Rhodesian Ridgeback

[Heym SR20]

For a reasonable deer dog you want a dog that is intelligent but biddable so that it will keep close to you. Some like to have them free, others keep them in a long leash.

Most dogs will soon get the hang of scenting deer, and be able to follow a blood trail to a shot deer to a reasonable standard for a high percentage of occasions when a dog is useful. Mostly deer once shot don’t go that far, but have fallen into thick cover. Here a dog will easily find the deer much much more quickly than on your own.

Where a true tracking dog comes into its own is for that occasion when a deer is wounded and has gone a long way. This is where the specialist dog that has been properly trained and with lots of experience can follow a wounded deer amongst a herd of deer over many miles. Training such a dog is a big commitment of time and effort, and it then needs plenty of work to do. It’s probably a dog for a professional.

But going back to OP, Ridgebacks are intelligent dogs and can probably be a good hunting companion with a nose good enough to find most shot deer.

 

[PostmanPat]

I own a German sheperd dog 3 years old and they are a tracking dog mine will track anything I command him to, he arrived at 16weeks old from czech with in a week he would track my son approx 500 yards across field over small stream in to wood .I have 2 gwps and the german sheperds nose is a long way better than there's I sent him to find a shot roe buck and since then he marks unshot deer on the wind ,also hell of a protection dog

Handsome dog

 

[nic531]

I had a pair of accidental crossed lab ridgebacks.
although i am very good at not letting my dogs get overweight they weighed in at 45 and 40 kgs - small they were not although no fat.
One would retrieve but was slow and methodical... ok with his nose but not great. the other had a fantastic nose but would not pick up a dead thing!
I got them for pets, but was also using for wildfowling and pigeon shooting at the time.
the bigger more methodical was a nightmare around other dogs being very protective of me.
they were great with humans unless you got angry and shouted at me. Then the ridge came up and the growl and bark started and you best back away.

they were not the best at anything, but they were great.
the photo was not posed, taken from a bedroom window as they loved to sit in those two chairs in the sun trap area of the garden

 

[long_range_rob]

If all else failed it could double as a garron

 

[Mungo]

Has anyone used a rigeback as a stalking dog? Keen to hear experiences and how training went

Mine was hopeless. Got very cold very fast, even on mild days if it was wet. Nose very mediocre, and showed little interest in deer, alive or dead. Then got gun shy.

They weren’t bred for any kind of hunting. They were bred as stock defence dogs, whose role was to lie around until something threatened the herd, then make a lot of noise and look threatening.

 

[Mungo]

I thought they were originally a scenting dog used to track lions in SA

No.

Stock defence first. People have managed to do other things with them, but it hunting was not a priority in the original breeding.

 

[Dunwaters]

Intention is to have it follow me stalking and be trained predominantly in tracking, should the need arise. I don't currently have a dog.

Agree about the working stock point. The other option I'm interested in is a working German Shepherd. There are obviously a number of good breeders over here. Not a traditional gun dog but they are excellent trackers.... Just so much bloody hair

Oooww yes!
A shepherd, great choice. Lots of them out there and one of the handsomest dogs on the planet. Theres a reason that armed forces and police all over the planet put them into service in critical roles.

 

[Rusty Gate]

They are a guarding breed not a hunting or tracking breed

Bred for hunting Lions they say, friend has owned two & both weren’t scent orientated at all & mostly scared if their own shadow lol. But would stand their ground on a walk if pushed to by another over enthusiastic passing dog

 

[25 Sharps]

Bred for hunting Lions they say, friend has owned two & both weren’t scent orientated at all & mostly scared if their own shadow lol. But would stand their ground on a walk if pushed to by another over enthusiastic passing dog

I was referring to GSD not RR.

RR bred for hunting lions including scent tracking and holding them at bay whilst the hunter shot them according WIki

 

[25 Sharps]

No.

Stock defence first. People have managed to do other things with them, but it hunting was not a priority in the original breeding.

Not according to Wikipedia and several other sources, originally for hunting as above, several other species including lions.

'The Rhodesian Ridgeback can claim its origins in South Africa although little is known of the very early history. It appears likely the forerunner of the Ridgeback we know today evolved from the Hunting Dogs of South West Africa, ridged dogs highly prized by the native Hottentots, and the European Settlers sporting breeds. Cornelius Van Rooyen, a big game hunter, developed the breed and found they possessed excellent instinctive hunting abilities, and an abundance of courage, ideal for use as lion hunting dogs. The dogs worked by harassing the lion, using constant and cleverly made feint attacks that held the lion at bay giving the hunter exactly what he was looking for, a deliberate shot at close range. To do this effectively needed a dog of courage, agility, endurance and instinctive skills.'

History

 

[Dan Newcombe]

Not speaking from a deep knowledge of the breed but I can’t see them being a great choice.

I’ve never seen one in the flesh trained to even a basically decent standard and the ones I have seen come across as cowards and bullies and are very high strung to the point of being liabilities.

Obviously not the case with all of them but from what I’ve seen - those ones have been and they are pretty serious dogs up close.

They should in theory be a shoo in for Australian pig hunters - but they are rarely used because they are caffe hearted.

If you had one - go for it. If you are getting something, i would get something else.

 

[Dunwaters]

They are a guarding breed not a hunting or tracking breed

They’ll both hunt and track if that’s what you want them to do.
Not every dog will perform the same way but most dogs will hunt because they like it and most Shepherds will track to a high standard, which is why they’re used in SAR and recovery applications

 

[Rusty Gate]

I was referring to GSD not RR.

RR bred for hunting lions including scent tracking and holding them at bay whilst the hunter shot them according WIki

Ah miss read it, my bad lol

 

[bowji john]

My 2nd favourite breed

As a child I had a cross between RR and great Dane- soft as sadsa

Also jack Russels which are not

Both make good bush dogs breeds but I’ve not trained any to the gun

 

[Dan Newcombe]

I think that the RR in this country is a very different proposition to those in its homeland.

Who is breeding good working ridgebacks and how are they testing them in this country - they aren’t.

 

[Mungo]

Not according to Wikipedia and several other sources, originally for hunting as above, several other species including lions.

'The Rhodesian Ridgeback can claim its origins in South Africa although little is known of the very early history. It appears likely the forerunner of the Ridgeback we know today evolved from the Hunting Dogs of South West Africa, ridged dogs highly prized by the native Hottentots, and the European Settlers sporting breeds. Cornelius Van Rooyen, a big game hunter, developed the breed and found they possessed excellent instinctive hunting abilities, and an abundance of courage, ideal for use as lion hunting dogs. The dogs worked by harassing the lion, using constant and cleverly made feint attacks that held the lion at bay giving the hunter exactly what he was looking for, a deliberate shot at close range. To do this effectively needed a dog of courage, agility, endurance and instinctive skills.'

History

I think Wikipedia is wrong here. I think it’s presenting mythology as fact.

My understanding comes from having owned two and grown up around people who owned and bred them in Southern Africa. Nobody I knew out there ever used them as hunting dogs.

 

[25 Sharps]

I think Wikipedia is wrong here. I think it’s presenting mythology as fact.

My understanding comes from having owned two and grown up around people who owned and bred them in Southern Africa. Nobody I knew out there ever used them as hunting dogs.

Pretty much every source on the internet notes the breed starting out as a cross between native semi wild tribal dogs with Dutch dogs for the purpose of hunting. Your pair came along pretty late to the party as did everyone you knew personally, what modern dogs are used for is not always the same as what the breed was used for originally.

 

[Heym SR20]

Reading the above and also the likes of Selous, hunting lions etc was much more an affair of cornering a lion and holding it at bay till you could kill it. A lot was on the back of a horse with riidgebacks running alongside. This is much more of a role for a dog that is fearless and protects its master rather than a hunting dog in the sense of a pointer / retriever.

Best description of Ridgebacks is in “story like the wind” and “a far of place”.

But having lived in Africa with farm Ridgebacks, the ones that are in the UK are very different to African ones.

But like all breeds, there is huge variation in the individuals and their abilities.

 

[Pete6.5]

The only experience we have had with them was one ripping a Muntjac apart having coursed it out of an FC wood with public access and killed it in the next field to ewes about to lamb. The owner had a pack of them with her.

A person walks one on my permission and it's chased and killed a few deer

 

[Hunter300]

So did I.

And you’ll both be half correct, they are originally from Rhodesia we just nicked them across the border.
Seen them working as exactly that when I was younger and they were BRILLIANT on tracking!