The Misses Whiplash (Rhodesian Ridgebacks)

Member Name: SueMagee

Product:	Rhodesian Ridgebacks
Date:	16/05/01 (787 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loyal, friendly dogs, Respond well to training, Fun to be with

Disadvantages: Need quality exercise, Can be prone to allergies

One of my Ridgebacks was upset when I wouldn't let her have a mobile phone. No, she's not precocious - she has a thing about plastic. In her first year she ate three alarm clocks. When we go to the Vet's people start laughing. On the other hand the younger of our two Ridgebacks is fixated on fabric and given half a chance will eat the clothes from your back.

I'd better start at the beginning, hadn't I? You'll want to know a little bit about the breed. Well, it's generally considered to be a native of South Africa. Early in the sixteenth century European explorers in the interior of the Cape of Good Hope encountered a domesticated dog with the Hottentot tribes which had the hair on its spine turned forward against the rest of the coat. As Europeans settled in the area they took with them their own hunting and guard dogs and these were selectively bred with the native Hottentot dog to produce a breed capable of withstanding the rigours of the African bush with its fluctuating temperatures. These dogs were the foundation stock of the breed now known as the Rhodesian Ridgeback. By the nineteenth century they were being used to hunt big game and they're still the only breed of dog capable of holding a lion at bay and living to tell the tale. This they did by shouldering the lion to the ground - unfortunately they have been known to use this ability on joggers and cyclists to shocking effect and it's one of the reasons why any Ridgeback needs to be well trained if it's not to be a nuisance.

Rosie (full name: Rosie O'Hooligan Magee) was my Christmas present in 1998. We'd loved the breed for a long time, and knew them quite well as we have friends who breed them. The other good thing was that we weren't inexperienced owners. We already had a rescue dog (a German Shepherd Cross) who'd been very badly treated, and even the Vet said that he couldn't believe what a good dog she turned out to
be. No, don't start applauding, I just want you to know that we didn't go all gooey-eyed over a little puppy, and then wonder what we'd let ourselves in for.

She was seven weeks old when she came to us, beautiful with a black muzzle that appears to have been dipped in a bucket of soot and dark eyes that look as though she's wearing far too much mascara to be decent. I spent the first three months trying to find the receipt so that I could take her back. I have never known a dog to be such hard work. Even a seven-year-old rescue dog who'd never been house-trained or been outdoors was a doddle in comparison. Our sanity was saved when we managed to get her into a really good dog-training class, which worked on the principle of rewarding good behaviour, ignoring what you can of the bad behaviour, and distracting from what you can't. We worked hard at getting her to mix with other dogs and hard at the training in general. It paid off. By the time that she was a year old I was happy to take her anywhere and we loved having her.

What I wasn't quite so happy about was the amount of time that I was spending at the Vet's. No, not the plastic, I'll tell you about that later. It was the spots. It started with just a few on her head. The spots would dry out, and the fur in that area would come away. Within a matter of about three months her skin was bright red all over, and her coat was pitifully thin even by Ridgeback standards ? their coat is quite fine and short and requires little in the way of grooming. I was paying so much out to the Vet for various tests, treatments and prescription foods that I'm sure I was keeping him in holidays. Finally we worked it out for ourselves, using the Internet and assuming that she was human. She has a severe house dust mite allergy. Apparently allergies are not uncommon in Ridgebacks. We've controlled it largely by replacing the vacuum cleaner.

They are a big, stron
g dog though and I'd be reluctant to have the breed around a small child, not because they're vicious (far from it) but simply because of the sheer force with which they move around. As puppies, too, they have very sharp teeth. I don't mean 'ouch' sharp. I mean surgical scalpel sharp allied to the jaw power of an alligator.

Most breeders recommend crate training for puppies, not least because it allows you to leave the house without wondering if it will have been dismantled by the time you return. You might think that the cushions you put on a shelf just under ceiling height are safe. I can tell you from personal experience that they are not. It does have to be a large crate, though ? think in terms of something the size of an oblong dining table which gives the dog room to move around and sleep in comfort. Don't think, either that you could leave the dog in the garden unless you can cope with returning to find a crater where you once had shrubs. Their digestive systems are cast-iron and they will eat anything that hasn't moved out of the way. I've found definite plusses and minuses to the fact that they are not fussy eaters and that's without taking into account their enhanced level of methane production.

They scavenge, too. An American described his Ridgeback as a 'counter-surfer' and I knew exactly what he meant. I once had a momentary lapse of concentration when making a sandwich and found that the bottom half had been removed as I was in the process of applying the top half.

Ridgebacks are surprisingly quiet. Mine rarely bark and if they do I know that it's something that I need to check out urgently. Although not a guard dog they have an intense loyalty to one person and a firm allegiance to the family unit. The young man who was looking for a (probably non-existent) tennis ball yesterday evening near a rather secluded window certainly thought twice about staying to look
for it when he met Rosie. When you see a Ridgeback lying in the sun you could be forgiven for thinking that they're just a big lazy dog, but at the first sign of danger they're instantly alert and ready for action.

Exercise? Yes, they do need quite a lot, but it's the quality of the exercise that matters, rather than the length. Rosie and Kia exercise with two German Wirehaired Pointers every day, and so long as they get their chasing, hunting, boxing and general play they're both fine. A Ridgeback is a not a dog that will be satisfied with exercise on a lead. Once again size of garden doesn't matter overmuch, because it's the getting out and about that they need.

They're not expensive to feed. A 15kg sack of a good quality dog food feeds Rosie for 6 weeks, but I supplement this with vast quantities of raw fruit and vegetables. She eats about 3 kilos of carrots a week, plus red peppers, grapes, celery and apples. Weighing in at about 42kg she's not one of the skinny Ridgebacks that you see, and this diet seems to suit her. Kia is still a puppy so her consumption is greater ? a 15kg sack of Junior food lasts for about three weeks, but this will lessen once she is fully grown

Rosie's got the best temperament of any dog that we've ever had. She'll make a noise if someone comes to the house, but she'll turn away from any sort of aggression. (I have promised her that I will NOT tell you about the time that she was chased by an elderly cat, so we won't mention that.) The greatest danger from Rosie is her tail, which has earned her the nickname 'Miss Whiplash' from those who've stood behind her when she's been excited - another reason why I'm reluctant to have Rosie near a child! She also tries to lick you, and it's rather like being massaged with wet sandpaper. Kia (full name: Kia Mischief Magee) is a different personality and is substantially different in looks.
She's what's known in the breed as 'a liver'. Instead of the dark muzzle and dark eyes she has a pink nose and her eyes are hazel. She came to us after Luce, our German Shepherd Cross, died. Her previous owners had taken on two Ridgeback puppies and couldn't cope, so Kia was returned to the breeder. We've had her for two months and that's the longest that she's been anywhere in her six months so it's early to talk about her temperament. What is apparent though is that she has a great sense of fun.

You're still wondering about the plastic, aren't you? When she was a puppy Rosie's favourite food used to be a nice bit of plastic. For a snack, she loved curtain hooks. If this could be prefaced by pulling the curtain down, and chewing the hooks out individually, so much the better. Her record is 32 hooks at one sitting. We only use metal hooks now. Second favourite snack was telephone cable, which she removed from the wall, and ate. The BT engineer laughed until he cried the second time it happened. It's all secured behind wood now. Radiator valves are a little meatier, but handy because they don't move and are at a suitable height for eating.

I can see that you're thinking about the alarm clocks. I'm sure you're saying 'I can understand her getting one, but why let her get three?' Well, ask yourself this: would you remember to put the alarm clock away in the drawer at six o'clock each morning? If the answer is 'No', then really I don't think I've done too badly in only forgetting twice, have I? Does all this plastic hurt her? Surprisingly we've never had a problem - and even the Vet can't understand that.

I'd recommend a Ridgeback to an experienced owner who felt able to cope with an exuberant dog. We've found their companionship extremely rewarding - even though they have tried to eat most of the house!

Now, where
did I put my phone...?

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