Why I love the Rhodesian Ridgeback Breed...

I was just thinking today of a recent conversation with a friend and the common misconceptions about this breed and "big dogs" in general and now after several years' experience with RRs I decided to write about why I really love this breed and why I consider them the ultimate dog and such a blessing to our family....

-Even though these dogs are "big" dogs, they are not hyper dogs. They love to go outside in the morning and play and run but also love to come inside to nap and spend time with their owners. They are very in tune with their owners...if you want to play, they want to play, if you want to rest, they want to rest.

-They are thinkers. Sometimes stubborn yes, well, maybe a lot of times stubborn, but they are intelligent and if trained with CONSISTENCY, they will listen and obey.

-They LOVE their owners. Loyalty is big with these guys. I have found my male (Themba) is more affectionate than my female in certain ways but I have heard that this is the norm for RRs. Males seem to be more affectionate and laid back.

-They are protectors as well as family dogs. They will not bark excessively (unlike my dalmatian!) at just anything. They will only bark if they deem it necessary.

-They are easily trained. No kidding. It took Themba 2 days to be potty trained. 2 days! As long as I stayed on top of it he may have only ever had two accidents ever in the house. He learned sit, down, and other commands in no time also. Savvy was the same although she is a little more stubborn than Themba. To this day, Themba will lay his head on my leg during dinner and will not even try to get food or move until we have finished dinner and I give him a leftover treat or two. He does not counter surf because I started early teaching him not to. Often he will lay at my feet while I cook dinner.

-They are quirky and fun. Savvy has a tendency (like a lot of Ridgebacks) to place her body on my leg or between me and another person or animal. They will even sit on the kids sometimes and try to be lap dogs. This is part of their protection of their owners. They also love their toys. So much so that they won't destroy them as much as keep them intact to play with over and over again. They will play hide and seek with the kids. Savvy also used to play a game with the kids where she would chase them and jump up on top of the dogloos. When I think back on it they have given us plenty of laughs over the years for sure!