Anybody have experience with this breed?  

I've been reading up on them and they've got a lot of traits I like - short hair, good sized without being huge, very smart, make excellent guard dogs, lots of stamina.

Also I learned on this website that anything Rhodesian is cool.  

Anyway, this might be my next dog once I buy a home.

Definately one of the coolest breeds IMO, the "ridge" is really neat.  

They are awesome dogs if you train them well from the get go.   Not generally a good dog for the inexperienced.  They are hounds and almost impossible to train to retreive, so if you like a game of fetch, look elsewhere.

They get big.  South African RRs (working stock) are a lot larger than AKC spec.  My RR (unfortunately no longer with our family) was over 100lbs at 6 mo, and topped out around 145-150lbs.  AKC spec is around 90lbs for a dog and slightly less for a bitch. In any case, all muscle.

They have fantastic temperments and are great with kids, but not great around really young kids because even the pups will knock kids down in their excitement even with the tail wagging.

They tend (lots of exceptions, but...) to like other RRs and not be too fond of other dogs.  Early socialisation is a must.

They are lazy and smart - meaning they are voracious counter surfers and will eat anything not encased in concrete.  They will figure out how to open your gate, or do anything else they really want to do.  They love to run, almost as much as they like to just lay at your feet.

They are very attached to their owners, like most dogs, and really, really do not like to be alone.  Not a good "outside" only dog, unless you are outside most of the time.

They are awesome dogs though, and I loved mine.  Check out the rrcus.org, regional clubs, and ridgeback rescue sites for more info.  

Awesome dogs.  If I get a dog - it will be a RR.  Incredibly cool temperment.

Great dogs - my gf's father is a vet and he says they are a very "hardy" animal.

I have heard they are not good with cats.

My wife picked one up from the pound last year and she has been a handful.  Mainly because she was abused (we believe).   She is extremely loyal and alert and gets along really well with our lab mix.  She does well with kids but her tail and speed can be hazardous to small people.  

The other thing we have noticed is she is picky about what dogs/people she will socialize with.  She either likes the dog/person or not and if she doesn't we head the other direction.  Lastly if it runs she will chase it and given time catch it.  Scratch one squirrell.  Another RR owner we know no longer has any cats because of both her RR's.  Once they bought property in East Texas the cats decided to run and RR thought the chase was on.  The strange thing was her RR's were raised with the cats.  

I agree with Scrum she will eat anything and they are not for inexperienced dog owners.  Training is a must, possibly professional training.  All the labs I have owned I have trained myself and our RR did not react to the same techniques.  As always there are exceptions with any breed, personalities may differ.  Good luck.

Neighbor has one when I was grown up, not a social dog, didn't like people or other animals, he was REALLYFUCKING Intimidating... I know that goes toward owner and not the breed. I can personally echo the owners statements about liking to run things down.

I have a friend who has one and I think they are really great dogs and what I will get when I can settle down... His dog is VERY protective of their child. Great, great dog.

Overall sounds like a good dog for me, presuming whatever place I have has some acreage around it (my preference).  My current dog is a lot like this - loves to run everywhere and chase squirrels, fox, deer, rabbits, etc.  I take her out on several walks through the woods each day, and give her lots of attention and training time.

I think the issue is settled!

They are great dogs.  I had one in the 80's that could climb a tree.  Best dog I ever had.

We have a 6 year old male, 7 in May, and he's my best buddy. They are good dogs but they have a mind of their own. They are a typical hound. And they counter surf like you've never seen before

If I get a dog thats gonna be it. I love them, very very good dogs.

My supervisor picked hers up last week. At 8 weeks, he's nearly 20 pounds, so I think they wind up pretty damn big. He's goofy as all hell right now, but they seem like pretty cool dogs.

Ours is a great dog, but in some ways he's more like a cat.  We can train him not to do things, while we're watching.  For example, he will sometimes sneak out of the yard to go play in the woods, which he isn't supposed to do.  We head to the woods to get him, only to find him on the back porch curled up like he's been asleep the whole time.  

His territory is US, wherever we are that's his turf.  He's generally friendly, but doesn't like people to move too quickly or he gets defensive.  He's also catlike in that he really, really, wants to curl up in our lap, which is a little tough with an 80 pound dog and he never likes to be more than a few feet away from us.  He hates tweakers and drunks, and isn't all that fond of guys in general.

Overall, pretty high maintenance dog, but a great house dog.  I sleep soundly at night with him asleep on the couch in the next room.  As has been mentioned, NOT a dog for someone who isn't home all the time or most of the time, like having a 3 year old in the house.  If you were to chain him outside all day he would go crazy in no time at all.

My brother has one.  Lives in the country so his has lots of room to roam.  This breed was once

used to hunt the big cats in Africa.  They will not back down from a fight to say the least.  Very loyal

and protective of what is theirs, that means you.  Great dog!  I wish I had the acreage to have one.  

Please don't get one and subject it to a life in a small yard.  They need room.

I am on my second. Kellae was the first:





Murphy is the second:

I knew a guy that had one once. He would "allow" it to chase cats and one time it ended up on a second or third story balcony. No stairs. I have no idea how that would work.

I owned one for a year and had to get rid of it. We got it from a pound and it had been a stray for a while. Ours was extremely predatory. He attacked a neighbors dog and went after another neighbors daughter (At a glance I believe the dog mistook her long blond hair for her cat). The dog was downright scary when the switch was flipped. I will never own another.

They are beautiful animals, though. If you are going to get one, get a puppy and start with a clean slate. Mine spent a bit too much time hunting up his own dinner.


My co worker has 3 of them and they are very docile. They seem to do better in packs.

Quoted: I have heard they are not good with cats.

Had one for years and never saw a live cat around the yard.

We have a Hungarian Vizsla, and I would highly recommend  the breed.  Very similar in appearance to the ridgeback, without the ridge.

AKC Vizsla

Definitely cool dogs but a lot of health problems so tred water intently when picking out a good breeder.  Ridges have well known seizure problems, hip dysplasia issues, skin issues to name a few.

They are pretty cool dogs. I rough-housed with one that was probably 110-120 at the local dog park, and he was very playful and not at all scary.

my sister takes care of one occasionally.  that dog is massive.  i would guess around 150-160 lbs.  i dont think all of them are that big though.  he is a really sweet dog.  quite a big baby.

wasn't that a dragon in  a Harry potter movie

From what I know of them they're good dogs but you have to be cautious with them, they can have strong prey drive and can be aggressive towards other dogs and animals and can have dominating personalities.
They can be a handful, they're much stronger than they might seem from photos. Not a breed for a lot of people, but make certain you know what you're getting into with caring for them and being responsible for them.