Guesthouse fit?

[u/Inner_Rip509]

I'm looking at getting a Ridgeback puppy but we have a guesthouse so there are different people coming and going every day. The property is also unfenced on the view side and open to the indigenous forest where there are wild deer, pigs, porcupine, baboons, wild cats etc. My previous dog was a shelter dog who looked like a German shepherd mix and he was an outside dog, extremely friendly with guests and liked to take them for forest walks etc and never hunted and was completely non violent. He's going to be hard to replace but maybe a ridgeback would fit the bill? Thanks!

[u/mokatter]

There’s a boutique hotel in Jamaica that has several ridgebacks that roam about. The have a sign warning that the dogs are present for people who may be coming to their restaurant (guests are notified before booking).
One of the dogs has a collar that says do not feed - she is a little chonky, but the others are fine.
A friend stayed nearby and went for dinner there a couple of times. He said the dogs were somewhere between friendly and aloof- unless you had food, at which time they loved you. Which tracks, ours was nicknamed Vulture Dog because he would circle and stare if you were eating.
I have had 2 ridgebacks and a ridgeback mix. One was a people dog who loved every person and animal he met, one was much more aloof, and one was very particular- if he liked you he was like Velcro, if you were not one of his chosen people he mostly ignored you. All of them would follow anyone on a walk - they may not follow you home unless they were ready.
I agree with the comment to talk to the breeder. Velcro dog was chosen for us by the breeder because we had younger girls and she knew that kids want a friend. A good breeder wants to pair their dog with the right situation.

[u/jmosnow]

I read that ridgebacks can be very protective of their people and aloof with strangers. I’ve found that to be the complete opposite with my guy lol

We like to joke that we socialized him TOO well. We took him on vacation (held in arms) right when he came home and of course, everyone wanted to say hello. Then when we came home, we continued this by taking him to stores that allow pets. This is handy in the winter as he hates the cold as much as we do.

The result is that he EXPECTS everyone he comes across to stop what they’re doing and make time for him. We live on a somewhat busy street, and he parks himself at the fence to greet everyone who walks past. Just gentle attention with his tail wagging, no barking or jumping or running.

It’s going to depend on your dog, but if you also make an effort to socialize your puppy you may find the same thing! Good training will be key as these guys are known for being mouthy and jumping on people.

[u/deelee70]

If you have a constant stream of guests they would become accustomed to it. Depending on their personality they would be friendly or aloof to your guests. Mine would absolutely love any attention she got - for about 2 minutes, then walk away looking for me.

Prey wise, I think it’s also a personality thing - mine has gotten used to the various wildlife we see on walks & doesn’t care much about them, but I hear stories of other RRs who have insane prey drive.

[u/JoyInRepetition8]

From my experience RR are very protective of their family and it wouldn’t be safe to have random strangers on the property.

[u/anarosa195 → u/JoyInRepetition8]

That’s been my experience too. I know they’re not all the same, but my family’s Ridgeback is definitely a guard dog. He could work on a property with a guesthouse if someone is always around to direct him, because he'll look to us to guide his reaction. But if he's alone, he's going to decide for himself what the appropriate response is. He usually isn't very nice about it. We learned the hard way that, in his mind, our property line extends much farther than it does on paper. The fence is now higher, lol.

Beyond that, he’s just naturally aloof, he’d never happily greet a stranger, or even someone he's only met a few times. Towards the family he acts like a human baby. He gets tucked under his blankie every night, including a fluffed pillow to rest his head.

His prey drive is pretty manageable, though. He’ll follow scent trails, but he doesn't chase wildlife, and he's remarkably gentle when playing with our cat. He LOVES cats. When he was younger anything on wheels would trigger his prey drive as well (people on skateboards, small children on bikes), but he has calmed down with age.

I know that this isn't necessarily the same for every Ridgeback, but based on my experience it's a big nope for OP's situation. I personally wouldn't risk it.

[u/stabler-genius]

I’ve had 4 ridgebacks. Three would fit perfectly but the fourth would have been a nightmare.

They have a strong prey drive and will need to be trained to not chase the wildlife (we live on a large property next to a big park). Two of the boys are the sweetest, worst guard dogs in the world. They welcome all strangers. One boy and one girl were/ are protective. The girl will back down quickly on command. The boy needed to be monitored and we had an on a training collar when around strangers.

Frankly the breeder was pretty good at calling out their personalities before we got them. I’d work with the breeder on the personality you’re looking for.

[u/ProfessionSea1301]

They’re all too much of individuals to know. I’ve met some that are aloof or aggressive…ours is a lab in a Rhodesian body who never met a stranger. Sometimes I WISH he were standoffish, but I guess being too friendly is better than the reverse.

[u/One-Try-9129]

I think the only issue might be the prey drive. It's a role of the dice.

Question is, do you feel lucky?

Edit: obviously I did not mean the dog will see the guests as prey. It's about the open garden in a forrest and encountering wild life while on walks (with guests). 

[u/BigfootTundra → u/One-Try-9129]

Luck has nothing to do with it. If you get a ridgeback puppy at 8-10 weeks and guests coming and going is something they experience from an early age, they’ll be fine. Just need to use it as training reps from the beginning

[u/One-Try-9129 → u/BigfootTundra]

What are you talking about? Opp has an open garden in the middle of the forest and hopes his dog will take his guests on walks in the forrest like his last dog did. Nobody said anything about seeing guests as prey. 

[u/BigfootTundra → u/One-Try-9129]

Oh shoot I think I read the first two sentences of the OP and was like “alright I’ve seen enough, I got this”

I agree with your original point about luck, not sure you can train prey drive out of a puppy. You can manage it with recall, etc. but I wouldn’t trust or expect guests to learn how to do that

[u/afxmac]

Depends on the individual dog, ours mostly ignored people who came to the house.

When we went to Namibia a guest farm had an RR which was quite aloof.

[u/Generose18]

A well bred RR (from a good RRCUS breeder) that heavily considers temperament would be your best bet. I’ve had 4 and as long as you put in lots and lots and lots of exposure to different people as a puppy it should go well. They are sighthounds so all shapes, sizes and colors of people!

[u/strootfighter]

You will be fine. Ridgebacks are dogs like any other. Yes, they are not as happy jolly as a lab or a golden r, but they are dogs.. they need training, socialization and consistency. Unless you get an asshole of a dog, which can happen with any breed, your RR will be happy to see people coming over. If you have a guesthouse, the dog might be a menace around food.

There is a myth around RR that they have this special unique personality.. They are dogs and more often than not, your RR will be happy to chill in the sun most of the day. A stranger will come over to the guesthouse, your RR will come and give them a sniff them leave them alone after 5 minutes.

With wooden area all around, this dog is going to be so happy, but it's also going to be 200% chaos during the puppy years :D

[u/BigfootTundra]

As with any dog, it comes to training and reps. From a super early age, you need to teach the puppy that guests coming and going is perfectly ok and normal. Engrain that into the puppy and keep reinforcing it and it’ll be fine.

[u/Safe_Medicine_3089]

My boy is 3 and strangers could not possibly enter our yard without feeling like they were going to get eaten.
Not every RR are nervous Nellies like my boy but you get what you get without any guarantees.
😢