I'm getting a Rhodesian ridgeback puppy either this spring or next, and I'm hoping to break into sport tracking...I've only done obedience (and conformation, but that was boring) before, but I've been practicing with my current dogs. (Better to make my mistakes before it counts)
Does the dog's temperament make a big difference in terms of training for tracking? Is there something in particular I should be looking for when I'm finalizing puppy choices? Or can pretty much any dog be taught? Sorry if these are silly questions - I'm new to it.
Sidenote: I didn't pick the breed for the purpose of tracking, I chose ridgebacks and later decided to try tracking. There's a few ridgebacks around here that are titled in tracking, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Has anyone done tracking with a ridgeback?
The guy i bought my house from had 2 ridgebacks and a wiener dog, when he threw the ball the wiener dog tore after it and the ridgebacks just looked in the general direction the ball went, they didn't have any drive, he said "they're laid back dogs", but i can't say if they were indicitive of the breed in general. How about giving some thought to a nice gsd......, sorry, couldn't help myself, lol,
There's a ton of variety in the lines...but they do tend to be laid back. I wouldn't say they don't have drive though, they're just a little different from your average GSD. They may not tear after a ball, but throw something fuzzy and they'd move so fast you wouldn't see it happen. Not to mention, they're pretty food-motivated. I'm used to working with dogs like this, having my roots in basenjis. After a basenji, it felt like a vizsla trains itself.
In any case, nothing against the GSDs - definitely would be my first choice if I was looking for a working dog primarily...but I'm mostly looking for a companion, and the work is secondary. Some day I will probably go for a working dog - and maybe then I'll get a GSD...or a Mal.
But can I infer from your reply that I'm looking for a puppy with a lot of drive, which I could discover by its interest in play?
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What to look for
#119097 - 11/28/2006 07:22 PM 
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