How to Care for a Rhodesian Ridgeback

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Nancy Frensley, I'm the training manager at the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society here in Berkeley, California. And we're going to talk a little bit bout how to take care of a Rhodesian ridgeback. I know a lot of my clients and students have gotten Rhodesian ridgebacks, and physically, they're usually big, healthy, robust dogs, they don't need any kind of special care, except to be warm in the winter because they don't have a full undercoat, but, they were designed to hunt lions. That was their original breeding. Their foundation stuff. So, it's important to understand that you've got a large dog, that's bred to work independently, and they're a little harder to train than a lot of the dogs that you might otherwise get. However, as far as being a loyal, and very, very attached and affectionate family member, Rhodesians are just wonderful. So what you're going to watch out for when you first get a Rhodesian, is you're going to put your puppy on a strong leadership program, you're going to start obedience training very quickly, and you'll have to persist in obedience training throughout the dog's life, and you're going to make sure that the dog is answering to you. And beyond that you are going to have a wonderful time with your Rhodesian Ridgeback."