The corrections to your trainer’s info about Ridgebacks that I would make are these:
Different lines and different individual dogs have different levels of drive and energy. Drive is not the same as energy. One of my dogs has been a couch potato from day one, but she has plenty of hunting drive. She doesn’t NEED alot of energy, but she would certainly enjoy it and be able to handle it (strength and endurance) if it was part of her life, and she is an excellent huntress. Her litter-sister was much more high-energy and didn’t mellow out to a more couch-loving lifestyle until she was around 4 yrs old. She also has plenty of hunting drive.
Most Ridgebacks are happy to hold down your couch all day long. But if you take them out where they can run, they are happy and able to do that too. Contrast this with, for example, a Border Collie, who is NOT happy to lay on a couch all day, and does NEED a job to do with lots of exercise, or they will go crazy and drive you crazy too.
Second, because Ridgebacks are Hounds, they are a much different animal than a Working Group dog like a Rottie. Hounds were bred to hunt with very little guidance/direction from the “master”, so they are strong-willed, independent, and require different training methods (usually involving some sort of bribe, because they ask “what’s in it for me??”). Whereas Working Group dogs were bred to work with and directly for a human, so they inherently look to their human for direction and guidance. Thus, if you ask a Working Group dog to do something, they generally do it simply “because master asked me to”... as opposed to “what are you gonna give me if I do?”
Third, because Hounds are hunters, and because their prey drive as sighthounds is so high, I tell everyone they can’t be off leash anywhere that you might encounter prey animals (cats, rabbits, squirrels, etc.) or motor vehicles. It is just too risky that they might see a cat dart across the street and they will go into prey drive mode and chase the cat without even seeing the oncoming Semi Truck. There are some Ridgebacks with some owners who can be reliably off leash, but I would never risk it with my own Ridgebacks. Only in fenced-in areas, or wide-open spaces where there is no risk of being hit by a car, running off a cliff in the dark, etc.
Last, don’t forget you can always get an adult Ridgeback from a rescue group, so you can find one with the appropriate energy level for your lifestyle. And an adult would be able to go running with you right away, whereas a puppy shouldn’t be taken on runs until after it turns 2 yrs old to allow complete skeletal development and closing of the growth plates before the stress of running is put on the body. So if you want an instant running partner, look for an adult from a rescue group or a retired show dog from a breeder. And of course gradually build up the stamina of the dog, no matter how it may appear physically... because it may have been a couch potato in it’s previous life.
I knew a guy who dog-sat for his friend’s Lab. The Lab was a couch potato and was even a little overweight. The dogsitter took the Lab for a run, I think he said 3 miles, and the next day the dog could hardly move. The day after that, the dog was still “lethargic” (aka SORE), so the dogsitter took the dog to the Vet because he was worried. The Vet said the dog was fine, just tired from the run. When the dog’s owner came home, the dogsitter wanted the owner to reimburse him for the Vet bill. The dogsitter could NOT understand that the dog was out of shape and he shouldn’t have taken it on a 3-mile run (and darn near killed it). His reasoning? “But it’s a dog! Dogs are supposed to be able to go running with you.”
The problem with people taking dogs on runs is this: When dogs play with each other, if they get tired, they flop on the grass and rest. Then they play some more. This can go on all day long. But when they run with a human, they will absolutely try to keep up with the human, and the human doesn’t give them a chance to rest at their own pace. Dogs have DIED when humans take them on a run without giving them appropriate rest or water. Dogs overheat if they can’t run, because they can only “sweat” by panting. In the hot sun, just a few inches from the sweltering asphalt pavement, with no fluids and no rest, dogs can get heat stroke and die, not to mention burning their pads on the asphalt... and black dogs get even hotter in the sun, etc.
I’m sure you know all of this, but I wrote it out for anyone else who may happen to read this. Always build up a dog’s stamina just like you would your own. Always give dogs frequent water breaks (but don’t let them drink too much at one time), be careful of hot pavement on their pads, be careful of the temperature because they are closer to the pavement than you are and it’s hotter down there, let the dogs rest (lay down, not just stop) until their panting comes under control and their heart rate comes down, don’t run immediately before or after a meal, make sure the dog’s nails are trimmed before running, etc.
Hard headed, bossy and confident to others, but I'm alpha. She even follows me from room to room -- which I like -- because she likes being with the pack.
And, to be honest, I'm embarrased to admit that I really did have the idea that since Ridgebacks were from Africa they were just naturally designed for hot weather and lots of running. Definitely, if I got a pup, we'd build up (and fluids are essential to workout performance, and I'm really a stickler about that in my own work) and work out smart. Come to think of it -- I did meet a gigantic Ridgeback named Mango one evening outside a cafe. Had to have been 150lbs, and was so fat and lazy he could barely stand. Hmmm... But -- for the time being, I'm still nuts about the Rotts. Check out my freep profile if you want to see a few pics of Ursa, you can tell what a spoiled baby she is.
Again, thanks for the info -- this is one reason why I love the Freep.