PAWPATCH KENNEL

We are a small family kennel located in East Texas and the love of the breed is what makes our kennel so successful in finding outstanding loving families for our puppies. We have been breeding Rhodesian Ridgebacks for several years now and have made a lot of new friends along the way. We are striving to produce only healthy, quality, good temperament family companions.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a very unique breed of dog and once you are owned by one then you will always be owned by one. They are a very addicting breed of dog to be owned by and their love for their family is what makes them a desirable family dog.

As puppies, Rhodesian Ridgebacks are fun loving, exuberant, inquisitive, and somewhat rambunctious. A six-month old Ridgeback puppy can unintentionally knock over a toddler. A toddler can unintentionally heap arbitrary punishment upon a young and impressionable puppy. Therefore, parents should exercise a great amount of supervision so that neither puppy nor baby inflicts abuse upon one another. This holds true throughout the preschool age period of a child and for the first 18 to 24 months of a Ridgeback’s life. Mature Ridgebacks and school age children are best of buddies and friends for life.

The Ridgeback is not a trouble-maker; however, once attacked or threatened by another dog, the Ridgeback will stand its ground and fight if it has to. Most of the time a Ridgeback is only looking for a doggy pal to play with and does not normally view other dogs as a threat. However, multiple, intact males around unspayed females can create some problems. A Ridgeback is very good with cats, but should be exposed to them when the Ridgeback is young.

As guard dogs, Ridgebacks use great discretion. They are not frantic barkers and they are not looking to attack anyone. Usually, they will give a couple of loud bellows to get your attention and let you know someone is on the property. They do not bark indiscriminately. When Ridgebacks bark, they have a good reason to do so but will usually stop when you tell them -- unless they are certain you are not aware of what they are trying to tell you. It is always wise to investigate when Ridgebacks bark. Until you tell them everything is okay, they will continue to act alert and wary around strangers.

There are two areas that a great many dog owners forget about when attempting to teach their dogs good manners and good behavior. They are:

1. Mistaking the canine brain for the human brain.
2. Failing to be consistent.

Ridgebacks are not stubborn; they are not dumb. Rather, they are independent, and whip smart. The one thing that they have that you should nurture is their desire to please.

As dogs are creatures of habit, you must always keep that in mind. Good habits are learned and so are bad habits. Detect the bad habits early before they become ingrained and work on perfecting the good habits.