Rhodesian Ridgeback Weimaraner Mix: Info, Pictures, Characteristics & Facts

When you mix the Rhodesian Ridgeback with a Weimaraner, you get a very active, devoted dog. Unlike some mixed breeds, this canine isn’t very popular and often isn’t bred by many breeders. Instead, they tend to be accidental litters (though, even then, they are pretty rare). Finding one of these dogs is challenging.

Furthermore, you cannot be sure what you’re getting because they’re a mixed breed. They can inherit traits from either parent dog, leading to a nearly random mixing of traits.

Rhodesian Ridgeback Weimaraner Mix Breed Puppies

As puppies, these dogs are extremely active and they require tons of exercise and attention. Therefore, they aren’t for the light-hearted. They do best in active families with plenty of time to exercise them. We highly recommend this breed if you’re interested in a puppy that can keep up on your daily walk.

With that said, you should never force-exercise puppies. Doing so can damage their growth plates and cause joint problems later. You should avoid taking them on long walks, for instance. These dogs may not know where to stop, especially as puppies. Therefore, it is often best to exercise them in short spurts.

You should start training these dogs as puppies. They don’t always take to training well, so starting early can give you more of a chance to succeed. Puppy classes with other puppies are recommended, as this helps improve socialization.

Temperament & Intelligence of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Weimaraner Mix 🧠

The temperament of this mixed breed isn’t well set in stone. Therefore, you never know what you’re going to get. They tend to be loyal and intelligent and extremely devoted to their families. They can be aloof towards strangers, though. Therefore, early socialization is vital to prevent aggression later on. They require proper training, too, as they can be stubborn when they age.

For this reason, they aren’t often the best for new owners.

These canines are hunting dogs through and through. Therefore, they tend to be extremely energetic and independent. Often, this can turn into stubbornness if you aren’t careful. They appreciate regular games and training, especially due to their high intelligence.

Are These Dogs Good for Families? 🏡

They can be good for families. However, they aren’t necessarily the best choice due to their high maintenance needs. They’re extremely energetic, making them best for active families. Those who would rather sit on the couch and cuddle may find their maintenance hard to maintain.

They can be too energetic for small children, as they may knock them over while playing. However, they’re typically very gentle when cared for properly. For this reason, we highly recommend them for advanced owners only. They can be troublesome when not taken care of.

Does This Breed Get Along With Other Pets? 🐶 😽

They can get along with other pets in most cases. They have very strong chase instincts, so they aren’t the best for homes with cats. Socialization can help, however, even when properly socialized, most of them will chase a cat when they’re running. Therefore, you either need to provide the cat with plenty of places to get away or not have a cat, to begin with.

That said, they get along just fine with dogs when properly socialized. They can be a bit aloof in some situations but they often get along just fine with proper socialization.

Things to Know When Owning a Rhodesian Ridgeback Weimaraner Mix:

Food & Diet Requirements 🦴

These dogs don’t have special dietary needs. Instead, they do just fine on the typical high-quality food you can find at a pet store. Of course, you’ll need to consider what your particular puppy needs. Provide your puppy with puppy food as they grow, and consider switching to senior food when they get older. If your dog has any allergies, you must address these, too.

Feeding these canines isn’t challenging. If your dog is extremely active, you may need to feed them more than usual. Athletic dogs often benefit from more calories and higher protein.

Exercise 🐕

These dogs need a lot of exercise. They were bred as hunting dogs. Therefore, they were built to run fast and far. They work best for active families who do a lot of exercise themselves. You should plan on taking your dog on many walks throughout the day and playing intense games. Fetch and anything involving chasing are great options, as these dogs have strong hunting instincts.

Without proper exercise, these canines can become extremely destructive. They’ll often become hyper and overexcited, leading to them accidentally destroying objects or injuring people. For this reason, they may not be the best family dog unless you keep them well-exercised.

Training 🦮

This breed is usually intelligent. However, that intelligence isn’t often carried over to obedience. Instead, they’re extremely independent and can be quite stubborn. Therefore, training should start early and be re-visited often. It isn’t odd for owners of this breed to regularly re-visit training courses they’ve already taken. This can become expensive, so be sure to have the proper budget for training before purchasing a puppy.

Even with all this work, we don’t recommend expecting these dogs to reliably recall or win any obedient competitions. They just can’t outmatch other dogs in this skill.

Grooming ✂️

Luckily, this breed requires practically no grooming. They do shed, and you may want to give them a quick brushing once a week to remove dirt and fur from their coat. However, they don’t have long fur, so professional grooming isn’t needed. They don’t need regular baths, either. You can often get away with a brushing session to help keep their coat clean.

Of course, you must regularly trim their nails and brush their teeth. However, this grooming is required for every dog.

Health and Conditions ❤️

As a mixed breed, this canine seems to be pretty healthy. They aren’t likely to inherit conditions from either of their parents, as they don’t get the same genes from each. Therefore, they tend to be much healthier than purebred dogs, especially since both parent breeds are generally healthy too.

However, they can get sick just like any other dog. Be sure to get them vaccinations and seek treatment for any health conditions.

These dogs may be prone to degenerative myelopathy, a neurological condition affecting the spinal cord. It slowly causes paralysis. Luckily, it should be extremely uncommon in this mixed breed. Hypothyroidism may affect them at a higher rate, though, as it is a growing problem for Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

Because these dogs inherit random traits from either parent breed, they probably aren’t going to catch any of these genetic conditions. However, they health is a bit randomized, just like all their other traits.

Male vs. Female

Females may be slightly smaller than males. However, there isn’t a huge difference, as this is a mixed breed. Some dogs may be on the smaller side, while others are on the bigger side. However, this doesn’t always have to do with gender.

3 Little-Known Facts About the Rhodesian Ridgeback Weimaraner

1. This breed varies a lot.

Because this breed can inherit any trait from either parent, they tend to vary a lot. You never know what trait they’re going to inherit. If you want a breed that’s set in stone, don’t get this one.

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2. They’re rare.

This breed isn’t purposefully bred all that often. Therefore, it is often hard to find puppies. For this reason, plan on waiting for quite a while before getting a puppy.

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3. They’re quite healthy.

As a mixed breed, these dogs tend to be extremely healthy. They aren’t prone to many health problems, as both of their parent breeds are quite healthy.

Final Thoughts

This mixed breed is pretty rare. However, they aren’t impossible to find. They tend to be extremely active and pretty robust. However, they can inherit any trait from either parent, so the dog’s appearance can vary greatly.

They tend to require a lot of exercise, though they don’t have high grooming needs. We recommend them for active families, who often have a better time meeting their activity needs.

See also: 

• Rhodesian vs Thai Ridgeback: How Do They Compare?
• Rhodesian Ridgeback Pitbull Mix: Info, Pictures, Characteristics & Facts

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Featured Image Credit: Left – Rhodesian Ridgeback (imch, Pixabay) | Right – Weimaraner (Karolina Grabowska, Pexels)