ARE THEY GOOD WITH CHILDREN?
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is placid, easygoing and quite tolerant of children – BUT supervision is advised of both the dog and child, especially those under 5 years old. As a rule children should treat dogs with respect, ie. no teasing or tormenting. HOW MUCH DO THEY COST? We suggest you contact individual breeders, as the price of a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy varies from breeder to breeder. ARE THEY EASY TO TRAIN? Ridgebacks are an intelligent breed and will learn quickly, but like many hounds may become bored, as they are independent thinkers. They are a large breed and obedience training, along with animal and human socialisation is to be encouraged. If you are looking for a breed to be successful at obedience trials Rhodesian Ridgebacks may not be the breed for you. ARE THEY GOOD GUARD DOGS? They are excellent guard dogs and their deep sounding bark will deter most intruders. Training and socialisation will make your dog confident and able to guard in a more socially acceptable manner
Yes, the Anatolian seems to adore children, and think of them as their own “kids”. A child does, of course, need to learn how to behave respectfully when around any animal, and should be supervised when with any type of dog. It is imperative not to let the child play as a “littermate” would play (inviting nipping and roughhousing), due to the large size of the breed. Any human should have a higher role in the dog’s eyes than the role of being just ‘another dog’. So, one should not play games like tug-of-war, or chase. For the most part, it is training the children, rather than the dog, on proper behavior. It is good for the whole family to participate in working on the obedience training of the dog, so that all can enjoy the rewards of a well-behaved animal. With young children, it is important they be supervised by an adult when interacting with a pet.
Swissies can make wonderful family pets but as with any breed they cannot be expected to be good with children unless they have been raised that way. Likewise, children should be taught from an early age to respect your dog and treat them with kindness. Even though Swissies are usually very gentle dogs they are a large breed and must be supervised when playing with children.
Yes. most Caucasians are good with children they know and would never hurt them purposely. However, it is imperative to establish the proper pecking order from the beginning, making the Caucasian understand that it cannot push the children around. It is also essential to realize that they are large dogs and sometimes forget their size. This can result in a child accidentally being knocked down or stepped on. As with any pet, it is important that young children be supervised by an adult when playing with your Caucasian. Also, as a dog bred to protect their flocks, Caucasians will substitute the family for its flock and may try to keep strangers or other threats away from the children. Older children with an active social life need to realize that although their friends may like dogs, it may not be appropriate for the dog to interact with every visitor.
