Rhodesian Ridgeback

[dspohn]

I came across these dogs online and they seem really cool. But the topic on if these dogs can be bird dogs our not always seems to be debated. Just wondering if anyones ever had one of these dogs our has seen any of them hunt birds?

Thanks

[nofishfisherman]

I've never seen them hunt birds but just in case you ever want to hunt lion you'd be all set.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I've never heard of anyone hunting with one, but I have met several and they are really cool dogs and very beautiful. That said, they need lots and lots of exercise. If you're a runner, a ridgeback would probably be a great running companion.

[mpester]

My family had one when I was a kid. She was a top show dog. My parent's rented her to Jerry Jones to have a litter of puppies. I always thought it was strange to rent out a dog like that - especially since we lived in D.C. and hated the Cowboys!

That dog was one tough dog. One day I saw her run down a medium doe and catch it in midair and kill it. She was a very good family dog and good with other people. They do have about the worst breath of any dog I have ever been face to face with. The dog we had would not have been a good bird hunter. She could not handle to cold very well. They do need a lot of outdoor time with room to run. If I wanted a bird dog, I would look for anther breed. If I wanted a cool dog, this is one I would put on the short list.

[OutlawTorn]

My family had one when I was a kid. She was a top show dog. My parent's rented her to Jerry Jones to have a litter of puppies. I always thought it was strange to rent out a dog like that - especially since we lived in D.C. and hated the Cowboys!

That dog was one tough dog. One day I saw her run down a medium doe and catch it in midair and kill it. She was a very good family dog and good with other people. They do have about the worst breath of any dog I have ever been face to face with. The dog we had would not have been a good bird hunter. She could not handle to cold very well. They do need a lot of outdoor time with room to run. If I wanted a bird dog, I would look for anther breed. If I wanted a cool dog, this is one I would put on the short list.

I agree with these statements. They are REALLY cool dogs...altogether worthless in the field due to their inability to withstand the cold and their huge range without pointing instinct.

[Steve Foss]

Can a dog bred to course lions in Africa be trained to hunt birds? Sure. Can it lead to the trainer tearing his/her hair out 99 out of 100 times? Sure.

And I agree with some of the above sentiments. Tenacious athletes, the RRs I've seen, grace in action.

[BearCreekFarm]

I just had to join this forum so that I could respond to this thread, which I came across while surfing the internet.

You can, indeed, hunt birds with a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

I know that because I have one and I use him for, not only bird hunting, but other game species as well. He is truly an all-around, versatile hunting dog. He also happens to be my conformation show dog in the "off" season, lol.

If anyone is interested in seeing some pictures you can check out his blog at:

http://tchakasadventureblog.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

I do have to give advance warning, though- it is not a hunting blog, just a goofy little puppy blog, so you'll have to ignore the silly stuff.

Cheers, and Happy Hunting,

BearCreekFarm

[dspohn]

Thanks for the feedback, ive seen videos on you tube of them hunting birds but im just not sure if all of them could hunt our just a special few, either way they are still very cool dogs.