in general, so most of today’s Ridgebacks are content to keep the backyard squirrel-free or to chase rabbits in a field. Most Ridgeback enthusiasts do their "hunting" these days on the lure coursing field chasing a white plastic bag! Lure coursing is a thrilling sport and fun for all the family to watch. Read all about it in "Starting Your Dog in Performance Events."

http://www.rrcus.org/club/breedinfo/RRFAQ.htm



Someone asked if they were good for hunting. In general breed speaking, in America, no, they are not.

[Barbara!]

Originally Posted by Lyzelle

I always thought they were harder dogs than what they seem to be. More aggressive, more temperamental. No idea why, but it's nice to know they are lovebugs and seem to get along very well.

They certainly can be. My RR for instance is VERY aggressive when someone is threatening me. He saved me from presumably getting mugged and he was not happy. Teeth, snarling, hair up...the whole nine yards. He also doesn't like other male dogs around his size. He is pretty DA with them.

But they are big cuddle bugs as well. Depends on the breeder and the dog. I hope you can get one, one day. They're great!

[AdrianneIsabel]

I have known a few, seemingly nice enough dogs but not my style.

I have known a few people who hunt with them and crosses of them, they hunted coyotes and other small game.

[houlahoops]

For this reason, Ridgebacks are not used alone to hunt deer, fox or raccoon unless they have a bell around their necks for location purposes.

Just as an aside, we hunt closed dogs (like most 'Houlas) with radio collars or by keeping them in close (leashed or verbally under control) and they do just fine.

[Danefied]

I grew up with one in the early 80’s when we were living in Spain. I want to say he was bred in South Africa, but don’t remember for sure. We actually knew several ridgies in Spain, all great dogs.

In any case, in a lifetime of dogs, he stands out as one of my all time favorites.
This dog was SMART. Not biddable smart, but problem solver smart. This dog opened doors, undid latches, used his paws, his mouth, whatever. And he had a sense of humor. Seriously! He would ring the doorbell just to get us to go look.
Gentle with us kids. Ferocious protective instinct, not dangerous at all though. He was great hanging out at the house, going to the barn, very steady dog. Wonderful temperament with other dogs, never started a thing, but could put an end to all the crap the terrier started with one or two moves. Amazing hunter - sight, scent, stalking, flushing... Very, very versatile.
Health-wise, he did develop epilepsy around 6 or 7 maybe? We did get that under control with dietary changes, no meds. But then we lost him to bone cancer at 10.

I’ve spent most of my adult life looking at ridgies here in America, and have yet to meet one that matches up to what I knew back then. The ones I see here are just not the same kind of dog. A lot of them are kind of shy more than aloof, kind of a “weedy” temperament. Less bone than I would like to see in a dog bred to hold lions at bay. Lots of bitchy looking males...

Pops, Matt’s description sounds MUCH more like the dogs I remembered. Can you pm me his website or info?

[Romy]

Originally Posted by Barbara!

Someone asked if they were good for hunting. In general breed speaking, in America, no, they are not.

How much experience hunting them did the person writing the blurb have? America is pretty frickin huge with an enormous variety of game and terrain.

A hunting style that works well on hogs in a Louisiana swamp is miles away from Colorado plains, coastal temperate rainforest, or Arizona low desert. For someone to definitively say that any breed isn't suited to hunting in America makes them sound inexperienced/ignorant (to clarify, I'm talking about the website statement, not you).

[Barbara!]

Originally Posted by Romy

How much experience hunting them did the person writing the blurb have? America is pretty frickin huge with an enormous variety of game and terrain.

A hunting style that works well on hogs in a Louisiana swamp is miles away from Colorado plains, coastal temperate rainforest, or Arizona low desert. For someone to definitively say that any breed isn't suited to hunting in America makes them sound inexperienced/ignorant (to clarify, I'm talking about the website statement, not you).

It from the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States. I gave the link I quoted the text from.

You can certainly say what a breed excels at and what a breed doesn't excel at, as a whole. Do you have those dogs that are different? Of course! Dogs are individuals. But you can also very much so speak in general terms for an entire breed as far as behavior. Not every dog will fit the description, but most should/will. For example, you can say that an American Pit Bull Terrier will have high prey drive, but no guarding instinct. Will that be true for every dog? No. But you can say that for the entire breed.

Hope that makes sense.