Malibak Rhodesians

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. 😉

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.

02/04/2026

Update: Blue (now 'Moose') was placed with a fantastic family in Colorado with a new big 'sister' ridgeback and is thriving.
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In a rare opportunity, our gorgeous Blue male is again available! The home which he'd been matched with is no longer able to have a puppy, so someone very lucky is going to get to bring this gorgeous boy home.

I'm currently going back through applications that I had turned away and referred to other breeders to see if there is one that matches my criteria and has not already found a puppy. I'm also accepting new applications.

We're looking for a home that has preferably raised a ridgeback puppy before and is looking to add a second dog to their home so he'll have a big brother or sister for company. Sometimes other factors can be equally important though. I want a family that can give him the very best life a puppy could hope for. He won't leave until we find the perfect match!

Blue has already been fully vaccinated and titer tested for Parvo & Distemper and received his Kennel cough, Parainfluenza and adenovirus vaccines. He is ready to get out and socialize fully and begin puppy classes with his new home. We follow a cutting edge protocol that measures maternal antibodies during pregnancy (dam nomograph) to be able to custom time and therefore minimize vaccinations. By knowing when maternal antibodies would be out of the puppies system, we could titer test to confirm protection at half the age the standard 'blind' 18wk puppy series would be able to.

In the meantime, I'll be continuing his socialization, crate training, house training and leash training. Stay tuned for videos of this little super star!

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! 😆

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.

01/10/2026

Black had a great checkup with the orthopedic specialist Tuesday. Fracture healed great and he's doing fantastic with his rehab now that he's out of all splints and supportive bandages.

It's amazing how much mobility and strength he's gained in less than a week already. But then, he was walking and had his eyes open two days before the other two, so he's obviously the athletically gifted puppy 🐾❤️.

01/10/2026

Just love these three little precious bundles. Glad I've got two more weeks to love on and prepare them before they head to their new homes. 🥹❤️

01/01/2026

12/29/2025

Hela is being a super good sport about socializing the puppies with cats. The first time they were out walking together the puppy tried grabbing her neck scruff and got a couple bops on the top of the head for his rudeness 😆.

Hela likes to sleep on the back of the couch when the puppies are up for movie snuggle time and watch them. She'll walk by them and rub against them when they are out in the front courtyard during the day. Such a good cat.