what exactly are they like around the house?

[prospective owner]

So I was watching the neighbors kids tonight and their dog got me thinking, with its own family, does a ridgeback prefer to cuddle up next to you or at least be in the same room or will they go into the other room by themselves and make themselves comfortable?

I dont hold it against this dog since I only saw it almost every day before i got a job to let her out and play with her, its not like i saw her that much   (i could tell she missed the mom who she is close with)

[Ferretchik]

My husband is home all day... we call Maximus his velcro dog. When I get home from work, he sticks to me too. He HATES to be shut away from us for any length of time.

Judie

[sarah yates]

kinga (male) sticks to me like velcro, ZZ (female) will amuse herself, sometimes going to sit in another room if it's warmer. i had the same situation with my other 2 RRs, the male likes to be close and the female doesn't mind doing things by herself. females can be just as affectionate but, to me- somewhat cat like sometimes.

sarah

[rrbylexus]

It depends on the individual dog....  Each dog comes with it's own personality, some will want to be in the same room, some will "need" to be touching you, some just like knowing you are in the same house together and prefer to just hold the couch down while you do your thing around the house. 

Pam

[shelleyvw]

I have a female 17 months old and she likes cuddling up and cant wait for me to sit on the sofa so she can put her head on my lap. She is a real lapdog when indoors.

Shelley

[dippa]

Our 7 month old Border Collie is happy hanging around us but will look for time alone somewhere he feels safe but still within earshot.

However our 8 month old Ridgey thinks he is a lapdog regardless of the fact he is a still growing 40kg brute. He gets a walk/run in the morning and afternoon and then once home will laz around only leaving our side to sleep on the couch in the next room (where he can still see us).

When we are in the lounge room he will curl up beside us on the couch always with his head or paw touching one of us.

The dogs are only allowed in the house will we are around and they sleep outside in seperate kennels, so far we have only had a few socks and a pair of thongs (or flip flops depending on were you are from) destroyed.

We do keep a throw over the couches to keep the hair and cleaning more manageable, a little more cleaning is required and the walls are about due for a good scrub from when the wet and dirty mutts rub up against them.

Apart from that we try and keep the wood floors covered to protect them against the strong ridgey nails and had to teach them not to pull up the carpet when they first came in (and obviously the toilet training).

We have a smaller 2 bedroom house and the main bedroom and spare are off limits to them. The ridgey is over twice the height and weight of our border but he is more comfortable being in the house and for him more importantly being close to us!

[heiditr]

Ridgebacks inside and outside are two different things.
When thay are outside, they run, play, work and eventually lie down to relax. Inside they are relaxing the whole time 
Stitch, my 6 year old male, need to know where I am. Sometimes he follows me around like a shadow, other times he can stay downstairs if I go upstairs. If I go and take a bath, he wants to be in the bathroom, and if he is not allowed, he waits outside untill I am done. I think it must be the consept of all the water in a tub, because he never bothers if I take a shower. Funny dog.
Nia, my 10 month old female, also like to stay close, but not as much as Stitch.
The dogs walk freely around in the house during the night (except during the fall, when the deer walk right past our house, thats when you hear barking at 3 am...)

The dogs are "mine". If I'm not around they sleep most of the time, or follow my 10 year old daughter. It is amazing to see the contact she has with the dogs, especially Stitch. Those two have grown up together and have played many roleplays, where they have been pirates, bandits, dragons, seamonsters etc.

Heidi

[caro]

My old lady, Cat, now almost 11 has throughout her life needed to be as close to me as possible.  When she had her puppies I slept on a bed in the kennel and she would sleep on the end of the bed with her eyes firmly glued on the whelping box so she could attend to her pups when needed, but she needed that contact with some part of me to be totally happy.  My puppy is similar.  He has to be as close as he can get though he is also very active and stirs the older dogs up, particularly early in the morning.  But he's another that has to come in the bathroom with me and sits by the shower in the morning, occasionally moving the curtain so he can see the shower.  Bathing him has been the easiest thing as he is more than happy to jump in the shower with me, if permitted.  Mac is more independent.  He likes to sleep on the couch or on a chair in my room, and he doesn't mind being cuddled on the couch, but after a while he will get up and move quietly to another part of the room.  He's always close but prefers attention on his own terms.

Caroline

[prospective owner]

thanks for all the insight guys! (and gals of course).
as always it helps, but worse it makes me really want one now... at a time when i cant afford a small dog

oh well, back to the pictures here because thats as close as i can get. haha

[Keeper]

I'm sure by the time you can afford the puppy...you will we well informed about the breed.  This is what everyone who is shopping for a puppy should be doing. 
The right puppy will come along at the right time...

[Candaloo]

I have two RR girls and each loves to be with us but both have different ways of doing so, neither however is aloof or extremely independent.  Chimera (black mask) loves to be petted but wont really beg for attention, she'll just sit or lay down by you and nap but she'll follow me around the house and lay down where ever I stop.  Kenya (liver nose) on the other hand is an attention hog.  She loves to be in your face, licking and begging for attention but, when your done, she likes to lay on her pillow, neither wants to be left alone in a room.  Kenya likes to meander through the house but will come back and check on me every few min.'s.  I mention the mask and nose color because, a lot of the time, the liver nose is referred to the Lover nose.  Just my experience though.  

[RhodieMom]

My RR girl Liberty sticks to me like glue. Wherever I go in the house or outside, she goes with me. When I sit down somewhere she either sits right next to me or tries to sit on my lap or feet

That's what she does when we go for walks and take a break: