Important
Mature Ridgebacks love to run, hike, and play, but can get by with a romp in the backyard and a daily leash walk, with occasional trips to the park By the time he’s older, if you put the effort into training him to come when called, you may be able to give him a bit more freedom. Hounds are notoriously unreliable off-leash and although Ridgebacks might be a bit better than most, you shouldn’t try it unless you’ve trained your dog consistently from an early age and you are in an enclosed area such as your own yard or a dog park that allows off-leash activity. And training consistently is very important for these somewhat hard-headed dogs.Rhodesian Ridgebacks love their human families and don’t do well as outdoor dogs. Life in a backyard is too boring for them, and they’ll entertain themselves by uprooting trees the size of a midlife redwood and scaling fences in a single bound.
Something else Ridgies love to do: Eat. There has never been enough food to convince a Ridgeback he’s full, and if allowed, he’ll literally eat himself sick. He’ll also happily eat himself fat, in which case, you’re going to be in charge of putting the world’s hungriest dog on a diet. Instead, give him plenty of exercise and practice portion control in order to spare your hound the pain and health risks that come with canine obesity.