critterkiller88

I just picked up my rhodesian ridgeback, i want to start with general obedience and then go into tracking, also squirrel, coon, coyotes. im not sure how hes going to do with everything, i had him around a buck i cleaned this mornin and he was a little skittish but im sure its because hes so young. i dont see to many on the forums here so id thought id post a pic for yall. here he is

Mr. Deer Hunter

You already messed that dog up.

That dog needs to be out in the coop and not in the house.

I would start training it from the time it was 12 weeks old.

You let them kids play with that dog and you are going to have a hard time getting it to hunt. All it will want to do is play and stay in the house.

Tobe_B

Thats not necessarily true at all. I have two Catahoula Leopard/Cur dogs who have both slept in the house, played with my cousins kids and never saw a hog until they were 8 months old. And they have showed a ton of desire to hunt. One of them has completed his training and hunts with an extreme desire too work and please. The other one went to the trainers to get started on his training and his first day seeing a pig he bayed and caught it.

I know that the desire differs from breed to breed, but I still believe that just because your pup is playing and being a puppy doesn't mean that he won't hunt, especially if he was born out of two parents that hunt. And from what I understand the Rhodesian Ridge Backs have a fairly high desire to please and need a job, so it shouldn't be too hard to get him to hunt.

Now as to how to start him I have no clue, I have never had a dog that hunted any of those animals. Best bet might be to trap a squirrel, coon, or coyote so that your pup could become familiar with the animal and learn to bay it, then try and find someone who has an experienced dog that you could tag along with that might kind of mentor your pup.

Good luck with your pup, really pretty dog.

critterkiller88

i wish we had boar up here, that would be awesome to hunt. ive hunted coyotes with greyhounds for chase/bay dogs and a ridgeback for a kill dog. worked very well, and was very intelligent thats one of the reasons i went for this breed. i had him playing with my parents 160lb rottweiler today, and he would run up and grab her nose or ear and when she'd go for him he'd run like hell around her, looked just like he was bayin her! it was hilarious, but the rott was pissed so i stopped it before she laid a hurtin on my pup. this spring ill be getting him trackin in the woods, seeing if he shows any drive at all. seems to be good so far

Tobe_B

That's awesome! My pups are bred out of a working hog dog and a working cow dog. One pup does exceptionally well with hogs and shows no interest in cows. But the other one does good with hogs and can instinctively herds cows, never taught him. I'd love to hear how your pup turns out, keep us posted!

Snooky

You already messed that dog up.

That dog needs to be out in the coop and not in the house.

I would start training it from the time it was 12 weeks old.


Ignorance gone to seed!! Wait until 12 weeks to start training? Get real.
He should have been being socialized from birth. The closer the bond with his master, the more he will try to please him. Just use a small amount of common sense and keep the lessons short and fun. If the pup knows you are training him, you should back off and make everything fun so that he doesn't realize he is being trained. When he is older and ready for serious training you will find that all the simple games that you played has set a pattern in the pup through the repeated repetitions.
You can't whip a dog and make it hunt. If the pup has the hunt in him, treating him decently will never ruin him as a hunting dog.

Phil from Maine

I agree, being around family and friends have nothing to do with it. You should take him with you every chance you get so the bond is solid with you and your pup.

For as far as training goes you should be working on that right now while he is young I would recommend only 15 minute intervals for a little while so he does not loose interest. Gradully expand the training time as he gets older. You can purchase training scents to help get him started on what you want him to hunt. Make a drag with a piece of string and an old rag if you have to and douse it with some scent. Drag it around in your training area and then get your pup on the scent trail. When he does what you want reward him with a few pats and exclaim what a good dog he is. This is a decent way to get him started. Good luck with what you do to get your pup started out there.

Daveboone

Few dogs are strictly hunting dogs anymore...most are family pets also and do fine, training being equal. Just like with your kids, keep learning fun, brief and consistent. Introduce the pup to as many new experiences as you can (without frightening the pup, which it may not recover from). Keep commands specific and consistent. Use its name frequently. It isnt too late to pick up a good field dog training book. At this point really you are just working on the basics of obedience, but nothing wrong with introducing it to the smells and senses of the hunt in a fun manner.

critterkiller88

well hes only 8 weeks so im taking it slow, but he knows come, he can retrieve, releases on command, and i drug a buck hide around to see if he could find it, put a treat at the end. only about 50 ft long or so, took him awhile but he seemed to follow it, just slowly. i just want to get him started on following scents. i want to teach him obedience such as sit stay down ect but hes a little hyper still so its difficult. any other tips?

mustad

As long as you have good genetics, which I'm sure you do; the best thing you can do for your dog right now is socialization. This is what makes the difference between a good hunting dog and a great hunting dog. You have plenty of time to work on obedience. What you need to be doing right now is exposing him to as much as possible, especially kids. I never start any obedience until the dog is at least six months old. Good manners need to start right away, but let the pup be a pup now and it will pay huge dividends down the line.