Rhodesian Ridgeback vs. German Shepherd as a new dog

I've never been around the Ridgebacks.

I have known several older male German Shepherds - calm, mellow, gentle. I'd like to adopt an older dog like them some day...
 
In a hunting forum there were some interesting comments about Ridgebacks. Those who knew both the African and American dogs said the African ones were very fine in every way but the American ones were not becauswe they had been screwed up by the AKC !!
 
Not sure if it's a concern but some insurance companies are listing GSD's along with Rotties and Pits as a "dangerous" breed. Dump trucks full of stuidity on their part but you may want to check with your home owners company.
 
bmilla35 said:
Yeah...add sick along with those feelings. :grumpy::thumbdn::(:mad:

That is truly depressing. I hope more people watch this also, as its a real eye opener
Click to expand...

--problem is most people will not watch it--

I'm glad you did Bro
 
I cannot speak on the ridgeback, but I have owned 3 different breeds of shepherds and the German shepherd is a good dog when trained early. Mine was always ready to run around in the woods and was the most obedient dog I ever owned next to the Malinois.
 
I have had a few German Shepherds. My preference is for a straighter topline and back legs more squarely under the dog. This is contrary to current show breeding which personally think is less structurally sound. That is my opinion and no doubt many disagree. If you pick a GSD puppy you want full health clearance for the parents and you want to see their disposition. Popularity has taken a toll on the breed and I have seen examples that were fearful or overly aggressive. I have also seen very loyal and intelligent ones. The coat will get everywhere -- especially the undercoat.

I have less experience with Ridgebacks, very little in fact. Still, health and history are critical.

Another option is adoption from a rescue. A good rescue can evaluate temperament of an adult dog and you can get some idea of health. Of course there are no guarantees.

I have done a fair amount of fostering for rescues, mostly livestock guardians though (Anatolian Shepherds and Anatolian/Pyr mixes). We did foster one German Shepherd and he was adopted pretty fast. There may be a German Shepherd and/or a Ridgeback rescue close to you that can give you a chance to meet some dogs and evaluate them.

I would love to have another Shepherd sometime if I knew I was getting the right genetics, but my wife likes the livestock guardians so much I may never be able to talk her into anything different.

Lots of Shepherds turn up in shelters but the rescue would be a better bet unless you are pretty good at evaluating dogs yourself.
 
lvbuckeye27 said:
only if you got one without the ridge. why the hell would you knowingly spend money on a dog that has spina bifida?
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You got a source on that one?

Besides that completely objective video that compares dog breeders to Hitler. I can show you some great PETA videos on why you should be a vegan.
Even the video doesnt state that the ridge is caused by spina bifida. It states that a condition similar to spina bifida might be caused by the ridge 10% of the time.
Here is a web site on dermoid sinus. http://www.dermoids.com/ Holy shit there are dogs on there without ridges that have dermoid sinus. That cant be. I saw on TV that it only happened in dogs with ridges. This site took me about 2 seconds to find it was the first one that came up on google. That documentary is obviously well researched. I am sorry if this comes across harsh but that video is ridiculous.

Now I do believe that there are harms caused to indivdual dogs and to breeds by bad breeding. Sure if your lonely and need a friend go down to the pound and rescue a dog. Maybe it will be great maybe it wont. I know plenty of people who have had both experiences. If you want a dog with specific traits that will perform a certain job in a certain way then you might want to look at a pure breed. Now I know people who bought pure bred Labs that died before they reached 1 yr old, and I know too many people to count that had pure bred Labs that lived long healthy lives. Some of them were incredibly skilled hunters. Maybe the difference is in the breeder. There are alot of breeders that are just in it for the money and there are some that just absolutley love the dogs they are breeding.

Now for the original posters question. I cant really answer. I think it is best to decide what you are looking for in a dog. Then go interact with dogs of that breed. Talk to owners and breeders. Talk to other breeders about the breeders. Ask on forums. Then wait a bit and see if you still feel the same. Now if you have gone thru something like this and narrowed it down to one of the two dogs all I can tell you is that I am very happy with my Rhodesian Ridgeback. She is what I expected form what I researched. I dont agree with all the breed characteristics listed in the links in the previous posts or atleast I think they are a little vague and easy to misconstrue. If you want more info on RR feel free to PM me. I am not an expert but I would be more than happy to share my experience and point you to the people that aided me in my research.

Just so no one thinks that I am claiming to be unbiased
This is Bran aka Bran Mc Muffin
IMG_2680.jpg


Shes over a year old now and a lot bigger. She really is a sweetheart.

Matt
 
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I just watched the video and for some reason im not surprised.. I dont remember seeing even one german shepherd that didnt have some kind of hip problem. As was mentioned before the breed them for that look that is realy not how they should look like for a working dog.. If you look at the ones breed in Germany or check out the ones from Russia. You might be surprised they look diffrent the Russian shepherd are much bigger. The hind legs dont go back as much. They also have more energy and dont like to sleep all day.. My dad is a die hard Shepherd person. I love dobermans, My pup was pure breed but his him mom was black and his dad brown\red. Im lucky that he went after his mom as his dad was stupid lol. I walked him for 3-4 hours each day for miles and miles had to buy shoes every two months as i wore them out and made him ran up steep hills. Most of the time you would do better with mutts for health reasons. Never had a ridgback but i would get one as you have better chance of getting a healthy pup. Dont worry about the dog it self if you like to be active the dog would grow up active as well and stay active teach the dog well and he would be smart( unless its a dalmatian they are hopeless)...

Sasha
 
I have done research on various dogs for a few years now, visiting various kennels and forums in order to select the right dog. Owning an animal is a lifetime commitment imo. If you are in the u.s. finding high quality german shepherd is a tough thing. unless you are willing to lay down a lot of money. I'm talking about 3000 plus. American german shepherd have been ruined for the most part because of their popularity. Ridgeback is the way to go. If you have your heart set on a german shepherd, may i suggest you look into the shilo shepherd.
 
Oakietree said:
Besides that completely objective video that compares dog breeders to Hitler.
Click to expand...

google "eugenics."

the documentary did not compare dog breeders to Hitler. they said that the principles of eugenics influence dog breeding, especially on the show circuit. Hitler was mentioned because he was the person who took the principles of eugenics to their most logical and diabolical conclusions...

sorry. i'm out of the conversation now.
 
If you are going to put the time and effort into getting quality stock, then either would be ok, IF they fit your lifestyle and family dynamics. I Love most dogs, but for me and mine, (non-hippo) PB's, Blackmouth Curs, and maybe a Patterdale fit the bill.

Beckerhead
 
lvbuckeye27 said:
google "eugenics."

the documentary did not compare dog breeders to Hitler. they said that the principles of eugenics influence dog breeding, especially on the show circuit. Hitler was mentioned because he was the person who took the principles of eugenics to their most logical and diabolical conclusions...

sorry. i'm out of the conversation now.
Click to expand...

I am quite familiar with the term "eugenics" and still say that bringing hitler into it is nothing but an emotional ploy. People have been "guiding the evolution" of domesticated animals from the time they were first domesticated. The video has an agenda. It was obviously poorly researched because it took me no time to find a dog with dermoid sinous without a ridge. I didnt even get into the fact that most sources dont even link dermoid sinous with spina bifida. Saing it is what causes the ridge is pure ignorance.

Of course your out of the conversation. You couldnt even address my question.

Matt
 
Veterinary Dictionary: Rhodesian ridgeback
Top Home > Library > Animal Life > Veterinary DictionaryA large, very muscular dog with a short, light to red wheaten coat. The distinctive feature of the breed is a band (ridge) of hair over the spine, between the neck and hips, in which the hairs grow in the reverse direction. Called also African lion hound. The breed is predisposed to the occurrence of dermoid sinuses associated with the ridge.

IS THIS INCORRECT BRO>>??
 
WILLIAM.M said:
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

GERMAN SHEPHERDS ARE RANKED #3

THE POLICE AND MILITARY USE THEM--BECAUSE THEY HAVE FOUND NOTHING BETTER YET THAT THE GERMAN SHEPHERDS GIVE THEM-ALL IN ONE PACKAGE.

THEY ARE NOT PERFECT--BUT MIGHT BE PERFECT FOR YOU(LIKE THEY ARE FOR ME)

http://www.famousdogbreeds.com/smartestbreeds.html
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Some German Shepherds are still used.
Belgian Malinois are now the breed of choice in most Military.

Mals mature faster,have a longer working life,are much much healthier and have much more speed endurance and heat tolerance.
However,they're race cars and need to be raised and handled correctly.
GSD are more forgiving of hander error.
In the Dutch KNPV "Royal Dutch Police dog" program they have what's called "Meckels" Mixed working dogs.
Most KNPV dogs are this,they are a combination of GSD, Dutch Shepherd,Malinous and some all kinds of things.Dane,Boxer,Pit-Bulldog.
These are the healthiest working dogs in the world because genetic variation is allowed in the gene-pool.
This is how early dogs were bred by man.
The best herders,or bullfighters or hunters were bred together and the best of those were then bred.
Now people who think they know something about dogs breed based on a written conformation based on a preconceived notion of what a working dog should look like not testing and training to find the best working dogs.
This is based on two things. Ignorance and greed.
To allow dogs with genetic defects or who produce genetic defects more than normal should be a criminal offense.
To breed without extensive health,character and temperament testing is also criminal/unethical and show breeders have ruined dogs and caused untold suffering of dogs and their owners.

That lady in the video by the BBC someone posted is the norm.
She knows her dog is genetically defective but has bred 23 litters anyway and the AKC allows it and gives out papers without any warning to people paying over a thousand dollars each for these puppies.
Figure it out 1,000 to 3,000 a pup,23 litters say 7 pups a litter.
Lots of money in breeding defective show dogs and the AKC and friends all get their cut.Pride and money is what American Show dogs are about.
That is Grand Theft and a crime against humanity as far as I'm concerned.
I'm all for freedom but something needs to change because this genetic bottle-neck will end up destroying all dogs as we know them.
The AKC even gives "Papers" to puppy farms puppies! What good is the AKC or UKC or any of the crap registries in America,if they don't have the health of the dogs as their top priority?
The knowledge of breeding great dogs is there and it's not necessary to breed mutts or only hybrids.
However,it's impossible to breed to American Show standards without ruining the dogs.
Stud books need to be opened like they were when the breeds were being formed. The AKC needs to be put out of business and breeding dogs need to be tested by real dog men and modern technology not show wackos out to make a buck.
Also breeding the modern Pug,Bulldog,Neapolitan Mastiff,etc to AKC standards is cruelty plain and simple.
Bulldogs never looked like that historically and you only need to look at the modern Strain of American Bulldogs called "Old English White" or "Performance Strain" to see what "Bulldogs" looked like because they're still here and never changed because Southern farmers needed them to guard their farms and work their cattle and hogs.
Show dogs are the animals that change,they change on the whim of judges
and popular exaggerated characteristics which are actually detrimental to the health and working ability of the dog.
The early German Shepherd Dog looked more like modern Malinois and some were brindle.
When a written standard for GSD was written Brindle was not included and the Dutch police trainers snatched them up and look at the difference now between a Dutch Shepherd and a German SHEPHERD which at one time not long ago were the same dog.
Show standards changes the structure,character and integrity of the dogs over time,NOT preserve it.

Rant over.
 
My wife's old boss used to raise and breed Ridgebacks. They seemed darn stubborn to me and headstrong compared to a Sheppard so I'd have to say they are not as easily trained and probably don't respond to learning as well. Oh, it was also noted that she could hardly keep some of them in their pins. The darn dogs were escape artists determined to hunt with or without their owner. This was in Alaska and I know of at least one that never was found. Probably ran in with a big Grizzly.

Just a guess.

STR
 
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