At the beginning there was a decision to get a standard female, which could give us puppies, if we are lucky and manage to get her accepted onto the breeding program. Because I didn’t have any experience with breeding dogs I thought we would just raise the puppies till they are ready to be sold and would not care where they would go and probably never see them again. But after the first couple of days with Cathy I realized that I really care about the future of these puppies even long before they are born! I would be very unhappy if I didn’t know where they are, how they are doing and who their masters are.

With our first puppies things didn’t happen instantly – we had to wait quite long for Cathy to be mature enough for breeding, then we waited for her to get in heat, get the right day for mating, then for confirmation of her pregnancy……. At last we waited impatiently for long never-ending minutes for the first puppy to come out.

Maybe that’s the reason why we really cherish that we have them and that we can be with them 24 hours a day. When we watch them opening their eyes for the first time, stand themselves on their legs for the first time, we are already thinking about their future and asking who would be the best master for each of them.

So please excuse us for our nosy questions when you contact us with your interest  in one of our puppies – we ask them because we care about our darlings……

Of course we would be happy if most of our puppies were successful at shows and became wanted brood bitches and stud dogs in the future. But most important for us is to find the best homes for them – homes where they will be considered  members of a family and live happy lives. We believe our puppies will pay their love back and will be good companions for their owners for many years.

Every new owner will get from us:

•Euro passport (vaccination certificate)

•Micro - chip

•Purchase contract

•Copies of pedigree certificate of both parents

•Information on next necessary vaccinations, worming and further care of a puppy

•Information on SKCHR (Slovak club of rhodesian ridgeback breeders)

•Collar, lead, travel bowl, favorite toy and blanket with the smell of mum and siblings

•Treats and granules (or natural food)  the puppy was on until now

We expect from new owners:

•At least one personal visit

•Basic information on RR and individuality of this breed

•Confidence that  RR is the right breed for them

•Good conditions for the dog – best is the family house with garden with possibility to access the house when he needs to be with his family, or a flat

•That they are not going to breed on dogs and produce dogs without pedigree certificate in case they chose a non-standard puppy or if they don’t get the official breeding permission

We offer a lifetime friendship and advice – owners of our puppies are welcome to visit our dogs in High Tatras.

FAQ:

Is Ridgeback a suitable breed for me? Is he suitable for families with kids?

If you think a dog belongs outside in the courtyard, to the cage, if you want a dog only for guarding of your property or if you don’t know if you are going to have enough time for your dog, please, choose different breed and not a Ridgeback.

Ridgeback is a smooth-coated breed that will suffer from cold if left outside all year long (even though he is o.k. in freezing cold if he has a possibility to run and move during walks). Leaving him outside for longer in cold weather can cause huge medical problems.

Besides, RR is very social dog – if he does not have a close everyday contact with his human family he will be unhappy, hence he may become aggressive and uncontrollable. On contrary, give him long walks daily, enough attention and an opportunity to be close to you and he will become your best companion for life - quiet, reliable and you will not have to worry about destroying anything in the house or flat.

RR loves ‘his’ kids – he will allow them to do anything to him and when he has enough, he peacefully moves somewhere out of reach with no signs of aggression. When you train your puppy, don’t allow him to bite (even when playing), jump on people and especially on children – and explain your kids not to bother the dog too much with their games if he is not happy with it.

Why Ridgeback with Pedigree Certificate?

A RR with papers is not only for posh people that don’t know what to do with money and want to show off at the dog show as many people think. PC will assure that your puppy is a genuine ridgeback with the breed’s standard and not some sort of mixture looking like RR.  All his ancestors have been accepted in the official breeding program. It means they had to go through official shows and all sorts of medical examinations to make sure they didn’t suffer from joint dysplasia and have full set of properly located teeth, if they have the characteristics and looks of standard RR set by FCI. A kennel  is always careful when choosing a father for their puppies and often travels really long distances. All puppies are checked by a controller that understands the breed, he checks if they don’t suffer from dermoid sinus or disjointed tail. Together with your puppy you will also get a purchase contract and the breeder is always greatful to give advice in the future and will be more than happy if you stay in touch with them..

If  you buy a puppy without PC (no matter if you are buying from a ‘multiplier’ or from the owner of a bitch without PC that ‘just wanted puppies once’), you’re at risk that all sorts of unwanted problems can appear with your puppy – such as serious medical problems (they are never checked by vet or not as thouroughly as from the breeding station, where certain examinations are compulsory and cost some money). They can also have  negative behavioral defects which breeding standard don’t allow (which could have been a reason why his ancestors were not accepted in the breeding program). You will also never know if father and mother of your puppy were not related (females are normally mated with the closest ridgebacks as the owners don’t want to spend money to travel anywhere to find a dog which is most likely unrelated). They even offer you a puppy that is only 6 weeks old, saying that he is old enough but with a hidden expression to get rid of as soon as possible.

How much is a ridgeback puppy (in 8 weeks)?

Normal price for a standard puppy from average stud is about 600 – 1000 EUR.

Standard puppies after the best quality parents and ancestry cost about 1000 – 2000 EUR.

Investment to a puppy  that have the assumption  of quality breeding value is very important for breeders and future owners of stud dogs.

Price of puppies from an official kennel is not  exaggerated. Breeders must invest a lot of money even before puppies are born, spending huge amounts of their time after their birth to look after them as good as they can up to their very last day in the kennel.

If you like to have a puppy from a kennel and don’t want to invest this amount to get him, you have a possibility to get a non-standard puppy with PC, which is not suitable for breeding. If you don’t plan to show your future dog at dog shows, this can be a good option for you.

Average price of non-standard puppy is 350-600 EUR.

What does ‘standard’ and ‘non-standard’ mean?

A standard puppy hasn’t got any exterior defect and has a potential to be successful at shows and future acceptation in a breeding program.

A non-standard puppy has got a pedigree value – which means he comes from a controlled breeding specialized for elimination of hereditary defects, diseases and behavior that’s not typical for this breed - but hasn’t got potential for shows and breeding from exterior point of view – but otherwise is healthy. Typical examples of these exterior defects are unsymmetrical shape of ridge, missing ridge, more white spots than allowed, disfigured tail (even slightly), bad position of teeth etc.

Male or female?

If you ask for advice if you should get male of female, everybody will probably tell you different opinions: females are more cuddly, more devoted to the owner, smaller, but 1-2x a year they get in heat – and that’s the time when they need to be protected against unwanted pregnancy. They also get a discharge when in heat which some people don’t like. Male is bigger, stronger, but when there is any female in heat around, they need to be kept safe so they don’t get next to her……

If you still hesitate which sex of dog you want, go for a visit to your chosen kennel. You can talk to the breeder about your vision and fears and he can help you with your choice. And maybe, if they already have puppies to choose from, one of them will charm you so much that your choice will be made straight away.

First days of your puppy in his new home

Remove all dangerous things in house and outside, things that can hurt your little puppy and things he could destroy, even before you bring him home. For a RR puppy I recommend to buy a foam  bed (not made of wicker) and two big metal bowls, one for water, one for food. When you bring him home, let him get familiar with new place and make sure food and water is available for him.

To teach him going for the toilet outside, take him out always after each food, sleep or longer play and if he does wee or poo, give him a prize for it so he connect this with positive things. If not, try it again in a little while. When he is about to wee or poo inside, take him quickly and carry him outside.

Puppies are normally quite sad during their first night in new home as they were used to sleep surrounded by siblings. To help him, put a blanket from his previous home (that is full of his mummy’s and his siblings’s smell) to his bed and move the bed close to yours. If he cries, you can stroke him, talk to him nicely or just touch him with your hand, it will make him feel better. After one or two nights he should be used to new way of sleep and you can move his bed little bit further every night, to the final place you chose for him or place he likes to rest in.

Food

Your puppy should eat the food he was used to eat before at least for few days. Divide recommended amount of food to appropriate portions:

In 8 weeks – 4-5x a day

From 3 months – 3-4x a day

From 6 months – 2-3x a day

From 1 year – 1-2x a day

If you decide to feed him with different granules, mix them with the old ones first so he can get used to the new taste.

If you decide to feed with natural food, portions are as follows: 10% of weight of puppy gradually decreasing to 2-3% in adulthood (where amount depends of physical activity of dog). Basic ratio is 70% of meat and meat bones and 30% of side food, ratio of meat bones and meat - approximately 60-70% of meat bones and 30- 40 % of meat.

Portion of food (no matter if you feed with granules of natural food) should always be considered individually and depends on activity and looks of dog – his ribs should not be sticking out but should not be wrapped in body fat either. If you are not sure about the right portions for your dog, consult this any time with the breeder.

Training and socialization

Right socialization is crucial fact for further psychical development and temper of your puppy. Take him to the different places as soon as possible, so he can experience wide range of stimulation – noise of cars, other dogs, stranger people, children, forest, city noise etc. When he is already vaccinated, let him meet other dogs, but make sure he has only positive experiences with them – avoid aggressive dogs that can hurt him and leave bad memories in his mind.

If you want your puppy not to do anything, don’t even allow it once. If you don’t want him to have access to your bed or sofa, don’t put or let him there and make other members of your family not to let him there either. Never give him food when you eat – otherwise you will have dribbling beggar at your table every time you eat. He has his own food and get it in certain time.

If dog is doing something he shouldn’t – e.g. bites your hand or furniture, jumps on you, give him a command (e.g. leave it!)and if he does not listen, you can connect your command with unpleasant experience – e.g. by pulling his skin behind his neck or pushing his mouth together for a little while. This way he connects your command with negative experience and will listen even when he is not close to you. Remember that every behavior has a reason – watch your dog and give him an alternative after you make him stop doing unwanted things. For example,  when biting something what he is not allowed, give him his toy to bite after your command, or if he jumps on you, it can mean he wants your attention, so play with him for a while (if you don’t have time for game right now, ignore him after your command).

Basic commands can be trained from the very beginning. One of the most important commands is to come when called. He needs to connect this command with something very pleasant, like a little treat or his favorite toy every time he comes, later only praise can work as a treat. Say his name (best names are those with only 2 syllables), to get his attention and then give a command (e.g. come!) . If he comes to you, give him a treat (food, praise, hug, positive talking). You can help him understand what you want from him by putting him on a tracing lead before the command and then pulling gently  by the lead when he does not come to you.

Teach your puppy with game and positive reinforcement, better is to train him shorter time and more often, so he does not get bored. It is not true that ridgeback is stupid and will not learn anything –  use the commands with common sense and you will be surprised how much he will learn.

Care of coat and claws

It is not necessary to bath RR. When coming back from a walk it is sufficient just to wipe his paws, if he has more dirt on him, shower his belly and paws with luke water. Don’t use a shampoo – only in rare situations (e.g. if he rolled around in something smelly).

Brush his coat regularly couple of times a week, when he is changing his hair you can do it every day. Regular brushing is effective for good blood run in the skin and helps growing new nicer hair. The best for coat of RR is a rubber brush.

Claws of puppy need to be cut regularly. He will rub them down in summer by running outside, but it is always necessary to cut his fifth claws on his front legs. You can ask your vet to do it for you if you don’t feel confident enough to do it yourself.

It is also recommended to use a protection against tics from the early spring – either spot or spray (e.g. Frontline). If you live and walk your dog in places known for bigger occurrence of tics, check his coat every time you come home from walk to make sure there are no tics crawling on him or sucking his blood already. If you find one sucking, remove it and disinfect the puncture it made. Later, if you notice the puncture is swollen, sore or dog looks ill, don’t hesitate and visit your vet.

www.tatranskaafrika.sk