r/RhodesianRidgebacks

We are watching this beautiful boy for a week and I was wondering about a strange behavior. When we take him to his dog park he wants to bring one of the balls home and gets super obsessed about it for like half a day. We take the other ones back and it kind of rotates around. He guards it a bit but does let us play with it after a little reluctance. Anything to worry about it just goofball?

can my puppy get a boop or is her birthday today. she is now one years old.

JJ met a porcupine today 🦔 Lets hope a lesson was learned!

The initial story for this lovely pup was American staffy x English staffy. As times gone on though I've started to think there's a bit of ridgeback in there

Iskierka the princess demands your snack.

Peanut (turning 6 next month) and Yuki (3 months old)

Nothing but sass from this one- as a note I was sitting on the adjacent couch, leaning with arm over the cushion- Eden was mirroring me lol

Hi!

We just bought our first tent and are excited to travel through Europe with our dog for years to come. We reserved a spot at a dog-friendly campsite only to find ridgebacks on the blacklist alongside terriers and pitbulls..?

Is this common? We were so hyped to bring her everywhere and did not expect this to be a thing at all.

Hello everyone, I noticed a bump near my doggie’s eye that definitely wasn’t there yesterday. It’s kind of difficult to photograph but I have attached some photos. Has anyone ever experienced this?

I want to share the story of my dog Žućo and ask for some advice.

My girlfriend found him in a village where her parents live. He had been beaten and abandoned in an old house. She noticed him while walking to the bus for work — he just a puppy, barely alive, and extremely scared. At first, she and her mother fed him from a distance because he wouldn’t let anyone get close.

After a few days, he slowly started gaining trust and eventually came into their yard. They already had three dogs there (a Rottweiler/Doberman mix, a female lab, and her son — a lab/Croatian Shepherd mix, all around 40 kg). Surprisingly, they accepted him very quickly, and the family decided to keep him.

Like any puppy, he was a bit destructive at the beginning — digging, breaking things, etc. Around that time, my girlfriend and I had just started dating, and I began visiting every week or two. Over time, Žućo got really attached to me — to the point where I became his favorite person. He follows me everywhere, even long distances. Once we walked to a nearby city (about an hour away, roads were closed due to snow), and he refused to stay behind, so we took him with us.

We originally thought he was just a mix of everything. But one day, while we were buying food at a pet store, I noticed a dog on a bag that looked exactly like him. That’s when we started thinking he might actually be a specific breed. After some research, we came across Rhodesian Ridgeback, and he matches the typical temperament almost perfectly. The only difference is his size, he’s smaller, around 25 kg, maybe a bit more,so he’s probably mixed, possibly with a Balkan hound.

The main issue is his behavior around me. He craves attention a lot maybe too much and gets very jealous of the other dogs. There’s another male (the lab mix) who is very calm and also likes being around me, but Žućo doesn’t allow him to come close. He will actively block him and sometimes attack him. The lab mix almost never initiates anything, but after repeated provocation, he snaps and they get into a serious fight.

What’s interesting is that this only happens when I’m there. When I’m not around, they mostly ignore each other and coexist without issues.

Some additional context:

•	The dogs live freely in a yard and surrounding forest (they’re not used to leashes)

•	I’ve recently started basic leash training with Žućo, but he’s not a fan yet

•	He has strong hunting instincts (chases animals, once even chased off a wild boar)

•	He’s very brave, energetic, and attached, but clearly has some insecurity/possessiveness issues

What I need help with:

•	How do I stop his possessive behavior toward me?

•	How do I prevent fights between him and the other male dog?

•	Should I be correcting him in the moment, separating them, or doing something more structured?

•	Any tips for introducing boundaries and reducing jealousy in multi-dog environments?

•	Also, any advice on leash training a dog that’s used to complete freedom?

If I’m being honest, I feel like I might be part of the problem because he fixates on me so much. I just don’t want this to escalate into a serious injury for either dog.

This is Rhodie. She’s the guardian of the cul de sac. But when she’s left with my BIL? She turns into a tornado siren lol

My Rhodesian Ridgeback turns 2 in May, and it’s been really special watching him grow into his own lately.

When he was a puppy, we never let him out of our sight, mostly to save our stuff from being destroyed, so he just got used to following us everywhere. He became our little shadow without us really meaning for that to stick long-term.

But recently, he’s started doing his own thing, and it’s honestly the cutest thing to watch. He’ll walk into the bedroom by himself to nap, go outside to sunbathe alone, and last night he even stayed in the living room when I went to bed because it was cooler. He’s never done that before.

Seeing him become more independent on his own, without us forcing it, makes me so happy. It feels like he’s really growing up.

What were the moments you realized your puppy didn’t need you every second anymore and had grown into a little adult?

She never does this, she’s usually at the end of the bed.

She’s just under 30lbs of solid muscle and has the distinctive crest along the length of her back.