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I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback pup (seven months old now) who I'm training
to go on conditioning rides and to stay tied up in camp during
events.
He's wonderful. Very good around horses. Tireless
at the trot, which I'm having to restrict him on, as I want his joints to
mature fully before we do more than a 3 mile around the pasture jaunt.
Just a big, goofy, happy to be here pup. Who manages to scare the
be-jesus out of guys at stop lights and gas stations.
I can't reccomend
'em enough. I did research into all the large dog breeds and kept coming
up time and time again with hip problems in most of them once they got about
five years old.
The RR's kept testing clear. Everyone who
had a RR said they were like the Energizer Bunny; they keep going and going
and going even up into their late teens.
They were bred to hunt lions
in the brush in South Africa. They take the heat, the rough terrain and
long distances in stride.
****This is interesting, not my experiences with
RR at all. I have had two, and both were big couch potatoes that
disliked going jogging or with the horses. I always liked the breed, and
they were bred to run and hunt with horses. Both of mine would go to the
front of the house and ask to come in when I went out to hitch
up!!!
My first one was a rescued show champ and had
excellent conformatoin. MY second, a female was daughter of one of the
top sires in the country, and a bitch also well bred. Both parents
had OFA excellent hips. It was a bad litter, out of 7 pups, 5 died
immediately, mine had no ridge, and her littermate had two crowns. Mine
ended up with significant hip dysplasia, diagnosed at a little over a
year. The littermate had a nasty disposition and bit her owner in
the face.
I truly encourage anyone with a big breed to
limit exercise the entire first year, and possible until 18 months, and don't
think of conditioning or long rides until AFTER you take a look at those hips
on xray.
I did like the appearance of the breed and
disposition. But they just did not want to do the things I liked to
do!
Karen (now dealing with a Cattledog that is an
excelllent trail and jogging dog and keeps heeling my horses-any tips on how
to break this bad habit?)