Malibak Rhodesians

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06/18/2026

I've been playing a game with Ezekiel where he has to use his front paws to catch and pull the 'fish' (ball on a string) into the shallow end and then dive his head in to grab it before it gets away.

He is super good with his arms and paws. It's one of the more lion like aspects of this breed. They'll grapple with their front legs and have the ability to take their arms really wide, more than most dogs do when they play fight like little gladiators.

06/17/2026

I love making sure that my ridgebacks all love to swim! They also make great paddle board companions.

The trick is to start them on water early, get them around other dogs that like to swim, and starting them off swimming in a hot environment is also helpful 😆.

I also try to start them swimming in a lake or some other calm body of water with a gradual shoreline before moving to the pool when possible. I just wade out with them on a flexi lead and they have always just swim out to get to me as puppies. It really makes the transition from wading to swimming very smooth.

When I start them in the pool I always just pick them up, carry them into the water, hold them until they're calm, and then slowly lower them into the water still holding them. When they're calm I let them go pointed towards where they can get out.

Works with cats too! 😹 By the third time doing this on a 106° day, she just hung out in the shallow end for about 5 minutes enjoying the pool water.

Next I get them to where they will chase my hand with treats in the water instead of trying to immediately get out.

That is my green light that they are comfortable enough in the water to start asking them to go in on their own. I use very very light suggestive leash pressure and food or toys to entice them.

It took Zeke one day at the lake and then 3 days in the pool before he was going in on his own. By the fourth day in the pool he was jumping in after toys.

06/01/2026

Critical thinking is truly becoming a rare thing. Ivan does a great job putting the conversation back into the right perspective.

05/30/2026

This is about our fourth or fifth 'Chase & Catch' session with Zeke. I'm much more familiar with 'Possession/Tug' games but was inspired to focus in on these games after learning how powerful they are for building positive associations with strangers.

Because you can play these games from a distance, and easily and safely involve a third person as the 'thrower' (the triangle game), these are a super useful tool for positive socialization exposure.

Socialization is not just about exposing a dog to new people, places, and experiences. The most important aspect of successful socialization is the dogs emotional state.

Play based training is extremely powerful and effective in this regard because nothing has the ability to affect emotions positively in the way play does.

Put a group of strangers together with food and they will mingle and socialize.

Put them on two teams and play a game, and they will get to a level of comfort and camaraderie that ten meals wouldn't accomplish.

Chase and Catch is a 'cooperative' game (we play with each other vs competitive games where we are playing against each other) and utilizes movement. This is a great stress reliever and fantastic for exercising a dog physically as well as providing deep biological fulfillment through giving them an outlet for their prey drive.

Possession games satisfy different needs and really build confidence and boldness while also providing opportunities to exercise authority while a dog is in a drive state.

Both games, when done well, lead to exuberant obedience that is associated with super positive emotions.

In this video I'm still in the first stage of developing a love for and addiction to the game. This is the first session where I began to introduce any commands during the session (a sit). It's also the first session where I'm really working on him bringing the toy back to me each time and trying to establish that pattern/habit and show him it's a great thing to do.

Games are incredible for the relationship, the fulfillment, and for introducing authority through very specific 'rules' and consequences for breaking the rules.

Because these are introduced in the context of a game, they automatically have a built in stress resilience factor and light hearted playfulness.

This is how you can incorporate pressure, consequences, drive and responsiveness into an exercise while the dog has a great time and the relationship gets stronger.

This is why I'm so excited about this type of training and rave about it to anyone who will listen.

Excited to announce that Malibak "Timber" is the sire on a litter expected to arrive in a couple months if the breeding ...
03/10/2026

Excited to announce that Malibak "Timber" is the sire on a litter expected to arrive in a couple months if the breeding took!

This was Timber's first mating and he was an absolute gentleman and champ. First go it took him a little bit to figure out which was the proper end, but on the second go 36hrs later he was tied in 5 minutes.

He was paired with a lovely in standard female whose size balances his perfectly. This litter will have some breathtakingly beautiful heads on them and temperaments to die for. I expect their overall conformation to be quite impressive based on both their parents and the dogs behind them.

It is going to be quite fun to be on the stud dog side of this litter. I get to follow along on all the cute puppy updates without all of the exhausting work and sleep deprivation! It will be like getting to be the grandparent who can pop in to visit and support and have all the fun without nearly as much responsibility. 😉

Copied from another breeder..POTENTIAL OWNER: How much is the puppy?BREEDER: $4,000.00 USDPOTENTIAL OWNER: What?? It's w...
03/04/2026

Copied from another breeder..
POTENTIAL OWNER: How much is the puppy?
BREEDER: $4,000.00 USD
POTENTIAL OWNER: What?? It's way too expensive!!
BREEDER: What do you think would be a good price?
POTENTIAL OWNER: No more than $500. You breeders are so over priced.
BREEDER: I am sorry you see it this way, why don't you try it yourself?
POTENTIAL OWNER: But I've never done it!
BREEDER: For FREE I can teach you how to do it, and in addition you will have the knowledge to do it again.
POTENTIAL OWNER: Perfect, thank you!
BREEDER: To start you will need a female(average minimal cost $3000 and up). Also a male(average minimal cost $3000 and up) or semen (average $1000 and up). You will need to show them to their championship to show they meet the breed standard (Minimal $2000 each with travel & fees). You will need to do genetic & health testing on them, averages about $750 per dog. Raise and provide daily care, feeding & grooming for 2 years. (So minimal $150 per month)
POTENTIAL OWNER: But I don't have that much money...
BREEDER: For $500 you can raise a litter for me and then keep one of the puppies. Obviously, you also have to pay the cost of whelping & care.
POTENTIAL OWNER: I can do that.
BREEDER: OK so I have a female due to whelp in 2 weeks. You will need to be available 24/7 around the clock for at least 8 weeks to help with delivery and care. Possibly tube or bottle feed puppies every 2-3 hours if the mom is low on milk the first couple weeks.
POTENTIAL OWNER: Eight weeks?? it's way too much time for me! I have to work.
BREEDER: You will also need the reproductive vet to do xrays($200-$500), possibly progesterone testing($75-$250) & a C-section($1000-$5000) and initial vet care on pups until old enough to be placed. Pups vets exams and two sets of vaccines ($250 and up depending on how many puppies are in the litter)
Have on hand a scale, thermometer, latex gloves, sanitizer, absorbent tissues, scissors, hemostats, heating pad, whelping box, blankets, cleaning supplies, appropriate food with supplements for mothers, formula, medications & hand feeding supplies in case of emergency....
POTENTIAL OWNER: But I don't have all these things!
BREEDER: For $1000 you can buy them.
POTENTIAL OWNER: Ummm .... You know, I think it might be better if I just buy a puppy.
BREEDER: Wise decision.
For us breeders there are no vacations or holidays, while you go to visit with family & friends we are home at our dogs side caring for them. It is a no breaks commitment.
THIS IS THE REALITY
When you choose a professional, you don't only pay for the puppy but also:
Tools, knowledge, experience, love, time, sacrifices, etc.
I want to add this $15hr X 40= $600 X 10= $6,000.00 10 wks of pay. Breeders work 24/7 literally setting alarm clocks every hour and forty five minutes the first 2-3 weeks.

01/19/2026

Recall at 8wks looks like this when you train from the day they are able to eat solid food and are consistent.

I use recall to a sit often during play to practice fluency from excitement to calm energy. If a puppy stays in excitement all the time, they get stuck there and don't develop an off switch or impulse control. If you don't practice training when your puppy is excited, they will not develop the ability to respond when they are in 'drive' (highly focused on something else).

I follow the principles laid out in the online course, "Raising Your Puppy with Michael Ellis" on Leerburg's Online University with all my litters. He's a world class trainer and a phenomenal instructor.

He's also got a more condensed training video geared towards pet dog owners called Dog Training Decoded which is on the Sit Stay Learn platform.

I use their kibble for a lot of the training and plain baked chicken breast or freeze dried liver when I need extra motivation/excitement.

I don't give my puppies commercial dog 'treats' as these aren't regulated the way dog food is and with the amount I use at this stage it could either upset their tummy or throw their balanced diet off.

People think, isn't chicken breast expensive? When you buy it on sale at $1.99/lb it's 1/3 cheaper than the $3+/lb kibble I buy! 😆

This past week we've had a focus on positive socialization experiences. That means that puppies get exposed without bein...
01/18/2026

This past week we've had a focus on positive socialization experiences. That means that puppies get exposed without being overexposed to new environments, people, dogs, places, experiences, etc and come out more confident than when they went in.

This is also an opportunity for some solo trips to build self confidence and independence from their siblings.

Blue boy went for lunch with us yesterday at Saguaro Corners. We picked a late lunch to avoid the rush and so it wouldn't be as busy (overwhelming) and made sure our table was in a relatively quiet section without any dogs with bad energy nearby.

We set up his bed under the picnic table to give him a feeling of safety and had a leash connected to his harness to limit how far he could wander. He had a bully stick and a toy he likes plus food and water. We also brought his sweater in case he got cold. I ended up giving him my sweater too!

Pretty quickly a couple of very young boys spotted the puppy and politely asked if they could pet him. I gave them instructions on how to approach and read Blue's body language to check for any signs of discomfort as they began at t the edge of the picnic table and slowly crawled underneath and into the bed with him to cuddle. He loved it and they were very sweet and gentle young kids.

It didn't take long for Blue to be totally relaxed and take a nap. Afterwards we found a nice grassy spot in the parking lot and he loose leash walked in heel position like a champ to go and have a potty! We've been free shaping that position on every walk every day around the property, reinforcing with chicken each time he offers it, so it was awesome to see him immediately choose that position in an unknown setting. 🥰

We have the whole back seat area set up with thick cushy dog beds and he happily sprawled out and slept like a log the whole 35 min drive home.

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Corona De Tucson, AZ
85641

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