Our dogs are a very important part of our lives. When we decided to get a Ridgeback, we had read that they were not for the first time dog owner and they were hard to train. While this may be true in some cases, if you are a dedicated dog owner and one that does not just want a dog to pet once in a while, you can mange these dogs with consistent, positive training.
We went to Pet Smart for the basic puppy training. Not only does it help you train your dog, it also helps train you. This is basic training. This is nothing more than sit, come when called and helping you to learn how to potty train your dog. In some cases, you may need to ask for private training; however, if you are consistent and fair in your training, you most likely will not need to go that route.
We train every day. Not for hours at a time, just perhaps an command here or a command there. It enforces the pack leadership role and lets your dog know its place which is very important in the Ridgeback world. Be prepared for a bored dog during training classes. An hour of class is a little too long for a dog who is finished with training in 20 minutes. If you know this ahead of time you will save yourself some frustrating moments. Again, your best bet is to make it fun for your dog, be consistent and be fair. If you do this you will have the best dog: and a loyal, loving companion.
One more thing about this dog. They are not "yard" dogs. They want to be wherever their people are. if you intend to have your Ridgeback out in the yard in a dog house, you are in for some serious problems. You need to find another breed of dog.
