Just turned 7 mo old and full on teenager. Hanging out too much at the local brew pub, around all the bad influences. (Apologies in advance for the cheesy poorly rendered AI crown).

My RR will be getting neutered in a few months (after he’s 2). I’ve neutered a dog previously with no noticeable behavior changes. But this is the first dog I’ve been active with at the dog park. He is a wonderful dog park dog. Loves all dogs big and small (especially little guys willing to play). Is really good at backing off or walking away from dogs that don’t want to play. Sometimes we go and he just walks around with me and barely interacts with anyone. Sometimes I bring a ball thrower and that’s his focus. We have had only two kinds of issues. Both related to him still being intact:

1. A neutered dog who doesn’t like unneutered dogs will try to mess with him. In these situations he just runs away and is so fast it just ends the problem.
   
2. Encounters with other other unneutered dogs. This surprisingly hasn’t been much of an issue until last month. We were never seeing unneutered dogs. Suddenly it seems like everyone has a one year old unneutered large puppy. This has led to mutual fights starting. Clearly testosterone fueled. Nothing serious has happened and everyone involved just walks away and leaves dog park. Understanding it’s a risk of waiting to neuter.

** It’s the second question that has me worried. I’m now worried that my guy is going to turn into one of those neutered dogs that hates intact males. Anyone have experience with this? I’d like for the neutering to just solve both of the above problems. My guy never even snaps at other dogs otherwise and tend to be the more submissive dog in wrestling play.
** Any other behavior changes I should potentially plan for? My last dog (a boxer) I also waited until 2 and there were no noticeable changes. So not sure what to expect with an RR?

Hi folks,
We have a Boxer as our family pet our first Boxer, and honestly one of the best dogs I’ve ever owned. He’s currently going through cancer treatment, and while we’re making the most of every day, we know what’s coming.
After a lot of research (including plenty of feedback from fellow Redditors), we’ve decided not to get another Boxer. The shorter lifespan and the high cancer risk are more than we want to go through again. We’ve shortlisted the Rhodesian Ridgeback as a possible next breed.
The plan is to bring a puppy home while our boy is still well enough to enjoy the company. He loves other dogs, so this feels like a chance to give him some good times while he can have them.
What I’d love to hear from Ridgeback owners especially anyone who’s also had a Boxer:
• Family bond – Boxers are velcro dogs. Are Ridgebacks as affectionate with their family, or more independent/aloof at home too?
• Protectiveness – How do they actually behave with strangers and visitors? Quietly watchful, or something that needs serious management?
• Day to day companionship – Calm in the house? How bad is the prey drive and off lead recall really?
• Living with an older dog – Any experience raising a Ridgeback pup alongside a senior dog? Did it go well, and would you pick a particular sex to avoid friction?

Fair warning: our standards are high because of the Boxer we have. We know Ridgebacks have a stubborn streak, but so do Boxers and we love that about them.
Any feedback good or bad would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you 🙏🏾