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 In November 2003, I became the proud mom of a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named Calamity Jane (CJ for short). We had spent a LOT of time researching dogs in order to make the right decision where timing & breed were concerned. I chose the Ridgeback because of their temperament, athletic ability, grooming requirements & looks.
Why a Ridgeback?
Ridgebacks are generally pretty laid back dogs. I'm told they are 'aloof with strangers' although to date, CJ has not received that memo. She loves everyone. They make excellent guard dogs and require no training as their protective instincts where their immediate family are concerned are very strong. That being said, they are not aggressive dogs. If you don't mess with their people, they won't mess with you.
 I work at home so I needed a dog that would chill out with me in the office all day but at the same time, I wanted a dog that would also hike for 12 hours, uphill, both ways. This is a difficult combination to come by. Most of the more athletic dogs seem to be more high needs. But Ridgebacks are the ultimate couch potato. We can easily skip a day of walking when its raining & miserable outside. But on the trail, she's raring to go. She will even be able to carry a significant pack which will be nice. She can carry all her stuff and then some!
Ultimately, I'm pretty lazy & a bit anal about cleanliness & odor. Ridgebacks shed very little and don't require more than a brush once a week or so. Bathing her is pretty easy and takes about 10 minutes. He nice short hair dries quickly. They have dry mouths so slobber isn't an issue and as long as we keep her relatively clean, she doesn't smell.
Of course she's beautiful too :) Ridgebacks are one of the only breeds where you can see a marked difference between the males & females. The males tend to be larger & stockier while the females top out around 85lbs and have a more sleek & elegant look to them. They are in the hound category & really have that 'dog's dog' hound look about them - big floppy ears, long nose, tail like a whip. Her coat is gorgeous. The technical term for it is 'red wheaten' but if you look closely you'll see several colors make up her coat... often several shades on one hair. Perhaps the best known physical feature of this breed is the distinctive 'ridge' of hair running the opposite way down the back.
Training
 These dogs are extremely intelligent and known to have some dominance issues (more so the males than the females but its still prevalent in females) so I didn't want to take any chances. We enrolled in obedience classes with DogSmart as soon as she was old enough. She did GREAT. These classes really helped us both. I'm not looking for perfection. At the end of the day, I just want a well mannered companion who will come when called. Through the beginner program at Dogsmart, we learned many basic commands including, sit, stay, stand, lie down, watch me, here, off & come. What I particularly liked about DogSmart was their philosophy around correction & training. There was no choke chains & yanking on the neck. In fact, we were taught to use the leash as an emergency safety device rather than as tool. Our dogs were trained to first watch our body language and then listen to our commands. By staying focused on each other, it was relatively easy to get her to respond without having to resort to force.
We still have a long way to go. I plan to enroll in their intermediate class soon. I'm quite certain that I could not call her off a bear (although I did call her off a rabbit the other day and she is getting much better about listening to me when there are other dogs around). I feel that it is extremely important to train your dog if you are going to be taking it out in the backcountry and even more so when you have a large dog.
Much more coming soon including:
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