Out of my element a bit

[Ridgebacks]

Just a guy who loves dogs with jobs. Not a hunter. Love the curs of which I believe the ridgeback is a cur. Done search-and-rescue with my dogs and protection sports. I've had one ridgeback, two German shepherds and now a Dutch shepherd. Would love to go on a hog hunt!

[dmunk]

Welcome! I'm a cur fan myself, and a fellow ridgeback owner. Did you use your ridgeback for search and rescue or protection, or both? This is a great site with alot of information and once in a while a little entertainment

[Ridgebacks]

She was my SAR dog who just happened to nail a guy who tried to carjack my truck! She had his arm so tight I actually had to pry it off! She was an amazing dog with great presence.

[dmunk]

That's great ur dog nailed the punk! I know they say never to train a ridgeback for protection work, but i've got one who i think would excel at it if given the chance.
How did your SAR ridgeback compare performance/nose wise to other SAR dogs you've owned, or others you have seen work?

[Ridgebacks]

In terms of nose, I thought my ridgeback was awesome. She'd hit from far away and never look back to see if I was following. Good stamina. One reason I switched to shepherds was the coat (or lack thereof). My ridgeback suffered not only in the winter (which was actually easier to solve) but the mosquitoes and black flies in summer really tormented her. Alot of people will think me ridiculous but I honestly think protection work (which I never did with her) would have screwed up her actual protective nature. One time I ws walking thru this small woods near my house that people used as a cut-thru. This guy had on headphones and was kinda dancing around (jerky arm movements). Well, she didn't like that at all and she lit after him. I was dumbfounded but was able to call her back. Bitework may have messed with that protective nature. (Theory, anyway.)

[Emily]

I used to have a ridgeback when I lived in a drug-infested neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. He was a lousy hunting dog but fiercely protective of me. I felt safe walking allone with him at 2 am. He had some issues with being overly protective--he hated toll takers and would go nuts in the car at toll booths. Instinctively, he never hurt anyone he protected me from, but Solomon would rise up on his hind legs pin people he didn't approve of to the wall with his feet on their shoulders and growl in their ear. Nonetheless , he was incredibly sweet to anyone he approved of, and a better judge of character than me. He was a big one--105 lbs. when in good trim. Ironically, he was afraid of our housecat, who used to leap out from behind doors and swat at his nuts. He got along with the other housecat, who was skinny and would cuddle up to him for warmth.
I've never heard of ridgebacks included as a cur breed. Ours was very much a sight hound--never wanted to range out of sight, never used his nose to trail. He certainly was not a tree dog--he never looked up. In Brooklyn, some of his dog friends would greet him from balconies and fire escapes, and he could never figure out where it was coming from.

[Ridgebacks]

Ridgebacks have alot of similar history as the curs, particularly the catahoula, from my reading. Similar builds altho the AKC/show influence has made the ridgeback way too big. I admire those folks trying to bring back the hunting ridgeback.

[stevemac]

hi ridgebacks I in Australia and have had ridgebacks for thirty five years, I totally agree that the ridgeback is for more cur than hound , I hunted my dogs over the years with varying success unfortunately the dog show world has done much to suck the hunt out of the breed and in this country there has only ever been a handful of us that have tried to keep them hunting. Emily its a funny thing the Americans are the only ones that recognise the breed as sight hounds, and this was only so they could lure course them in competition. when the bred was first recognised it was though of as a gundog for big game perhaps a more fitting description. The ridgebacks protective nature has also helped me out a couple of times stopping tools being stolen from my shed and then at one time some clown thought he could steal the dog he got to hidings that day one from the dog and one from me.

[Ridgebacks]

My neighbor once told me she always checked when my ridgeback barked. That dog never barked at anyone she knew, just strangers. Steve, thanks for sharing your insight. i would love dog show people to focus on poodles and chihuahas and leave the "real" dogs alone. In the US, it isn't unusual to see 100-lb. Male ridgebacks. Give me a 65-70 lb dog anyday.

[thomas.ames.50]

I bought my first ridgeback a few months ago, so I can't say for sure how they are for hunting but am interested in seeing if he takes to any of it. What I have noticed so far is has a decent prey drive, amazing coordination and speed. What has really impressed me is his problem solving ability & how he mirrors other dogs. You can tell he is trying to work on a stalking and pounce method and now instead of running into a circle of birds it seems like he is trying to herd them. I don't have any high hopes that he will be the next best hound but i enjoy working with dogs so I am looking forward to seeing how he progresses.

Side Note - there does seem to be a recent push to try and revitalize their hunting ability, which I support. One of the organizations is The Hunting Ridgeback Association http://www.thehra.com/index2.htm.