Good Speed, Good Nose
For many years it has been an article of faith that in the Hound Group, the Sighthounds had splendid speed but little scenting ability, while the Scenthounds had splendid noses but plodding speed. And, in the words of Rudyard Kippling in his “Barrack-room Ballads,” “Ne’er the twain shall meet.”
But, like most things that are believed without being questioned or doubted, there is at least one hound breed that combines good speed with a good nose, according to those who own Rhodesian Ridgebacks. While definitely not as fast as the pure gazehounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks can hit respectable speeds up to 30 miles per hour, and their scenting abilities have been good enough to propel some to tracking titles, including one that earned his tracking championship.
The Ridgeback gets its namesake ridge from a semi-wild hunting dog used by the Khoikhoi people who lived on the Cape Peninsula at the southwest extremity of the African continent. Dogs brought to southern Africa by the European colonists – including Greyhounds, terriers, long-legged Bulldogs and later Great Danes –bred with these indigenous African dogs. These matings resulted in what became known as the Boerhund, the chief forerunner to the modern Rhodesian Ridgeback, whose most distinctive feature was the strip of hair growing in the reverse direction along the dog’s back.
Big game hunter Cornelis van Rooyen became enamored of two rough-coated gray ridged females owned by the pastor who officiated at his wedding and bred his dogs to these females. The ridged dogs that resulted became the foundation for a breed with the ability to bay a lion – not attack it outright, but rather harass it until the hunter arrived to shoot it. They were also used to clear farmland of wild pigs and baboons, and they were tough enough to kill baboons outright with no help from a hunter. While the breed was used extensively as a farm and hunting dog in southern Africa (including Rhodesian, now known as Zimbabwe), it wasn’t until 1955 that the Rhodesian Ridgeback was recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club.
Hudzon (MBIF TC Walker’s Shombay of LeCreme VCD1 RE MC LCX LCM2 HIC TDI CGC TT VCX), Sally Fineburg’s Rhodesian Ridgeback, displays his delight at getting his first Best in Field trophy.
Because of what the breed was developed to do, Ridgebacks tend to have a serious independence streak. This can pose some challenges for their owners.
“If they are properly ‘cultivated,’ Ridgebacks are versatile, willing partners with unconditional devotion to their owners or handlers. That said, both my dog and I have had to have a learning curve with each sport we’ve done,” says Sally Fineburg, whose triple championship with her dog Hudzon (MBIF TC Walker’s Shombay of LeCreme VCD1 RE MC LCX LCM2 HIC TDI CGC TT VCX) was the result of championships in the field, the show ring and tracking. “In addition to the technical aspects of each sport, I had to learn how to become the person my dog needed me to be. This, in my opinion, is an essential element in training Ridgebacks. Once I discovered a way that worked, it brought out the best in my dog.”
Fineburg notes that Ridgebacks are independent thinkers and decision makers.
“They are African farm dogs bred to be protectors of the homestead and family as well as hunt in small packs where they keep large game at bay until the hunters arrive. It’s in their DNA to use their own critical reasoning and intelligence. They do not rely on their handler for direction. So, when training, I partner with my Ridgebacks and get their ‘buy-in’ on whatever it is that we are doing.”
Hudzon finished his triple championship by earning his VST title, which, combined with his other tracking titles, made him a tracking champion along with his conformation and lure-coursing championships.
It’s frequently necessary to take breaks from training with a Ridgeback, according to Carol Vesely, whose dog Indy (FC MACH3 PACH Northstar’s Let Freedom Ring MC UD TDX FCh RM3 RAE2 MXC MJC MXP2 MJPB MXPB PAX CGC HIC VCX) was the first Ridgeback to get an AKC VCD3 title.
“Understanding how often to take breaks and how much you can push your dog is critical if you want to continue getting good performances,” she says. “While some breeds have no problem doing three or even six classes in a single day, I’ve found that Ridgebacks generally don’t have that mental stamina, or maybe they just don’t want to work that hard! I had a dog that loved agility and did very well at it, but I couldn’t trial him three days each and every weekend. That would have been too much for him, and he loved the sport.”
The breed’s strong bond with their partners makes it possible to successfully compete in sports such as obedience, where the need for many repetitions might otherwise deter a hound, says Pat Brunstetter. Her dog Cello (TC OTCH2 Wheatridge Soloist O’Kahlu UDX8 OGM SC CGC VCX) was one whose pedigree and drive made it possible to achieve a triple championship, with one of those titles being an OTCH, while the other two were from the show ring and the field.
“You can’t make a hound get an OTCH. You have to make them want to do it, and that’s done by developing the bond Ridgebacks are capable of and then guiding that bond into the obedience ring,” Brunstetter says. “The Ridgebacks’ natural athleticism, soundness, intelligence and the strong bond they have with their partners makes them capable of attaining many different titles in a host of different sports.”
The strong bond that Cello (TC OTCH2 Wheatridge Soloist O’Kahlu UDX8 OGM SC CGC VCX) has with owner Pat Brunstetter made it possible for them to successfully compete in sports such as obedience where the need for many repetitions might otherwise deter a hound.
But no matter what sports you choose to do with Ridgebacks, she stresses, you have to keep them engaged both physically and mentally.
“You have to stay tuned to their attitudes on training and make sure it’s balanced,” Brunstetter continues. “You have to take some time to just let them be hounds, or they can get sour on whatever you are doing with them. I do this by hiking in the woods and field with my Ridgebacks, which, fortunately, is something both the dogs and I love to do.”
Alexandra Hart notes that Ridgebacks are not a typical breed for companion sports, and their personalities often present training challenges.
“For example, they can quickly tire of repetitive training ‘drills,’” she says. “Fortunately, the majority of Ridgebacks are motivated by food, and they do want to be close to their people. So, with careful and dedicated training, these motivators can produce successful training results.”
Hart’s Thorin (TC MACH6 RACH2 U-Ch URO3 Luvakis Shirley’s Thorin Eikinskjaldi CDX RM6 RAE6 FDC SC MXS2 PAD MJS2 PJD MFG TQX T2B2 THD RATN CGCA TKE FCh NOR VCX) is her first obedience dog. While they didn’t have any issues at the beginner levels, they hit some stumbling blocks as they advanced.
“Mainly, our issues were due to my lack of experience in obedience,” Hart explains. “I discovered that there were some things missing in Thorin’s foundational obedience training, and in this sport, it has been difficult to train him while at the same time learning how to train him in the more complicated exercises.”
Thorin (TC MACH6 RACH2 U-Ch URO3 Luvakis Shirley’s Thorin Eikinskjaldi CDX RM6 RAE6 FDC SC MXS2 PAD MJS2 PJD MFG TQX T2B2 THD RATN CGCA TKE FCh NOR VCX) was Hart’s first obedience dog, and that created some stumbling blocks as they advanced to the higher levels in the sport.
In agility, they had some similar issues, in that Thorin’s ability soon exceeded Hart’s understanding of the sport.
“We struggled for a time until I began working with a really good instructor and her teaching allowed me to substantially narrow the gap between my capabilities and Thorin’s potential,” she says. “I believe the key to overcoming our difficulties was persistence and perspective. I had to remember that the focus of training was to build Thorin’s confidence and to continue on despite setbacks. It definitely helps, however, to seek new insight from folks who have already been down this road a few times.”
The less training the better was what worked for Hudzon, according to Fineburg, after she nearly turned him off completely to tracking.
“He had his TD and TDX titles, and we were training for his VST (variable surface tracker) title. It was the first time I’d ever trained a dog to track, and I followed the kind of training that works well with many other breeds and successful champion tracker teams. I’d track with Hudzon multiple times every week. Well, it turned out to be too much for him. He lost his enthusiasm and work ethic. His life wasn’t balanced, and that’s really important with a Ridgeback.”
After some serious soul-searching, Fineburg decided to give her hound some time off from tracking, although they continued to have fun in other sports like lure coursing, agility and obedience. In addition, they continued their daily fun running in the woods and fields, letting Hudzon just be a hound.
When she started bringing him back to tracking, Fineburg discovered that what worked best was tracking him only once every few months. This went on for more than a year as she rediscovered her dog. Finally, almost 15 months after he soured on tracking, he successfully earned his VST, the third and final title necessary to be a champion tracker.
“It sounds so simple recapping what I did, but I took it seriously, as I knew I had let my dog down,” she says. “I’m just grateful that he had so much heart, courage and perseverance. I learned so much from that experience. First and foremost, I learn to trust – both my read of my dog and my intuition. But most of all, I learned that working with my dog was all about the journey.”
Indy (FC MACH3 PACH Northstar’s Let Freedom Ring MC UD TDX FCh RM3 RAE2 MXC MJC MXP2 MJPB MXPB PAX CGC HIC VCX), Carol Vesely’s Rhodesian Ridgeback, was the first Ridgeback to earn the AKC’s VCD3 title.
Obedience created issues for Vesely. “I’ve had dogs shut down on me when competing in obedience. They would lag, hang their heads down, and sometimes they’d sniff and pretty much ignore me.” So, now, when she sees that happening, she stops going to trials and works hard at making the sport fun and exciting again for my dogs.
“Sometimes it takes a lot of creativity to figure out how to make an otherwise boring activity, like heeling for instance, fun and exciting,” Vesely says. “Over the years, I learned to make sure the basic fundamentals are solid. Shutting down sometimes means the dog is overwhelmed and confused. But focusing on the basics and making sure my dog is really ready to enter a trial situation often helps avoid those shutdowns.”
Indy also found fun in the obedience ring.
She adds that while Ridgebacks are a wonderful breed, they can be challenging.
“They are very smart, but they can also be very manipulative. They are also very strong and powerful. In today’s social world, everyone seems to think that every dog needs to be friendly, outgoing, love other dogs and be playful all the time. Well, not all dogs want to play with other dogs and not all dogs want to be hugged. That doesn’t mean they have a bad temperament. Ridgebacks are an aloof breed, which means to be successful with them, it’s necessary to respect the temperament of each individual dog and not force them into stressful situations.”