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January 10, 2020

Are Rhodesian Ridgebacks Easy to Train?

No! And despite all the fun photos and videos I post, we’re always working on some kind of training – failing in new and spectacular ways each day. I’m often asked about the behavioral challenges of training off-leash so I put together this longer video of our imperfect efforts to

No! And despite all the fun photos and videos I post, we’re always working on some kind of training – failing in new and spectacular ways each day. I’m often asked about the behavioral challenges of training off-leash so I put together this longer video of our imperfect efforts to corral Zero’s alpha tendencies.

If you’re struggling with your own dog’s behavior, I hope you find the video a helpful reminder that even D-list famous Ridgebacks aren’t all they might seem. If you aren’t struggling with your dog’s behavior, well then just feel free to enjoy watching one man’s flailing attempts at taming the chaos!

Comments for Are Rhodesian Ridgebacks Easy to Train?

  1. hahaha we have a marker too… he marked even me at the last show and he marks even mark .. LOL

  2. VicMD says:

    Just curious, is Penny intact also? If yes, how do you deal with her heats, and Zero at the same time?

    All my RR’s have been rescues, and thus all were altered. My goal is eventually to find a vet willing to do a canine vasectomy on a future dog.

  3. Kismet says:

    We have two female rescue terrirs. One will pee and the other will come over and pee on that spot. The original will “remark” over that. It’s a true pissing contest.

  4. Cyndy says:

    Once again you knocked it out of the park. My Ridge is the male version of Penny. I often joke that if Ridge had been my first RR, I would NEVER have gotten another but since he is my 4th, we make allowances and train, train and train. Love to hear of your challenges and I can totally relate!

  5. A. Stein says:

    Hey Team Dinosaur Ridgeback! Great vid, and very timely. Had a setback yesterday & it was SO discouraging! Easy to lose the big picture on those days. Thanks for the reality check.

  6. OlRedHair says:

    Another really great video! I don’t have Ridgeback’s but I still learn so much about dog behavior and body language. I’m curious about Zero still being in tact. Will this be permanent, and if so, is it for health reasons?

  7. Birgit says:

    Everything just so true! We all have our educational Waterloo’s-
    Just yesterday Tsala met another intact male, much smaller but very self confident. This dog was just provoking for about ten minutes- including mounting on our dog. Tsala ignored him for a very
    long time- than we within seconds he turned the little one onto his back- well nothing happened but it looked impressive and you might find dog owners frightened

  8. Maggie says:

    I haven’t had any issues with my female Ridgeback and other dogs, she’s pretty submissive. In fact, seems to prefer staying away from both little dogs and very big dogs, choosing usually to play with dogs just about her size to a little smaller. The only behavioral issue I’ve had with her at all really is her counter surfing. I have been unable to break her of it, even going so far as a shock collar. I set up the scenario: dog biscuit on the counter and shock collar on. I moved out of sight and waited. She went for the biscuit, got a shock, endured it to get the biscuit. Every. Single. Time. Fortunately I live alone, so I can control food placement most of the time, but when family comes over, Sookie has to be banned while food is out.
    Any suggestion would be appreciated, but she’s 8 now, I’m not sure it isn’t too late. Just this morning, I went to get a cup of coffee and left a sweet roll on a plate, honestly where I thought it would be out of reach, and warned her the whole two minutes I was gone. But she managed to get the roll. She spent some immediate time banished to her bed, but I’m sure it didn’t matter. And I don’t dare turn my back on a stick of butter, she’ll down it whole as she heads out the door. Sigh.

  9. That video was stressful to watch! GAH! You do a great job with them whether you’re succeeding or failing. Hanging in there and keeping it real is huge!

  10. Eve says:

    awesome to see; recall is not an easy feat in RR’s… I still struggle with it…would be great to see how you do your recalls with them? every little bit helps the wider community 🙂

  11. Hmm… I think I got a little of that going on too

  12. Trust me, a male dog doesn’t have to be intact to be a marking demon. If you ever figure that delima out, let me know. People think my name is the ‘so sorry’ lady.

  13. Hilde Kristin says:

    How did you train your dogs to walk on a loose leash? Mine is not a heavy puller, but walks most of the time at the end of the leash, slightly pulling. And more pulling when something interesting of course. Have got an intact male, in Norway speying/castration is allowed only if necessary for medical reasons.

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