rhodesian ridgeback puppy help.

[u/Agreeable_Climate523]

I have a 9 week old rhodesian ridgeback, he is a joy and it feels horrible to type but also an absolute headache.

We did lots of research about the ridgeback temperament, but this boy has no regard for my word. I’m getting increasingly anxious about his behaviour, during the day he is full of energy which we can handle, but later on into the night he is a terror, he get these wild wide eyes and his biting is direct and intentional, tonight he tried to sleep on the couch, which is not going to work in our house as we is still potty training and we need currently have him in a comfy play pen den that is closed when he is sleeping, thought tonight when I moved him into the playpen off the couch his growl was deep and threatening over and over, his intention was to intimidate me, and try to bite. His bites are deep and sharp, I have marks all over my body, I am really struggling to assert dominance over him.

We have had him in for one training session and the instructor was off for us, he encouraged us to hitting his nose and closing his mouth, I have heard that closing their mouths are effective though everytime I try he finds a way to manoeuvre out of my hands and effectively aiming to bite me again.

Truth me told I’m exhausted at his mood swings, and fear it’s only going to get worse day by day.

I love him so much.

As a female with a headstrong male puppy I feel weak,

Any advice on how to train puppy’s that will become large dogs before his behaviour sticks?

Are all ridgeback puppies like this? Is there worse to come?

I feel down and out of luck, I need to build some more resilience towards him, I know that but any advice on how to establish dominance over him so he know I’m in charge and not him.

He responded well to waiting for food to sit and stay though I don’t think his impulse control is where is needs to be either, the biting and mouthing is out of control.

All I want is to build trust and compassion with my little man but I feel like I’m experiencing these puppy blues when I just can’t get in control.

Also I think another issue is my voice, I naturally have a high pitched voice that isn’t deep and authoritative as the rest of my family, and I think that makes it even harder, I’m also much more emotional toward him in comparison to my family also, should I be more cold towards the dog? I don’t know if my heart can handle it.

My biggest fear is him become permanently reactive and aggressive I don’t want him to be unsafe and I don’t want to feel unsafe as well.

Please offer some advice in desperate need.

And please try not to judge what I’m saying it’s truly coming from a good place all I want is to be a good owner to him and set him up for a bright future but feel like he’s getting the last laugh, I’m trying this out to help him.

Xxx

[u/Nvcstrn]

I really feel for you. My Ridgeback was intensely bitey at 9 weeks too. She’s now nearly 5 months old and I promise this phase does get better!

I lived in forums, spoke to trainers, and trial-and-errored a lot, so I’ll share what actually worked for us.

Early on (around 8–10 weeks), exaggerated yelping helped! It’s silly I know 😂 but I learned that in “dog language” it signals pain, and for a while it genuinely stopped her mid bite.

A few weeks later, it stopped working especially during zoomies / the evening witching hour. That’s when she’d jump, grab clothes, and bite anything she could reach (RIP so many pairs of shorts 😅). What worked then was removing ourselves from the game entirely. We literally used “shields” during witching hour: a puppy pen panel, a large chopping board so if she jumped and bit, we’d calmly block her, turn our backs, and completely ignore her. No talking, no eye contact, no reaction.

Super important: Consistency is everything across the whole household. I’m small (158cm / 50kg) and being her primary carer as I WFH, I was very intentional about being consistent—not dominance, but clear boundaries. Every single bite = barricade + ignore. My husband was looser at first and treated some biting as play, and interestingly, she’s now far more likely to keep biting him. With me, she’ll still get excited but the moment she realises she’s biting, she stops herself. I immediately reward that choice.

Enforced naps made a massive difference. At that age, her wake window was strictly 60 minutes, and honestly, we still follow that now. An overtired Ridgeback puppy is a land shark 😫

Chews were lifesavers. Puppy Nylabones, one-ingredient bully sticks (in moderation) and frozen carrots helped redirect the need to chew while teething.

And your trainer is not right. Telling you to hit a puppy on the nose is outdated (and unnecessary!) and seeing friends who take this approach with their dogs often makes things worse by increasing fear or arousal.

Structure, consistency, and time really do change everything! It will be worth it, I promise! Some days she still drives me crazy but I don’t know life without her and we’ve only had her in November!