Ridgebacks ?
08-01-2009, 12:32 PM
#2
Spike
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 11
I hunt with my Rhodesian Ridgeback. I use him for birds mostly, but he has also bayed a hog and has blood-trailed deer for us.
He's really awesome. When we aren't hunting we show in conformation and also do agility, tracking, and lure-coursing. I'm having a lot of fun with him.
Elizabeth
He's really awesome. When we aren't hunting we show in conformation and also do agility, tracking, and lure-coursing. I'm having a lot of fun with him.
Elizabeth
08-01-2009, 06:33 PM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 5,130
Just got a pup that was 2.5 months old at the time.
We've had her for another 6 weeks I would say now.
Did you work him with other dogs or by himself ?
Mine seems to be smart and daring.
I have a Carolina dog already who hunts hard for me.
We've had her for another 6 weeks I would say now.
Did you work him with other dogs or by himself ?
Mine seems to be smart and daring.
I have a Carolina dog already who hunts hard for me.
08-02-2009, 06:42 AM
#4
Spike
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 11
For training? or hunting?
We started him out in training by himself, but when we hunt birds we take our Lab along as well as the Ridgeback. When he bayed the hog and blood-trailed deer he was by himself. He is still a puppy, 17 months now, and he was only around 9-10 months during pheasant season last year so, except for bird hunting, which he did great at, we did not try to run him with any other dogs. Too playful yet, lol.
What are you planning to use yours for?
We started him out in training by himself, but when we hunt birds we take our Lab along as well as the Ridgeback. When he bayed the hog and blood-trailed deer he was by himself. He is still a puppy, 17 months now, and he was only around 9-10 months during pheasant season last year so, except for bird hunting, which he did great at, we did not try to run him with any other dogs. Too playful yet, lol.
What are you planning to use yours for?
08-02-2009, 11:29 AM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 5,130
For birds as well.
Quail and Duck mostly, but I need to get her on birds........to hunt birds.
I have this Carolina dog which is a great flusher, but not a good pointer.
I'd like to school this Ridgeback with experienced pointers.
It can get expensive if I send her to a trainer, because otherwise I don't get ALOT of opportunities to flush covey after covey here in SoCal.
Again - You need Birds to train Bird dogs !!!!
Any tips would be appreciated !
Quail and Duck mostly, but I need to get her on birds........to hunt birds.
I have this Carolina dog which is a great flusher, but not a good pointer.
I'd like to school this Ridgeback with experienced pointers.
It can get expensive if I send her to a trainer, because otherwise I don't get ALOT of opportunities to flush covey after covey here in SoCal.
Again - You need Birds to train Bird dogs !!!!
Any tips would be appreciated !
08-02-2009, 12:05 PM
#6
Spike
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 11
Well, I'm no expert by any means, but I can share what little I know.
First, I am very leery of having a professional trainer work with Ridgebacks. mainly because, all the trainers I know, or know of, force train for the retrieve. I have had 6 Ridgebacks, though the one I am hunting with is my first hunting Ridgeback, and they have all been extrememly soft dogs. I am sure that there are some Ridgebacks around who are not soft like mine, but I've never met one. I would never advocate using forced fetching for them. I have no doubt that doing so would ruin my dog, so I trained him myself at home.
I did, however, go to a neighbor who is a trainer and has a hunt club a few miles from my house, when we started training my pup because I wasn't even sure how to introduce him to birds. That was very helpful, and I learned that we did not need to start on pheasants. We first used pigeons, which around here are easy to find as well as cheap. Then we moved up to quail, then chukkar, and never even saw a pheasant until a few days before hunting season. So, maybe you can save yourself some $$$ by starting with pigeons, if you can find or trap them in your area.
Last thing- don't know if you are aware of this or not, but not all Ridgebacks will point. Some do, some don't, and I don't know if you can train one to do it if he isn't naturally inclined on his own.
Same with retrieving- some will retrieve naturally, some won't. My pup had a beautiful, natural retrieve when he was little, but I did not continue to work with him on it after we started training with live birds. I should have because now he is not a reliable retriever. I may try to work with him on that some more before the next season opens, but it isn't something I am very concerned about. Before I got him, I had never had a bird dog, so just having a dog who will find, flush, and mark the birds is huge to me, and mine does find all of the downed birds and marks their position. I don't mind walking over to pick them up! But I will know when I get my next Ridgeback pup to keep up with the retrieving training.
First, I am very leery of having a professional trainer work with Ridgebacks. mainly because, all the trainers I know, or know of, force train for the retrieve. I have had 6 Ridgebacks, though the one I am hunting with is my first hunting Ridgeback, and they have all been extrememly soft dogs. I am sure that there are some Ridgebacks around who are not soft like mine, but I've never met one. I would never advocate using forced fetching for them. I have no doubt that doing so would ruin my dog, so I trained him myself at home.
I did, however, go to a neighbor who is a trainer and has a hunt club a few miles from my house, when we started training my pup because I wasn't even sure how to introduce him to birds. That was very helpful, and I learned that we did not need to start on pheasants. We first used pigeons, which around here are easy to find as well as cheap. Then we moved up to quail, then chukkar, and never even saw a pheasant until a few days before hunting season. So, maybe you can save yourself some $$$ by starting with pigeons, if you can find or trap them in your area.
Last thing- don't know if you are aware of this or not, but not all Ridgebacks will point. Some do, some don't, and I don't know if you can train one to do it if he isn't naturally inclined on his own.
Same with retrieving- some will retrieve naturally, some won't. My pup had a beautiful, natural retrieve when he was little, but I did not continue to work with him on it after we started training with live birds. I should have because now he is not a reliable retriever. I may try to work with him on that some more before the next season opens, but it isn't something I am very concerned about. Before I got him, I had never had a bird dog, so just having a dog who will find, flush, and mark the birds is huge to me, and mine does find all of the downed birds and marks their position. I don't mind walking over to pick them up! But I will know when I get my next Ridgeback pup to keep up with the retrieving training.
