Tamadyra Ridgebacks: The Lion Hounds of Africa
Obedience
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The one most important thing you should do with your ridgeback is enroll him/her in an obedience class. You can find classes in every town but do your homework and find one that has an experienced instructor who teaches positive re-enforcements. Ridgebacks are large, strong dogs but they are very sensitive to negative feedback. Never strike or hit your dog and don't scream and yell.That will get you nowhere in training and will only make your dog afraid of you. You want to develop a close and loving relationship with your ridgeback who, after practices, will listen to your commands and have fun doing so.


There is an AKC event that ridgebacks can earn titles for in obedience. This can be a fun and exciting time for both you and your ridgeback as you become a team and compete against other breeds for points.


I am very fortunate to have a wonderful trainer in my area. Dyna and I attend the Haus von Brader Dog Obedience Training classes held in Naperville. The class is taught by Frank Brader who is a trainer at Brookfield Zoo. This has become her special time with me without Margo around. She has met many other "friends" in her class and has caught on immediately. Right now we are in the advanced class where all the instructions are done off-lead.  Now this is where it gets interesting. The true test for the Down-Stay command is done with live rabbits placed directly in front of the dogs. Dyna has proven even through she has a natural instinct to go after bunnies in the wild, she will obey the Down-Stay command even with bunnies several inches from her face. What a feat to accomplish for a dog who is bred to hunt lions!


The following are clips of Dyna's obedience class and what she has learned. She looked forward to this special time every week and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can view these clips in Quicktime or any media player that supports the file extension .mov. If you cannot view them, you can download Quicktime for free.

Off-Lead Heeling Part 1

Off-Lead Heeling Part 2

Recall and Finish

Sit-Stay with Distractions Part 1

Sit-Stay with Distractions Part 2

Stand for Exam

Down-Stay with Distractions

Down-Stay and Out of the Room

Down-Stay with Live Bunnies Part 1

Down-Stay with Live Bunnies Part 2

   

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Bill and Dyna are fourth from the far end getting ready for a Sit-Stay.

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Dyna would rather watch her neighbor than Bill.

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Dyna in the Down-Stay off lead.

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Frank uses a burlap bag to simulate a child brushing by a relaxing dog. Dyna does very well by not getting up.

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First the dogs get used to mechanical distractions.

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Then the live bunnies come out. Dyna pretends they not even there!

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Dyna resists the temptation.

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Dyna watches as the bunnies hop around in front of her.

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